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XC at Didcot

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Hi all
Are there any XC trains that call at Didcot? When in general do XC services use the 'back road' via the station rather than the avoiding line?

Cheers
 
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Temple Meads

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No XC services are scheduled to call at Didcot.

I've only seen 3 Voyagers use the route through the station, and they were all on the same day (April 1st 2012), in about 6 visits to the station.
 
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Cheers Tim,
Was there any particular reason for them using that route? I suppose it's only used as a get out of jail card in the event of signal failure then?
 

Temple Meads

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Thinking back, they were using the line through the station only on the Northbound services, whereas southbound trains would use the avoiding line as normal, thinking about it, I don't think I saw anything using the up avoider on that day, so yes, perhaps there was a failure or engineering works on it.
 

calc7

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Would XC be allowed to call at DID if they wished, or do FGW have exclusive rights? Calling the Reading starters/terminators wouldn't be such a bad idea as they're noticeably quieter than the ones continuing to Hampshire and the South coast.
 

ainsworth74

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Would XC be allowed to call at DID if they wished, or do FGW have exclusive rights?

As long as it could be shown that they weren't just abstracting revenue from FGW I don't see why not. As far as I'm aware there is no protection of FGW as was found for Virgin on the WCML.
 

route:oxford

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Would XC be allowed to call at DID if they wished, or do FGW have exclusive rights? Calling the Reading starters/terminators wouldn't be such a bad idea as they're noticeably quieter than the ones continuing to Hampshire and the South coast.

XC services did call at Diddyland in the past. From memory they stopped around the same time as Voyagerisation.

Perhaps once the Reading work is completed (and Oxford is done too!) then there will be the opportunity to review XC timetabling and calling points.
 

gnolife

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XC services did call at Diddyland in the past. From memory they stopped around the same time as Voyagerisation.

Perhaps once the Reading work is completed (and Oxford is done too!) then there will be the opportunity to review XC timetabling and calling points.

I've heard trains announced at Manchester Picc as terminating at Didcot during engineering at Reading (early January was the last time I've seen this though)
 

The Planner

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Would be surprised if XC went back into Didcot, they won't be interested in the time penalty.
 

Cherry_Picker

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How many people used it as an interchange back when they had regular XC services stop there? I was always of the opinion that it looked a more useful interchange on paper than it actually was because people coming from the Midlands and further north can also go via Bristol to get to south Wales and the West Country so other than a handful of specific medium sized towns, who would really use it?
 

dzug2

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There is one XC train a day that is definitely timetabled through the station - it goes to Foxhall Jun to reverse before carrying on to Oxford - the 2146 SSUX ex Reading
 

David10

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Recall that Didcot along with Solihull were axed as stops when the timetable was redone after Operation Princess.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Recall that Didcot along with Solihull were axed as stops when the timetable was redone after Operation Princess.

I think Solihull held out a little while longer, I think 2tpd or similar used to call until 2007 or so.
 

Crossover

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I'm sure a friend of mine asked me only a few weeks ago why there was a Voyager sat at Didcot Parkway, so maybe there was something, maybe due to engineering works
 

yorksrob

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XC services did call at Diddyland in the past. From memory they stopped around the same time as Voyagerisation.

Perhaps once the Reading work is completed (and Oxford is done too!) then there will be the opportunity to review XC timetabling and calling points.

Yes, I remember changing from Cross Country trains at Didcot quite a few times in Mk 2 days. Has the station buffet got it's booze licence back yet ?
 

Tomnick

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Are there any XC trains that call at Didcot? When in general do XC services use the 'back road' via the station rather than the avoiding line?
If an XC train towards Oxford is likely to conflict with an Up train stopping at Didcot (at either Didcot North or East Jns) because one or the other is running late, it might minimise the overall delay if the former was routed through the station instead (removing the conflict at the cost of a couple of minutes to the XC train). I don't know whether that happens regularly (or at all!), but it might explain why the odd one ends up going that way.
 

David10

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At the moment XC services are pathed to overtake FGW stoppers at Didcot, so any reinstatement would slow XC services down prohibitively.
 

bb21

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I expect that XC could call at Didcot if Reading was closed for Engineering works & services are diverted via the Reading Avoiding curve.

I caught such a train in 2001. There was obviously no reversal required, as opposed to going via Reading.
 

Eagle

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I expect that XC could call at Didcot if Reading was closed for Engineering works & services are diverted via the Reading Avoiding curve.

No, in that case usual policy is for XC to call at Reading West. (Easier to get RRBs running due to the short distance, you see.) XC will usually only call at Didcot if they have to terminate there.

According to XC's station accessibility guide they are permitted to call at Didcot, Reading West, Lichfield City and Wakefield Kirkgate during engineering works.
 

LexyBoy

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Voyagers use the line through the station reasonably frequently when there's trouble in the area - even if there's no direct problem with the avoiding line they seem to go through the station sometimes, probably to help clear the mainline.

For a slightly more drastic diversion, I was surprised to see an XC HST sat on P3 last year - turned out that the line between Cheltenham and Birmingham was closed so it was diverted via Didcot!

Yes, I remember changing from Cross Country trains at Didcot quite a few times in Mk 2 days. Has the station buffet got it's booze licence back yet ?

Yes, the Pumpkin on P2/3 sells the usual selection of dubious cans. Why did they lose it?
 

yorksrob

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Yes, the Pumpkin on P2/3 sells the usual selection of dubious cans. Why did they lose it?

Whenever I used to change there in about 2000-2001 there was a rather angrily worded sign sellotaped to the wall apologising that they could not sell alcoholic beverages as the local magistrate had either withdrawn or refused to give them a license ( I can't remember which).

I'm guessing that Tony Blair's relaxation of the licensing laws may have reversed this :D
 

route:oxford

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Would be surprised if XC went back into Didcot, they won't be interested in the time penalty.

Once Reading is finished, what's the likelihood of more XC services operating on the fasts between Diddyland and Reading?

The Voyagers seem to relish being "let off the leash" on the GWML.
 
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The Planner

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Depends greatly on where FGW are at Didcot East. Can't see XC being anywhere radically different so it depends on whether the blue and pink mob want to move about.
 

Eagle

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Depends greatly on where FGW are at Didcot East. Can't see XC being anywhere radically different so it depends on whether the blue and pink mob want to move about.

You are of course assuming they'll still be blue and pink by then :P

You never know, Arriva might win it, and decide on a situation that benefits both their franchises.
 

TEW

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More likely to move on to the fasts once electrification is complete and new stock is in use, they'll be a complete recast of the timetable then. IIRC there is a diveunder being built to allow XC services to access platform 7 at Reading from the relief lines without conflicting movements, platform 7 is the dedicated XC platform in the latest plans I've seen.
 

bkhtele

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Didcot was a useful connection from Swindon, now we have to change at Didcot & Oxford. Going north was usually faster via cheltenham or Parkway. Still I suspect Didcot is lost forever!
 
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