May 2025 Timetable Change - Confirmed Changes Only

[Avenger20]

Good evening all,

We're just about to see the December 2024 change take effect so thought it'd be a good time to start up a thread for the next change in May 2025.

Ideally keep this thread free for actual fact and gen as and when it is known rather than speculation and "I wish that this TOC would service that station".

There is a speculative thread here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/may-2025-possible-timetable-changes.278704/ - for discussion of wants, needs and wishes.

First off, Scotrail are scheduled to increase Leven services to twice hourly by extending the Glenrothes-with-Thornton terminating service to Leven providing a service to Edinburgh 'each way'.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Some 2-car Northern services becoming booked 4-car

Oh wait, this is for realistic changes

 

[co-tr-paul]

Pretty sure it's June 2025. Biggest here is no more Castke HST sets and local IETs being replaced with 175s .

 

[CyrusWuff]

Pretty sure it's June 2025. Biggest here is no more Castke HST sets and local IETs being replaced with 175s .

The subsidiary change date for the 2024-25 cycle is 18th May 2025, the principal change date for the 2025-26 cycle is 14th December 2025 and the subsidiary change date is 17th May 2026.

 

[Halish Railway]

A couple that stand out to me:

• 1tp2h Bradford Forster Square to London Kings Cross
• Start of electric-only services from Wigan Northwestern to Manchester/Stalybridge via Bolton, possibly 2tph Wigan to Stalybridge.
• Possible adjustments to the Wharfedale and Airedale line timetables to facilitate the introduction of six carriage trains and 2tph Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley and Skipton.
• Reintroduction of more CrossCountry services.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Reintroduction of more CrossCountry services.

A full five (and a bit) years after they were cut?!

 

[Harpo]

A full five (and a bit) years after they were cut?!

Still recruiting and training sufficient staff.

 

[amahy]

• Possible adjustments to the Wharfedale and Airedale line timetables to facilitate the introduction of six carriage trains and 2tph Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley and

I’ve never understood the point of putting 6 car trains on Airedale and Wharfedale lines. I get those services occasionally and they’ve always been empty, whereas other lines, such as Blackpool to York, are always very busy, and are normally 3 car, but frequently short formed to 2 car, with no long term plans for capacity upgrades!

 

[Riverside Redz]

A couple that stand out to me:

• 1tp2h Bradford Forster Square to London Kings Cross
• Start of electric-only services from Wigan Northwestern to Manchester/Stalybridge via Bolton, possibly 2tph Wigan to Stalybridge.
• Possible adjustments to the Wharfedale and Airedale line timetables to facilitate the introduction of six carriage trains and 2tph Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley and Skipton.
• Reintroduction of more CrossCountry services.

I am very surprised they are pushing ahead with more Bradford services considering they recently have cut extensions like Sunderland with low passenger numbers. Even more so when GC serve Interchange and plan to increase further. The other night when I checked one of the Bradford services had 11 carrying on from Leeds with the later departure carrying 19. More services for areas is a good thing though so hopefully LNER will seek to do the same with their other inaugural services I.E Middlesbrough and Skipton

 

[dannypye9999]

Will the XC Newquay summer service be returning this year or will it ever return? I'm surprised they singled out such a popular holiday resort after covid. The XC trains were always quite busy in and out of Newquay. Wonder if the work to reinstate two platforms at Newquay will see this service restored?

 

[Peter0124]

Its quite far out at the moment, think February is when stuff will be loaded in

Though I predict this will be when Avanti will reintroduce a lot of services (3rd Birmingham, more Liverpools, more Birmingham-Glasgow)

 

[dannypye9999]

Will the XC Newquay summer service be returning this year or will it ever return? I'm surprised they singled out such a popular holiday resort after covid. The XC trains were always quite busy in and out of Newquay. Wonder if the work to reinstate two platforms at Newquay will see this service restored?

*next year

 

[A S Leib]

so hopefully LNER will seek to do the same with their other inaugural services I.E Middlesbrough

I think that one's dependent on platform 3 being built.

Do Thameslink have any plans to bring back off-peak Orpington services, or is commuter traffic still too low compared to pre-Covid for that?

 

[Riverside Redz]

I think that one's dependent on platform 3 being built.

Do Thameslink have any plans to bring back off-peak Orpington services, or is commuter traffic still too low compared to pre-Covid for that?

Yes I have heard this to be fair that when that’s done it’ll increase, just wish they’d get on with it

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Will the XC Newquay summer service be returning this year or will it ever return? I'm surprised they singled out such a popular holiday resort after covid. The XC trains were always quite busy in and out of Newquay. Wonder if the work to reinstate two platforms at Newquay will see this service restored?

*next year

I don’t think that’s ever coming back.

 

[ScotGG]

I'd like to see SouthEastern suburban routes restore some 2022 cuts including Saturday services going back to every 15 mins between Victoria and Orpington.

All-day loop line between Sidcup line and Abbey Wood line to link to Elizabeth line services as well as enable Greenwich to go back to six trains per hour which it has for many years until around 2022. There's enough population rises and new residential construction to make it worthwhile. Plus passenger numbers may be lower now than 2019 but recovering well and at levels a decade ago when 6tph was the norm for inner London.

 

[swt_passenger]

I am very surprised they are pushing ahead with more Bradford services considering they recently have cut extensions like Sunderland with low passenger numbers.

I think one train from Sunderland at stupid o’clock in the morning isn’t really comparable to a proper all day service, even if only running in alternate hours. They still intend a Middlesbrough service eventually, which suggests 2 hourly from Bradford has a good case.

 

[Cach17]

I'd like to see SouthEastern suburban routes restore some 2022 cuts including Saturday services going back to every 15 mins between Victoria and Orpington.

All-day loop line between Sidcup line and Abbey Wood line to link to Elizabeth line services as well as enable Greenwich to go back to six trains per hour which it has for many years until around 2022. There's enough population rises and new residential construction to make it worthwhile. Plus passenger numbers may be lower now than 2019 but recovering well and at levels a decade ago when 6tph was the norm for inner London.

Victoria to Orpington returns to 4tph this month.

I'm still wondering when Sheerness, Maidstone East to Ashford and Dover to Faversham see 2tph again...

 

[PGAT]

Victoria to Orpington returns to 4tph this month.

Only Mon-Fri though not on Saturdays

 

[brad465]

May 2025 is when GN hope to have all 379s in service, with the subsequent 387 and 377 cascades to Southern and Southeastern respectively kicking in. Presumably Southern will hope to have more and/or longer services from their net gain of units (12x approx. IIRC)?

 

[Riverside Redz]

I think one train from Sunderland at stupid o’clock in the morning isn’t really comparable to a proper all day service, even if only running in alternate hours. They still intend a Middlesbrough service eventually, which suggests 2 hourly from Bradford has a good case.

The Sunderland service was set to fail from the beginning , just saying that numbers wise the Bradford doesn’t do any better currently really and both are similar in terms of both also having a GC alternative. Difference is theyre binning Sunderland and upgrading Bradford

 

[43074]

May 2025 is when GN hope to have all 379s in service, with the subsequent 387 and 377 cascades to Southern and Southeastern respectively kicking in. Presumably Southern will hope to have more and/or longer services from their net gain of units (12x approx. IIRC)?

That's all pencilled in for December 2025 rather than May 2025. The 379s will trickle into service throughout 2025 so there will be extra diagrams from May but it won't be anywhere near the whole fleet, they still need a significant amount of work doing on them.

 

[bramling]

That's all pencilled in for December 2025 rather than May 2025. The 379s will trickle into service throughout 2025 so there will be extra diagrams from May but it won't be anywhere near the whole fleet, they still need a significant amount of work doing on them.

Sadly I can see this being a year of trouble for GN users, and for little ultimate benefit for them apart from different seats.

There’s already shortforms creeping in on 387 services now, and it’s pretty much a certainty that having been in store for several years the 379s are going to give trouble at least for a while.

Oh well, something to look forward to.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Sadly I can see this being a year of trouble for GN users, and for little ultimate benefit for them apart from different seats.

There’s already shortforms creeping in on 387 services now, and it’s pretty much a certainty that having been in store for several years the 379s are going to give trouble at least for a while.

Oh well, something to look forward to.

They were reliable units on GA so they will be sorted out even if there is some trouble at the start

 

[bramling]

They were reliable units on GA so they will be sorted out even if there is some trouble at the start

I’d like to hope so, however history shows us that fleets which have spent time in storage give problems. I hope I’m being pessimistic!

One way or the other, the end-game for GN users doesn’t amount to much. Softer seats, nicer first class for those that use it (for a time anyway), and a very small handful of extra units.

 

[brad465]

That's all pencilled in for December 2025 rather than May 2025. The 379s will trickle into service throughout 2025 so there will be extra diagrams from May but it won't be anywhere near the whole fleet, they still need a significant amount of work doing on them.

I see, are they still going to send all 25x 387s eyed for Southern across in May? If so GN will have a rough 6 months or so of more short-formed services.

 

[YorksLad12]

I’ve never understood the point of putting 6 car trains on Airedale and Wharfedale lines. I get those services occasionally and they’ve always been empty, whereas other lines, such as Blackpool to York, are always very busy, and are normally 3 car, but frequently short formed to 2 car, with no long term plans for capacity upgrades!

I thought was six in the peaks, three the rest of the time and fours on Leeds-Bradford via Shipley?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I’d like to hope so, however history shows us that fleets which have spent time in storage give problems. I hope I’m being pessimistic!

One way or the other, the end-game for GN users doesn’t amount to much. Softer seats, nicer first class for those that use it (for a time anyway), and a very small handful of extra units.

379's are an improvement over 387's let alone 700's

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I am very surprised they are pushing ahead with more Bradford services

Bradford is city of culture 2024 and that’s the reasoning behind some of the enhancements.

 

[Peter0124]

Bradford is city of culture 2024 and that’s the reasoning behind some of the enhancements.

Or to help get people away from Bradford