MCW
Member
tell you what Leicester loses out on... services connecting to Bedford.... 1 train per hour, what the hell?? bloody mental IMO, why it can't be two trains I have no idea.
tell you what Leicester loses out on... services connecting to Bedford.... 1 train per hour, what the hell?? bloody mental IMO, why it can't be two trains I have no idea.
Apologies, I think I surprisingly confused this with HST speeds?
Thanks for this. Are you able to confirm a date when these will be implemented?
Also, I'm assuming there's no increase from 80 on Trent - Mansfield Jn?
The second Bedford call is taken up by the Corby service - very welcome too, as it speeds things up south of Leicester on the Derby semi-fast (effectively 3tph fast from Leicester if you can live with calling at Market Harborough). How many trains does Leicester - Bedford need anyway?!tell you what Leicester loses out on... services connecting to Bedford.... 1 train per hour, what the hell?? bloody mental IMO, why it can't be two trains I have no idea.
How many trains does Leicester - Bedford need anyway?!
The second Bedford call is taken up by the Corby service - very welcome too, as it speeds things up south of Leicester on the Derby semi-fast (effectively 3tph fast from Leicester if you can live with calling at Market Harborough). How many trains does Leicester - Bedford need anyway?!
Will the line be cleared to UIC GB+ gauge upon electrification or at least safeguarded?
Indeed, perhaps I'm just selfishly hoping to keep Loughborough's fast train to London! Hopefully electrification (and Thameslink?) will allow a decent stopping service south of Leicester whilst maintaining journey times north of Leicester!I'd much rather have another stopper going south than another fast - the Sheffield stopper as its known is rarely busy and the Notts HSTs cart around fresh air unless they've been filled with Megatrain types. Meanwhile, the stopping service is often nearly full at any time of day leaving Leicester and the local demand for travel to Kettering in particular is royally buggered about with.
GB+ is the European standard gauge which certainly won't be provided. For one thing the platforms on a GB+ route have to be further from the track and would normaly be lower, so normal UK stock couldn't use these platforms because of the stepping distance. I would imagine W10/W12 would be provided to allow maximum size containers on normal wagons, at least north of Bedford which is part of the Electric Spine from Southampton.
Hmm, interesting thought, thanks for that.Reason why I'm asking is because it was actually a DfT idea:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives....gy/freightnetwork/strategicfreightnetwork.pdf
at 20.5
What do you mean HST Speeds? At present there is separate HST speeds on the route, however I am not sure of what the plan is with regards to putting these speeds up, or just putting the overall line speed for all traffic up.
Not sure on the exact date, but i'd imagine it will be 8th December as that is when the new timetable is implemented.
Hmm, interesting thought, thanks for that.
The MML is more suitable for UIC B+ than the WCML, which was talked about previously, as from Bedford to Trent there are or were parallel former goods lines with little use by passenger services. In principle the relatively few passenger platforms on these lines could be removed or bypassed by new loops, to create a large gauge freight route largely independent from the rest of the network.
However it's well nigh impossible to see how Bedford could be linked to HS1 without huge amounts of new construction, since there are numerous stations with platforms that would be difficult to close or bypass. This suggests that any UIC gauge on the MML would be no more than a very long term prospect. It would probably be easier to build the HS2-HS1 link as a proper double track with a connection to the southern end of the GC and use that as the large gauge route as far as Leicester.
Belsize tunnel is 80mph but it's still 70-80mph on the UF until well past Kentish Town - the speed drops to 50mph at Camden Road tunnels. This is a pretty decent speed approaching St Pancras. I can't see any increase really being usable so close to the terminus and along with junctions and conflicting moves with services leaving the station I think any further increase at the south end is unlikely.Are any line speed improvements planned south of Radlett? I think it's only 80mph coming out of the tunnel at Finchley Road?
Well technically the four tracking north of Bedford only ever went as far as Glendon Junction, north of Kettering, where the Corby line diverges and forms the alternative route - but removing or bypassing the platforms at Corby, Oakham and Melton Mowbray may be easier said than done. There's also tunnels to be considered.Hmm, interesting thought, thanks for that.
The MML is more suitable for UIC B+ than the WCML, which was talked about previously, as from Bedford to Trent there are or were parallel former goods lines with little use by passenger services. In principle the relatively few passenger platforms on these lines could be removed or bypassed by new loops, to create a large gauge freight route largely independent from the rest of the network.
To be honest I'm still sceptical re: 8th December. This is because:
1) a lot of publications regarding the improvements cite 'Spring 2014' as the time when the speeds will increase, and not 8th Dec (unless something else is published in the meantime)
2) as I said earlier, journey time reductions appear, frankly to be minimal
3) side note but HST sets are also still timetabled to run at only 110mph as of Dec. 13.
Will Ampthill tunnel still be a reduced speed on the fast lines? I think it is 100mph at the moment.
Well technically the four tracking north of Bedford only ever went as far as Glendon Junction, north of Kettering, where the Corby line diverges and forms the alternative route - but removing or bypassing the platforms at Corby, Oakham and Melton Mowbray may be easier said than done. There's also tunnels to be considered.
Four tracks reappeared in the Wigston area as the Nuneaton-Leicester line joined, and indeed do still exist from Leicester to Trent, but these are no longer goods lines but slow lines, with stations at Syston, Sileby, Barrow on Soar, Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway.
I get you about the platforms but the document speaks of GB+ height for a starter so no platform alterations for the moment. I mean NR will need to do height clearance for wires and containers so they might as well clear a few extra inches. Hopefully at least.
Are there any concrete plans as to how future Thameslink might interface with the MML - i.e. potential extension to Corby, which if pathed correctly from Bedford up, might fit in as an additional service?
According to the WON, yes. The boards are up ready for the bin bags to be removed!Will the linespeed upgrades between Elstree Tunnel and Sharnbrook be commissioned as planned tomorrow?
This will be the new linespeed on sections of the route. If the driver chooses to do 125mph then yes, in accordance with the booked times.If so, will the higher speeds be utilised (e.g. if services are delayed) in advance of the December 2013 timetable?
Are there any concrete plans as to how future Thameslink might interface with the MML - i.e. potential extension to Corby, which if pathed correctly from Bedford up, might fit in as an additional service?
On a related note, looking at the timetables there are modest improvements for Nottingham-Sheffield and Nottingham-Leeds from the December timetable.
I think that is more to do with the Nottingham Resignalling project than the linespeed improvements.
I think all the linespeed increases are south of Nottingham. Nice that the signalling project knocks a little time off it though.