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Potential Avanti services: is there no chance these will happen now?
- Thread starter Elybob
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The Planner
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Dead.
Where are these mentioned?
philosopher
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Was there ever going to be an Avanti London Walsall service? I thought the plan was that it would be provided by London Northwestern
Llanigraham
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Why on earth would anyone want to run a service to London from Gobowen!
Halish Railway
Established Member
These were mentioned in the original franchise bid in 2019, however, that contract has been replaced with a six-month short term contract in October 2022 (now extended), with the Walsall and Gobowen services not specified.
This old version of the Avanti wikipedia page details how these services were (once) in the franchise specification, as well as a new Llandudno service and an extra Shrewsbury service - See 'Future services'
Avanti West Coast - Wikipedia
It was to an extension of the daily Wrexham service - The unit that works this service has to go through Gobowen to get the the depot, so you might as well serve Gobowen whilst you're at it - Barton-under-Needwood for the Voyagers and Oxley for the Class 805s in the future.
Mcr Warrior
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Quite. Didn't exactly work out too well for the short-lived 'Wrexham & Shropshire' company a decade or so ago!
Sorry, I meant "where are they mentioned in Wikipedia now so I can get rid of them".
Yeah it was part of the avanti franchise bid.
Is that a railway question or a broader, philosophical one?
william.martin
On Moderation
I agree, you may aswell do London to Sugar Loaf
Also what is going on with the Shrewsbury as some days they do run some days they don't, they run a one train a day at stupid time in the morning and evening?
Quite. Didn't exactly work out too well for the short-lived 'Wrexham & Shropshire' company a decade or so ago!
Don't start me on that. Virgin Trains really did not like competition and their launch was a spoiler service. Yet W&S could not serve Virgin Trains stations like Birmingham International despite signalling requiring the train to stop there for 5-10 minutes. Gah!
RailWonderer
Established Member
I always through Wrexham would have made far more sense at a higher frequency than a once daily to Gobowen. Still in the current climate neither do.
Statto
Established Member
London to Gobowen via Wrexham doesn't make any sense, unless you extend it to Shrewsbury, or might as well extend the London to Shrewsbury service to Wrexham via Gobowen instead
craigybagel
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The units for the Wrexham service come ECS to and from Crewe every day via Chester. The Liverpool drivers who work these services don't sign south of Croess Newydd loop.
dk1
Veteran Member
Gobowen to Euston might be quicker via Chester/Crewe. I’ve done Shrewsbury to Euston via Crewe in the past as it offered a faster alternative than via the West Mids.
Also dead.
Quite. Didn't exactly work out too well for the short-lived 'Wrexham & Shropshire' company a decade or so ago!
That could have been a viable service, it was the DfT who forced Virgin to object to a Birmingham call. Virgin didn't care about minnows nibbling at the edges.
Wrexham to London via Crewe 2h20, via Shrewsbury would be 3h20 at best, and that assumes running non stop Wrexham - Shrewsbury and Cov to London. And that such a service would be pathable.
dk1
Veteran Member
No that wouldn’t work well at all for Wrexham passengers.
Ok fair enough I didn’t realise the time difference was that great!
Ah the dead hand of the DfT!
I remember getting a bargain ticket on W&S in First Class, and the food was excellent on board.
That's why they didn't make any money!
Found my ticket, it was £110 return.
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