Direct services - for fun

[JKF]

The Skipton to London train on Saturdays is routed to go that way and join the ECML near Selby, but it runs non-stop Leeds to Doncaster meaning the only practical difference to passengers is no Wakefield stop - I guess the poster meant a service that stops at Cross Gates and other stations along that line.

Realtime Trains | 1A13 0656 Skipton to London Kings Cross | 04/11/2023

Real-time train running information for 1A13 0656 departure from Skipton to London Kings Cross on 04/11/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Nope, I just meant one running that way, didn’t think that happened yet as it’s not wired through, but forgot they have new bimodes. Doesn’t appear to be any quicker than going the other way on that service, I thought it might be possible to have a routine service that took close to or just under 2hrs which would be a good selling point. Still of the opinion that some Leeds-KX services shouldn’t call at Wakefield to save time, but that’s probably outside the scope of this thread!

 

[Dan G]

Penzance to Dover along the south coast! Serving only the larger population centres.

Brighton+Portsmouth to Plymouth
Swansea to Plymouth

Also something from the southwest direct to St Pancras to make avoiding flying to Europe easier. No idea if that possible!

Yes, not just the south coast but a direct line to Gatwick from the north would be appreciated - as would a line Heathrow/Gatwick!

Ahhh, Heathwick. An "airside" link between the two and better use of the total of three runways to serve more destinations rather than add a third runway to Heathrow; I still like that idea.

 

[Killingworth]

Penzance to Dover along the south coast! Serving only the larger population centres.



Also something from the southwest direct to St Pancras to make avoiding flying to Europe easier. No idea if that possible!


Ahhh, Heathwick. An "airside" link between the two and better use of the total of three runways to serve more destinations rather than add a third runway to Heathrow; I still like that idea.

If only our ancestors had thought to create a massive underground interchange beneath London with routes radiating across the nation. Instead they went for multiple terminals with an impressive tangle of largely incompatible underground routes. HS1 and HS2 should have terminated together but there's no room at St Pancras/Kings Cross for significant extra capacity. Nearby Euston was the best we could do.

My first flight 50 odd years ago was due to leave Gatwick but the incoming plane was diverted to Heathrow We were taken round by coach. I note a road journey would still be quicker and certainly cheaper than going by train

 

[Bartsimho]

If only our ancestors had thought to create a massive underground interchange beneath London with routes radiating across the nation. Instead they went for multiple terminals with an impressive tangle of largely incompatible underground routes.

That was the idea for Farringdon wasn't it. To have a Grand Central style station under London.
It could of course still be done with the willpower.
Could even still be done at Farringdon but good luck convincing those in London to change the timetables to allow Intercity services to replace the Metro services (Even if they could slot into a timetable spot, give 10 mins pathing before entering the system and it's still miles quicker than transferring across the city)

 

[Sad Sprinter]

If only our ancestors had thought to create a massive underground interchange beneath London with routes radiating across the nation. Instead they went for multiple terminals with an impressive tangle of largely incompatible underground routes. HS1 and HS2 should have terminated together but there's no room at St Pancras/Kings Cross for significant extra capacity. Nearby Euston was the best we could do.

I've often mused about how to do this, but because London is in a bit of a "corner", there isn't many long-distance routes you can connect from running from one side of London to another. Weymouth to Norwich/Leeds is one, but that's about it. I suppose a London Hbf could disperse Intercity trains across terminating points in London and the suburbs, and of course serve the airports. But even with a Farringdon "Grand Central", it would still be easier to access the West End from the existing north-of-the-river termini via the Victoria Line.

 

[Killingworth]

12 coaches half-hourly direct between Cambridge and Brighton.

No trains direct between Sheffield and Bradford, cities within the same county - or from Sheffield to Halifax.

 

[cle]

I've always wanted a direct Manchester to Derby service. Would be very useful for trainspotting and, tbf, I have heard of a few people who do need to travel between the two locations frequently so perhaps demand would be there. I'd want it to use the Dore curve to skip Sheffield to speed up the journey and prevent the train getting overcrowded with Sheffield passengers but hey ho

People howl on here when it is suggested that Derby and Leicester might welcome a good service to Manchester, arguably our second city now, but certainly the largest northern economy. And yet things like Liverpool to Hull and Newcastle are fetishized!

And Project Rio, from a sad St Pancras on old stock, barely publicized, which ran 20 years ago - of course confirms that could never succeed today! Even with all of the population and economic growth, and general rail use numbers.

The Stoke route is also interesting - that line is underused as a 'cross country route' and might be easier than the Hope Valley. Stoke itself adds a new market to the various new city pairs.

Possibly instead of going on to London, it could run to Oxford via Bedford, or Birmingham from either Derby (add Burton and Tamworth) or Leicester (add Nuneaton).

12 coaches half-hourly direct between Cambridge and Brighton.

No trains direct between Sheffield and Bradford, cities within the same county - or from Sheffield to Halifax.

I think you know that this service doesn't exist to provide for, or indicate 12 cars worth of demand between Cambridge and Brighton themselves!

What's the demand for Sheffield-Bradford and Sheffield-Halifax? If you're still considering Yorkshire as one county (and any mention of counties on this forum is something of an aspic red flag) - I don't think that relates to modern life and inter-town/city connections and engagement, really.

 

[The exile]

For real fun - let’s have (as origin and destination:

Clifton Down to Clifton
Loughborough Junction to Loughborough
Adlington (Lancs) to Adlington (Cheshire)
Three Oaks to Four Oaks (via Sevenoaks of course)
And so on…

 

[Killingworth]

I think you know that this service doesn't exist to provide for, or indicate 12 cars worth of demand between Cambridge and Brighton themselves!

What's the demand for Sheffield-Bradford and Sheffield-Halifax? If you're still considering Yorkshire as one county (and any mention of counties on this forum is something of an aspic red flag) - I don't think that relates to modern life and inter-town/city connections and engagement, really.

My post was tongue in cheek - I'm a Geordie! However new routes can create new traffic flows.

 

[FlyingPotato]

For real fun - let’s have (as origin and destination:

Clifton Down to Clifton
Loughborough Junction to Loughborough
Adlington (Lancs) to Adlington (Cheshire)
Three Oaks to Four Oaks (via Sevenoaks of course)
And so on…

Henley on Thames to Henley in Arden

Penge east to penge west
Catford to catford bridge

 

[Magdalia]

For real fun - let’s have (as origin and destination:

Clifton Down to Clifton
Loughborough Junction to Loughborough
Adlington (Lancs) to Adlington (Cheshire)
Three Oaks to Four Oaks (via Sevenoaks of course)
And so on…

And of course the Yarmouth to Barmouth that stops only to pick up at Berney Arms and to set down at Dovey Junction.

 

[Farigiraf]

Metro frequency Cambridge-Peterborough all stops
Moorgate to Norwich via Stevenage and Ely
Moorgate to Bury St Edmunds via Cambridge

 

[Magdalia]

Metro frequency Cambridge-Peterborough all stops

What is the purpose of "metro frequency" at Manea?

Moorgate to Norwich via Stevenage and Ely
Moorgate to Bury St Edmunds via Cambridge

Moorgate is only a short distance from Liverpool Street, which serves these destinations.

And what trains do you propose to use?

 

[Farigiraf]

What is the purpose of "metro frequency" at Manea?

It happens to be along the line, and I prefer all stops trains

Moorgate is only a short distance from Liverpool Street, which serves these destinations.

And what trains do you propose to use?

For Moorgate to have more services than just 2 Hertfordshire slow trains
Liverpool St doesn't serve Bury St Edmunds
Would use class 717s converted for long distance use (and in this imaginary world, the Breckland and Ipswich-Ely/Cambridge line would be electrified)

 

[A S Leib]

For real fun - let’s have (as origin and destination:

Clifton Down to Clifton
Loughborough Junction to Loughborough
Adlington (Lancs) to Adlington (Cheshire)
Three Oaks to Four Oaks (via Sevenoaks of course)
And so on…

Horton (N Yorks) to Horden (Durham)?

 

[Magdalia]

For Moorgate to have more services than just 2 Hertfordshire slow trains

Moorgate only has 2 platforms: it has no capacity for more routes. The class 717 fleet is small and can't run longer distance services because there aren't enough trains. Since electrification it has never had through trains beyond Letchworth because of operational constraints

Liverpool St doesn't serve Bury St Edmunds

Yes it does, with a change at Ipswich or Cambridge. Bury St Edmunds has had through trains to and from Liverpool Street at various times in the past, most recently when the Ipswich-Peterborough trains ran through to/from Liverpool Street with class 170s. It would be feasible to do that now with class 755s.

 

[Gaelan]

Heathrow-CDG seems like it'd do marvels for reducing short-haul flights (which, if other threads are to believed, are largely connecting off long-haul)

 

[greyman42]

For real fun - let’s have (as origin and destination:

Clifton Down to Clifton
Loughborough Junction to Loughborough
Adlington (Lancs) to Adlington (Cheshire)
Three Oaks to Four Oaks (via Sevenoaks of course)
And so on…

Charing Cross to Charing Cross (Glasgow) would be interesting.

 

[YourMum666]

Brighton - Weymouth

 

[Purple Train]

I'd like (with my fantasy hat firmly on):

Clacton-on-Sea to Reading using Stadler 745s. For no other reason than I would have 12 coaches to myself!

Lincoln to Whitby, calling at Gainsborough Lea Road, Doncaster, York, Middlesbrough, Battersby and Grosmont, using 185s.

Cottingham to Mottingham via Nottingham, using Pacers in 10-coach rakes.

Westminster tube station to Scunthorpe, using convertible 80x units. Routed via Aldgate, Amersham, Aylesbury, Bletchley, and Manchester Airport. The 80x units must not be given Pacers bench seats as that would be an upgrade!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Nope, I just meant one running that way, didn’t think that happened yet as it’s not wired through, but forgot they have new bimodes. Doesn’t appear to be any quicker than going the other way on that service, I thought it might be possible to have a routine service that took close to or just under 2hrs which would be a good selling point. Still of the opinion that some Leeds-KX services shouldn’t call at Wakefield to save time, but that’s probably outside the scope of this thread!

The last Down Leeds service each night (the 2333 off Kings Cross) also skips Wakefield Westgate. Had it run tonight (cancelled due to storms damaging the overheads) it was set to run via Hare Park and Normanton, but some nights it runs via Hambleton and did when I used it connecting off Eurostar years ago. It sometimes runs the normal route via Wakefield Westgate but always omits the call as by 2am the station would be closed. Keeping the staff there for over an hour after the previous train to allow a call wouldn't be worth it, especially as more often than not it would have to be served as a bus from Doncaster. In any case, skipping Wakefield on daytime services wouldn't save much time at all. All the paths assume a stop, and the linespeed through the station and either side (particularly to/from the South over the viaduct) would restrict the speed of any non-stopping trains.

A service I'd quite like to see would be Wigan (either station) to Melton Mowbray, via Denby Dale. Hot pies served to all passengers!

 

[The Ham]

For real fun - let’s have (as origin and destination:

Clifton Down to Clifton
Loughborough Junction to Loughborough
Adlington (Lancs) to Adlington (Cheshire)
Three Oaks to Four Oaks (via Sevenoaks of course)
And so on…

You missed out Gillingham to Gillingham (not sure how you'd make it from Kent to Dorset, or would it go Dorset to Kent, but that's not really something to worry about)

 

[mangyiscute]

You missed out Gillingham to Gillingham (not sure how you'd make it from Kent to Dorset, or would it go Dorset to Kent, but that's not really something to worry about)

If we want to avoid reversals, I think it could be done by running through Lewisham onto the overground lines via Denmark Hill, then onto SWR lines at Clapham Junction, but we can't quite make it onto the line through Earlsfield so for a bit of fun, let's go to Putney and then join the District line from there down to Wimbledon, then just follow the line through Basingstoke and Salisbury to Gillingham.

 

[JonathanH]

If we want to avoid reversals, I think it could be done by running through Lewisham onto the overground lines via Denmark Hill, then onto SWR lines at Clapham Junction, but we can't quite make it onto the line through Earlsfield so for a bit of fun, let's go to Putney and then join the District line from there down to Wimbledon, then just follow the line through Basingstoke and Salisbury to Gillingham.

A different contortion would be to go left at Wandsworth Road, through Clapham Junction, Balham and Tooting to Wimbledon.

 

[mangyiscute]

A different contortion would be to go left at Wandsworth Road, through Clapham Junction, Balham and Tooting to Wimbledon.

Or the really exciting route would be to join the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood (which I think is possible, there seems to be a curve of track to allow this) and then go all the way to Reading, then down to Basingstoke from there and so on

 

[Gaelan]

If we want to avoid reversals, I think it could be done by running through Lewisham onto the overground lines via Denmark Hill, then onto SWR lines at Clapham Junction, but we can't quite make it onto the line through Earlsfield so for a bit of fun, let's go to Putney and then join the District line from there down to Wimbledon, then just follow the line through Basingstoke and Salisbury to Gillingham.

signal.eu.org/osm suggests Basingstoke-Reading - GWML - North London Line - HS1.

 

[Trainguy34]

Or the really exciting route would be to join the Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood (which I think is possible, there seems to be a curve of track to allow this) and then go all the way to Reading, then down to Basingstoke from there and so on

Possible, can only use Platform 3 at Abbey Wood thought.

 

[matacaster]

Barnsley would also seem easy to do with extending some of the current St Pancras to Sheffield trains there. But you hit the issue of Nunnery Junction again

Run your barnsley service through to Huddersfield via penistone?
(Replacing a penistone line service)

 

[leytongabriel]

Harwich to Horwich?
Sevenoaks to Seven Sisters via Three Oaks and Guestling?

 

[I'm here now]

St Ives to Birmingham or any direct service to st ives could make the amount of tourists on the roads decrease.