May 2026 timetable

[bigmanaiq]

Cross Country track access application has appeared recently
https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/sale-of-access-rights/Consultations/Current Track Access Consultations/13.03.2026 - CrossCountry Trains - Section 22 - 45th SA - Closes 13.04.2026/XC 45th Supplemental Form P - Consultation.pdf
although actually signed on 04-02-26, differing slightly from what RTT has and with no mention of the Banbury non-stopping and lots of stuff about level crossings north of Oxford affecting competing with future open access aspirations, and presumably the reason some new trains initially in RTT having already been removed.

What is this supposed to be if you don’t mind me asking? Thanks in advance

 

[XC victim]

Cross Country track access application has appeared recently
https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/sale-of-access-rights/Consultations/Current Track Access Consultations/13.03.2026 - CrossCountry Trains - Section 22 - 45th SA - Closes 13.04.2026/XC 45th Supplemental Form P - Consultation.pdf
although actually signed on 04-02-26, differing slightly from what RTT has and with no mention of the Banbury non-stopping.

Does anyone know why the some of the Newcastle - Reading services are skipping Banbury? Is it for pathing reasons or have Crosscountry requested it?

 

[WTT Gremlin]

Does anyone know why the some of the Newcastle - Reading services are skipping Banbury? Is it for pathing reasons or have Crosscountry requested it?

From a cursory look, they appear to be capacity trade-offs with freight paths.

 

[Johnny Lewis]

It's also to reduce likely overcrowding on these trains.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

One new peak hour service between Blackfriars and Rochester ran by Southeastern. It terminates at Rochester, one stop short of Gillingham

Chatham is one stop short of Gillingham…

 

[Bob85]

EMR has released a summary of changes on their routes.

 

[Kite159]

EMR has released a summary of changes on their routes.

Summed up as 3 more trains between Nottingham & Mansfield Woodhouse on Sundays with some additional calls on other services (Beeston, Edale & Netherfield)

 

[DDB]

Summed up as 3 more trains between Nottingham & Mansfield Woodhouse on Sundays with some additional calls on other services (Beeston, Edale & Netherfield)

It is explained in a slightly odd way as those 3 trains now mean the service is now basically hourly all day Sunday (although it is a short day)

 

[dk1]

It is explained in a slightly odd way as those 3 trains now mean the service is now basically hourly all day Sunday (although it is a short day)

It seems odd to me that they are celebrating an hourly service on a route like that when here in rural East Anglia all our local lines have offered an hourly Sunday service for many years. Take the Bittern Line to Sheringham which has operated each hour from Norwich from 08:45 to 20:45 since the 2000s and is from May going to start even earlier at 07:40 and later too at 21:41.

 

[Llandudno]

It seems odd to me that they are celebrating an hourly service on a route like that when here in rural East Anglia all our local lines have offered an hourly Sunday service for many years. Take the Bittern Line to Sheringham which has operated each hour from Norwich from 08:45 to 20:45 since the 2000s and is from May going to start even earlier at 07:40 and later too at 21:41.

Not to mention no Sunday service between 1400 on the increasingly busy Derby - Stoke - Crewe route..!

 

[dk1]

Not to mention no Sunday service between 1400 on the increasingly busy Derby - Stoke - Crewe route..!

I sort of get that’s because of signalling limitations but on other routes it’s quite poor it’s gone on so long considering the popularity of Sunday rail travel.

 

[Ian Hardy]

I sort of get that’s because of signalling limitations but on other routes it’s quite poor it’s gone on so long considering the popularity of Sunday rail travel.

I have an Eastern Region London Suburban services booklet dated May 1973 and the first Up service from Huntingdon on a Sunday morning was at 09:05 and that only went as far at Hitchin, to connect with a train from Cambridge to Kings Cross. The next UP service was not until 15:38 but at least that was a through service to Kings Cross, there were only another 3 services to Kings Cross, so only 5 services in total and one of those wasn't direct. And that was on the ECML a premier mainline, so what hope had lesser used routes.

The first Up service on Sunday in the current timetable (pre-22 February and from 5 Aprii) is 05:58 so over 3 hours earlier than in 1973 and now there is an hourly service with 3 extra faster services in the morning.

Don't forget that Sunday trading is recent in railway terms (only permitted from 26th August 1994) and therefore the timetable specifications for the TOCs at privatisation would have been based on pre-Sunday trading usage. Nobody was willing to pay for extra services on Sunday mornings, as that would have meant additional shifts being required.

It is only with the advent of large signalling centres that allowed earlier Sunday services to operate.

 

[dk1]

I have an Eastern Region London Suburban services booklet dated May 1973 and the first Up service from Huntingdon on a Sunday morning was at 09:05 and that only went as far at Hitchin, to connect with a train from Cambridge to Kings Cross. The next UP service was not until 15:38 but at least that was a through service to Kings Cross, there were only another 3 services to Kings Cross, so only 5 services in total and one of those wasn't direct. And that was on the ECML a premier mainline, so what hope had lesser used routes.

The first Up service on Sunday in the current timetable (pre-22 February and from 5 Aprii) is 05:58 so over 3 hours earlier than in 1973 and now there is an hourly service with 3 extra faster services in the morning.

Don't forget that Sunday trading is recent in railway terms (only permitted from 26th August 1994) and therefore the timetable specifications for the TOCs at privatisation would have been based on pre-Sunday trading usage. Nobody was willing to pay for extra services on Sunday mornings, as that would have meant additional shifts being required.

It is only with the advent of large signalling centres that allowed earlier Sunday services to operate.

It was certainly a different world then and to a large extent when I started my railway career in 1984. Even in 2003/4 there was a 3hr gap in Yarmouth departures on Sunday mornings. This is what amuses me so much when I hear gripes on the likes of X about how awful a train service frequency is now. They don’t know they’re born.

 

[Horizon22]

Plus on many routes, there is normally extended engineering works Saturday night into Sunday morning anyway, meaning a later start up of 0700-0800 is not uncommon, compared to the 0430-0500 start up Monday-Saturday.

 

[bunnahabhain]

There's another change for EMR which isn't listed in the press release.

The current 1428 Peterborough to Liverpool service starts back at Norwich at 1256 calling normal stations, filling in what was a 3hr gap in services between 1056 and 1350.

Annoyingly the final covid reinstatement (sorry they're called service enhancements now by the DFT) still shows no signs of coming back, the 1540 Nottingham to Norwich and 1856 Norwich to Sheffield are still missing.

 

[Peter A]

Both TPE and Northern have now published details of their changes:

TPE:

• Main highlight is the already known overnight service between Piccadilly and the Airport - made up of dedicated shuttles and some existing late night/early morning services being extended to/from the Airport.
• Redcar's: The final remaining 3-car running board will be upgraded to 6-car during the day.
• Scarborough's: Minor timing changes plus some Summer Sunday services strengthened to 6-car.
• York - Huddersfield - Manchester: Minor timing changes plus an extra through journey on a Sunday morning.
• Edinburgh - Newcastle: Extra Summer Only journeys (3rd August to 4th September)

Northern:

• North East: 15:42 and 18:41 from Whitby on a Sunday will now run through to Newcastle via Durham Coast.
• Yorkshire and Lincolnshire: Sunday services between Lincoln and Sheffield will now stop at all stations.
• North West: Bransty Tunnel is still closed and reduced Sunday timetables will continue.

 

[DDB]

Edinburgh - Newcastle: Extra Summer Only journeys (3rd August to 4th September)

That's interesting, extra capacity for the Edinburgh festivals I assume.
Do we know if these are extensions to Newcastle terminators or will people need to change at Newcastle if they have come from further south?
Very welcome either way.

 

[A S Leib]

That's interesting, extra capacity for the Edinburgh festivals I assume.
Do we know if these are extensions to Newcastle terminators or will people need to change at Newcastle if they have come from further south?
Very welcome either way.

Starting and terminating at Newcastle; I think 19:15 Newcastle – 21:21 Edinburgh and 23:24 Edinburgh – 01:21 Newcastle are the extras.

 

[ChrisC]

There's another change for EMR which isn't listed in the press release.

The current 1428 Peterborough to Liverpool service starts back at Norwich at 1256 calling normal stations, filling in what was a 3hr gap in services between 1056 and 1350.

Annoyingly the final covid reinstatement (sorry they're called service enhancements now by the DFT) still shows no signs of coming back, the 1540 Nottingham to Norwich and 1856 Norwich to Sheffield are still missing.

Also no return of the Mon-Fri Nottingham to Mansfield Woodhouse trains. Mansfield still only has 1tph Mon-Fr except for a couple of peak time extras.
Pre Covid there had been a service of 2tph since the line reopened around 30 years ago.

 

[DDB]

Starting and terminating at Newcastle; I think 19:15 Newcastle – 21:21 Edinburgh and 23:24 Edinburgh – 01:21 Newcastle are the extras.

Ah OK. So getting people home from Edingburgh later in the evening after a day of shows rather than transporting the people staying up there. Plus a balancing move. I suspect that the 23:24 will be very popular and you will see a few people sprinting to the station to catch it!

 

[johntea]

TPE:

• York - Huddersfield - Manchester: Minor timing changes plus an extra through journey on a Sunday morning.

I was on either the 5pm or 6pm service out of Manchester recently and was quite surprised at how busy the service was with passengers for the Greater Manchester calls (Stalybridge / Mossley / Greenfield), certainly standing room only!

Probably why TPE doesn't offer advance fares on the 4pm/5pm/6pm services from Manchester despite being available pretty much full time otherwise

 

[bunnahabhain]

Also no return of the Mon-Fri Nottingham to Mansfield Woodhouse trains. Mansfield still only has 1tph Mon-Fr except for a couple of peak time extras.
Pre Covid there had been a service of 2tph since the line reopened around 30 years ago.

To be fair usage on the line has nosedived as a result of changed working practices, the morning peak service used to be 4 Up trains in the space of approximately 1hr, and all were full, now with only 2 trains and a reduction of 4 vehicles they're still nowhere near as busy.

 

[Chrism20]

Ah OK. So getting people home from Edingburgh later in the evening after a day of shows rather than transporting the people staying up there. Plus a balancing move. I suspect that the 23:24 will be very popular and you will see a few people sprinting to the station to catch it!

The late departure was very busy last year some nights. It was also cancelled a couple of times though which was far from ideal

 

[marsker]

[*]North East: 15:42 and 18:41 from Whitby on a Sunday will now run through to Newcastle via Durham Coast.
Also on Sunday mornings, the 09.49 from Newcastle becomes a through train to Whitby via the Durham Coast.

 

[Baji]

Is the service from Reigate/Three Bridges that arrives at London Victoria at around 08:49 going to run with 8 coaches instead of 12. Only because noticed realtraintimes shows that service then forms the 09:12 London Victoria to Dorking service

 

[Jamesrob637]

• North West: Bransty Tunnel is still closed and reduced Sunday timetables will continue.

So still no hourly Manchester to Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester to Chester via Altrincham on a Sunday?

 

[Urban-Savage]

And still no hourly Sunday service on the chat moss / Warrington / Wigan stoppers either… Sunday travel remains a non rail solution

 

[dk1]

And still no hourly Sunday service on the chat moss / Warrington / Wigan stoppers either… Sunday travel remains a non rail solution

I suppose traincrew issues are preventing this maybe? Never going to be an easy fix west of the Pennines.

 

[Nammer]

Good news! It looks like the Cosham calls on Mon to Fri that were taken out of 11:23/12:23/13:23 Ports Hbr to Cardiff and 09:30/10:30/11:30 Cardiff to Ports Hbr for the winter timetable will be added again. A sensible decision.

Looks like I was wrong about the Cosham calls being added back for the May 2026 timetable. These services will continue to no longer call!

 

[moonarrow458]

I see a LNER have added a new very short service 1B82 from Newark Northgate to Lincoln Central on Sunday mornings at 10:30. Runs nonstop and utilises an ECS move from Doncaster IEP depot.
Crucially it provides an earlier first connection from London to Lincoln using the 0903 Kings Cross to Edinburgh service to newark then 1B82. Also connects into an EMR cleethorpes service at Lincoln.