Trains in the early hours

[NSB2017]

My railway usage has rarely taken me north of Birmingham, and on a regular basis on the south east area.

I’ve often wondered how many trains there are available in the early hours. Say from 1am-5am. Barring the sleepers, are there many? Or do passenger services almost entirely cease at about midnight until 4.30am or so?

 

[Iskra]

There are some on Transpennine between York and Manchester Airport as well as on Thameslink.

 

[Intermodal]

From memory Liverpool Lime St has a 0337 service to Manchester Airport, and York has one leaving around the same time if not a bit earlier. It's not hourly through the night, though.

 

[NSB2017]

Ah, forgot about the airports.

Suppose, with that exception, there is really no demand to justify. And unlikely to change due to the changing nature of work, I’d imagine.

 

[greyman42]

0136 Kings Cross - Peterborough and return. Not Sundays.

 

[robbeech]

Not north of Birmingham but some days there is a GWR to Swansea and back through the night.

 

[Esker-pades]

The last train of the day from Paddington gets into Swansea at 02:17, with the first departure of the morning at 03:54.

Fishguard gets a service arriving in from Manchester at 02:37, which then departs to Carmarthen.

02:59 from Carmarthen to Swansea, probably to connect with the 03:54 onwards to London.

 

[Esker-pades]

Peterborough has its last train from London arriving at 03:07 (01:36 ex-Kings Cross) which then forms the 03:24 back to Kings Cross.

The SouthEastern services to Gravesend and Gillingham via Dartford started really early ~4am and finished late ~1am departure, so a 2am arrival. ThamesLink has somewhat broken that, but I think there is still quite a bit of early hours running.

 

[Springs Branch]

From memory Liverpool Lime St has a 0337 service to Manchester Airport, and York has one leaving around the same time if not a bit earlier. It's not hourly through the night, though.

Northern also have an 0333 Blackpool North to Manchester Airport (calling Preston & Man Picc only) to add to the "Airport" group.

 

[craigybagel]

TfW also have an early airport service. 0334 Chester - Manchester Airport, calling only at Piccadilly enroute (and booked via the Cheshire lines through Northwich). Not exactly busy any time I've worked it but it at least it's an option for people, and without a depot any closer to Manchester they need some way of getting the unit there for the start of service anyway.

 

[J-P_L]

Transpennine Express run throughout the night between York and Manchester:

Westbound
23:37 YRK-MAN (22:54 ex SCA)
01:38 YRK-MIA
02:52 YRK-MIA
03:50 YRK-MIA
05:05 YRK-MIA

Eastbound
23:19 MIA-YRK
00:38 MIA-YRK
02:42 MAN-YRK
04:22 MIA-NCL

 

[route101]

None in Scotland , maybe there will be between Edinburgh and Glasgow

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

387 operated 1tph between Reading - Paddington (all-stops) overnight these days, if there aren’t any engineering works.
I’ll personally be getting 2P06 0536 RDG - PAD on Saturday!

 

[Taunton]

there is really no demand to justify. And unlikely to change due to the changing nature of work, I’d imagine.

We seem to be forgetting the recent introduction of London Underground's all-night services, whose usage has exceeded expectations.

Back in the 1960s the line through Taunton was busiest at night, all night. A lot of this was freight, much more prominent than during the day, but a range of overnight services always had patronage. Overnight Up services to London stopped at around 1am and then 3am, and picked up a few passengers headed for London, to arrive for start of a workday or an early flight from Heathrow.

 

[DelW]

We seem to be forgetting the recent introduction of London Underground's all-night services, whose usage has exceeded expectations.

A few years ago a friend of mine worked for LU, and on early shifts had to be at Marble Arch before 0500. He caught a night bus in from north London at about 0345, on a route that ran at 10 minute intervals, and even at that he said they were often full. The same route currently runs at 8 minute intervals all night.

 

[bionic]

London is a very different kettle of fish to the rest of the country. Low paid shift workers (the people who keep London functioning) can't afford to live anywhere near the centre. This necessitates the mass movement of people at all hours of the day and night, be it by night bus, tube or train. Most of the rest of the country doesn't have this problem as generally people are not forced by economics to live so far away from where they work. All cities in the UK have affordable housing much closer to the city centre than London does so there's nowhere near the demand for 24hr public transport and there's certainly no profit incentive for private companies to provide it.

 

[xotGD]

None in Scotland , maybe there will be between Edinburgh and Glasgow

You are forgetting that Edinburgh - Fort William operates as a 'day train'

 

[route101]

You are forgetting that Edinburgh - Fort William operates as a 'day train'

Yeah at 0450 or something . Thats a morning service ha

 

[cactustwirly]

The last train of the day from Paddington gets into Swansea at 02:17, with the first departure of the morning at 03:54.

Fishguard gets a service arriving in from Manchester at 02:37, which then departs to Carmarthen.

02:59 from Carmarthen to Swansea, probably to connect with the 03:54 onwards to London.

I believe the last train from Paddington is actually the 0354 service to Reading!

 

[tiptoptaff]

I believe the last train from Paddington is actually the 0354 service to Reading!

I think they meant the first departure from Swansea.
1B94 arrives 0217, 1L05 departs 0359

 

[Esker-pades]

I believe the last train from Paddington is actually the 0354 service to Reading!

But that doesn't go to Swansea. My comment was referring to the last train from London to Swansea.

 

[cuccir]

Another of the airport services is the 03:25 from Sheffield to Manchester Airport.

 

[RichJF]

Thameslink runs a 1/2 hourly service between Bedford & Three Bridges in the wee small hours. These are occasionally diverted via Clapham/Streatham if engineering work is taking place.

 

[Condor7]

One that does just about fit into your criteria is Barrow in Furness. After an arrival from Manchester Airport at 00.37 there is a departure to Preston at 04.53.

 

[Deafdoggie]

LNWR have a unit that doesn't "go to bed". Running Euston-Milton Keynes as the last train, and Milton Keynes-Euston as the first train.

 

[LAX54]

Last arrival Colchester about 0200, first departure 0443, the intervening hours filled with Freight

 

[JonathanH]

Thameslink runs a 1/2 hourly service between Bedford & Three Bridges in the wee small hours. These are occasionally diverted via Clapham/Streatham if engineering work is taking place.

They are generally booked via Streatham overnight unless that route is closed - see 9W headcodes - last train via London Bridge in each direction is 9T73 2217 Bedford to Brighton which leaves London Bridge at 2337 and 9T68 2226 Brighton to Bedford which leaves London Bridge at the same time.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The last LNER gets into Newcastle at 0215 and the first in the morning is at 0444, closely followed by a TPE at 0448.

When TPE used to run a 0215 from Newcastle it was usually busy as far as Darlington, but NR pushed for it to be scrapped to let them do engineering work. At the same time the 2200 from Kings Cross terminated at York and a change of train was required to Newcastle; it was a fight to get that agreed, IIRC, as NR wanted the 2200 to stop at York.

 

[sgraIRL]

From memory Liverpool Lime St has a 0337 service to Manchester Airport, and York has one leaving around the same time if not a bit earlier. It's not hourly through the night, though.

Yup - I got it last summer!
1H40 03:37 Northern service from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport
Class 156 unit.