Joining and splitting trains en route

[geoffk]

Does someone have a definitive list of stations where joining and splitting trains for different destinations still takes place? I know this happens at Machynlleth, Crianlarich, Haywards Heath and Salisbury (Exeter and Bristol portions), but I'm not sure about Faversham and Cambridge. And of course the Caledonian sleepers divide/join at Carstairs or Edinburgh.

I'm not including stations where a unit is detached or added, e.g. at Nottingham on a Liverpool - Norwich service.

Is there scope for extending this practice to give more through journey opportunities without adding more trains to a congested main line?

 

[Ianno87]

Splitting/joing at Cambridge is generally for dropping/picking up carriages that go no futher than Cambridge, though you do get some King's Lynn & Ely trains in the peal.

 

[mullac30]

Splitting trains at Dingwall are quire common for trains going to Kyle or the Far North.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Some Euston - Chester services are run as two 5-car sets. One half continues to Holyhead, the other either continues to Wrexham General or terminates at Chester.

 

[BlueFox]

Northern split some at Preston. For example Manchester Piccadilly to Windermere / Blackpool North.

 

[Highlandspring]

Splitting trains at Dingwall are quire common for trains going to Kyle or the Far North.

If by ‘quite common’ you mean once a week on a Sunday night.

 

[swt_passenger]

Southampton Central, Mon-Fri split and join slow and fast portions along the same line of route to or via Bournemouth or Poole. (A few am and pm peak flow direction trains.)
Eastleigh, Sunday morning and afternoon Poole/Portsmouth, Mon-Fri one Poole/Fareham.
Woking, Sunday Alton/Basingstoke
Horsham, Mon-Sat Bognor Regis/Portsmouth or Southampton
Hayward’s Heath, (Already mentioned) Littlehampton/Ore

 

[Ianno87]

Some Euston - Chester services are run as two 5-car sets. One half continues to Holyhead, the other either continues to Wrexham General or terminates at Chester.

And in the morning a Holyhead/Blackpool joins at Crewe.

 

[geoffk]

More than I thought. Mostly on the old "Southern Region" - what about Faversham?

 

[berneyarms]

Shrewsbury - Morning combination of services to Birmingham from Wrexham and Crewe.

 

[Mag_seven]

Splitting and joining Class 800s will become the norm in GWR land when the full IEP Timetable comes in. Splitting and joining is likely to take place at stations such as Bristol TM, Cardiff Central etc

 

[306024]

Colchester for a few trains.

Splitting and joining trains does come with a risk to performance. For joining, both halves obviously have to run on time. The coupling equipment itself must be reliable, and it mustn’t snow.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

More than I thought. Mostly on the old "Southern Region" - what about Faversham?

They certainly did split there until recent years, not sure if they still so now though. I have a feeling they don't.

 

[Highlandspring]

The coupling equipment itself must be reliable, and it mustn’t snow.

Don’t you have snow bags in England?

 

[306024]

Don’t have snow. Oh hang on.....

Yes they do exist, but some TOCs seem better than others in deploying them.

 

[yorksrob]

More than I thought. Mostly on the old "Southern Region" - what about Faversham?

Ashford, Kent always used to. Notvsure about now.

 

[30907]

Purley, Redhill, Faversham, Ashford and Tun Wells, Barnham on Sundays - though none of them as often as in the 60s.

 

[A Challenge]

Ashford, Kent always used to. Notvsure about now.

I did (Ramsgate and Ramsgate, on the two routes) back in 2014, and it appears they still do:

 

[Parallel]

I believe Redhill is another, with a peak PM train splitting and continuing to Reigate and Three Bridges.

Edit: Can see it's been mentioned above.

 

[Kite159]

I did (Ramsgate and Ramsgate, on the two routes) back in 2014, and it appears they still do:
View attachment 50930

It has changed since then. Not sure if splitting services still happens in the peaks

 

[A Challenge]

It has changed since then. Not sure if splitting services still happens in the peaks

That's the schedule for Tomorrow, so I don't get your point about it changing?

 

[Kite159]

That's the schedule for Tomorrow, so I don't get your point about it changing?

Previously at weekends/off-peak it was common to have Charing Cross - Ramsgate/Dover services which split every half hour at Ashford, with the Dover portion extending to Ramsgate every hour.

I believe that practice ended when the High Speed services took over the stoppers from Dover to Ramsgate with their round robin St Pancras - St Pancras services.

 

[Aictos]

There's also Royston as well, I remember there used to be a 12 car in the evening peak which had the front 8 run fast to Cambridge with the rear 4 stopping at the villages no idea if that is still the case though.

And also as @Fred26 can no doubt confirm the first train from London on a Sunday morning used to be a 8 car Class 365 which split at Stevenage with the front 4 for stations to Cambridge and the rear 4 for stations to Peterborough.

 

[leedslad82]

Tpe used to split at York with one unit continuing to Scarborough and other to Newcastle on some services . Not sure if this still happens with the new timetable

 

[Ianno87]

There's also Royston as well, I remember there used to be a 12 car in the evening peak which had the front 8 run fast to Cambridge with the rear 4 stopping at the villages no idea if that is still the case though.

And also as @Fred26 can no doubt confirm the first train from London on a Sunday morning used to be a 8 car Class 365 which split at Stevenage with the front 4 for stations to Cambridge and the rear 4 for stations to Peterborough.

No more Royston splitters as of the May timetable change (was the 1814 ex-King's Cross)

 

[Fred26]

There's also Royston as well, I remember there used to be a 12 car in the evening peak which had the front 8 run fast to Cambridge with the rear 4 stopping at the villages no idea if that is still the case though.

And also as @Fred26 can no doubt confirm the first train from London on a Sunday morning used to be a 8 car Class 365 which split at Stevenage with the front 4 for stations to Cambridge and the rear 4 for stations to Peterborough.

Yeah. Didn't often run like that though, largely due to engineering work.

 

[PHILIPE]

I notice the title doesn't specify through portions as did the last thread on the topic, so I'll say that every 2 hours during the day a Birmingham Intl to Holyhead kicks off a 158 at Shrewsbury and within a few minutes attaches to one in the opposite direction

 

[Deafdoggie]

Northampton. Some LNWR trains split Birmingham & Crewe portions. Keeps altering, but still a few, mainly Sundays at the moment I think

 

[geoffk]

Thanks for replies. It seems that, outside the old Network South East area, there are just nine stations where joining and splitting takes place and two of these involve the sleepers only (Carstairs and Edinburgh).

That leaves Crianlarich, Dingwall, Machynlleth, Crewe, Chester, Shrewsbury and Preston. Of these, only Machynlleth and Crianlarich have this on an all-day basis.

 

[Highlandspring]

Kilmarnock as well.