Could ECML improvements benefit places like at Huntingdon?

[Envy123]

Could the ECML proposed speed improvements benefit places like Huntingdon on the outer suburban routes? Or is that wishful thinking?

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Could the ECML proposed speed improvements benefit places like Huntingdon on the outer suburban routes? Or is that wishful thinking?

What kind of benefits are you thinking of? Fast trains making additional stops at Huntingdon?

 

[Envy123]

What kind of benefits are you thinking of? Fast trains making additional stops at Huntingdon?

Something like the high speed services from places like Maidenhead on the GWML. Dedicated services to provide fast journey opportunities to and from Huntingdon. I don't see it likely that inter-city services could serve Huntingdon again.

 

[JonathanH]

Something like the high speed services from places like Maidenhead on the GWML.

Don't services like those at Maidenhead already exist at Huntingdon - eg the Peterborough starters which run Peterborough - Huntingdon - St Neots - Biggleswade - (Stevenage) - Kings Cross are analogous to the Didcot Parkway and stations to Maidenhead and fast to Paddington services. Maidenhead doesn't have calls in long distance services (other than a late service to Worcestershire Parkway).

The key point is whether traffic at Huntingdon, St Neots and Biggleswade could support their own service instead of just relying on calls in the Thameslink service to Horsham.

 

[Envy123]

Don't services like those at Maidenhead already exist at Huntingdon - eg the Peterborough starters which run Peterborough - Huntingdon - St Neots - Biggleswade - (Stevenage) - Kings Cross are analogous to the Didcot Parkway and stations to Maidenhead and fast to Paddington services. Maidenhead doesn't have calls in long distance services (other than a late service to Worcestershire Parkway).

The key point is whether traffic at Huntingdon, St Neots and Biggleswade could support their own service instead of just relying on calls in the Thameslink service to Horsham.

They do, but the issue I have is that if Peterborough to London would be made much faster through the improvements, Huntingdon's journey to London would be much slower in comparison. Maybe the existing fast services could be sped up through the improvements?

In the worst case, having fares to allow to double-back via Peterborough would be good if it'll be much faster to get to London that way.

 

[ainsworth74]

Could the ECML proposed speed improvements benefit places like Huntingdon on the outer suburban routes? Or is that wishful thinking?

My personal feeling is that the announcement has done the opposite and killed those sorts of ideas stone dead. The paths for extra fast out-suburban services would surely only be available in a world where a decent chunk of long distance traffic was running on HS2. Now that the eastern arm is effectively dead we're still going to be seeing many long distance services on that part of the route meaning there's limited scope for improvements to more local service groups.

 

[TheBigD]

Could the ECML proposed speed improvements benefit places like Huntingdon on the outer suburban routes? Or is that wishful thinking?

You might get slightly quicker journey times if they increased the ECML slow lines linespeed. I don't see it happening though, the focus will be on the fast lines for the intercity services.

 

[Envy123]

You might get slightly quicker journey times if they increased the ECML slow lines linespeed. I don't see it happening though, the focus will be on the fast lines for the intercity services.

In that case, I hope that double-backing fares would be made available if the journey to London via Peterborough would end up significantly faster than going direct.

 

[D365]

Don't services like those at Maidenhead already exist at Huntingdon - eg the Peterborough starters which run Peterborough - Huntingdon - St Neots - Biggleswade - (Stevenage) - Kings Cross are analogous to the Didcot Parkway and stations to Maidenhead and fast to Paddington services.

How many of these services still exist in the morning/evening peaks? It certainly isn't as good as the combined 4tph pre-COVID.

 

[JonathanH]

How many of these services still exist in the morning/evening peaks? It certainly isn't as good as the combined 4tph pre-COVID.

One each hour for three hours each day in the peak direction.

 

[30907]

In that case, I hope that double-backing fares would be made available if the journey to London via Peterborough would end up significantly faster than going direct.

It won't be.
The Huntingdon fast time is just over 50 minutes. To go via Peterborough is at least 15 minutes more, and 140mph to Peterborough would at best cut 5 minutes off that.
You might theoretically do the double-back in just over the present Thameslink time, but that's still 10min longer than the peak fasts.
Might be worth pushing for an Offpeak semifast though.

 

[Envy123]

It won't be.
The Huntingdon fast time is just over 50 minutes. To go via Peterborough is at least 15 minutes more, and 140mph to Peterborough would at best cut 5 minutes off that.
You might theoretically do the double-back in just over the present Thameslink time, but that's still 10min longer than the peak fasts.
Might be worth pushing for an Offpeak semifast though.

I hope so. I’d be mighty miffed if the improved journey time to Peterborough would, say, be halved and I’d have to double back to have a faster journey.

 

[D365]

Perhaps outlandish, but if the [future] East Coast operator were to add a second stop in the Cambridgeshire region - St Neots South?

 

[21C101]

Perhaps outlandish, but if the [future] East Coast operator were to add a second stop in the Cambridgeshire region - St Neots South?

Unless someone four tracks Welwyn any extra paths would surely be used for intercities?

 

[dk1]

I hope so. I’d be mighty miffed if the improved journey time to Peterborough would, say, be halved and I’d have to double back to have a faster journey.

It’s never going to be anywhere near halved. Doing an extra 15mph than they do already isn’t going to knock many minutes off.

 

[Envy123]

It’s never going to be anywhere near halved. Doing an extra 15mph than they do already isn’t going to knock many minutes off.

Then I have nothing to worry about