Suggestion: East West Rail (Oxford-Bedford section) clockface timetable

[adrock1976]

Having had a quick revision of recent posts in the East West Rail thread in the Infrastructure & Stations section, and having had a quick eyeball at the Wiki page (unsure if still accurate or up to date), I have designed a clockface timetable with the Winslow - Bletchley, and Bletchley - Bedford having three trains per hour.

I have an Oxford - Milton Keynes Central calling all stations (including Islip - possible transfer to these trains seeing as Chiltern only provide sporadic calls?) every 60 minutes, Princes Risborough - Milton Keynes Central via Aylesbury calling all stations every 60 minutes, Oxford - York or Hull via Bedford Midland, Alfreton, and the former "Old Road" via Beighton Junction as a traditional Intercity service, and have introduced an additional limited stop Bletchley - Bedford train (maybe extended to Sandy/Cambridge in future?).

I have included the re-sited Winslow station at Buckingham Road, and a new station at Ampthill Road at the Park and Ride. I anticipate this being of a design similar to Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, and Worcestershire Parkway being as the Midland Main Line passes through the Marston Vale at a perpendicular angle. This would also provide interchange with the Thameslink trains.

Regarding the Intercity train, perhaps instead of starting at Oxford General, it could start from either Swindon or Reading? I decided to continue north from Bedford Midland until I came to a station that has a London facing bay platform long enough to terminate Intercity trains, or onto a line that has Intercity trains that is a dead end. This explains either York or Hull and as I could not decide which one, I have included both options. Although beyond the scope of the main topic, I have anticipated HS2 reaching the East Midlands region at Toton, and have also based the assumption of the former stations at Killamarsh West (ex Midland - renamed Killamarsh & Halfway) and Rotherham Masborough reopening. However, these would ideally be part of a local and regional project of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and possibly Derbyshire County Council (as although Killamarsh and Halfway are next door to each other, the former is in Derbyshire with the latter being in Yorkshire) and not exclusive to the East West Rail Intercity trains. Perhaps forum member @tbtc would know more about things in that neck of the woods?

Without making this opening post too lengthy, I am aware that there are single track sections between Bletchley and Bow Brickhill, and another short section at Bedford St Johns station. I am unsure if it is intended to have these as double track. I did have a few questions in my mind while designing the suggested timetable in that would it be possible for the Bletchley - Bedford locals to have alternating calling patterns such as one train omits Woburn Sands but calls Aspley Guise with the next train doing it the other way round? All of the lightly used stations would still have a 60 minute frequency as at present. I am unsure if there are local short hop journeys or not. Being as both @DarloRich and @Bletchleyite are familiar with the Marston Vale line, I am interested in hearing further thoughts on a suggested East West Rail timetable.

 

[johnnychips]

I don’t know about the rest of your ideas, not coming from that area, but Rotherham Masborough is a hole. It’s one of those places where some people think ‘there was a service once so there should be one again’.

 

[MarkRedon]

Sadly, I fear that satisfying the massive demand for direct Hull to Oxford journeys once an hour would not quite overcome an insurmountable difficulty. How likely is it that a train which had to pass so many potentially conflicting junction movements would arrive at Bedford (Midland? Wixams?) within the +/- 5 minute window that might help to maintain a regular interval timetable at Winslow? I'm not sure what the best use of the one longer distance train per hour on East West Rail will be, but I would hazard a guess that stakeholders would prefer Ipswich or Norwich or Bristol over Hull... Full disclosure. I do make the journey Hull to Oxford, but no more than once a year! And I never go to Rotherham...

 

[The Planner]

Why are there such long dwell times at Bletchley and where are the Chiltern trains to Marylebone? The Oxford to MK trains I suspect won't call at Islip. The xx59 departure from Bletchley to MK doesn't work either as it causes clashes on the slow lines. Aylesbury to Claydon is now very unlikely to be twin track so you have a clash on the single line, you depart towards Claydon at xx.30 when the inbound doesn't arrive until xx.32.

 

[jimm]

Why are there such long dwell times at Bletchley and where are the Chiltern trains to Marylebone? The Oxford to MK trains I suspect won't call at Islip. The xx59 departure from Bletchley to MK doesn't work either as it causes clashes on the slow lines. Aylesbury to Claydon is now very unlikely to be twin track so you have a clash on the single line, you depart towards Claydon at xx.30 when the inbound doesn't arrive until xx.32.

Quite right about Islip. It has never been the intention for East West trains to call, with the current Chiltern services doing the job there (albeit that one or two extra calls each way each day would probably come in handy).

A westbound departure from Bicester Village at xx.53 would put a train in the way of Chiltern services heading into Oxford much of the day.

A 2013 map produced by the local government and business consortium backing the project showed what were then considered potential route/service options, and trains between Bedford and Oxford were shown as calling at Ridgmont and Woburn Sands on the section east of Bletchley, as is also the case on the more recent maps produced by the development company.

http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/western_section_route_map_n.pdf

https://eastwestrail.co.uk/the-project/western-section

 

[Class 170101]

The problem is that the paring down of he infrastructure between Aylesbury and main EWR will create a very fixed link for the whole timetable potentially, especially as the route seems to be towards London via Princes Risborough rather than Amersham. The whole section between Princes Risborough and EWR has only one double track section, definitely at Aylesbury itself and possibly between there and Aylesbury Vale Parkway but I'm not holding my breath on that bit going double.

 

[The Planner]

The problem is that the paring down of he infrastructure between Aylesbury and main EWR will create a very fixed link for the whole timetable potentially, especially as the route seems to be towards London via Princes Risborough rather than Amersham. The whole section between Princes Risborough and EWR has only one double track section, definitely at Aylesbury itself and possibly between there and Aylesbury Vale Parkway but I'm not holding my breath on that bit going double.

Depends on how important the Aylesbury service is considered. That will probably just get held at Claydon on the bit of double track planned there.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Quite right about Islip. It has never been the intention for East West trains to call, with the current Chiltern services doing the job there (albeit that one or two extra calls each way each day would probably come in handy).

Islip is an interesting one. In a typical Home Counties manner, the villagers actively didn't want frequent services because it would turn into a pseudo Parkway and clog up the village roads.

 

[Class 170101]

Depends on how important the Aylesbury service is considered. That will probably just get held at Claydon on the bit of double track planned there.

Maybe so but two single sections as proposed isn't exactly going to help reliability and performance.

 

[The Planner]

Maybe so but two single sections as proposed isn't exactly going to help reliability and performance.

Princes Risborough to Aylesbury was dropped years ago as it wasnt needed to deliver the timetable.

 

[Class 170101]

Princes Risborough to Aylesbury was dropped years ago as it wasnt needed to deliver the timetable.

One thing delivering a timetable on paper versus out of course running. Reliability and performance is at risk here I would suggest.

 

[jimm]

Islip is an interesting one. In a typical Home Counties manner, the villagers actively didn't want frequent services because it would turn into a pseudo Parkway and clog up the village roads.

Sorry, that is not the case.

The villagers fought a lengthy battle with Chiltern over the number of trains that call there, as Chiltern wanted to cut the number of stops all the way back to the level specified in the service level commitment dating back to the mid-2000s, rather than provide the number of calls that there were in the enhanced frequency that had applied since 2009 under FGW and then Chiltern until the line shut for rebuilding - and even tried to wriggle out of a promise they had made at one point to provide a couple of calls above the SLC level.

In the end they ended up with a modest increase on the SLC number but that was still about a third fewer trains calling each day.

There is a great deal of detail about the to-ing and fro-ing on the Oxford Bicester Rail Action Group website at this link

http://www.obrag.org.uk/category/timetable/

And why would anyone with a car make a beeline for Islip, when there are stations with enormous car parks a short drive away in both directions at Oxford Parkway and Bicester, and a whole 23 spaces available at Islip? And not many trains calling...

 

[Bletchleyite]

I definitely didn't make that up - I wonder where it was misreported?

 

[The Planner]

One thing delivering a timetable on paper versus out of course running. Reliability and performance is at risk here I would suggest.

No more than it is now.

 

[Railwaysceptic]

I definitely didn't make that up - I wonder where it was misreported?

I read that story somewhere too, so you are not alone. I accept however that it was probably pure fiction.

 

[jimm]

I definitely didn't make that up - I wonder where it was misreported?

Perhaps you were thinking of this story, which was actually about the volume of traffic rat-running through the village and the impending opening of Oxford Parkway and not about the number of trains calling at Islip station - ie something else entirely and not misreporting.

ISLIP residents have demanded new speed limits to stop their area from becoming a rat run ahead of a new railway station opening.

The Islip Traffic Group wants the speed limit for the whole village lowered from 30mph to 20mph, more pedestrian crossings near Dr South’s CoE Primary School and traffic lights at a bridge over the River Ray.

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/13492068.big-increase-traffic-sparks-villagers-call-20mph-limit/

 

[adrock1976]

I have had another go at designing a clockface timetable with some variations, having had a look at the main East West Rail website. I have included timing points at Bicester Gavray Junction, Claydon LNE Junction, Aylesbury North Loop, and Calvert Loop. I have included the London Marylebone trains between Oxford and Bicester for illustrative purposes.

One thing I noticed on the East West Rail website is that Oxford - Milton Keynes specifies 2tph, Aylesbury - Milton Keynes every 60 minutes, and Oxford - Bedford every 60 minutes. The Oxford - Bedford has Woburn Sands and Ridgmont as calling points east of Bletchley, however as Fenny Stratford is a reasonably large built up area I have included a call there. Also there is a call at Stewartby as I believe there is a large residential development that is planned there.

The Aylesbury - MK trains are timetabled to pass each other at Calvert Loop. I have based the timings at Bletchley on the assumption of there being 6 platforms all on the level with none on the flyover as has been suggested at various times previously. The layover time to/from MK and Oxford, and the Oxford - Bedford has been reduced to 2 minutes, as to allow for a possible change of driver. The Oxford - Bedford (and onwards) could either nip to the sidings during the 30 minute layover at both Oxford and Bedford Midland, or from Oxford could continue to Reading.

Although the Oxford - MK trains have either a 2 or 32 minute layover at Oxford, I am unsure if it would be worthwhile continuing onto the ex Buckinghamshire Railway to Cowley, or whether the Chiltern bays are long enough to hold both the MK and the Marylebone trains. Otherwise it would have to terminate on the Paddington bound island platform (are there plans for the 2 side platforms at Oxford to be rebuilt into island platforms?).

Also, I have seen in the main East West Rail thread that there are references to Wixhams and Bedford South. Is this the same location that I have referred to as Ampthill Road (for Bedford Park and Ride) where the Midland Main Line crosses the Marston Vale at a near right angle? I could not find the Wixhams area looking at Google Maps.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not sure how there can be no flyover platform at Bletchley without some very long walks.

 

[The Planner]

The Aylesbury - MK trains are timetabled to pass each other at Calvert Loop. I have based the timings at Bletchley on the assumption of there being 6 platforms all on the level with none on the flyover as has been suggested at various times previously.

The platforms will be on the flyover, nowhere else, that is the plan.

Although the Oxford - MK trains have either a 2 or 32 minute layover at Oxford, I am unsure if it would be worthwhile continuing onto the ex Buckinghamshire Railway to Cowley, or whether the Chiltern bays are long enough to hold both the MK and the Marylebone trains. Otherwise it would have to terminate on the Paddington bound island platform (are there plans for the 2 side platforms at Oxford to be rebuilt into island platforms?).

You won't be putting anything on a through platform for 32 minutes. The Oxford plans are still a long way off yet.

Why have you re-timed the existing Oxford to Marylebone and v.v trains? are you expecting a recast of the Chiltern Mainline? I suggest you leave those as they are now. You cannot also just show them for "illustrative purposes" they are integral!
The Aylesbury trains will have to cross at Claydon, there won't be a loop at Calvert as the rubbish terminal moves further south.