Avanti West Coast via Settle (for WCML Bridge replacement next January?)

[Bletchleyite]

Buckshaw parkway! That’s a strange one. Looking at it they aren’t even serving Chorley which would make way more sense or at least call there

It looks like it's being used as an interchange with RRBs, presumably because of the big car park and easy road access. There's an Ormskirk to Buckshaw bus for example!

 

[voyagerdude220]

It looks like it's being used as an interchange with RRBs, presumably because of the big car park and easy road access. There's an Ormskirk to Buckshaw bus for example!

Agreed. And also I'd guess there's far less chance of the replacement busses themselves getting stuck in traffic around Buckshaw compared with Chorley town centre.

 

[Rhinojerry]

Good luck with trying to get RRB's there.The parking on the road paralell to access road for station is awful.I guess some form of parking enforcement will be in place to allow the buses through.

 

[Some guy]

This will be the first time transpennine express will have stopped at buckshaw parkway since March 2016

Also I’ve noticed they’ve dropped the set down only and pick up at Bolton which makes sense

 

[D1537]

A look on Real Time Trains shows TPE are doing Edinburgh/Glasgow to Carlisle services.

Not on the 1st or 2nd January, as far as I can see.

 

[The Planner]

Not on the 1st or 2nd January, as far as I can see.

They can't, the line is shut north of Carlisle until around the 7th or 8th.

 

[800001]

They can't, the line is shut north of Carlisle until around the 7th or 8th.

The 7th is when I looked at.

 

[AndrewE]

The 7th is when I looked at.

see post #137

If trains are going Wigan to Blackburn direct, doesn't that imply that there will be RRBs from Lancaster to Wigan? I have just looked at 3rd Jan and can't see anything southbound from Lancaster. (Apart from TPE trains which I'm guessing just haven't been knocked out of the timetable yet.)

 

[800001]

see post #137

Not quite sure what you are replying to my comment with your comment for, my reply is in response to services Carlisle to Edinburgh/Glasgow.

 

[AndrewE]

Not quite sure what you are replying to my comment with your comment for, my reply is in response to services Carlisle to Edinburgh/Glasgow.

TPE trains seem to be in RTT unaltered in other places we know the service is disrupted, so I guess they just haven't altered their schedules yet.

 

[Pinus contorta]

and especially so when they run direct from Wigan to Blackburn...

Oh joy. More cranks in Wigan. There are plenty already!

 

[390136]

Avanti West Coast to use historic line for customers during upcoming engineering works​

Class 805 Evero trains will run on the Settle to Carlisle line for two weeks in the new year.

• Avanti West Coast will keep customers moving by rail during extensive engineering works in early January
• Intercity operator to use its Class 805 Evero fleet on the Settle to Carlisle line
• West Coast Main Line will be blocked while Network Rail replace rail bridge over M6 near Penrith

Avanti West Coast to use historic line for customers during upcoming engineering works | Avanti West Coast News

Class 805 Evero trains will run on the Settle to Carlisle line for two weeks in the new year.

newsdesk.avantiwestcoast.co.uk

 

[The Prisoner]

North Wales/Chester shown as truncated Crewe-Holyhead only for the 2nd Jan (no Crewe-Chester shuttles) but at first glance looks to be most of the service for 5th Jan (0932, 1232 and 1932 Chester to London missing at first glance).

There is at least one service which runs all day as a 10 car back and forth to Holyhead (0445 Holyhead - Euston, 0902 Euston - Holyhead, 1448 Holyhead - Euston, 1900 Euston- Holyhead ?) which I assume has donated a set, and it looks like a couple more have been borrowed from the reduced service on the 5th. 805s also do New Street so assume more have come from there?

I can't see that the blockade units can be 10 cars with all those units still being used for North Wales services, and do bear in mind that Avanti get a roasting from the Chester/N Wales MPs because a) the service was much reduced for some time post-covid b) it suffered badly from unreliability during those strikes of a few years ago and c) the whole Senedd vs Westminster thing.

"Hey North Wales we have borrowed your trains for two weeks" wouldn't wash.

 

[800001]

North Wales/Chester shown as truncated Crewe-Holyhead only for the 2nd Jan (no Crewe-Chester shuttles) but at first glance looks to be most of the service for 5th Jan (0932, 1232 and 1932 Chester to London missing at first glance).

There is at least one service which runs all day as a 10 car back and forth to Holyhead (0445 Holyhead - Euston, 0902 Euston - Holyhead, 1448 Holyhead - Euston, 1900 Euston- Holyhead ?) which I assume has donated a set, and it looks like a couple more have been borrowed from the reduced service on the 5th. 805s also do New Street so assume more have come from there?

I can't see that the blockade units can be 10 cars with all those units still being used for North Wales services, and do bear in mind that Avanti get a roasting from the Chester/N Wales MPs because a) the service was much reduced for some time post-covid b) it suffered badly from unreliability during those strikes of a few years ago and c) the whole Senedd vs Westminster thing.

"Hey North Wales we have borrowed your trains for two weeks" wouldn't wash.

It's a roughly 2 hourly service on the diverts.

7 x 805 used for first 4 days, then 6 x 805 for the remainder of the diverts.

 

[390136]

North Wales/Chester shown as truncated Crewe-Holyhead only for the 2nd Jan (no Crewe-Chester shuttles) but at first glance looks to be most of the service for 5th Jan (0932, 1232 and 1932 Chester to London missing at first glance).

There is at least one service which runs all day as a 10 car back and forth to Holyhead (0445 Holyhead - Euston, 0902 Euston - Holyhead, 1448 Holyhead - Euston, 1900 Euston- Holyhead ?) which I assume has donated a set, and it looks like a couple more have been borrowed from the reduced service on the 5th. 805s also do New Street so assume more have come from there?

I can't see that the blockade units can be 10 cars with all those units still being used for North Wales services, and do bear in mind that Avanti get a roasting from the Chester/N Wales MPs because a) the service was much reduced for some time post-covid b) it suffered badly from unreliability during those strikes of a few years ago and c) the whole Senedd vs Westminster thing.

"Hey North Wales we have borrowed your trains for two weeks" wouldn't wash.

I believe they're gonna try and get as many sets ex Polmadie as possible to use south of Preston under the wires where an 805 would be running. Problem is capacity, so likely a few more outstabled 390s

 

[wilbers]

Green Signals youtube video with them onboard the test-train on the route - that must be the only time an Avanti train has called at Appleby [note, just the test-train calling there, its not intended that any others stop].

 

[Barnsley]

Ive just been looking at these diverts in Fujitsu Journey Planner from Wigan on the 3rd, and unless they put an easement in, you won't be able to buy an Off-Peak Ticket via online channels, as it comes up as not valid, because all walk-up tickets are routed 'via Lancaster'! I'm hoping a Priv Off-Peak single will be accepted on these!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ive just been looking at these diverts in Fujitsu Journey Planner from Wigan on the 3rd, and unless they put an easement in, you won't be able to buy an Off-Peak Ticket via online channels, as it comes up as not valid, because all walk-up tickets are routed 'via Lancaster'! I'm hoping a Priv Off-Peak single will be accepted on these!

This was, entertainingly, a problem when I was riding the Deltic hauled diversions in 1999!

There will no doubt be an easement put in before fares for these go on sale.

 

[Skiddaw]

In relation to the road diversions, we had another flyer through the door this morning. I'll post pics of the road diversion maps in the hope you can enlarge them sufficiently to see the details if you're interested:

 

[Rail Ranger]

Given that the Northern £12 day tickets are currently valid on Avanti (and TPE) between Carlisle and Lancaster due to the Whitehaven Bransty tunnel closure, if Northern have an offer in January what chance that the £12 day tickets will be valid on the S&C diversions?

 

[voyagerdude220]

Given that the Northern £12 day tickets are currently valid on Avanti (and TPE) between Carlisle and Lancaster due to the Whitehaven Bransty tunnel closure, if Northern have an offer in January what chance that the £12 day tickets will be valid on the S&C diversions?

Why would they when the easement is between Lancaster and Carlisle? If anything Northern £12 tickets could in theory be permitted on any Avanti Replacement busses between the two cities.

 

[Cambus731]

Sorry if I’m asking what had already been covered, but I’ve only just discovered this thread.
Am I to understand that the Wigan to Carlisle trains will give a rare opportunity to traverse the Line from Farington Junction to Lostock Hall Junction?

 

[Rail Ranger]

Yes, from 1st to 4th January during a blockade at Preston.

 

[Cambus731]

Yes, from 1st to 4th January during a blockade at Preston.

Only those four days. I really must see if I can do that.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Sep 2025 ==

I do think there should be a dedicated thread on this website about advice and opportunities to do rare track.
I would define rare track (if it needs defining) as track which doesn’t usually have passenger trains over it, curves etc that have only about 2 or 3 trains a day. But when I suggested it before the consensus was that there was no need for one.

 

[Rail Ranger]

The Branch Line Society provides such a service on or via their website. You probably have to be a member but it is not expensive.

 

[Cambus731]

The Branch Line Society provides such a service on or via their website. You probably have to be a member but it is not expensive.

so I’ve been told. But this is a bit of a ‘go to’ website for me and people are generally pleasant to each other and are keen to offer advice (unlike many forum based websites). I still hold the opinion that such a thread could work here.

 

[tumbledown]

I do think there should be a dedicated thread on this website about advice and opportunities to do rare track.
I would define rare track (if it needs defining) as track which doesn’t usually have passenger trains over it, curves etc that have only about 2 or 3 trains a day. But when I suggested it before the consensus was that there was no need for one.

Gensheet for short notice works, and PSUL for planned workings.

 

[Rail Ranger]

Re the Branch Line Society if you click on "More items" on the main menu at the top of the home page you can then click on "PSUL" (Passenger Services over Unusual Lines) which lists all planned use of unusual routes by passenger trains during this year. It is free to access but a donation to a railway charity is requested.

 

[Cambus731]

Gensheet for short notice works, and PSUL for planned workings.

I would say such a thread could have discussions about a mixture of altered workings and rare daily workings. eg the once or twice a day workings such as at Minster or Sittingbourne or Grantham or Tulse Hill.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Sep 2025 ==

But I can see that there isn’t an appetite for such a thread here so I won’t persue the idea any further.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I've just noticed that the 05:29 Crewe to Carlisle on 3rd January 2026 is very randomly showing as calling at Hellifield at 07:13.. Surely this is an error. The same train is also strangely showing as not calling at Warrington Bank Quay.

Realtime Trains | 1Z31 0529 Crewe to Carlisle | 03/01/2026

Real-time train running information for 1Z31 0529 departure from Crewe to Carlisle on 03/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk