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As regards, Central's expansion, a new platform or two would certainly help ease congestion in the station, but what is really needed is more rolling stock - we need longer trains and greater frequency, e.g every 10 mins at peak time, as opposed to every 15. Getting on at Moorfields can sometimes be an absolute nightmare. not only is the platform packed to the rafters, the train itself is already packed from Central. Even when it is 6-car, it can still not be enough. It must also be remembered that the service is not a rapid metro with stops every 10 yards like in Paris (Waterways, 2009), therefore people should expect to be able to sit down, not penned in like a chicken battery, especially as people are paying good money to use this service.
I really do think that the 'new Exchange' will alleviate any current & future capacity problems & may also bring a lot more life into the business district of the city centre, which was lost when Exchange closed & Moorfields opened.
Not sure about this. What exactly was lost when Exchange closed? Moorfields is still a thriving business district.
Regardless of all this "What do we about capacity" business, the whole network needs to change. There is a reluctance to really move things forward - the whole "if its not broke, dont fix it" mentality. In reality, the network isn't that bad, but capacity is an issue, which is a result of rising rail patronage. Merseytravel have an excellent opportunity to take the network by the scruff of the neck and take it up to another level, but they'll point to a lack of funds. Therefore, the issue of rail travel needs to be moved higher up local and national government agendas. Again, there is a reluctance to do this, as the government believe everything is hunky-dory, so don't mess with it until it becomes a real problem.
But this is the problem, the culture today is purely "reactive". Planning is not pro-active, transport is not pro-active, and so on. Everything is a reaction to a lack of quality planning and vision. Urban renewal is a reaction to years of poor leadership and poor planning.
There are many areas of land and buildings in Liverpool which need to go, but everything is so slow and jobsworth.... like the Concourse Tower, delayed by over 6 months because of the spider? Come on, get a grip. Where do their priorities lie? In culture and tourism? Its an insult.
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