Euston compulsory dispatch with RA so no chance there. Not sure about Preston.
If it’s like Grand Central the on board CSAs will be dispatch trained, however, unless one operates the equipment then vaults through the open DVT door as the train moves away, it’s pretty unlikely that model will work with an RA indicator
What are the arrangements for dispatch of Grand Central? Do they self dispatch at York?
If so it's quite surprising if everything else has to be dispatched at York although I'm not sure of that?
Who does booked assists joining and alighting Grand Central services and leaving stations etc? Grand Central must have to pay station access fees to the tocs?
I'm definitely disappointed at the lack of calls at any stations between Nuneaton and Preston. Places like Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford have some competition in the form of hourly VTWC vs hourly semi-fast WMT, but prices are still nowhere near as regularly at the same levels that places like Birmingham and Rugby enjoy.
If there's only the capacity and paths to serve one stop, I see no reason why Nuneaton, a small town of 70,000, should be this stop, rather than a station with more connecting services, such as the above stations, which also have several times the population each.
There are a couple's of issues at play here meaning Nuneaton is having the calls.
The services needed to be not primarily revenue abstractive. I.e. more business needed to be new growth and not existing passengers than was not. Nuneaton is probably one with a lot of potential after losing the off peak fast services in 2008. It will reinstate some sort of off peak express standard London service which most towns of its size on a mainline have. Virgin chose not to call in the weekday middle off peak so an OA will. Benefit. There's also the passenger traffic which will potentially be given improved connections going to the far north of England and Scotland, from Leicester and East Anglia.
Secondly Nuneaton has platforms on the fast lines. Which means the paths worked. Tamworth and Lichfield would not have worked in the end because it involves going off onto the slow lines for some 8 miles just to call, and potentially losing the fast path to Crewe.
If choosing Stafford or Crewe instead, it's a case of they may have failed the revenue abstraction test as these towns already have a good fast service north and south. And it's supposed to be predominantly new business.
Then there's the economic factors and the potential economic benefits such a new service could offer a town like Nuneaton over say Stafford or Crewe which are already served by express trains. It's about inclusion and helping to bring more prosperity to areas and Nuneaton is the standout station for not already having an off peak intercity grade service.
Re it's population. As said by posters it's standalone population probably lies 85000 to 90000 with new house building. It's catchment would include Bedworth a fair sized town in itself and arguably Hinckley as well, another decent sized town only about 6 miles away, for mainline services.
There's also the rural catchment and South West Leicestershire villages with the Leicestershire border being only about 3 miles from the outskirts of the town of Nuneaton.
And Nuneaton is actually a larger town than Rugby, which is already served all day by intercity type trains. In fact it's larger than Stafford and Crewe as well. Couldn't see it making sense keep adding more mainline calls at Stafford and Crewe and leaving Nuneaton to just stay as it is indefinitely. Things will be more levelled out in terms of calls. Although Rugby Stafford and Crewe will still remain far better served.
Smaller towns in the ECML and GWML have a far superior mainline service than Nuneaton curently has. It made sense path wise, revenue abstraction wise and economic benefits wise so good on Nuneaton hope it all goes through for GNWR.
