Cross Country services - the future?

[150222]

Any thoughts on which station has the shortest platforms on the core route?

Chester-Le-Street? I believe it can just take a 6-car 185 with the ends hanging off.

 

[Zoe]

Even if you did use XC from Exeter I don't know why you'd want to stay on it beyond Birmingham as if you changed there to Virgin you'd be in Edinburgh about an hour earlier.
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Chester-Le-Street? I believe it can just take a 6-car 185 with the ends hanging off.

Bromsgrove is much shorter.

 

[Eagle]

Bromsgrove is much shorter.

Bromsgrove is only served by the ex-Central services though (I think, could be wrong).

 

[IanXC]

Chester-Le-Street? I believe it can just take a 6-car 185 with the ends hanging off.

I think we can discount Chester-le-Street as a problem for double working thought, it gets 1 CrossCountry train per day.

Bromsgrove is only served by the ex-Central services though (I think, could be wrong).

Thats my understanding too.

 

[Requeststop]

I think someone missed the reference.

TBH If I was doing a trip of that length I'd fly. I'm about to book a weekend in Edinburgh and the flight from Exeter is about 1h20, compared with 7h44 on XC with similar catering provision. I'd rather take the DeHavilland over the other Bombardier product.

Flybe cost about £80 inc fees and Hand Baggage only - Train is £84 each way advance (well that's the best I've seen without messing about with split tickets)

If I was back home I'd still have to get from West of St Ives to Exeter Airport, from Edinburgh airport to Haymarket or Waverley and then to Aberdeen.

I know, you'd tell me to move! I have.

 

[Zoe]

If I was back home I'd still have to get from West of St Ives to Exeter Airport, from Edinburgh airport to Haymarket or Waverley and then to Aberdeen.

You can fly from Newquay to Edinburgh from March this year.

 

[ValleyLines142]

I think someone missed the reference.

Sorry. Wasn't thinking on the right lines ha!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

abandon it completely between Edinburgh and Aberdeen

And what about the 1st Class Catering and the removal of the Edinburgh-Aberdeen trolley ?

Virgin never ran any form of catering between between Edinburgh and Aberdeen I believe, certainly never a First Class at-seat service.

 

[Butts]

Virgin never ran any form of catering between between Edinburgh and Aberdeen I believe, certainly never a First Class at-seat service.

I believe the shop used to operate - not sure about the "At Seat" 1st Service

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I believe the shop used to operate - not sure about the "At Seat" 1st Service

I am fairly certain it didn't, as I believe someone high up in AXC used the fact that Virgin didn't to justify AXC not doing it either (when the shops were still in place).

 

[Butts]

I am fairly certain it didn't, as I believe someone high up in AXC used the fact that Virgin didn't to justify AXC not doing it either (when the shops were still in place).

Well someone did it for a while as I remember there was a huge kick up about it (at least up here) when it was withdrawn.

My belief is that whoever operates the service there should be some form of service on a journey of that duration.

I believe our cornish cousins have the same problem on journeys between Penzance and Plymouth.

 

[RichW1]

Best chance XC has got will come miles into the future with Y shaped high speed network. If classic compatible high speed trains are developed as per the ICE in Germany then I can see a fully electrified service from Bristol to Birmingham, joining the High Speed track to Leeds and then forking back onto the classic network. No other way XC will ever improve; journeys are so pathetically slow now I always use my car for such routes. It'll be a revolution with High-speed rather than evolution for cross-country I feel. Sad, but what can you do? Just too many bottlenecks to contend with annoyingly.

 

[Zoe]

journeys are so pathetically slow now I always use my car for such routes.

The issue here is that while the car may well be the best option for many people at this time, it can't be assumed that the private car will always be available to most people in the future so alternatives need to be provided now.

 

[tbtc]

Virgin never ran any form of catering between between Edinburgh and Aberdeen I believe, certainly never a First Class at-seat service.

...and when Virgin were operating they had a service every two hours from Edinburgh to Dundee (for a while), when catering was more likely to be required. At the times XC do operate north of Edinburgh it's not exactly prime time for a trolley etc.

 

[Butts]

...and when Virgin were operating they had a service every two hours from Edinburgh to Dundee (for a while), when catering was more likely to be required. At the times XC do operate north of Edinburgh it's not exactly prime time for a trolley etc.

That's not very nice if you have a two and a half hour trip :cry:

 

[tbtc]

That's not very nice if you have a two and a half hour trip :cry:

...but a lot of TOCs don't provide full catering after eight at night, especially on a route where they only operate only a token service (one train a day?).

How do you expect XC to provide a catering service to Aberdeen in such circumstances? You'd need to sell a lot of Mars Bars...

 

[Requeststop]

I believe our cornish cousins have the same problem on journeys between Penzance and Plymouth.

True we do - but we are ever resourseful and buy something at the buffets at Penzance, St, Erth or at Truro if going eastwards or northwards - if travelling home well we know the food at home is much better than what XC can offer

 

[starrymarkb]

The issue here is that while the car may well be the best option for many people at this time, it can't be assumed that the private car will always be available to most people in the future so alternatives need to be provided now.

Maybe, but what suggestions do you have to increase the train's competitiveness (and I don't mean by banning/restricting the alternatives).

You are not going to beat the plane on journey time (train starts to become competitive when journey times are 4 hours or less). It may be quicker via London but then you have additional hassle of the tube transfer. It's cheaper for a family to hire a car, and with the new peak restrictions it's not possible to leave before 9:30 (previously long distance journeys starting in the far north or far South West were exempt) without paying a huge amount so you wouldn't arrive until the evening...

Would XC run on HS2? or would they end up replacing London trains on the classic lines (ie Birmingham-Derby-Sheffield-Leeds) - Would XC stop at Curzon Street for easy HS2 connections or would it be an out of station transfer?

Its not going to be a simple or easy solution, and would it prove worth it?