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Unread 21-06-2006, 12:11   #12
James Shields
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Drogheda, Ireland
Posts: 1,275
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I have been on the C3K. They are quite nice, and certainly a massive improvement on the old Class 80s. The interior is somewhat similar to a 2900, but with more seating and a little less standing room. The most noticable difference is that the sound insulation that keeps a lot of the noise out, and the improved suspension makes them a lot smoother.

The one problem with putting faster trains on the Enterprise is that the faster you go, the quicker you'll catch up with the many slower commuter trains on the line. 140MPH tilting trains would be wonderful, but you'd have to clear the whole line of traffic every time you wanted to send one out.

I think the best plan is the same one as the Cork line, start upgrading the track to UIC60 to allow future 200kph running, and start looking at adding some 3-track/4-track sections to allow faster trains to pass unhindered. In about ten years we could look at ordering the UK's HST2 trains.
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