Opinions differ - Yes indeed, there's informed opinions and uninformed ones - facts don't.Re trolleybuses vs trams, more pro-tram anti-trolleybus misinformation - based, I hope, on complete ignorance rather then dishonesty:-"Trolleybuses are not easy to put in (all that overhead cabling)" - what makes you imagine more difficult than 'all that overhead cabling' for trams??"and are not that reliable (pantographs tend to come off cables)" - incidences of trolley booms (not pantographs, that's what trams have) are pretty rare and quickly rectified from the driver's cab by remote control on modern trolleybuses, with no significant disruption to service or to other traffic."Also, they are not that powerful as the power cables have to have a relatively low voltage (hundreds rather than tens of thousands of volts like railways)" - so what voltage do you inagine trams run on? - I'll let you into a secret: it's exactly the same as for trolleybuses, typically 750 volts - fyfi tube trains and other conductor-rail (as opposed to overhead wire) electric trains run on even less, generally 600 - 630 volts."so as to avoid nasty accidents with washing out of windows!" - what on earth is all that about??"A tram would link the boroughs of west london together" - so would a trolleybus system without messing up north-south comunication across west london, unlike a street tramway which certainly would."and possibly provide a night-time freight capability along the Uxbridge Road if things become really bad in the coming energy crisis" - pure fantasy I'm afraid."It is not that expensive to put them undergound (cut and cover as used in a lot of the tube system) meaning that shopping centres in Southall, Ealing, West Ealing, Acton, Hayes, etc. could be pedestrianised with trams using underpasses and replacing buses" - not that expensive?? - got any spare change guv, let's get on with it tomorrow then."I understand that the 207 is the busiest bus route in Europe (and it shows)" - one of the busiest in London maybe."We need (and deserve) much better!" - yes indeed - a modern trolleybus system - much better than a street tramway in this situation - and with all the money saved by going for the much cheaper and very much less disruptive and more operationally flexible trolleybus option we can have a whole network of electrified routes, not just one route along one road.
Chris Veasey ● 5197d