New direct rail service to link Edinburgh and Wales "for the first time"

[Envoy]

It’s quicker (shorter) and cheaper* to get from Cardiff to Edinburgh with TfW to Crewe via Hereford & then Avanti West Coast to Edinburgh. * Split fare at Crewe.

However, this new service by Cross Country is most welcome in that it will provide a direct service between south Wales and the north east (York, Newcastle etc).

 

[ValentaFan1974]

Looking at the diagrams it's a rather odd service in that it will be run as a 220/221 from Derby departing at 0649 then not calling at Burton-on-Trent but calling at Tamworth, Birmingham New Street, Univerisity, Worcestershire Parkway, Cheltenham Spa, Gloucester, Chepstow, Newport and then Cardiff Central. The train will then from the 0945 departure to Edinburgh which calls at Newport, Chepstow, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Worcestershire Parkway, University then Birmingham New Street where it joins onto the train from Penzance and continues to Edinburgh.

The return service obviously splits from the Plymouth train at Gloucester then just stops at Newport and Cardiff Central. Then the same unit later forms the 21:03 from Cardiff Central to Birmingham New Street which stops at Newport, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Ashchurch for Tewkesbury, Worcestershire Parkway then goes via the Camp Hill Line and terminates at Birmingham New Street.

I know it's to move stock around and to compensate for the lost rolling stock but it will be odd having a Chepstow and University to Edinburgh train. Also it will be the first time (I think) that a Voyager will be regularly serving Ashchurch for Tewkesbury.

Interesting as I think Ashchurch for Tewksbury is only long enough for a 4-car voyager…. So a coach may be locked out of use until after that stop if it runs as a 5-car…

 

[swt_passenger]

So, yes I suspect this will also be unreliable and cancelled at the drop of a hat unfortunately. I applaud the idea as it’s a simple switch of a unit from Bristol to Cardiff to provide the service, however XC leave much to be desired in the implementation of a plan!

It’s not a “switch of a unit from Bristol to Cardiff”, as you write. It‘s a Voyager that starts in Derby, and runs to Cardiff, replacing the 170 that would have previously run through from Nottingham. This should have been clear from the earlier discussions in this thread.

 

[Meerkat]

Did I read that one lot of passengers is going to be sat at Gloucester for 12 minutes while the train is split?!

 

[JonathanH]

Did I read that one lot of passengers is going to be sat at Gloucester for 12 minutes while the train is split?!

Yes, Plymouth passengers leave after 9 minutes, Cardiff passengers leave after 12 minutes.

 

[dk1]

Yes, Plymouth passengers leave after 9 minutes, Cardiff passengers leave after 12 minutes.

Will also add some padding to the schedules.

 

[JonathanH]

Will also add some padding to the schedules.

It is currently 7 minutes for the Plymouth portion in any case.

 

[dk1]

It is currently 7 minutes for the Plymouth portion in any case.

Oh not too much of a change then. Bet there’s some nippy turnarounds during late running.

 

[swt_passenger]

Did I read that one lot of passengers is going to be sat at Gloucester for 12 minutes while the train is split?!

That will be to shuffle all the passengers who ignored the announcements and displays and got in the wrong unit…

 

[FlybeDash8Q400]

Did I read that one lot of passengers is going to be sat at Gloucester for 12 minutes while the train is split?!

Splitting Voyagers isn’t the quickest thing in the world. Usually takes 7 minutes minimum as you have to:

Release all doors.
Let all passengers on/off.
Allow the driver to set up one of the cabs in the middle. Rarely will you have a driver purposely for this.
Lock the doors, which Voyager doors are painfully slow to close.
Split the sets. Which can take a few attempts.
Release the doors again.
Then dispatch the single sets.

Typically you’re doing well if you complete this whole process in 6 minutes, but generally XC will allow 9 minutes for the first set and 12 or more for the second.

 

[dk1]

Splitting Voyagers isn’t the quickest thing in the world. Usually takes 7 minutes minimum as you have to:

Release all doors.
Let all passengers on/off.
Allow the driver to set up one of the cabs in the middle. Rarely will you have a driver purposely for this.
Lock the doors, which Voyager doors are painfully slow to close.
Split the sets. Which can take a few attempts.
Release the doors again.
Then dispatch the single sets.

Typically you’re doing well if you complete this whole process in 6 minutes, but generally XC will allow 9 minutes for the first set and 12 or more for the second.

The difference with more modern units is amazing. With 755s we do it all from the leading cab. No need to fire up one in the middle these days. Just takes around 20-30 secs.

 

[JonathanH]

Oh not too much of a change then. Bet there’s some nippy turnarounds during late running.

Nope. It has been late four of the last five weekdays and not managed to better seven or eight minutes, presumably due to the points set out above.

 

[dk1]

Nope. It has been late four of the last five weekdays and not managed to better seven or eight minutes, presumably due to the points set out above.

Yeah I suppose there’s a lot of faffing around. I do pride myself on clawing back time in such events. Always frustrated me when I had a tardy guard who didn’t think likewise.

 

[Oxfordblues]

I'll be interested to see how the Penzance portion passing Five Ways at 11/51 arrives at Platform 8M in only 4 minutes at 11:55 even though it'll be calling-on to an occupied platform.

 

[The Planner]

I'll be interested to see how the Penzance portion passing Five Ways at 11/51 arrives at Platform 8M in only 4 minutes at 11:55 even though it'll be calling-on to an occupied platform.

Whats the issue here? 3 minute SRT plus a minute adjustment.

 

[weeklycommuter]

I just had a look on a journey planner for the northbound trip. Except for people who really don't like changing trains it doesn't seem that useful as a Cardiff to Edinburgh train.
If you wait for 8 minutes at Cardiff you can take a TfW train to Crewe, have a comfortable 39 min connection to an Avanti service, to arrive in Edinburgh 50 minutes before the direct XC.
Even from Gloucester it suggests an 18 min change at Birmingham to arrive on the same earlier train.
Southbound the direct is XC is quicker and seems more attractive.

I note that this is how they have achieved their 'new' service:
Take an existing Cardiff to Nottingham train.
Convert from 170 to Voyager.
Cut back from Nottingham to Birmingham.
Attach to existing Penzance to Edinburgh train.

So it actually leads to a 2 hour gap in Cardiff to Nottingham trains (filled between Birmingham and Nottingham but with no connection from Cardiff).

My view is this one direct train a day each way between Cardiff and Edinburgh is being introduced as a political statement to claim better connectivity between Wales England and Scotland. If the Government really wants to encourage travel on CrossCountry Trains routes, including between Cardiff and Edinburgh, they should enable CrossCountry Trains to acquire new bimode rolling stock with a lot more seats than the current Voyagers and Class 170 trains.

 

[swt_passenger]

My view is this one direct train a day each way between Cardiff and Edinburgh is being introduced as a political statement to claim better connectivity between Wales England and Scotland.

That’s exactly how it was explained in the track access application, so you‘re right. I quoted the relevant paragraph in post #80 last month.

 

[XCTurbostar]

My view is this one direct train a day each way between Cardiff and Edinburgh is being introduced as a political statement to claim better connectivity between Wales England and Scotland. If the Government really wants to encourage travel on CrossCountry Trains routes, including between Cardiff and Edinburgh, they should enable CrossCountry Trains to acquire new bimode rolling stock with a lot more seats than the current Voyagers and Class 170 trains.

Completely agree.

This service is completely pointless, in fact, I would go further than that and say that it is WORSE than the previous timetable especially if you wanted to go to Willington, Derby or Nottingham. 1M43 Runs from CDF to BHM which wouldn't be an issue on its own except that it arrives at 1149 and the path to Nottingham has been reused for 1D60 to Nottingham which also leaves at 1149. Today, 1D60 was not held for 1M43 so passengers wanting to travel onwards would have to either stay on 1M43 (Which becomes 1S43) arriving into Derby 10 minutes later or 20 minutes later for Nottingham.

This isn't to mention that it would be an hour quicker to Edinburgh to wait for 9S60 at BHM even though it leaves 5 minutes later..

 

[GoneSouth]

But it wouldn’t be an hour quicker to Sheffield, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle.

Cardiff now has a direct link to all of these places. Gloucester gets a long overdue morning service to these places, Worcestershire Parkway also benefits, and a minimum 4 coach Voyager is better than pokey 2 coach Turbo

So not entirely pointless then

 

[StarCrossing]

But it wouldn’t be an hour quicker to Sheffield, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle.

Cardiff now has a direct link to all of these places. Gloucester gets a long overdue morning service to these places, Worcestershire Parkway also benefits, and a minimum 4 coach Voyager is better than pokey 2 coach Turbo

So not entirely pointless then

Indeed. I live in Cardiff and often work in York. The southbound service is very useful for me.

 

[BRM]

And a good bet for an 8 or 9 coach going north.

 

[GoneSouth]

And a good bet for an 8 or 9 coach going north.

Yes, another benefit, assuming the 2 sections manage to arrive in Brum at the appropriate time