May 2026 timetable

[Farigiraf]

A senior manager lives but a stones throw from Buckenham Station

Perhaps someone could contact one of the residents around Shippea Hill and persuade them to sell their home to a higher-up at GA?

 

[NorthWalian]

The Liverpool-Wrexham-Shrewsbury-Cardiff has been put on the back burner.
TfW are restricted to 1tph out of both Liverpool and Manchester, so would be a split at Chester if started.
The Crewe-Wrexham is a good way of at least getting 2tph to Wrexham.
Liverpool-Wrexham connecting at Chester (same platform) works quite well, and there's always the 4tph Merseyrail connections.

The Liverpool - Cardiff was planned by an OA operator wasn’t it?

 

[Johnny Lewis]

The Liverpool - Cardiff was planned by an OA operator wasn’t it?

Liverpool to Cardiff was a franchise commitment when the new Transport for Wales franchise started, and was promised to be introduced by December 2022. (Liverpool to Llandudno was also promised to start at the same time, so it's only 3&1/2 years late).

 

[dk1]

Liverpool to Cardiff was a franchise commitment when the new Transport for Wales franchise started, and was promised to be introduced by December 2022. (Liverpool to Llandudno was also promised to start at the same time, so it's only 3&1/2 years late).

Been various problems with that but am I correct in thinking the latter is still on the cards?

 

[Johnny Lewis]

Been various problems with that but am I correct in thinking the latter is still on the cards?

Yes, they are showing in RTT to start in May: hourly each way on Mondays to Saturdays.

 

[NorthWalian]

Liverpool to Cardiff was a franchise commitment when the new Transport for Wales franchise started, and was promised to be introduced by December 2022. (Liverpool to Llandudno was also promised to start at the same time, so it's only 3&1/2 years late).

Thanks

What changes does the May timetable bring to North Wales other than the Llandudno to Liverpool and the Wrexham - Crewe?

 

[dk1]

Yes, they are showing in RTT to start in May: hourly each way on Mondays to Saturdays.

Cheers.

 

[D9006]

The calls at Brockenhurst by XC are returning in May, on all services except one (1O24 at 2001).

RealTimeTrains link to Brockenhurst XC services

Is there a big catchment area for XC services at Brockenhurst, from my memory there is not much there, please do not say the link to the Isle of Wight as west wight is sparsle populated

 

[nwales58]

What changes does the May timetable bring to North Wales other than the Llandudno to Liverpool and the Wrexham - Crewe?

The Manchesters run from Holyhead as a consequence of that.
Birminghams mostly turn at Llandudno Junction (Cardiffs still run to Holyhead).
So times from Bangor change substantially.

 

[dk1]

Is there a big catchment area for XC services at Brockenhurst, from my memory there is not much there, please do not say the link to the Isle of Wight as west wight is sparsle populated

Almost a million use Brockenhurst each year so seems crazy they stopped calling. In excess of that if you include the 200k interchanging too.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Is there a big catchment area for XC services at Brockenhurst, from my memory there is not much there, please do not say the link to the Isle of Wight as west wight is sparsle populated

Yes West Wight is sparsely populated, but you have to factor traffic originating from the mainland and whether people have got a cheaper deal using Wightlink instead of Red Funnel, or are holidaying at that end.

Additionally, Brockenhurst has its college which has a huge catchment area. Yes there are the South Western services, but the extra capacity at what is the quieter end of the service would be a welcome bonus.

 

[dk1]

Yes West Wight is sparsely populated, but you have to factor traffic originating from the mainland and whether people have got a cheaper deal using Wightlink instead of Red Funnel, or are holidaying at that end.

Additionally, Brockenhurst has its college which has a huge catchment area. Yes there are the South Western services, but the extra capacity at what is the quieter end of the service would be a welcome bonus.

Hoping to go that way for a change this Spring/Summer as get Wightlink free and need to tick the Yarmouth Spoon. Shame that ‘Freshwater’ 3Cig not still doing the branch honours.

 

[OneOfThe48]

The ETUG minutes form a while back had said Dec 26 was being looked at. Not May.

Yes - people thinking they were confirmed for May 26 is either misremembering or people trying to manifest timetable changes they’d like to see

 

[Kite159]

Liverpool to Cardiff was a franchise commitment when the new Transport for Wales franchise started, and was promised to be introduced by December 2022. (Liverpool to Llandudno was also promised to start at the same time, so it's only 3&1/2 years late).

The franchise which ceased to exist during the Covid era with it being taken in house?

Whatever was promised by the various operators before 2020 can be thrown in the 'what the country would be like had Covid didn't happen' area.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is there a big catchment area for XC services at Brockenhurst, from my memory there is not much there, please do not say the link to the Isle of Wight as west wight is sparsle populated

It's a hub for travel to the New Forest National Park and destinations such as Lyndhurst, Lymington, Beaulieu, Exbury and Lepe. Very busy with day trippers, hikers and families in the summer.

 

[weeklycommuter]

Is there a big catchment area for XC services at Brockenhurst, from my memory there is not much there, please do not say the link to the Isle of Wight as west wight is sparsle populated

The Lymington to Yarmouth ferry, accessed from Brockenhurst with the Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier train, provides a good connection to Freshwater and the Needles which are big tourist attractions.

 

[nw1]

One thing I noticed is that Buckenham, for some strange reason, gains two extra calls from May.

Currently it has the 09:21 to Norwich and 17:11 to Lowestoft on weekdays, the 10:18 to Lowestoft and 16:19 to Norwich on Saturdays and 6tpd (each way) on Sundays.
From May, on top of the above services, the 10:07 to Lowestoft and 16:17 to Norwich will additionally stop there on weekdays and the 09:17 to Norwich and 17:05 to Lowestoft will additionally stop there on Saturdays. No increase to Sunday frequency.

I wonder why it'll have its service doubled Mon-Fri from May? Always thought of it as a basket case station which GA would close if they could. It's a good change for rail enthusiasts and birdwatchers, I guess?

It's not a Beaulieu Road-type station, is it? No one living there but excellent access to an area popular for walking? On the road to a more sizeable settlement?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jan 2026 ==

Is there a big catchment area for XC services at Brockenhurst, from my memory there is not much there, please do not say the link to the Isle of Wight as west wight is sparsle populated

It's one of the main settlements in the New Forest, and provides excellent access to said national park. Before post-Covid changes screwed up the perfectly decent timetable which existed from 2007-19, there was basically a near-clockface 15-min interval service from Brockenhurst back to Southampton (xx00, xx15, xx33, xx45 to be exact). Great if you were visiting the pubs there after a walk or bike ride!

It's the junction for Lymington, a sizeable town, and yes, the IoW, the west of which is a popular tourist area.

And remember we're talking about a stop that existed for more than 30 years, yet was removed post-Covid. We're also talking about a stop which the fastest Weymouth services have called at since at least 1989, IIRC.
My argument is not so much whether a brand-new Brockenhurst stop should be inserted which never existed: it's about the removal of a long standing stop which had existed since the 80s, for no apparent good reason. Still, it's good to see it's coming back!

 

[Farigiraf]

It's not a Beaulieu Road-type station, is it? No one living there but excellent access to an area popular for walking? On the road to a more sizeable settlement?

Like Beaulieu Road, it's in a national park and on the edge of a nature reserve, so I'm sure there will be some walkers using the station, just probably not that many. From when I last travelled on the Wherry lines, Reedham and Oulton Broad North stations seemed to be the ones which they recommend you get off at to access the Broads.

There are one or two nearby villages, but we're talking a few dozen people at most. Brundall, Lingwood and Reedham are all better served and better located for the majority of surrounding settlements.

 

[nw1]

Whatever was promised by the various operators before 2020 can be thrown in the 'what the country would be like had Covid didn't happen' area.

One word answer. Better.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jan 2026 ==

Like Beaulieu Road, it's in a national park and on the edge of a nature reserve, so I'm sure there will be some walkers using the station, just probably not that many. From when I last travelled on the Wherry lines, Reedham and Oulton Broad North stations seemed to be the ones which they recommend you get off at to access the Broads.

There are one or two nearby villages, but we're talking a few dozen people at most. Brundall, Lingwood and Reedham are all better served and better located for the majority of surrounding settlements.

Perhaps a bit different to Beaulieu Road in that case, which is in the middle of an extensive network of paths and provides very easy access to quiet parts of the New Forest. On a two-hourly Saturday and hourly Sunday service, there are always at least a few people joining the trains which call at around 5-6pm (in the summer half of the year, probably few right now!). I suspect that it is a quiet station in the winter, especially weekdays outside of work and school/college commute times. However, thankfully it would be more trouble than it's worth restricting midday stops to the summer half of the year.

 

[rmHawk765]

The ETUG minutes form a while back had said Dec 26 was being looked at. Not May.

Alright, thanks - I did check this out myself later. Though the more recent ones seem to imply it is confirmed.

The GDH services starting back from HFN referred to two AM and PM peaks. And I suspect done to remove need for platform staff rather than passengers..

There are no Gordon Hill terminators in the morning - so nothing will change there, unless they add extra services. Not sure how I feel about them being extended - it's definitely great for Hertford to get a 6tph service at peak I can't help but think that this is going to hinder reliability. I am pretty sure the reason they ran them to Gordon Hill in the first place was to avoid issues with drivers, and/or knock-on effects of delays. If my memory serves me correctly it was up to 8tph at peak in 2019, and the Gordon Hill bay plat was actually needed because Hertford can't take over 4tph terminating.

This does mean there will be no trains using the bay plat at Gordon Hill though (there are no plans to bring back 8tph), and I'm not going to dispute your claim that it was done purely to the need for minimise platform staff...

 

[dk1]

One word answer. Better.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jan 2026 ==



Perhaps a bit different to Beaulieu Road in that case, which is in the middle of an extensive network of paths and provides very easy access to quiet parts of the New Forest. On a two-hourly Saturday and hourly Sunday service, there are always at least a few people joining the trains which call at around 5-6pm (in the summer half of the year, probably few right now!). I suspect that it is a quiet station in the winter, especially weekdays outside of work and school/college commute times. However, thankfully it would be more trouble than it's worth restricting midday stops to the summer half of the year.

As I said earlier, a senior GA manager lives close by

 

[The exile]

A senior manager lives but a stones throw from Buckenham Station

Whether or not there’s any truth in that- what it does do is give a near consistent service 6 days a week.

 

[dk1]

Whether or not there’s any truth in that- what it does do is give a near consistent service 6 days a week.

It’s completely true. For around 25 years it just had weekend services then suddenly the 08:50 ex-Lwt/16:58 ex-Nrw both SX were added 2-3 years ago much to staff amusement. It’s good to see they can also have a weekday at the seaside when on leave too.

 

[6Gman]

That huge untapped demand from people wishing to leave Blackpool at stupid o'clock on a Saturday morning.

There's never a bad time to leave Blackpool!

(If the staff will allow you onto the platform.)

 

[dk1]

The local RSPB Reserve at Buckenham provides a trickle of customers occasionally but most trains I worked stopped there with nobody alighting or joining even in high summer. Now and again we’d get some enthusiasts with tickets Berney Arms to Buckenham or vice versa but all in all it’s a very quiet. Back in the 70s & 80s it had a fabulous all day service for the next to no one who lived there. Often the only taker was the relief crossing keeper covering the residents part/whole day off or the resident heading into Norwich, Yarmouth or Lowestoft shopping.

 

[bramling]

This does mean there will be no trains using the bay plat at Gordon Hill though (there are no plans to bring back 8tph), and I'm not going to dispute your claim that it was done purely to the need for minimise platform staff...

There's two evening peak services still booked to reverse at Gordon Hill, one of which departs in service. There's also a Moorgate to Hornsey ECS service at the end of the morning peak that's booked to use the bay.

 

[frodshamfella]

Liverpool to Cardiff was a franchise commitment when the new Transport for Wales franchise started, and was promised to be introduced by December 2022. (Liverpool to Llandudno was also promised to start at the same time, so it's only 3&1/2 years late).

Quite true, promised so much when the Halton Curve finally reopened fully. Its.been agonising slow.

 

[rmHawk765]

There's two evening peak services still booked to reverse at Gordon Hill, one of which departs in service. There's also a Moorgate to Hornsey ECS service at the end of the morning peak that's booked to use the bay.

The December timetable isn't available anywhere yet, where did you find out this?

 

[bramling]

The December timetable isn't available anywhere yet, where did you find out this?

Apologies I thought we were talking about May.

 

[D9006]

Almost a million use Brockenhurst each year so seems crazy they stopped calling. In excess of that if you include the 200k interchanging too.

That’s a very high usage, the town has a population of 3500, so the catchment area must be a lot bigger than realised