If you could recreate InterCity what would you change?

[Jorge Da Silva]

If you could recreate InterCity what would you change? What services would you add? Would you have longer trains? Would you change the rolling stock?

 

[adrock1976]

An obvious thing regarding the onboard experience on Intercity trains would be for there to be a national minimum standard regarding complementary refreshments in First Class. That way, regardless of which route or operator, or whether going east, west, north west, north east, the passengers who have booked 1st would know exactly what to expect.

 

[AM9]

An obvious thing regarding the onboard experience on Intercity trains would be for there to be a national minimum standard regarding complementary refreshments in First Class. That way, regardless of which route or operator, or whether going east, west, north west, north east, the passengers who have booked 1st would know exactly what to expect.

If distinct service levels were created for all IC passenger classes, I would also ensure that only those with genuine IC tickets could travel on those trains. That would stop the opportunist commuters misusing the trains for short hops, usually at the expense of IC ticket holders' comfort and convenience. If the speed/amenity of IC was so important, then their tickets (including season tickets) should carry an appropriate surcharge.

 

[Indigo Soup]

• I'd be looking for New InterCity to incorporate LNER and Virgin Trains (West Coast) in their their entirety, along with the long-distance, high speed services in the East Midlands, Great Western, and Cross-Country franchises. I'd also argue that TransPennine belongs in the InterCity group. The actual routes served generally seem fit for purpose.
• Arrange the service pattern to facilitate connections between InterCity services and local feeder/distributors, including semi-fast or stopping trains along InterCity routes timed to 'sweep up' people trying to use InterCity for local journeys. This will allow fewer stops to be made in the core route sections.
• Bring rolling stock across all routes up to a consistent standard - probably appropriately-configured IETs in time, but bring older stock up to a comparable standard through refurbishment. I know that IET isn't perfect, but it exists, and its' only real problems seem to be under the wires. Which brings me on to....
• Electrify core InterCity routes and increase line speeds to 125mph as far as practicable. It won't be possible everywhere, but we should be striving for the highest standards.
• Get rid of complimentary meal service for First Class passengers; where meal service is justified, it should be an additional extra. But, meal service should be provided wherever possible and sold as one of the advantages of travelling by InterCity train.
• Make sure adequate facilities are provided for large baggage to be carried safely and securely, and this advertised as a key benefit of InterCity. If this means longer trains, so be it.
• Solve overcrowding by engineering, not by pricing people away. If longer trains are needed, lengthen platforms. If more trains are needed, then improve the signalling.

 

[krus_aragon]

If distinct service levels were created for all IC passenger classes, I would also ensure that only those with genuine IC tickets could travel on those trains. That would stop the opportunist commuters misusing the trains for short hops, usually at the expense of IC ticket holders' comfort and convenience. If the speed/amenity of IC was so important, then their tickets (including season tickets) should carry an appropriate surcharge.

Would you couple this with amended services that don't call at numerous small stations at the country end, such as Paddington to Pembroke Dock? I don't see much point in restricting people from travelling between Tenby and Saundersfoot by HST when the service frequency is already fairly low.

 

[atraindriver]

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[krus_aragon]

That issue could also be addressed with pick up / set down restrictions in some instances, couldn't it?

 

[atraindriver]

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[AM9]

I suspect that AM9 is thinking more of the London-end of routes where, for example, LNER trains from London calling at Peterborough can overload for that section during the evening peak.
However, assuming that the commuters have tickets valid for the LNER train they are already paying a significant surcharge over the "NSE" suburban fares, so surcharges may not reduce usage all that much. Journey time is probably more important to commuters than cost unless the differential is extreme.

In much of Germany where fares are controlled by tariff communities (VVB, the nearest UK thing being a PTE) local season tickets are not valid on IC/ICE trains, but it's normal for the VVB to offer an upgrade package allowing use of the IC/ICEs. I'm not sure what the take-up is like, but it must be sufficient that it's considered worthwhile to offer the upgrades.

Yes my post was really about the 'city' end of IC services such as GWR south-west, some LNER longer runs and even East Midlands core services. These trains usually run fully loaded/overloaded from London for the first 50 miles then gradually thin out as they reach the outer reaches. I don't know about the Pembroke services, but I have seen those in the south-west where the HSTs (soon to be all class 802s) run the semi-fast services* beyond Exeter and through Cornwall. Yes, those trains seem to work well with the stoppers slotting in between them.
The WCML manages to split true IC passengers from opportunist commuters mainly because Virgin is a different operator. The same is true for the ECML where Peterborough is the defacto limit for large scale commuting. The real problem route is to Reading and Didcot, although the latter is improved by the class 387 services. If IC was re-established as a brand, it would be easier to discriminate with ticketing.
In terms of actual pricing, most season tickets are priced around the same as the off-peak return fare, but permitting anytime travel. If commuters are still devaluing the service to genuine IC travellers, the differential between dedicated local/commuter and IC services is probably inadequate. That can be fixed by revenue-neutral adjustments to both fare options with an ORCATS arrangement to compensate for reduced prices for the local operator, (although their takings may well be higher with better loading factors).

 

[HaggisBotherer]

If you could recreate InterCity what would you change?

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