Avanti West Coast from Euston to Glasgow - extended journey time

[CheapAndNerdy]

The erstwhile xx:30 AWC service from Euston to Glasgow now leaves at xx:10, although it arrives at intermediate stations at pretty much the same time as before, and I am trying to understand the logistics behind it.

There is now an extra stop at Crewe, where it sits for 7 minutes. So that probably accounts for 10-12 minutes.
Additionally, it now leaves Euston just 3 minutes behind the Liverpool service, which calls at Stafford, so it can't travel as fast as it normally would.

But from a passenger perspective I wonder why the Glasgow service can't depart at xx:15 or even xx:20. That way it wouldn't be slowed down by the Liverpool service and wouldn't need to sit at Crewe.

Obviously there are other considerations in play. Does anyone know what they might be? I am thinking maybe freight services or perhaps other services utilising or crossing over the fast line.

Cheers.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The erstwhile xx:30 AWC service from Euston to Glasgow now leaves at xx:10, although it arrives at intermediate stations at pretty much the same time as before, and I am trying to understand the logistics behind it.

The Glasgow is currently taking the path of the xx10 Chester/North Wales Voyager, though not its stop at Milton Keynes.
It then waits at Crewe to pick up its normal path (which would have been non-stop through Crewe, first stop Warrington).
The Crewe stop is to compensate for thinner services generally, with few Chester trains running south of Crewe, and the via Birmingham services to Glasgow being missing (the Edinburgh services generally run).
It's all due to get back to "normal" at the September timetable change.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I thought it was to replace the Euston-Chester-North Wales service>

 

[43055]

But from a passenger perspective I wonder why the Glasgow service can't depart at xx:15 or even xx:20. That way it wouldn't be slowed down by the Liverpool service and wouldn't need to sit at Crewe.

The Glasgow service can't really depart any later than around xx:10 due to other services. On the fast lines there is a xx:15 LNWR to Birmingham as far as Leighton Buzzard followed at xx:20 to Manchester via Stoke.

 

[HST43257]

The Glasgow service can't really depart any later than around xx:10 due to other services. On the fast lines there is a xx:15 LNWR to Birmingham as far as Leighton Buzzard followed at xx:20 to Manchester via Stoke.

It’s where I don’t approve of the 5 min gaps. So restrictive.

 

[CW2]

It’s where I don’t approve of the 5 min gaps. So restrictive.

It's all rather more complicated than you appear to believe.
The minimum headway on the WCML Fast Lines is 3 minutes, which is where the 00/20/40 Manchesters are followed by the 03/23/43 West Midlands from Euston, for example.
Where the trains have different intermediate stopping patterns, you have to choose whether to overtake (by holding the first train at the intermediate station for longer) or whether to accept pathing time in the schedule.
An alternative would be to start from the point of origin slightly later, if a path can be found.
Where you have LM trains involved - with slower traction - then the placement of their crossing move from Down Fast to Down Slow (if running via Northampton) becomes critical, as the trains have to pass across the succession of Up Fast services. In this instance the xx:15 Euston - Birmingham LM crosses DF - DS at Ledburn 2 minutes after the passage of a Manchester - Euston on the Up Fast, and 3.5 minutes ahead of the xx:20 Euston - Manchester, so effectively the extra 2 minutes which existed at Euston have been consumed by Ledburn.
The Fast Line occupation of the WCML (in normal times) is about the maximum that can be achieved and delivered safely and reliably, with allowance for some Peak Hours additionals.

 

[CheapAndNerdy]

The Glasgow is currently taking the path of the xx10 Chester/North Wales Voyager, though not its stop at Milton Keynes.
It then waits at Crewe to pick up its normal path (which would have been non-stop through Crewe, first stop Warrington).
The Crewe stop is to compensate for thinner services generally, with few Chester trains running south of Crewe, and the via Birmingham services to Glasgow being missing (the Edinburgh services generally run).
It's all due to get back to "normal" at the September timetable change.

Makes sense in an age of greatly reduced demand.

The Glasgow service can't really depart any later than around xx:10 due to other services. On the fast lines there is a xx:15 LNWR to Birmingham as far as Leighton Buzzard followed at xx:20 to Manchester via Stoke.

Thanks.