Hartlepool in the national newspapers again...

[The Great Dictator]

It makes us unique in some ways, it also why our house prices stay buoyant.

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

House prices buoyant ...are there 2 Hartlepools.

[The Great Dictator]

Buoyant compared to most places.

[rabbit]

A little beside the point of the original thread, but major road arteries in general do not go through city centres.

For instance, the A1 does not go through Newcastle. Darlington is bypassed by the A66. Road congestion and planning policy has resulted in this arrangement. The M25 serves to divert traffic around the capital. If you try to pass through London you have to pay a special charge. 

In the case of Railways in Britain, the main routes do go through the centre of the major cities, London, York, Bristol, Darlington etc. Even Hartlepool has a main line going through it to connect the cities of York and beyond.

It is somewhat important that visitors passing through towns or cities on the trains have a favourable impression of the place.

But that leads us onto other "points".

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

The A1 is a spit from Newcastle, Darlington, Leeds, Sheffield, Durham.

Hartlepool is hardly a main line station compared to the above either. One swallow doesn't make a summer and all that.

What was the point again

[mk1]

Even Hartlepool has a main line going through it to connect the cities of York and beyond.

'Main Line is a bit of a stretch but lets say you are travelling to Sunderland from the south.
Do you fart around getting off at York and waiting for one of the 3 trains a day that go direct or do you use the main line where you have trains going through Newcastle every 15 mins and then get the Metro to Sunderland?
I think you know the answer.
By the way Transpennine go to York from Teesside every hour.

[The Great Dictator]

Other than being a port the geographics do not favour the road system to and from Hartlepool to europe.

[rabbit]

'Main Line is a bit of a stretch but lets say you are travelling to Sunderland from the south.
Do you fart around getting off at York and waiting for one of the 3 trains a day that go direct or do you use the main line where you have trains going through Newcastle every 15 mins and then get the Metro to Sunderland?
I think you know the answer."

There are 4 return trains a day to Kings Cross from Sunderland.

Yes I should not have used the word "Main". Although if you are at King`s Cross and wanted to go to Sunderland, the boards would suggest there is a "Main Line Route" to Sunderland, although as you say the trains are certainly not as frequent as the ones through Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

However it may not be everyman`s cup of tea to disembark at Newcastle Central and then have to go down to the basement to pick up the Metro (sometimes packed) to take you through the 12 station stops to Sunderland.

Otherwise why did the founders believe such a service as the Kings Cross-Sunderland route worth the effort? Yes I know the service has now been taken over by Arriva.

[mk1]

However it may not be everyman`s cup of tea to disembark at Newcastle Central and then have to go down to the basement to pick up the Metro (sometimes packed) to take you through the 12 station stops to Sunderland.

I used to think the Metro from Sunderland to Newcastle was 'slow' and up till quite recently always got the train.
I have now got a Metro Gold Card and  do not have to pay to use the Metro or trains and have used the Metro a lot and.............it is not really slow at all. Maybe 5-10 mins longer than the train but to me that 'aint a problem.
I think the best thing that could happen to Hartlepool is to get a Metro link via Peterlee/Seaham.

[steveL]

I agree totally mk1 but there's even less chance of that than there is of people sticking to a thread's topic on here. 

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Transport hospitals etc. ...they are all the same thread.
We are a forgotten backwater, brushed under the carpet most of the time.

[Inspector Knacker]

Transport hospitals etc. ...they are all the same thread.
We are a forgotten backwater, brushed under the carpet most of the time.

We are, until the bill comes in and we're expected to cough up for our 'share' of the cost ... and when our turn comes to rap the 'benefits' .... the dosh is gone and we get the crumbs from the table ...if there are any!