If you could create any direct services which currently don’t run which would you choose?

[gswindale]

London Waterloo to Swansea calling at Bracknell and Skewen (plus others?) would be a perfect service for me - remove the need for either changing trains or driving

 

[Bletchleyite]

Extend the LNR Crewe-Euston back to Liverpool Lime St, giving Liverpool its long wanted second direct train per hour to London, and VT a firm clout in the goolies for their excessive Anytime fares.

 

[gingerheid]

Cambridge to somewhere north of Birmingham (Liverpool?), Cambridge to Nottingham and somewhere further (Manchester?)

 

[SteveyBee131]

Barton-upon-Humber to somewhere West (Lincoln, Scunthorpe, Sheffield via Kirton Lindsey) Really wouldn't matter where so much, just the opposite way to Cleethorpes!

 

[318266]

Carlisle to Stranrear not via Glasgow

 

[SSp]

A sleeper carriage to sit in Preston for boarding from 9pm to get picked up at the morning hour the whole unit passes through.

 

[xotGD]

A sleeper carriage to sit in Preston for boarding from 9pm to get picked up at the morning hour the whole unit passes through.

Heading north or south?

 

[Table 52]

A direct lunchtime only service from Ham Street to Sandwich.

 

[Berneylegs]

Part 4
... Yatton, Worle, Weston Milton, Weston-super-Mare, Highbridge & Burnham, Bridgwater, Taunton, Tiverton Parkway, Exeter St Davids, Exeter St Thomas, Starcross, Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Totnes, Ivybridge, Plymouth, Devonport, Dockyard, Keyham, St Budeaux Ferry Road, Saltash, St Germans, Menheniot, Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway, Lostwithiel, Par, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, Camborne, Hayle, St Erth and Penzance.

When you arrive at each station make an announcement eg. Change at St Erth for services to St Ives

 

[318266]

When you arrive at each station make an announcement eg. Change at St Erth for services to St Ives

Or like Thameslink, announcing every single stop after you leave a station

 

[mp01]

If we're being serious then a couple of trains have always struck me as being helpful and lacking...

First, direct fast trains from Bristol and south Wales to Heathrow and Gatwick. I know some of the track's not there for Heathrow but these are pigs of places to get to by the current existing services.

Second, it always struck me that cross-country from SW to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh is really slow, so something like Bristol to Edinburgh calling only at Reading, Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh would be pretty good assuming it could be done faster.

If we're in fantasy world, I'd suggest Pontypridd to Edinburgh calling at Trefforest Estate (pick up only) then via City Line and Marches to call at Crewe, Stockport, Reddish South, Denton, Guide Bridge, Stalybridge then non-stop via Settle and Carlisle to Haymarket (set down only) and Edinburgh. I'd concede that if the 20m carriage restriction north of Radyr came into play, then could start at Radyr rather than Ponty.

 

[SwindonBert]

Southampton to Birmingham via Salisbury, West Wiltshire line, Swindon, Stroud (calling at every station it passes)

 

[318266]

Weymess Bay to Glasgow. Calling at IBM and Glasgow Central. I hate IBM Halt

 

[CMS]

Why truncate the Southern to Tring? It's well used north of that as well, not least by me. There is nothing wrong with having Tring stoppers, they load well. There would be a good argument for lopping the Bushey and Harrow stops from the MKC stoppers though if this was added, though that said lopping Harrow would reduce connectivity with LO from north of Watford.

I think the Tring stoppers are great in the peaks as they allow Hemel/Watford to get seats despite the bizarre skip-stopping but off-peak I don't find them particularly well loaded and not the best use of a path. Also I believe that platforms 2 and 2A alone at MKC will not be able to accommodate EW Rail future terminators/reversals, WCML LM terminators and Southern, so out of those three I would curtail the Southern service. In the scenario I thought of, it would be something like the following, together with other WCML slows:
2tph - Euston to St Albans Abbey all stops
2tph - Euston to Milton Keynes HRW, WFJ then all stops except CED
1tph - East Croydon to Tring (2tph WFJ-CLJ peaks)

I would retain Tring stoppers at peaks.

I agree that in any scenario where a through service to St Albans Abbey were introduced, it would pick up WCML calls south of WFJ and other services be sped up.

Of the top of my head while we're at it, I think Ashford to Brighton, as well as a Kent to Gatwick through service... oh, wait..

 

[172212]

Smethwick Galton Bridge to Coventry would be handy (I know there’s already a few direct services)

 

[Voyager lad]

Although my suggestions will all be pretty unrealistic, here goes:

Helensburgh Central - Glasgow Queen Street HL (Craigendoran, Cardross, Dalreoch, Dumbarton Central, Bowling, Dalmuir, Singer, Westerton, Maryhill and Glasgow Queen Street HL) 2tph

Upgraded WHL; 1tph Glasgow - Crianlarich with 1tp2h to Oban and 1tp3h to Fort William and Mallaig

Glasgow Central - Swansea/ Carmarthen/ Milford Haven (Glasgow Central, Lockerbie, Carlisle, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan North Western, Crewe, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Abergavenny, Cwmbrân, Newport, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway, Neath, Swansea, Llanelli, Pembrey and Burry Port, Carmarthen, Whitland, Haverfordwest and Milford Haven) 1tp2h to Carmarthen and 3tpd to Milford Haven

 

[318266]

Although my suggestions will all be pretty unrealistic, here goes:

Helensburgh Central - Glasgow Queen Street HL (Craigendoran, Cardross, Dalreoch, Dumbarton Central, Bowling, Dalmuir, Singer, Westerton, Maryhill and Glasgow Queen Street HL) 2tph

That isn't far off the way the Helensburgh services were introduced back in the 19th century. I actually think this IS the way they took!

 

[318266]

But they probably called at Kilpatrick, Drumry, Drumchapel, GLiscohill, Summerston, Possilpark and parkhouse and ashfield too

 

[Harbornite]

Southampton to Birmingham via Salisbury, West Wiltshire line, Swindon, Stroud (calling at every station it passes)

Where in Birmingham? Snow Hill via Worcester and Kidderminster pr New Street via either Worcester or spetchley?

 

[Esker-pades]

Leicester, Nuneaton, Birmingham New Street, Cheltenham Spa, Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa.

Split the Grand Central service to Sunderland and York, and run a portion to Middlesbrough (non-stop).

Totally re-work the Thameslink Core, including King's Lynn to Brighton (express), Welwyn Garden City to Orpington, Stevenage to Caterham.

London Charing Cross, Waterloo East, London Bridge, New Eltham, Sidcup, Dartford, Greenhithe, Gravesend, Higham, Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham.

Express West Coastway workings (Brighton, Hove, Worthing, Barnham, Chichester, Havant, Fareham, Southampton Central).

Liverpool Lime Street, Wigan North Wester, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme/Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Haymarket, Edinburgh Waverley.

London Marylebone, Bicester North, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Telford Central, Wellington, Shrewsbury, Wrexham General. Faster Wrexham & Shropshire service that exists! Yey!

Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle Central, any two of Morpeth/Alnmouth/Berwick/Dunbar, Edinburgh Waverley, Haymarket, Motherwell, Glasgow Central.

Express Carlisle to Leeds (Appleby, Settle, Skipton, (Keighley, Bingley, Shipley,) Leeds).

London Charing Cross, Waterloo East, London Bridge, Grove Park, Swanley, Maidstone East.

 

[james60059]

One that was proposed in the Central Trains but never got past the pen and paper stage:

Nottingham, Beeston, Attenborough, Loughborough, Leicester, South Wigston, Narborough, Hinckley, Nuneaton, Bedworth, Coventry, Kenilworth, Leamington Spa, Banbury, Oxford. Maybe extend to Didcot Parkway

 

[Essan]

Part 3
... Swinton, Rotherham Central, Meadowhall, Sheffield, Dronfield, Chesterfield, Belper, Duffield, Derby, Peartree, Willington, Burton-on-Trent, Tamworth, Wilnecote, Water Orton, Birmingham New Street, Five Ways, University, Selly Oak, Bournville, Kings Norton, Northfield, Longbridge, Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, Ashchurch for Tewkesbury, Cheltenham Spa, Cam & Dursley, Yate, Bristol Parkway, Filton Abbey Wood, Stapleton Road, Lawrence Hill, Bristol Temple Meads, Bedminster, Parson Street, Nailsea & Backwell...

Can't you go from Bromsgrove to Droitwich and Worcester SH, and then to Ashchurch? Pretty please?

 

[yorksrob]

From a personal point of view, Atherton to Manchester Oxford Road would be quite useful.

But then again, any trains from Atherton to anywhere would be quite useful these days !

 

[causton]

Also I believe that platforms 2 and 2A alone at MKC will not be able to accommodate EW Rail future terminators/reversals, WCML LM terminators and Southern

Don't worry, as posted on the forum a few days ago from December a lot of MKC terminators will be running through to Northampton... then Birmingham... then Rugeley Trent Valley?!? Can't wait for that!

I would like to see one of the Tring stoppers per hour extended to Bletchley (as I believe one used to go north to BLY/MKC) - and if we are entering fantasy land can it please run to Fenny Stratford with a bit more electrification to get me home

There are quite a few people travelling from Watford Junction to Leighton Buzzard or Bletchley who are surprised at having to wait 30 minutes if they miss the xx24 off Euston/xx41 off WFJ, so if the xx34 or so off Euston went further north from Tring maybe you could even take the Cheddington stop off the xx24!

 

[318266]

Can't you go from Bromsgrove to Droitwich and Worcester SH, and then to Ashchurch? Pretty please?

I will edir.

 

[DarloRich]

Second, it always struck me that cross-country from SW to York, Newcastle and Edinburgh is really slow, so something like Bristol to Edinburgh calling only at Reading, Peterborough, Doncaster, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh would be pretty good assuming it could be done faster.

Another person wanting to cut Leeds off xc services. WHY would you want to cut a major revenue point and swap that for Doncaster? It is just silly and pointless

How do you propose to get from reading to Peterborough and then find space for the service on both the gwml and ecml?

 

[D6975]

Liverpool Lime Street, Wigan North Wester, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme/Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Haymarket, Edinburgh Waverley.

The Liverpool-Scotland service is due to start next year I think. Not sure if it is going to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow or both. (TPX)

 

[Esker-pades]

The Liverpool-Scotland service is due to start next year I think. Not sure if it is going to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow or both. (TPX)

I thought the ones starting next year were as an extension of the current Liverpool to Newcastle services.

 

[318266]

The Liverpool-Scotland service is due to start next year I think. Not sure if it is going to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow or both. (TPX)

I thought the ones starting next year were as an extension of the current Liverpool to Newcastle services.

Liverpool - Glasgow via Preston: New service, via WCML: Starting Dec 2018.
Liverpool - Edinburgh via Leeds: Extension of Newcastle service, via ECML: Starting Unknown

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Accrington to Paris Pullman Express (about as feasible and sustainable as many of the suggestions)