2026 New Track Coverage

[Peter Mugridge]

Well, here we go again, another year... let's get out there and get any unbashed track marked off in our atlases!

This thread is laid and fettled ready to be used at linespeed from Thursday.

 

[gabrielhj07]

02 Jan

Heywood Road Jn - Hawkeridge Jn

 

[GRALISTAIR]

As I have been living in the USA, I am well behind but I should be able to do all CrossRail/Elizabeth line route by end of January.

 

[xotGD]

02 Jan

Heywood Road Jn - Hawkeridge Jn

For the benefit of others as ignorant as me, this is a curve avoiding Westbury.

 

[gabrielhj07]

For the benefit of others as ignorant as me, this is a curve avoiding Westbury.

Good opportunity to get it with GWR diversions.

 

[Sunil_P]

First entry for me in 2026:

3rd January
Bickley Jn to Petts Wood Jn via the Fast Tonbridge Loop (both ways)
Done on a Victoria to Sevenoaks service as far as Orpington, and back from Orpington on a Sevenoaks to Victoria service.
Rest of today (3rd), Victoria to Dover via Tonbridge and Victoria to Ramsgate via Tonbridge also do the loop, but tomorrow (4th), only the Sevenoaks service does the loop.

I noticed that on RTT the loop is shown as DFV and UFV in future entries, but in past entries it shows up as DFT and UFT. This is the connection between Bickley and Petts Wood at the far southwest corner of the junction between the two main lines near Chislehurst.

 

[MikeWh]

This is the connection between Bickley and Petts Wood at the far southwest corner of the junction between the two main lines near Chislehurst.

Otherwise known as the old Eurostar curve.

 

[Cambus731]

yesterday I went to Cwmbran to pick up a car for a mate. Which led to me doing the line between Newport and Cwmbran for the first time. It also meant me visiting Wales for the first time since 2004. And driving over the new Severn Bridge for only the 2nd time ever. (Never been over the first one). Also first ride on a Class 197

 

[Cletus]

Bit late with this but today took a C2C service out of Fenchurch Street directly to Stratford using the "Gas Curve".

Realtime Trains | 9Z08 0918 London Fenchurch Street to Grays | 18/01/2026

Real-time train running information for 9Z08 0918 departure from London Fenchurch Street to Grays on 18/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Sunil_P]

Bit late with this but today took a C2C service out of Fenchurch Street directly to Stratford using the "Gas Curve".

Realtime Trains | 9Z08 0918 London Fenchurch Street to Grays | 18/01/2026

Real-time train running information for 9Z08 0918 departure from London Fenchurch Street to Grays on 18/01/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Cletus, that would be the Gas Factory Curve.


As for me: 18th January:

Didcot West Curve Jn to Foxhall Jn south to west, on an Oxford to London service that reversed west of Didcot Parkway due to engineering work on/near the slow platforms at that station.


(east to north direction done back in 2024 on a Saturday-only Swindon to Oxford train)

 

[Ziggy3legs]

Channelsea North Junction - Temple Mills East Junction, Tottenham South Junction - South Tottenham East Junction, Junction Road Junction - Carlton Road Junction. Courtesy of UK Railtours "Peak Blinder" railtour on 24/01/26.

 

[Turbo004]

Now that I'm down to just two bits of track in the UK off to Ireland for a change.

23rd January Dublin
The Point - Abbey Street
Busaras - Connolly
O'connell GPO - Parnell
O'Connell Upper - Broombridge
Broombridge - Drumcondra

24th January Dublin - Belfast
Drumcondra - Dublin Connolly
Dublin Connolly - Belfast Grand Central (Loco hauled and highlight of trip)
Belfast Grand Central - Botanic

25th January
Botanic- Antrim

 

[1971martin]

January 2026

13th January

Darlington - Bishop Auckland
Middlesbrough - Nunthorpe

14th January

Benton Jn - Ashington

 

[Sunil_P]

9th February:

New loops came into use today at the (still incomplete) Cambridge South.

I did both the northbound loop via platform 4 (1324 ex-Kings Cross to Cambridge), and the southbound loop via platform 1 (1418 ex-Cambridge to LST).

All trains are booked to use P1 and P4 between 1000 and 1530 this week 9th to 13th, and also 16th to 20th. There are bookings outside these times, but check RTT.

 

[Sunil_P]

Seems from info from the guys at Gensheet, I also did the new Hills Road Loop linking P8 at Cambridge with the up main yesterday!

 

[Sunil_P]

14th February:

Leigh-on-Sea platform 2 arrive/depart
(available all day, and also 15th due to engineering work)

 

[pokemonsuper9]

With the Piccadilly closure some special bits of track are available
Piccadilly West Junction Crossover
Manchester Oxford Road platform 1 (to/from Piccadilly, did from Deansgate many years ago)
And the Crossover to/from Platform 1 to the up line just east of Oxford Road

And while I'm out I took the chance to do the fast track at Salford Crescent before the platform is there

 

[Segedunum]

Thrilling addition of Ely West Curve today.

Yesterday I ended up doing Newark North Gate P2 northbound (crossing over from the down line and back over non-stop) which I'm 99% sure is also a new one for me.

 

[Cambus731]

just done Chester to Stockport via Altrincham. Now my way back to Altrincham to get a tram to Bury thereby clearing Altrincham to Manchester City centre.

 

[Cambus731]

Are there any scheduled services that traverse the direct curve between Dinting and Hadfield does anyone know?

 

[vlad]

Are there any scheduled services that traverse the direct curve between Dinting and Hadfield does anyone know?

There are a few over the course of a week - usually early morning or late evening. You want to look for trains using Dinting platform 1.

It's used more during times of disruption as you claw back a lot of time not detouring via Glossop.

 

[Cambus731]

Thank you for that

 

[Cambus731]

Just done Manchester Piccadilly to Hadfield via Glossop. Obviously I still require the Broadbottom to Hadfield curve. But a friend of mine will be moving to Glossop soon so I’ll hopefully be able to do the 2350 from Broadbottom that does that.

 

[Welshy1717]

As I sit and wait anxiously for Chiltern Rail to get the green light, and open the new route from Milton Keynes to Oxford.
That side of the country looks such a great place to explore.

I am on the bottom end of the MML and has it stands at the moment, it means me travelling up to Leicester > towards Birmingham > Coventry > down to Oxford, Warwick or Stratford upon Avon.

So whizzing across Bedford > Bletchley > Oxford will be like a cruise.




In the summer, I will be up and down that line like crazy.
These Chiltern 168 look real classy & comfy........ are these the standard units that commute on a daily basis.

 

[Cambus731]

Also done today Doncaster to Barnetby. Then Barnetby to Lincoln.

 

[Turbo004]

Done Thur 5/3/26
St Pancras International Eurostar Platforms - York Way South Junction
Lille Europe - Marrie de Mons

Just one regularly used domestic line left now which isn't preserved.

Watford East Junction - Watford North Junction on the Metropolitan line all that is left for now.

 

[Sunil_P]

7th March:

Acton Town to just west of Northfields and back via the outer "local" tracks (the eastbound track being genuinely rare!).
Due to planned engineering (Piccadilly line running only between Acton and Heathrow this weekend).

 

[Ziggy3legs]

UK Railtours "The East Lancashire Railway" today yielded Castleton East Junction to Heywood. And I won a bottle of Whisky in the raffle!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

A lot of mileage today

Clitheroe <-> Hellifield (Yorkshire Dales Explorer)
Long Preston <-> Carlisle <-> Newcastle

 

[Sunil_P]

22nd March:

DISASTER!

Sunday 1113 Kings Cross to Hull (1H03) is listed in PSUL as going Loversall Carr Jn - Doncaster Flyover West - Decoy South Jn - Decay North.

However, on 22nd March 2026, it went under Doncaster Flyover straight through to Decoy North and Doncaster P4, despite being early at Loversall Carr! Is that normal, or I was just unlucky?

OK, that was disappointing, I thought. Let's try the up-side loop. Just when I thought I had plenty of time to cross to P8 to catch the 1305 Doncaster to KGX (1143 ex-Bradford Interchange 1A83), the latter turned up 14min late, was replatformed to P3, and also went under Doncaster Flyover, instead of Decoy North Jn - Doncaster Flyover West - Doncaster Flyover East - Loversall Carr.

Such is life!