HS2 trains are the answer here. They'll be capable of operating on the conventional network as well as high speed, so if a tunnel operator buys some (be that Eurostar or one of the OA proposers), and upgraded the link line so it's actually possible to get a passenger train from the international side at St Pancras to the MML, rolling stock shouldn't be the silver bullet.
I'm assuming that there will be some sort of connection to the theme park that keeps people dry - covered walkway, airport style people mover, etc. So from Universal's perspective, to have people in the dry and out of any cold wind from the moment they step off the train will improve their initial impression of the experience.
Why not? They haven't been built yet, and so the necessary variations could be incorporated into the design. The 374 is based on an off the shelf product that's modified for the tunnel, why can't that be done again? I'd be surprised if the train wasn't designed to be adaptable for the tunnel etc without having to completely start again.
Probably in the same way as much of the existing freight, by running at night. Although I am rather sceptical about how much freight traffic will actually be generated.
I thought Kentish Town to Orpington had been cut with the Southeastern stoppers put up to 4 tph to compensate? Letchworth to Cambridge is the only other bit of Thameslink's 2019 off-peak network not back to what it was before though (I think it's kept 2 tph Cambridge – Brighton, kept 1 tph Cambridge – King's Cross which has been transferred to Great Northern but with the second hourly train cut short).
2 to 3 trains may not mean much for the core but they certainly mean a lot for the outskirts of the system where there is a more limited train service.
2 to 3 trains may not mean much for the core but they certainly mean a lot for the outskirts of the system where there is a more limited train service.
But as previously commented, a service of at least every 30 minutes in the evening is a not unacceotable level of service for a town around 40 miles out of London with a population of around 15,000. I don't think you can claim to be too hard done by.
Oxford is significantly further out of London and much less part of the commuter belt, so is not a good comparison.
It’s not unacceptable but the more trains the better. Half hourly service is quite barebone.
It’s not unacceptable but the more trains the better. Half hourly service is quite barebone.
Half-hourly is a perfectly sensible service for anywhere outside a major metropolitan area. It's not barebone at all - people will plan their journeys around the service and 30-minute intervals gives you plenty of options without wasting significant time.
Cambridge-Brighton is 2tph until end of evening peak.
Should all Thameslink services call at West Hampstead? I'd say that the LNR Tring / Milton Keynes services are coping with Harrow & Wealdstone being the first stop for all of them (or, at least, that removing that stop wouldn't make a big enough difference alone for busier services). On the other hand, a lot of suburban Midland Main Line to Docklands traffic will probably be going via Farringdon instead now.
I was commuting 4 days a week (Mon-Wed plus Sat, every week, for different shifts start times), from 2016, including during COVID, and have only ever known 4tph from Flitwick.
How many places get 3 tph spread equally rather than 2 tph plus an extra tph as part of a different service pattern? It isn't really turn up and go if there's still parts of the hour where you could be waiting 29 minutes, so I'd say the minimum TUAG is 4 tph spread equally or needing 6+ tph if not.
A lot of people board the trains on the fasts which are first stop St Albans. I think the current mix of 2 stop, 2 pass is good off peak. I would think in the peaks it would be harder with the extras. But as mentioned, the Corbys act as additional fast services too. These may well call at Wixams - although something to Leicester/Notts might give greater coverage to the Universal park.
