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Glasgow and Brighton to be cut by XC

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Stations between Reading and Brighton and Crewe and Glasgow will no longer be served by The New XC franchise, the draft version of the xc franchise is avalibele on the Dft website.
 
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Guinness

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This isn't really a surprised. Under current plans the WC Franchise is due to get some permanent Voyagers fitted with kitchens anyway.

I've heard that the Brighton Trains carry air more than passengers *apparently* and Southern/FCC need the additional paths for increasing demand on the Brighton Mainline.

Crewe - Glasgow is overlapping most of the West Coast route from London Euston which is having another service increase from WC anyway.

These cuts could mean more services on other routes to combat overcrowding on key routes due to the free up Voyagers (After accounting the Voyagers to West Coast).
 

Andrew

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On the Brighton services, FGW are extending their Gatwick service to half hourly off peak, which will take up some of the slack. Terminating them at Reading should also mean better punctuality for FGW between Reading and Paddington, which would be no bad thing.

The BBC story here talks about hourly Bristol Manchester services, amongst other things to do with the West Midlands, East Midlands and XC franchises.
 

clagmonster

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With the withdrawl of Brighton services, what will happen with the curve allowing running Kensington Olympia-Latchmere Junctions-Wandsworth Road, as its statutory passenger service is a Cross Country service. Will this become a South Central turn (running Watford-East Croyden)? While talking about the area, what will happen to the Waterloo-Wandsworth Raod curve when international service move to St. Pancras.
 
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Tom

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As far as I am aware, all the curves will be retained as the Acton curves are very much freight orientated with a lot of freight using the line. The Latchmere No.2 junction curve will be retained as far as I am aware as it allows Kensington to be a reversal point of SWT services in emergencies.
 

Tomnick

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Yep, but all booked passenger workings will be withdrawn! That's the issue in question - remember all the trouble they had to go to, to 'close' one of the other Latchmere curves, or Maindee curve, despite the fact that they're still open and available for use?
 

Julian G

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Chaz said:
This isn't really a surprised. Under current plans the WC Franchise is due to get some permanent Voyagers fitted with kitchens anyway.

I've heard that the Brighton Trains carry air more than passengers *apparently* and Southern/FCC need the additional paths for increasing demand on the Brighton Mainline.

Crewe - Glasgow is overlapping most of the West Coast route from London Euston which is having another service increase from WC anyway.

These cuts could mean more services on other routes to combat overcrowding on key routes due to the free up Voyagers (After accounting the Voyagers to West Coast).
Not really, some of the Voyagers are crowded when going south
but not northbound on the 15:40 from Olympia
i think it is normally crowded on the 10:38 one from Olympia
 

David

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IMO, this make great business sense. Cut out the parts of the network that generate little if no profit (thats what it is all about these days), and concentrate on the routes that generate the most profit.

After all, Glasgow - Crewe is served fairly well by VWC, and if Virgin's plans go ahead, this route will be even better served.

Brighton - Reading is a slightly different matter though, but passengers to/from Brighton can reach most parts of the XC network with a cross London change, and taking a train from which ever terminus they need.
 

Coxster

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60006 Scunthorpe Ironmaster said:
Brighton - Reading is a slightly different matter though, but passengers to/from Brighton can reach most parts of the XC network with a cross London change, and taking a train from which ever terminus they need.
If they just need Reading for a connection onto a XC service then they can do what the Brighton Voyagers did anyway (the ones that didn't go via Olympia) which is board a train to Gatwick Airport and change there for a FGW service to Reading via Guildford.
 

87015

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Another good way to turn leisure passengers away from rail travel. I'm sure they will be overjoyed at either having to travel through London or at least two changes with much longer journey times.
 

AlexS

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I very much beg to differ in terms of journey times on the Cross Country service into Brighton - tis surely faster to take a Brighton Express into Victoria and change for Euston, rather than negotiate the West London Line!
 

Guinness

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AlexS said:
I very much beg to differ in terms of journey times on the Cross Country service into Brighton - tis surely faster to take a Brighton Express into Victoria and change for Euston, rather than negotiate the West London Line!

That's recently what I did for a trip to Brighton. Friday night Cross London change at 0830 is an ideal time to cross as there are little commuters and little ****s around.

Macclesfield - London Euston - 2 hours
Tube to Victoria - 45 minutes (Extra 20 minutes due to our ticket restriction we had Virgin Values)
Victoria - Brighton via Brighton Express - 1 hour

Total Travel time - 3 hours 45 minutes

There is a direct service from Macclesfield - Gatwick Airport/Brighton which takes around 4 hours 30 minutes

It's slower without the WCML Upgrades.
 

Julian G

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Chaz said:
That's recently what I did for a trip to Brighton. Friday night Cross London change at 0830 is an ideal time to cross as there are little commuters and little ****s around.

Macclesfield - London Euston - 2 hours
Tube to Victoria - 45 minutes (Extra 20 minutes due to our ticket restriction we had Virgin Values)
Victoria - Brighton via Brighton Express - 1 hour

Total Travel time - 3 hours 45 minutes

There is a direct service from Macclesfield - Gatwick Airport/Brighton which takes around 4 hours 30 minutes

It's slower without the WCML Upgrades.
Well if the Voyager service was diverted via Watford , then surely there will be benefit
there was an example of the Voyager from Brighton to Manchester via watford
after Christmas, and Harold went on the Voyager to Watford from Brighton Direct
 

AlexS

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Yes, but when you divert the Voyager to Watford, you've basically got the West Coast Mainline service anyway, and you still have to play with the little crawling WLL!
 

Guinness

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Julian G said:
Well if the Voyager service was diverted via
Watford
, then surely there will be benefit
there was an example of the Voyager from Brighton to Manchester via
watford
after Christmas, and Harold went on the Voyager to
Watford
from Brighton Direct

Because it's mostly overlapping one of the primary West Coast Route (Remember that VT is two different companies!) which in some sections are a goldmine for paths. Besides it will be pointless as all the XC go through Birmingham where most of the Brighton Passengers come from and Manchester - Brighton is lacking demand and there aren't enough Voyagers/Resources anyway.
 
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