December 2026 Timetable Change

[CR165022]

Thanks for this. Interesting that Birmingham services continue to be vast majority 168 then.

A lot of the Birmingham services are still pathed as 168s but state first and standard seating, so that implies those will also be MK5 sets, as other Birmingham services say standard only.

 

[sammyg901]

Thanks for this. Interesting that Birmingham services continue to be vast majority 168 then.

I imagine in the peaks they need the capacity and off peak they'd rather use a unit to avoid needing guards.

But there are two MK5+68 "peak" services each way to/from Stourbridge Junction- 0853 and 0916 arrivals to Marylebone and northbound 1707 and 1807 ex MYB.

It does make their reintroduction of First Class challenging as outside of these 4 trains I can't imagine much demand for it for commuters from Banbury/Bicester on the new services starting/terminating there. I suspect it'll be declassified on these services depending on loadings (often is on the current 18.37 ex MYB anyway!)

 

[swr444]

Now that's nice to see - basically the old 1748 service coming back I suspect.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Friday at 12:56 ==


Is this the first time in the electric era outside of engineering works that a train from Waterloo has terminated at Petersfield and then returned to Waterloo? Don't remember it at any time since 1982 and no sign of it in the 60s and 70s timetables I've seen either.

1953 to Farnham seems to be what was (AFAIK) a truncated Alton service.

I also note 1713 and 1813 peak services to Aldershot via Ascot. Don't think these exist currently. However they have the same stopping pattern as the Reading services, doesn't look like an opportunity has been taken to either re-introduce limited stop peak services on the route or move to a 15-min interval service in the peak. I guess these two services, running just in front of the standard pattern service, resemble old-fashioned "relief trains" from the days of BR!

Those aldershot services already exist

 

[cle]

They've been around forever and some used to run to Farnham. I agree that it might be better to have a slightly faster pattern if they flight ahead of a Reading, for the likes of Camberley pax - they used to - but today this is basically a very local railway with high turnover between non-London places.

 

[nw1]

Those aldershot services already exist

Ah ok, fair enough, I thought the equivalents (used to be at xx05/xx35 if I remember right) went at Covid and never came back.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Friday at 17:37 ==

They've been around forever and some used to run to Farnham. I agree that it might be better to have a slightly faster pattern if they flight ahead of a Reading, for the likes of Camberley pax - they used to - but today this is basically a very local railway with high turnover between non-London places.

I presume the old 05/35 paths are no longer available? If the idea is to serve all the stations beyond Staines rather than provide fasts to the outer destinations, an even-interval service would presumably be the ideal situation rather than 2 trains within 5 mins.

 

[JonathanH]

I presume the old 05/35 paths are no longer available? If the idea is to serve all the stations beyond Staines rather than provide fasts to the outer destinations, an even-interval service would presumably be the ideal situation rather than 2 trains within 5 mins.

Windsor basically runs in that position now, rather than the historical 58/28, so that Reading and Windsor trains leave Waterloo fifteen minutes apart. Even 13/43 is shared by Aldershot and Shepperton, with both having Putney stops.

 

[nw1]

Windsor basically runs in that position now, rather than the historical 58/28, so that Reading and Windsor trains leave Waterloo fifteen minutes apart. Even 13/43 is shared by Aldershot and Shepperton, with both having Putney stops.

Makes sense I guess from the POV of fast services to Richmond, Twickenham and Staines, though if they ever brought back 4tph to Ascot in the peaks I can see it would be of benefit to retime the Windsors back to their old slot in the peak to provide the 15 min service to the stops beyond Staines (as they would also cover the aforementioned inner stations).