Bussiest Section of Single Track in UK

[ObservationCar]

We all see the uttilisation maps and whats crowded etc... but this is often just due to lack of crossovers. When Crossovers are in place a fairly well planned intensive services can be accomodated.

What is the most frequent service you know of on a single track. I'll tell you what I think it is later, but what do you think?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The most intensely used piece of single track I know of is a small section of line called 'Metropolitan Spur' which runs between Blackfriars Junction (London Blackfriars) and Metropolitan Junction (London Bridge). It is used by four trains each way every hour in the off peak period, but is bearly 300m long.

 

[transportphoto]

I would say the Stourbridge Branch - 6tph in each direction, and its only 3/4ish of a mile long, admittedly - only one 'mover' operates all these services!

 

[Green Lane]

We all see the uttilisation maps and whats crowded etc... but this is often just due to lack of crossovers. When Crossovers are in place a fairly well planned intensive services can be accomodated.

What is the most frequent service you know of on a single track. I'll tell you what I think it is later, but what do you think?

The Liverpool loop line is single track and operates a train every 5 mins during normal weekday operation (so 12 tph), however I'm sure that's not what you are looking for. I presume you are thinking of single track sections with a bi-directional service running on them - not all the same way!

 

[142094]

There are a couple of single tracks between Pelaw and Hebburn, Hebburn and Jarrow and Jarrow and Bede on the TW Metro, due to the other line being NR property and used to access the Shell terminal. I don't have a timetable to hand but this will have high frequencies and also the lines are bi-di.

 

[Bighat]

There are a couple of single tracks between Pelaw and Hebburn, Hebburn and Jarrow and Jarrow and Bede on the TW Metro, due to the other line being NR property and used to access the Shell terminal. I don't have a timetable to hand but this will have high frequencies and also the lines are bi-di.

Then of course we have the Docklands Light Railway between Bow Church and Pudding Mill Lane and again between Pudding Mill Lane and Stratford

 

[Ploughman]

Mirfield - Ravensthorpe is a 3 track stretch with the centre line BiDi.
Leeds _ Manchester TPE, Northern and Freight services all using this piece.

 

[Green Lane]

I bet the Hazel Grove Chord gets a fair bit of traffic in both directions. Not sure how many tph though.

 

[furryfeet]

navigation road to deansgate jn (metrolink)
tram every 6 mins in each direction.

this frequency for over 12 hours a day on weekdays.

But probably hairyhandedfool is right with Metropolitan Junction in terms of maximum intensity.

It would be interesting if someone could start a thread to see which stretch of single line track is the most usedin terms of capacity index i.e. 100% is totally full !

 

[a good off]

The 'Gowerton Single' Cockett to Duffryn section west of Swansea is pretty much full. Also the Shelwick Jn - Ledbury single section is also busy. Both incidentally being singled cost custting measures in the 1980s. Another one that might be contender is the Coventry - Leamington section.

 

[4SRKT]

Belfast Central > Yorkgate is single track and in the evening peak there are northbound departures at 16:40 (Ballymena), 16:42 (Larne), 16:59 (Carrickfergus), 17:10 (Portrush), 17:16 (Larne), 17:18 (Whitehead), 17:35 (Larne), 17:40 (Derry), 17:43 (Larne), 18:10 (Portrush) and 18:12 (Larne). Southbound in the same period at 16:47, 16:56, 17:05, 17:29, 17:56, 18:00 and 18:18. There are also some stock movements mixed in as the depot is at York Road. There is a loop in the middle of the section, but it is normally locked out of use. The section takes 3 minutes to cover, so it's got to be up there as one of the most intensively worked.

 

[duffman82]

The wolves - Birmingham New Street Line, Over 8 trains an hour

Liverpool Central - Sandhills, Over 12 trains an hour

Four Oaks - Longbridge, 8 an hour

 

[thefab444]

Those are single track?! Right...

 

[DaveNewcastle]

My guess is that the most heavily used bi-directional single track sections might be the links in and out of the busier depots, such as Bounds Green and Hornsea yards on the ECML in London, Polmadie in Glasgow and many others.

But perhaps they're not what you had in mind being both empty stock movements and next to multiple running lines.

There's a few bridges and tunnels which are single track (such as the Tamar) but I very much doubt that any of these are as busy as London's 'Metropoltan Spur' as HHF proposed.

 

[2030720310]

The wolves - Birmingham New Street Line, Over 8 trains an hour

Liverpool Central - Sandhills, Over 12 trains an hour

Four Oaks - Longbridge, 8 an hour

I'm sorry but Wolves to BHM is definately double....

 

[mumrar]

In terms of running at capacity, the Barnt Green-Redditch section is very intense, 4 trains per hour, but it's a long section with only a single platform at Redditch. Units get 6 min turn around at Redditch and pass within 2 minutes of each other at Barnt Green. When NR run any test trains (unless it's an emergency) they always have to come down between 00:00 and 06:00 due to the passenger services.

 

[Donny Dave]

I bet the Hazel Grove Chord gets a fair bit of traffic in both directions. Not sure how many tph though.

4 tph normally (2 TPE and 2 EMT), with the very occasional freight, so not that busy really.

 

[mumrar]

How ironic that I mention test trains and Redditch, and tonight the NR 950 is coming to town, scheduled in at 00:18

 

[Green Lane]

4 tph normally (2 TPE and 2 EMT), with the very occasional freight, so not that busy really.

OK, well thanks for the info. As it happens, I wasn't even aware of the existence of this section until I travelled on it a couple of weeks back.

Coming back from Cleethorpes, I couldn't help but notice, sitting where I was that the train was suddenly running on the rightmost track in that area.

Naturally I looked the route up on Wikipedia, and when I learnt that all services between Sheffield and Stockport use the section, I thought it might be busier than in fact it is.

As for a previous post mentioning Liverpool Central to Sandhills (utilising the underground "link" line), there is a single reversing siding south of Liverpool Central (in between the two running tracks), but the actual route is double track all the way between Liverpool Central and Sandhills.

Yes, Redditch is a tight one isn't it. I remember last year travelling that route and IIRC as the train I was on from Redditch reached the double track section, there was already a train waiting at the signal there, going the other way.

I have to admit I'm quietly wondering what section ObservationCar was thinking of in the original post? I'm just curious, not particularly impatient by any means, but I'm thinking after almost a week of this thread being here I wonder if any other posters like me are quietly anticipating to read what this might be? Thanks.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

How about all trains out of SSD Airport:

4 Stansted Express
1 NXEA to Startford
1 XC to Bhm New St

and the opposite journeys?

 

[Green Lane]

This will not be one of the busiest, but I was surprised yesterday on the (London Midland) London Euston to Crewe service, a section of over three miles between Alsager and Crewe is electrified single-track.

Normally travelling from Euston to Liverpool, I change at Stafford and stay on the main WCML, but yesterday evening the timings were conducive to staying on the train from Euston as it went via the Stoke-on-Trent loop and I instead changed at Crewe.

I checked out this section of track on Google Earth and you can see a loco on the singe-track section on the satellite images.

So I'm not sure how many services use this stretch or even why this section is single, i.e. whether it was always like that or whether it was at some point singled. Seems somehow anamolous to me on such a route.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

This will not be one of the busiest, but I was surprised yesterday on the (London Midland) London Euston to Crewe service, a section of over three miles between Alsager and Crewe is electrified single-track.

Normally travelling from Euston to Liverpool, I change at Stafford and stay on the main WCML, but yesterday evening the timings were conducive to staying on the train from Euston as it went via the Stoke-on-Trent loop and I instead changed at Crewe.

I checked out this section of track on Google Earth and you can see a loco on the singe-track section on the satellite images.

So I'm not sure how many services use this stretch or even why this section is single, i.e. whether it was always like that or whether it was at some point singled. Seems somehow anamolous to me on such a route.

There's (off-peak, and the rest of the time I think) 2tph in each direction over this section: the Crewe-Derby EMT trains and the Crewe-Euston LM train. Dunno why there would be a loco on it, but it was electrified in 2003 to give an alternative to Macclesfield, and stable electric locos.

 

[Green Lane]

There's (off-peak, and the rest of the time I think) 2tph in each direction over this section: the Crewe-Derby EMT trains and the Crewe-Euston LM train. Dunno why there would be a loco on it, but it was electrified in 2003 to give an alternative to Macclesfield, and stable electric locos.

Thanks for the info.

If anyone's interested, just copy and paste this below line into Google Earth search field:-

53° 4'57.41"N, 2°21'27.60"W

and it will take you to the position of the loco on the single track section.

 

[37372]

Holmes Chord connecting Rotherham Central back up to the mainline at Holmes Jn sees between 6-7 trains per hour. Combine those trains with regular delays and two level crossings and you have the perfect recipe for a farce.

 

[MCR247]

Thanks for the info.

If anyone's interested, just copy and paste this below line into Google Earth search field:-

53° 4'57.41"N, 2°21'27.60"W

and it will take you to the position of the loco on the single track section.

Looks like a 57

 

[GNERman]

yeh either a VT 57 or possible EWS 56?

 

[90019]

It's a Virgin 57.

 

[Green Lane]

Well spotted all!

I wouldn't have much of a clue about it myself, as the only classes I'm really familiar with are recent DMUs/EMUs I have travelled on. Well, from that angle and resolution it doesn't exactly seem easy. Must admit I agree it certainly does look like a Virgin colour.

 

[me123]

My guess is that the most heavily used bi-directional single track sections might be the links in and out of the busier depots, such as Bounds Green and Hornsea yards on the ECML in London, Polmadie in Glasgow and many others.

Polmadie actually isn't all that busy. It only caters for intercity trains, so there's actually not all that many movements in and out compared to, say, Haymarket or Shields Road.

Even then, I doubt depots are the busiest over the course of the day. Sure, there's lots of movements either side of the peaks. But off peak, there's often little or no traffic in and out of a depot. A quick look at Scotrail's diagrams for Shields Road and Corkerhill depots (for example) shows very little traffic between 10am and 4pm.

And even then, many trains are stabled in a variety of sidings up and down the network, and many leave the depot in 9 car formation and split to two or three smaller trains for service... all in all, relatively few trains when compared to some single lead junction on the network that see over four trains an hour in each direction all day.

 

[O L Leigh]

How about all trains out of SSD Airport:

4 Stansted Express
1 NXEA to Startford
1 XC to Bhm New St

and the opposite journeys?

Was going to suggest the same.

That's 12tph in total and looks so far to be the highest frequency for a single line discounting all the light rail options. Plus the line single isn't just a short spur either but well over 1km in length.

O L Leigh