Create your fictional UK train service

[Mgameing123]

HS3 Paddington - OOC - Heathrow - Reading - Bristol - Newport then on existing lines to Cardiff and Swansea. Would be a very useful service.

Would take pressure off the GWML especially between Reading and Paddington.

 

[DM352]

BNS to Matlock via Lichfield using 769s. Limited stop BNS Lichfield on OLE then diesel calling at Alrewas, Burton, Derby and all stations to Matlock. Risk is a failure on diesel between Lichfield and Matlock.

 

[LLivery]

Hourly, Nottingham‐Cleethorpes

Hucknall, Kirkby‐in‐Ashfield, Sutton Parkway, Mansfield, Mansfield Woodhouse, Shirebrook, Workshop, Retford, Gainsborough Central, Kirton Lindsey, Brigg, Barnetby, Grimsby Town

‐

Hourly, Reading‐Nottingham

Oxford, Oxford Pkwy, Bicester Town, Bletchley, Woburn, Kempston (if Universal is built), Bedford Midland, Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, EM Pkwy, Beeston.

I do believe Attenborough should have a better service, but don't think this would be the right one to call there.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Something that did Preston to Carlisle more slowly than the current service, either by calling at reopened stations such as Shap or simply running more slowly than the Pendolinos. I've always thought the route is on a par with the Settle & Carlisle but because it's over so quickly you don't get a chance to appreciate the scenery.
I did it once on a steam tour behind a Jubilee with injector trouble and found that 30-50mph was the perfect pace to enjoy the route, though doubtless people stuck on delayed service trains behind us thought otherwise.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

-Bristol to Bournemouth (I believe this is the busiest coach route in the country)

Shame they closed the Somerset and Dorset if that's the case

 

[bussnapperwm]

BNS to Matlock via Lichfield using 769s. Limited stop BNS Lichfield on OLE then diesel calling at Alrewas, Burton, Derby and all stations to Matlock. Risk is a failure on diesel between Lichfield and Matlock.

OLE doesn't go to Barnes iirc, unless you plan on knitting the whole bit between Barnes and Willesden?

 

[Whistler40145]

OLE doesn't go to Barnes iirc, unless you plan on knitting the whole bit between Barnes and Willesden?

I'm presuming the individual meant Birmingham New Street

 

[Sprigibax]

London Euston to London Kings Cross via Preston, Edinburgh Waverley and York on a class 800. A journey of around 10 hours, that would only take you a few hundred metres!

For a similar service to this, how about London Paddington - Reading - Newbury - Taunton - Tiverton Parkway - Exeter St David’s - Exeter Central - Honiton - Axminster - Yeovil Junction - Gillingham - Salisbury - Andover - Basingstoke - Clapham Junction - London Waterloo. Could be used end to end as an alternative route for when the Bakerloo line isn’t running .

 

[A S Leib]

For a similar service to this, how about London Paddington - Reading - Newbury - Taunton - Tiverton Parkway - Exeter St David’s - Exeter Central - Honiton - Axminster - Yeovil Junction - Gillingham - Salisbury - Andover - Basingstoke - Clapham Junction - London Waterloo. Could be used end to end as an alternative route for when the Bakerloo line isn’t running .

Harrow & Wealdstone – Birmingham New Street – Cheltenham Spa – Acton Main Line – going past but not through Clapham Junction, Brixton and Loughborough Junction – Elephant & Castle?

Divert Crossrail Shenfield services via Emerson Park to provide an end-to-end District line alternative?

I'm not sure what the shortest route over non-tube tracks from Walthamstow Central to Brixton would be; I don't think it's possible at all without reversing at least once.

 

[greataj]

If existing infrastructure and bottlenecks were addressed I'd propose the following:
- XC Birmingham - Peterborough 2tph, of which one continues to Ely and Cambridge.
- 1tph Birmingham, Water Orton (1tp2h) Coleshill (1tp2h), Nuneaton, Hinckley, Narborough, South Wigston, Leicester and Peterborough
- 1tph Birmingham, Coleshill, Nuneaton, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Peterborough, March, Ely and Cambridge
(peak services could make additional calls at intermediate stations)
- GA Stansted Airport - Peterborough 1tph calling only at Cambridge South (future), Cambridge, Cambridge North (possibly), Ely, Manea (1tp2h), March, Whittlesea (1tp2h) and Peterborough
- GA Stansted Airport - Norwich 1tph extended into peak hours, calling at Audley End, Whittlesford Parkway, Cambridge South, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Brandon, Thetford, Attelborough, Wymondham and Norwich
(alternatively Audley End and Whittlesford Parkway calls could move from Norwich to Peterborough services)
- GA Ipswich - Peterborough possibly shortened to Ipswich - Ely but increased to 1tph and timed to connect with Peterborough services. Could additionally have some service extensions to King's Lynn from Ely

 

[rocrat]

Liverpool Street - Cambridge North service extended to Peterborough via Ely (same stock, hourly)
CrossCountry Birmingham-Stansted transferred to EMR (still turbos but more seating/carriages), All stops from Birmingham to Leicester removed except Nuneaton (BHM-LEI stopper becomes half hourly), March and Audley End stops (+ the infrequent Whittlesea/Manea) also removed. Peterborough-Ipswich extended to Colchester all day, same stopping pattern.
Cambridgeshire Guided Busway replaced with Parry People Movers and Azumas (Both running simultaneously, total luck which one you get)

You'd need to electrify Ely to Peterborough *and* rebuild Ely North junction.

Realistically, this corridor is already extremely congested with 2-3tph anyway, most of which could be alleviated by switching ALL EMR services to be either class 170s or 4 car 158 services. You'd need to lengthen platform 3b for this though to.

Also, nobody in their sane mind would go via ELY to PBO outwith disruption, and, unless this happens around Huntingdon/Sandy area, this would affect all the Fen Line trains anyway, so nothing much gained!

I love the idea of a NRW-CBG-SSD-LST service. If it ran fast SSD-LST anyway, this could be a nice alternative route to London that isn't much slower than changing at ELY/CBG!

Transferring BHM-SSD to EMR would be an EXCELLENT idea, as long as EMR brings upgraded regional catering with a base at ELY and/or PBO. It wouldn't even be much of an ask for EMR, as they have 1 or 2 trains that go via Stamford from Sheffield to Norwich early mornings.

Keeping the Thetford stop doesn't really add any time to the service, and the infrequent Brandon/Attleborough/Wymondham stops is helpful for severe disruption.

If existing infrastructure and bottlenecks were addressed I'd propose the following:
- XC Birmingham - Peterborough 2tph, of which one continues to Ely and Cambridge.
- 1tph Birmingham, Water Orton (1tp2h) Coleshill (1tp2h), Nuneaton, Hinckley, Narborough, South Wigston, Leicester and Peterborough
- 1tph Birmingham, Coleshill, Nuneaton, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Peterborough, March, Ely and Cambridge
(peak services could make additional calls at intermediate stations)
- GA Stansted Airport - Peterborough 1tph calling only at Cambridge South (future), Cambridge, Cambridge North (possibly), Ely, Manea (1tp2h), March, Whittlesea (1tp2h) and Peterborough
- GA Stansted Airport - Norwich 1tph extended into peak hours, calling at Audley End, Whittlesford Parkway, Cambridge South, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Brandon, Thetford, Attelborough, Wymondham and Norwich
(alternatively Audley End and Whittlesford Parkway calls could move from Norwich to Peterborough services)
- GA Ipswich - Peterborough possibly shortened to Ipswich - Ely but increased to 1tph and timed to connect with Peterborough services. Could additionally have some service extensions to King's Lynn from Ely

All you need to do to achieve this is rebuild Ely North junction and maybe add a further platform to Ely... (easy enough as the track already exists)

 

[Sprigibax]

I'm not sure what the shortest route over non-tube tracks from Walthamstow Central to Brixton would be; I don't think it's possible at all without reversing at least once.

Walthamstow Central - Clapton Junction - South Tottenham - Gospel Oak - North London line - West London line - passes around Clapham Junction - Brixton reverses only once (at Clapton Junction). It wouldn’t have to reverse if it ran from Queens Road instead of Central, and they’re so close to each other, but then that’s not strictly an end to end Victoria line service.