i have highlighted stuff in blue that i hve picked up on.
Interesting video, thanks for posting.
The teal & tangerine livery was better than that awful Ocean Blue we had from March 2003! I was glad to see it go.
I think one of the reasons the MML took off at privatisation was because the MML was probably the least of the money stricken InterCity's concerns, especially when IC included the more profitable ECML and WCML which would obviously take priority for major investment. Yes it recieved hand me down HSTs in 1982, but that was only due to a recession.
Privatisation gave the route it's own focus, and arguably without NX we wouldn't have had increased frequencies, new trains, better punctuality (93% by the end of the franchise) and faster journeys. MML did have it's ups and downs over the years though, like all the early franchises did.
EMT then developed what MML had done before it, but I would question whether the EMT bought anything radically new in terms of service on the route. EMT has definitely been good for the local routes which are more reliable than they ever were with CT, but the jury's out on the MML. I would argue EMT are too big for their own good, but it depends on your viewpoint. They haven't even integrated Mainline/Local services into a coherant timetable, e.g. look at the ''connection'' between the Ivanhoe stoppers and the Mainline service at Leicester.
glad you enjoyed the video mate!
On the financial front I shall agree very much with that, something which I hadn't thought off. I think the only major investment the MML got near to and in the intercity years was the resignalling and rebuilding of leicester station in the 80's, however, i could be wrong.
when Mainline came into being it was a start and a half, but by the time they had finished up with the franchise, yeah things were doing great frequency wise. when NatEx started they only had the HST's to use, by 1998, they had ordered and started using turbostars by 2001, which was a great help to get more frequency (although the choice of unit is another matter!). When the meridians came in, that was the goldon hour for nat ex, we had a lot more trains per hour at each station and corby was stating to be noticed more as well, another winning point. the punctuality was continued by EMT as well.
I think with EMT, things look smarter but i still fel a lot of the service attitude has been carried over from MML ( a lot of the staff are still about too!). they have managed to get punctuaity upto 98% at one point which is good, but I also agree with you on the integrated timetables... its just not... well, integrated, i suppose! the ivanhoe services are great and at times get very busy, but with each train arriving at leicester at approx :20 past eachhour, you have missed the fast service to sheffield, the stanstad airport service, a local to brummie..... I will admit they could work harder on that one, but wen they will is another matter.
the MML is a big thing now compared to 20 odd year ago, where really, a lot of railway top guns couldn't give a monkeys about it. I would like to see more frequent stopping services dow and up the MML, like to Bedford and better connections from the north to corby. I also think more of an effort should be made to use the harringworth viaduct route for fast services so they can avoid congestion.
In all honesty I think the Jury should wait until the MML is electrified before anything is said. when electrification happens a lot of issues people have may be shifted elsewhere.
