How common are dividing trains in the UK?

[nanstallon]

There used (maybe the early 2000s) to be an interesting split in Cornwall - a morning train from Plymouth to Penzance had 2 x 2car units as far as Par, where it dropped the rear unit, which went to Newquay. This train came into the branch platform, so the unit continuing to Penzance did some rare track, namely the rest of the loop to join the up main line and then cross over to the down mainline. Great for the trackbashers.

 

[Class 170101]

...which is a 3-way split! This must be the only example of a 3-way split in the UK surely?

Do Southern still do it at Haywards Heath?

Trains used to split at Georgemas Junction with a portion for Wick and Thurso, I believe this no longer happens

Correct no longer happens, They serve Georgemas Junction twice instead.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

In the 2000s, when Paddington-Oxford services were almost exclusively Thames Turbos, there were several services splitting at Oxford: one unit would carry on up the Cotswolds, the other would either terminate or sometimes go on to Banbury.

 

[Bill57p9]

I haven’t spotted any mention in this thread of the EMR Liverpool to Norwich services which typically split/join at Nottingham: 2 cars east of Nottingham, 4 or 6 North/West.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

There a few TfW splits at Llandudno Junction also.

 

[A S Leib]

I haven’t spotted any mention in this thread of the EMR Liverpool to Norwich services which typically split/join at Nottingham: 2 cars east of Nottingham, 4 or 6 North/West.

Posts 12 and 13.

 

[AJDesiro]

LNR join units together at Northampton in the morning en route, with the opposite happening in the evening. Back before COVID portion working was much more common on LNR in general.

 

[MCR247]

I haven’t spotted any mention in this thread of the EMR Liverpool to Norwich services which typically split/join at Nottingham: 2 cars east of Nottingham, 4 or 6 North/West.

These ones really seem to confuse the CIS at stations, which in turn confuses passengers!

 

[duffield]

On EMR in addition to the previously mentioned Liverpool to Norwich trains, one EMR service a day each way splits/joins at Kettering, e.g. the 1835 from St. Pancras splits into portions for Nottingham and Melton Mowbray.

There's also an EMR service at 0614 from Lincoln to St. Pancras that gains five coaches at Nottingham, but nothing the other way. There was definitely more splitting and joining on this route until fairly recently.

 

[ld0595]

I don't think it happens at the minute but some ScotRail WHL services split sort of three ways - presumably in the summer months when the demand is there. 6 coaches leave Glasgow with a split at Crianlarich (2 to Oban, 4 to Fort William.) Then at Fort William, 2 more coaches drop off leaving just the two to Mallaig.

I recall there used to be a few Sunday services on ScotRail around 2015-2017 where Edinburgh and Glasgow trains would join at Dundee up to Aberdeen as a 5 or 6 car unit. Doubt it happens these days now that HSTs are supposed to be taking intercity traffic.

 

[enginedin]

It's also a split at a non-passenger station

Annoyingly, it's a split at a passenger station (Waverley) but you're not allowed to board it there. The Lowland Sleeper is a split at a true non-passenger station (Carstairs)

 

[infobleep]

10 years ago there used to be an evening London Victoria to Brighton & Brighton service. Think it departed maybe around 5 pm but can't remember the exact times.

At Clapham Junction it was announced during the automated announcement as Brighton & Brighton.

In so far as I recollect, you joined the front 8 coaches for Brighton and the rear for 4 coaches for Brighton, the train dividing at Haywards Heath.

The front 8 coaches were then Brighton only and the rear 4 coaches stopped additionally at all the stations between Haywards Heath and Brighton.

 

[MCR247]

On EMR in addition to the previously mentioned Liverpool to Norwich trains, one EMR service a day each way splits/joins at Kettering, e.g. the 1835 from St. Pancras splits into portions for Nottingham and Melton Mowbray.

There's also an EMR service at 0614 from Lincoln to St. Pancras that gains five coaches at Nottingham, but nothing the other way. There was definitely more splitting and joining on this route until fairly recently.

Is there no longer two Lincoln’s which gain 5 coaches at Nottingham?

EDIT: Ah yes, it seems the second is 5 car throughout

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

The 'Cats and Tats' from London Bridge divide at Purley with 4 cars going to Caterham and 4 to Tattenham Corner.

This one is long-standing. I used it occasionally during the late 1970s when most off-peak services ran to/from Charing Cross and EPBs ruled the roost.

SWR runs Basingstoke/Alton services on weekends that divide at Woking

Another one with some history. Again during the 1970s it was a standard feature of the timetable throughout the week. It could get more interesting when engineering work would lead to one of the portions being a Portsmouth direct service.

In general the Southern Region was quite fond of portion working with its near total MU fleet. One not mentioned yet is the Hastings line from London: as per other routes these could divide (at Tonbridge I think) with the front 6 cars going fast(ish) to Hastings and the rear 6 calling all stations. They also didn't stop at London Bridge being next stop Orpington or even Sevenoaks.

 

[infobleep]

Until timetable changes, there use to be a morning 1O car 444 train from London Waterloo to either Haslemere or Portsmouth.

It would divide at Guildford with 5 cars going forward. The remaining 5 would wait for a train from either Portsmouth or Haslemere to arrive and join it and it would then work back to London Waterloo.

Also every week day evening, I forget the precise time, and no doubt Saturday too, a Great Western Railway train is joined to another so it can be taken back to Reading. It is however locked out of use, without the front portion in use.

Is that a rare case of two trains joining in one direction but not splitting in the other?

 

[Ken X]

Speaking as a non-railway engineer living at Horsham I often watch the trains joining and splitting when I travel.

Coupling technology has come on a bit since I was small. Very slick now.

 

[CarrotPie]

Speaking as a non-railway engineer living at Horsham I often watch the trains joining and splitting when I travel.

Coupling technology has come on a bit since I was small. Very slick now.

Exactly! With Dellners you can just drive one unit into another at walking pace, hold down the couple button and you're good to go! No need for a shunter or anything else.

 

[Tayway]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but there are some 6 carriage West Highland line trains in the summer which split twice, once at Crianlarich where 2 carriages continue to Oban, and again at Fort William where 2 carriages terminate and the other 2 continue to Mallaig.

 

[Falcon1200]

The Lowland Sleeper is a split at a true non-passenger station (Carstairs)

The split and combining at Carstairs are done in the station platforms!

 

[snookertam]

I don't think it happens at the minute but some ScotRail WHL services split sort of three ways - presumably in the summer months when the demand is there. 6 coaches leave Glasgow with a split at Crianlarich (2 to Oban, 4 to Fort William.) Then at Fort William, 2 more coaches drop off leaving just the two to Mallaig.

I recall there used to be a few Sunday services on ScotRail around 2015-2017 where Edinburgh and Glasgow trains would join at Dundee up to Aberdeen as a 5 or 6 car unit. Doubt it happens these days now that HSTs are supposed to be taking intercity traffic.

There is still one attach at Dundee on Sunday mornings I think.

Also a regular detach at Dundee early on weekday mornings.

 

[hexagon789]

There is still one attach at Dundee on Sunday mornings I think.

Also a regular detach at Dundee early on weekday mornings.

1A69 1439 Glasgow QS - Inverness via Aberdeen usually attaches a 158 at Aberdeen.

 

[RailWonderer]

The GE used to save several splitting and joining services in the peaks, now there are far fewer post pandemic after the 720s have arrived.

TfW regularly divides trains on all their long-distance routes, often at Shrewsbury or Chester, or Cardiff/Swansea.
Sometimes this is for different destinations, but mostly it is to strengthen trains on the busy sections of route.
Avanti will drop the rear unit of a double Voyager (soon to be 805s) at Crewe or Chester, with just one unit continuing to Holyhead.

The rear unit also used to go to Wrexham in the evening peak with a joining arrival in the morning peak but neither still run so far as I can see.

 

[duncombec]

The Faversham splits have been mentioned upthread already, but I have fond memories of travelling on summer Sundays when trains were (/are) routinely extended from 8 cars to 12 for coast traffic. Unfortunately, at the time, there wasn't a revised announcement (or the staff didn't program it), so at every station we'd be told the front 4 coaches were going to Margate and Ramsgate and the rear 4 to Canterbury East and Dover Priory, but nothing about the 4 in the middle...

Regulars knew that the spits were almost always front 8 and rear 4, but not actually always, and those who were occasional travellers certainly didn't until the "conductor" made a manual announcement. Many raised eyebrows at the automated announcements telling us we were in coach 10 of 8 as well.

It's surprising how things just become "standard" - automatically heading for the rear 4 even if there was engineering work at Faversham so the whole 8 carriages were going to Dover!

 

[75A]

Southern also split at Barnham on Sundays I believe with a Victoria - Portsmouth train. Front unit to Portsmouth, rear unit(s) to Bognor.

For decades this was the norm in both directions, 7 days a week

 

[voyagerdude220]

There are plenty of examples. I think trains used to split at Preston or Lancaster as well to Barrow/Windermere as well, possibly with TPE?

Yes they certainly did when they were formed of Class 185s.

At Preston it wasn't unknown for a 185 to come from Blackpool and another one attach to the rear of it, which had come from Edinburgh/Glasgow, or Barrow/Windermere.

I seem to remember occasionally getting the 08:12 from Preston to Manchester Piccadilly, ignoring the first 185 to arrive (from Blackpool), watching 90% of people on the platform boarding this train and waiting a few minutes for the 185 to arrive from Edinburgh, which attached to the rear of the other 185 and was much quieter.

 

[plugwash]

I haven’t spotted any mention in this thread of the EMR Liverpool to Norwich services which typically split/join at Nottingham: 2 cars east of Nottingham, 4 or 6 North/West.

These ones really seem to confuse the CIS at stations, which in turn confuses passengers!

As I alluded to earlier, I'm pretty sure the confusion stems from the fact the train reverses at Sheffield. So the rear cars from Liverpool to Sheffield become the front cars from Sheffield to Nottingham which are then the ones to continue forward from Nottingham to Norwich.

 

[PaulJ]

10 years ago there used to be an evening London Victoria to Brighton & Brighton service. Think it departed maybe around 5 pm but can't remember the exact times.

At Clapham Junction it was announced during the automated announcement as Brighton & Brighton.

In so far as I recollect, you joined the front 8 coaches for Brighton and the rear for 4 coaches for Brighton, the train dividing at Haywards Heath.

The front 8 coaches were then Brighton only and the rear 4 coaches stopped additionally at all the stations between Haywards Heath and Brighton.

I suppose that's like the SE service from Charing Cross to Ramsgate and Ramsgate that splits at Ashford, one part goes to Ramsgate via Sandwich. At least SE have the sense to advertise it as a service to Ramsgate and Sandwich, even though both portions go to Ramsgate.

 

[bramling]

That all stopped a few years ago.

Not quite; there’s still a very small handful of GN services which attach a unit or detach a unit at Cambridge to make 12 between Cambridge and London. Very much less common than a few years ago though.

The GN used to do quite a bit, with trains dividing at locations such as Welwyn Garden City, Letchworth or Royston, and in one case even Stevenage. All history now.

 

[The exile]

The split and combining at Carstairs are done in the station platforms!

And arguably splitting and joining (together with a local institution!) is probably the main reason why Carstairs station survived at all!

 

[Kite159]

LNR join units together at Northampton in the morning en route, with the opposite happening in the evening. Back before COVID portion working was much more common on LNR in general.

One split in the late evening gets advertised at London Euston as 'Birmingham New Street & London Euston' as the rear unit which splits off works a stopper back to London but the data has it linked to the previous service.

Realtime Trains | 1Y75 2056 London Euston to Birmingham New Street and London Euston | 26/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 1Y75 2056 departure from London Euston to Birmingham New Street and London Euston on 26/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

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