XC Birmingham to Leicester/Stansted

[Aictos]

We've heard of the potential for Birmingham to Leicester to be operated by West Midlands Trains however this leads to a interesting question or two...

1. If Birmingham to Leicester WAS operated by WMT then could they increase the frequency to half hourly calling as booked if the paths are there?

2. If the above happens, could Cross Country actually speed up the Birmingham to Stansted service?

3. Is there any point in the Leicester service being extended at all and if so where to?

 

[cactustwirly]

We've heard of the potential for Birmingham to Leicester to be operated by West Midlands Trains however this leads to a interesting question or two...

1. If Birmingham to Leicester WAS operated by WMT then could they increase the frequency to half hourly calling as booked if the paths are there?

2. If the above happens, could Cross Country actually speed up the Birmingham to Stansted service?

3. Is there any point in the Leicester service being extended at all and if so where to?

I don't see how the XC Stansted service can be sped up?
It's already limited stop, and the main constraint on journey times, is the slow linespeed between Coleshill & Nuneaton.

 

[Aictos]

I don't see how the XC Stansted service can be sped up?
It's already limited stop, and the main constraint on journey times, is the slow linespeed between Coleshill & Nuneaton.

I know so is there any way of raising the line speed between Coleshill Parkway and Nuneaton at all?
Why is it so slow in the first place?

Also I guess there's no other faster route between Nuneaton and Birmingham even if it avoids Coleshill Parkway?

 

[Ianno87]

The only call that'd be fair game (in my view) to pull from the Birmingham-Stansteds would be Coleshil, whose demand seems almost exclusively local in nature and could easily be covered by a second Leicester service.

Next, the biggest impediment on journey times is the low speed over Whitacre Jn due to the 'diverging' alignment...but would be expensive as you'd probably need to wholly realign the rail corridor.

Thirdly, Birmingham-Stansteds are really tricky to speed up in a timetable, being hemmed in by the Stansted single line at one end, and weavimg around the Cross City line/Proof House Jn/Water Orton at the other, plus the Leicester area/Syston single lead etc etc etc.

 

[Whistler40145]

To my knowledge the slowness of the section of line between Coledhill Parkway and Nuneaton is due to mining subsidence.

 

[Bald Rick]

It’s 70 from Nuneaton to Whitacre Jn, including through Arley tunnel (which was 20mph for ages until rebuilt in 1993). The restriction of 35mph at Whitacre Jn is due to curvature; the Nuneaton route is actually the ‘straight’ route in track terms, and I believe the speed towards Nuneaton was lifted a little when the junction was renewed a few years back. Even if the junction wasn’t there the nature of the curve means it is unlikely to be any higher. The only way to raise it significantly would be to build about half a mile of new railway to the south. It would save about 30-40 seconds per train for those not stopping at Coleshill Parkway.

Related question, does anyone know how well Coleshhill Parkway is doing against its forecast passenger numbers when opened?

 

[Whistler40145]

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Aictos]

So not really worth the Coleshill Parkway stop being served by a second Leicester service then?

 

[The Planner]

It’s 70 from Nuneaton to Whitacre Jn, including through Arley tunnel (which was 20mph for ages until rebuilt in 1993). The restriction of 35mph at Whitacre Jn is due to curvature; the Nuneaton route is actually the ‘straight’ route in track terms, and I believe the speed towards Nuneaton was lifted a little when the junction was renewed a few years back. Even if the junction wasn’t there the nature of the curve means it is unlikely to be any higher. The only way to raise it significantly would be to build about half a mile of new railway to the south. It would save about 30-40 seconds per train for those not stopping at Coleshill Parkway.

Related question, does anyone know how well Coleshhill Parkway is doing against its forecast passenger numbers when opened?

Google is your friend, https://assets.publishing.service.g..._data/file/3932/demand-forecasting-report.pdf
Demand forecast in 2007/8 was 98000, actual 48000, 2008/9 forecast 119000, actual 99000. ORR data says 16/17 actual was 287000 so probably ahead of forecast Id bet.

 

[B&I]

Isn't Norwich the obvious target for any further services extended from Leicester ?

 

[Aictos]

Isn't Norwich the obvious target for any further services extended from Leicester ?

Depends really, firstly Peterborough would be the next obvious target not Norwich as they have the capacity to terminate now they have 7 platforms unlike the old layout when they only had 5 platforms.

Also would not Cambridge be a better candidate for further extension as you could use the north facing bay platforms there saying that you might as well just run to Stansted Airport and standardise the timetable to being every half hour from both ends of the route?

However if and when the decision to extend the Leicester stoppers are made why not also look at combining the existing Lincoln to Leicester stoppers with the Birmingham to Leicester stoppers?

If they did go with sending the extended service to Norwich could they use the West Curve at Ely to avoid calling there?

 

[B&I]

Depends really, firstly Peterborough would be the next obvious target not Norwich as they have the capacity to terminate now they have 7 platforms unlike the old layout when they only had 5 platforms.

Also would not Cambridge be a better candidate for further extension as you could use the north facing bay platforms there saying that you might as well just run to Stansted Airport and standardise the timetable to being every half hour from both ends of the route?

However if and when the decision to extend the Leicester stoppers are made why not also look at combining the existing Lincoln to Leicester stoppers with the Birmingham to Leicester stoppers?

If they did go with sending the extended service to Norwich could they use the West Curve at Ely to avoid calling there?

Useful as enhanced services over all those lines would be, isn't a Birmingham-Norwich service.a fairly obvious omission from.the network ? Perhaps extra services around Cambridge coild be provided by something like a Stanstead-Cambridge-Peterborough-Nottingham service, extending to points north and / or west as necessary

 

[Mitchell Hurd]

If I'm honest, if West Midlands Railway take over, that will be the only service of theirs that will have seat reservations (none of their routes have seat reservations).

If they do take over the Leicester and Stansted Airport routes then with any luck they'll retain some of the Class 170's!

 

[Ianno87]

If I'm honest, if West Midlands Railway take over, that will be the only service of theirs that will have seat reservations (none of their routes have seat reservations).

If they do take over the Leicester and Stansted Airport routes then with any luck they'll retain some of the Class 170's!

Seat reservations only exist on the Stansteds - the Leicesters are counted place AFAIK.