OK - that's kinda what I'm getting at. The wording in the thread title that I saw was "potential".
Coleshill Parkway has great road links but seems very underused. Better advertising needed?
I may be pedantic, but isn't Manors essentially in Newcastle city centre?
(not a "main" station, true)
So, as the title suggests.
First I'll go local. Preston will benefit from extra capacity during the Guild and with new trains coming through Preston (the first 350s) there will be more potential for services to Newcastle, Stalybridge, London stopper, Bristol, Bournemouth, Wrexham, Cardiff, Bangor, Llandudno, Cardiff, Milford Haven, Kyle, Glasgow Airport, and the list goes on if we get new trains.
Carstairs looks good too, it could become a major interchange where Virgin would stop, and new interchanges in general.
Keep the list going!
Completely tangential, but what's the largest settlement that's only served by one TOC? Evidently it's Walsall (although it might be Dudley, depending on how Dudley is defined), with Poole not far behind.
Indeed. It was the "main" keyword that makes the difference. You'd never be in the situation where you'd arrive at Manors and have to walk/Metro to Central (or vice versa) to make your connection
Aye, but then you could say the same about Haymarket in Edinburgh
I don't know Edinburgh, but I'll take your word on that. Do all Haymarket services also call at Waverley?
I've only just seen this thread, so sorry for going over old ground!
I think you're absolutely right to be enthusiastic for Preston. There's a lot of potential there, but many smaller things have to happen for the big things to work
I know TOCs hate small stations and Northern Fail in particular just plain hate running trains at all, but Preston needs to have at least one, if not as many as three, small stops within the council boundaries. Access to the railways is as important as services from the main station.
You're absolutely right to talk about links from Preston further afield - there's nothing but ambition stopping us from being a Lancashire interchange allowing people to run through us to Newcastle or Sheffield.
Northern 180s/get some 185s or maybe a new EMU set (maybe SE could give up some 395s after the Olympics?)
Carnforth (maybe)-Oxenholme
You can't go from Carnforth to Oxenholme.
And this is before the need to electrify the Tyne Valley...
is this person serious?
You can't go from Carnforth to Oxenholme.
oh - still.................
(how do you know that)
They were built to take advantage of HS1 and run almost to capacity during the peaks...
Lostock Hall, Bamber Bridge, and Leyland are all in the Preston Overground Network and Salwick, too possibly Croston are in the Preston area.
But in reality, there needs to be another station in Preston. I'd place a bet on re-opening Lea Road (possibly rename Preston Westleigh) as the Orbital goes past it and it's in close proximity to my estate, and a few others. It could be expanded on the fields behind it to make a four-platform WCML/ECML hub and with extra stations between Preston and Lancaster so services could go:
Blackpool-Poulton-Kirkham-Westleigh-Barton Grange Parkway-Garstang-Lancaster-Carnforth (maybe)-Oxenholme-Penrith-Carlisle-Hexham-Metrocentre-Newcastle-Sunderland operated by Northern 180s/get some 185s or maybe a new EMU set (maybe SE could give up some 395s after the Olympics?)
Lostock Hall, Bamber Bridge, and Leyland are all in the Preston Overground Network and Salwick, too possibly Croston are in the Preston area.
But in reality, there needs to be another station in Preston. I'd place a bet on re-opening Lea Road (possibly rename Preston Westleigh) as the Orbital goes past it and it's in close proximity to my estate, and a few others. It could be expanded on the fields behind it to make a four-platform WCML/ECML hub and with extra stations between Preston and Lancaster so services could go:
Blackpool-Poulton-Kirkham-Westleigh-Barton Grange Parkway-Garstang-Lancaster-Carnforth (maybe)-Oxenholme-Penrith-Carlisle-Hexham-Metrocentre-Newcastle-Sunderland operated by Northern 180s/get some 185s or maybe a new EMU set (maybe SE could give up some 395s after the Olympics?)
I also don't see what Preston has to do with the ECML, I can't see Preston being turned into any form of hub related to trains on the KGX route at all.
Think of it as blue sky thinking
We had services to...Paddington, didn't we....and in my life time (32 next week )
I'd wager Cottam will get a station before Lea, tbh. Put it near the canal/sports arena/Savick bit, got yourself a handy half-way house between Blackpool and Preston.
Westleigh recently suffered a major fire, there's opportunity to build a small hub there and just on the canal near the Cotty Brook, it's technically in both Lea and Cottam, maybe in Savick too! (That's why Lea Road existed, and Preston Westleigh would be like 200m west of where that was but would have more potential and whatnot.
Undoubtedly, Preston needs a second major station so you could rename the main one either "Preston Fishergate" or "Preston Franklin" and the other "Preston Westleigh" and that may work. Rename Salwick "Preston Nuclear" and Lostock Hall "Preston East" and maybe Bamber Bridge "Preston Bamber Bridge" but I'm not sure about the latter two.