Disagree. The current Cross Country network has been around in a more or less recognisable form for decades. The NE-SW route has operated since the 19th century. The biggest difference is the implementation of a near-clockface timetable by Virgin, and that was over 20 years ago. Arguably the existing network is the result of a long rationalisation of a complex web of long distance cross-country services rather than stitching together shorter regional services.
Was it necessarily not lots of short distance services clumped up together those decades ago?
It's an absolute nightmare of conflicting priorities.
Exactly, and there's not much anyone can do about it, at least in the short term.
Almost every Cross Country service will go through at least one local peak at some point in the journey. That means being able to handle commuter crush loads.
In terms of catering, there are two traditional models:
- Shop - takes up far too much space for an operation that needs to handle multiple crush loads
- Trolley - no good if it can't get through
(I'm discounting the old school dining car as that's just for the birds)
Catering can be a loss leader to attract passengers, but when your services are routinely crush loaded you don't need that loss leader - to put it bluntly it's better all round to just sit on your laurels.
Vending machines *should* be given serious thought though.
Yes, in the longer term longer trains should help. That should make peak loadings manageable but I'm not sure you there can ever be a financially sustainable position where the trains don't carry standing passengers in the peaks. Again, my suspicion is the relative strength of the captive market (proportion of all passengers that do 2hr+ journeys) is nowhere near that of ICWC or ICEC. Also the rolling stock landscape is that the the next couple of decades of XC will be 5-cars joined together, and that works against trolley economics. Even with vending machines you have to wonder whether a significant proportion of 'posh' sandwiches etc would end up in the bin. I suspect the business model is one of drinks and snacks with long shelf lives. Maybe First Class can get some service if yields can be pushed up to cover the costs.
I don't think the nightmare could ever be over until some full HS2-scale infrastructure solution is delivered that allows the existing XC network to be split into 2 layers - HS2 services serving the long-distance markets, and fast regional services with 1/3 2/3 door rolling stock serving parallel classic lines with an unapologetically no-frills characteristic (think Dutch and Belgian). And even with HS2, I'd imagine Birmingham - Manchester/Sheffield/Leeds would operate as shuttles with minimal or no catering as the journey times will be so short. Catering would be for the London/Birmingham - Scotland/Newcastle services.
