James H S Brown
@JamesHSBrown
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Working to decarbonise the rail industry + some everyday complaining.
London
Joined December 2012
Committment to investment in Northern transport always welcome... However hard to assess with no detail. Difficult not to be cynical this isn't "can kicking" when projects ready now like HS2 phase 2a, TRU full electrification and finishing MML wires still on back burner...
We’re setting a new growth plan that will boost living standards across the North. At the heart is Northern Powerhouse Rail, which will: ✅ reduce journey times, increase frequency and reliability ✅ connect people with better jobs ✅ improve access to new homes New skilled
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What on earth!? This is approaching state collapse territory... What is David Lammy on about no "right" to a jury trial... How can you have a common law system without juries?? https://t.co/dF8h1m1sCY
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The only way to travel 125mph, with glorious views on my @AvantiWestCoast chariot Highway to the hills
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Seriously next Sat you will have up to 10k fans (some drunk) on these stairs There will be accidents If stairs fail you'll have a major incident If you can't repair, you need to close @BrentfordFC @MPSFootballUnit @MPSHounslow will need time to update event plans @NetworkRailWssx
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Hi @SW_Help & @railandroad Good that warning signs (finally) gone up at Kew Bridge However stairs continue to fail, 4 steps are now only supported on one side and will fail soon This NEEDS to be fixed or station closed before @BrentfordFC home game next Sat #safety
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Hi @SW_Help The westbound platform stairs at Kew Bridge are still broken 3 weeks later. Dangerously uneven, and continues to worsen - number of steps now completely rotted through on one side. Emergency repairs still possible, but seriously close to collapse. @railandroad
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Still early days — capacity and reliability aren’t yet reflected, and London’s scores get bunched at the top end. But overall, looks like a useful new tool Curious to see how people start using it! #Transport #Data #Connectivity
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In the past I’ve used station ridership vs local building density before to find underperforming areas — but this new metric goes further, capturing each station’s real catchment area. Example: Oxford Parkway — low local density, but very high connectivity.
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Why it matters? in rail, it’s hard to compare operators across regions. Does higher ridership mean better performance — or just better infrastructure and geography? A national connectivity metric could help target CAPEX where it’s truly needed.
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The heatmaps are fascinating. At first glance they mirror the usual economic geography — but look closer: • The SW & Bristol underperforming • The North & NE doing surprisingly well (thanks to Merseyrail & Nexus) • Some “poor northern connectivity” narratives being challenged
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It goes beyond simple travel isochrones — combining distance, mode and “destination value” (jobs, housing, education, etc.) to give a richer picture of true accessibility. Think @TfL’s WebCAT, but for the whole country.
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What if we could measure how connected every part of England & Wales is — not just by travel time, but by how many valuable destinations you can actually reach? Last week @transportgovuk released a new Transport Connectivity Metric doing exactly that: 🔗
gov.uk
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Latest example of justice dysfunction @BTP refuse to investigate bike thefts if 2 hours+ of CCTV https://t.co/Oa1GQnXRNy Apparently BTP don't know how to binary search 🤦 Again police failing to target "career" crimes where they could have most long term benefit @crush_crime
bbc.co.uk
The British Transport Police will not investigate many categories of bicycle theft, the BBC learns.
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Hi @SW_Help Kew Bridge stairs are still broken a week later. This time I remembered to take a photo You can see number of steps have partially collapsed and now dangerously uneven Looks like wood has rotted through - risk of further imminent collapse
Hi @SW_Help The stairs on the westbound platform at Kew bridge are failing. Number of the steps are loose and dangerous Probably needs quite urgent attention Thank you
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You can read the full report here: 👉 https://t.co/2eu9D2nGHx Curious to hear others’ views — have you used the Dartmoor Line since it reopened? What future projects should be next on the list?
gov.uk
Research identifying and evaluating the impacts of the reopening of the Dartmoor Line.
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One interesting transport modelling takeaway: Early demand far exceeded forecasts, but by year 3 usage has levelled off closer to predictions. This suggests ramp-up assumptions may be too conservative — yet also highlights the need to support continued growth post-opening.
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Plenty more opportunities exist. Evidence like this should give @HMTreasury confidence to keep investing in rail as the backbone of future growth. With the Government’s new “New Towns” shortlist just announced, rail must be at the heart of those plans.
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The Dartmoor Line joins the Borders Railway, Elizabeth Line & Northumberland Line as proof that rail projects can be delivered successfully — and go on to outperform expectations.
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