Direction Grouping at Leeds

[ccityplanner12]

This would use new curves to run both the Up Transpennine & Main lines onto the Farnley Viaduct (closed because the 1987 electrification was cheapo). The canal bridge would have 7 tracks:

1. DW (Down Wellington) for trains arriving into the terminal platforms.
2. RW (Reversible Wellington)
3. UW (Up Wellington)
4. DF (Down Fast) for arriving intercity trains, which would use platforms 8 & 9
5. DH (Down Huddersfield/Hunslet) for trains arriving into platforms 10-13, including most services via Woodlesford
6. UH (Up Huddersfield/Hunslet)
7. UF (Up Fast) for departing intercity trains, which would use platforms 15 & 16.

I envisage filling in platform 17 to enable trains longer than 10ch to use 16. Rectification of the lack of Leeds-York electrification (again, cheapo 80s leccing) will result in fewer electric intercity trains terminating.

 

[30907]

I presume Intercity includes XC and TP?
How are you proposing to deal with the London trains, as the line East of Leeds is chocker already?

 

[edwin_m]

Wouldn't you need a flyover where the viaduct used to cross the Westgate line, so the UH can pass over the DF? And in the same place there would be a tight curve and probably a speed restriction for trains towards Westgate to switch routes.

 

[30907]

Wouldn't you need a flyover where the viaduct used to cross the Westgate line, so the UH can pass over the DF? And in the same place there would be a tight curve and probably a speed restriction for trains towards Westgate to switch routes.

Up means towards Dewsbury, you would need a bridge under the GN lines for the UF. AIUI the UH and DF are on the present TP alignment.
I can see the advantage of using the viaduct route for Up Huddersfield traffic, though it may be prohibitively expensive, less sure about the benefit to EC (cf first reply) or XC passengers.

 

[Iskra]

Wouldn't it be best to just wait and do it all with any associated HS2 re-modelling? HS2 removing legacy services may solve the problem anyway.

 

[Spartacus]

Wouldn't you need a flyover where the viaduct used to cross the Westgate line, so the UH can pass over the DF? And in the same place there would be a tight curve and probably a speed restriction for trains towards Westgate to switch routes.

It used to go under the Westgate line, and indeed could again, though not for very far as there's now an industrial estate between the Huddersfield and Westgate lines which would cause problems. A better idea might be what was proposed at one point by taking the Interchange and Westgate lines over the top of the Midland and Harrogates at Whitehall to bring them to Leeds on the North side. Ruled out by cost years ago, but while it's all pie in the sky.....