Design your own open-access operator

[Farigiraf]

(3-4 trains per day each way)
London St Pancras - Bedford (1-2tpd) - East Midlands Parkway - Derby - Meadowhall - Chapeltown / Wombwell (alternating) - Barnsley - Penistone - Denby Dale - Huddersfield
Using bi-mode/battery 3 coach units doubled up to make a 6 coach train. Then either platform extensions on the Penistone line, or the back 3 coaches detached at Barnsley.

 

[Ghostbus]

Newcastle <-> Southampton

Direct and non-stop via Birmingham

Journey time 5h

Departures at 6am and 4pm

By cutting out the intermediate stops and the need to change at Birmingham, you can get a faster service than either Cross Country (fastest 6h 10m) or going via London (fastest 5h 20m).

But more importantly than that, you're half an hour faster than even a non-stop car journey.

It might feel like there's not enough demand for a non-stop service, but if LoganAir can attract enough passengers to sustain two flights a day, with the city centre to city centre journey time being well over 2 hours if not close to 3 (1h 15m flight), then there must be a heck of a lot of people choosing to take a slower and cheaper option, which, sadly, is the car not the train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Loco-hauled service requiring reversals at BNS & Derby!

They've got driving trailers.

 

[devon_belle]

There already are 2 Reading - Gatwick trains each hour…

Apologies, I meant a third Reading to Gatwick train. Or a Reading–Redhill terminator. If I'm not mistaken, capacity in the Redhill (and Guildford) areas is an issue for getting more trains down the North Downs line.

 

[The Planner]

Loco-hauled service requiring reversals at BNS & Derby!

You could do a magical mystery tour via Walsall and Sutton Park to avoid the New St reversal if you really wanted to avoid a reversal that badly.

 

[Farigiraf]

Fruit Salad Railways
Two departures a day, weekends only
London Waterloo - Strawberry Hill - Twickenham/Richmond (reverse) - Reading - Appleford - Oxford - Worcester Shrub Hill - Bromsgrove - Pineapple Road - Birmingham New Street (reverse) - Tamworth - Peartree - Derby - Sheffield - Doncaster - Adwick - Wakefield Kirkgate - Mirfield - Burnley Manchester Road - Blackburn - Cherry Tree - Preston

(Italics means passing through non-stop)

Hauled by the New Measurement Train (Flying Banana) with Mk4 carriages

 

[EnriqueEspaña]

Loco-hauled service requiring reversals at BNS & Derby!

Love a quick reversal! Maybe we even have two drivers also trained as guards for revenue protection, really spice things up. Have each driver ready to step back at reversal points for shorter platform occupation!

They've got driving trailers.

Indeed they do, look lovely in my opinion too!

You could do a magical mystery tour via Walsall and Sutton Park to avoid the New St reversal if you really wanted to avoid a reversal that badly.

Quite possible, but I designed with good connections cross midlands so New St probably has to happen. Basically looking at replacing the XC Nottingham - Brum and extending to London. Could also start at Paddigton - Old Oak Common - Slough - Reading - Didcot - Oxford - then resume my original route suggested up to Banbury, but with HS2 on the way, didnt see much point.

 

[Essex Express]

This is one route that was looked back in 2004 when First Group lost the Great Eastern and Anglia Railway to National Express ONE the route was Harwich International, Manningtree, Colchester, Witham, Chelmsford, Stratford and Liverpool Street using the class 180 that Great Western were getting rid of running about 5 trains a day each way. The plans were dropped when First group won the Scotrail. Stabling of units was at Harwich over night and maintained at Old Oak Common. The peak had some 10 car running.

 

[VItraveller]

Does anyoneThink there would be much interest in a faster service from Birmingham to Cambridge, I was thinking it could start at Birmingham International, and go via Coventry, Nuneaton, Leicester, and Peterborough but whether there would be enough patronage for an open access operator, I don’t know.

 

[A S Leib]

but whether there would be enough patronage for an open access operator, I don’t know.

I don't know if it would be faster either, if reversing at Coventry and Nuneaton.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Does anyoneThink there would be much interest in a faster service from Birmingham to Cambridge, I was thinking it could start at Birmingham International, and go via Coventry, Nuneaton, Leicester, and Peterborough but whether there would be enough patronage for an open access operator, I don’t know.

At present it can be quicker (and more comfortable) to travel from Cambridge to Brum via London.

In future. A service from Birmingham to Cambridge via Milton Keynes and East West would probably be quickest. Even changing trains at MK is likely to bring the journey time down to under 2 hours.

Indeed, a service from Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport via Coventry, Rugby, Milton Keynes, Bedford & Cambridge would probably take 2.5 hours and prove very popular at the calling points.

 

[FlyingPotato]

I have a couple semi- serious ones I'd like to see put into operation

This next one, is less serious but could be interesting:
The Great North Yorkshire Express: London to Carlisle via Blackburn: London Euston, Bletchley/Milton Keynes, Stafford, Warrington, Leyland, Blackburn, Clitheroe, Hellifield, Settle, Horton, Ribbleshead, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby and Carlisle

Up to 5pd, initial stock will use whatever can be found that fits. Aimed stock will be a bimodal unit with some sort of panoramic car

 

[swt_passenger]

At present it can be quicker (and more comfortable) to travel from Cambridge to Brum via London.

In future. A service from Birmingham to Cambridge via Milton Keynes and East West would probably be quickest. Even changing trains at MK is likely to bring the journey time down to under 2 hours.

Indeed, a service from Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport via Coventry, Rugby, Milton Keynes, Bedford & Cambridge would probably take 2.5 hours and prove very popular at the calling points.

EWR does not provide the infrastructure to allow direct services from Milton Keynes towards Bedford or Cambridge. You’d have to either change at Bletchley, which will already be possible on opening of EWR, or introduce additional services that reverse direction at Bletchley. But EWR only has limited track capacity from Bletchley to Bedford. I’d expect that to be taken up by the planned Oxford to Cambridge and the existing stopping services.

 

[Farigiraf]

London Crosslink - Revived

2 hourly service:

Due to the opening of the Elizabeth Line, the GEML portion would be rather useless. So how about taking advantage of a rare piece of track and connecting the ECML instead!
One of the major benefits of this is avoiding the awkward King's Cross - Waterloo transfer which can be rather irritating especially with luggage

Cambridge - Stevenage - West Hampstead (Requires electrification of Harringay curve, about 450m) - Shepherd's Bush - Clapham Junction - Wimbledon - Woking - Farnborough - Basingstoke
Additional calls could be added at: Alexandra Palace, Upper Holloway (for Archway), Willesden Junction, West Brompton, Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton Central

Reservations compulsory - however no tickets would be sold solely between stations from Clapham Junction to West Hampstead
Operated by 2 x 4 car class 387s.

 

[TheGuy77]

While I can still post on this thread, does anybody have any ideas for regional open-access operators? I was thinking of a Sheffield-York service via Pontefract Baghill, as an alternative to CrossCountry.

 

[A S Leib]

Liverpool Lime Street – Bradford Forster Square (Huyton, Lea Green, St. Helens Junction, Newton-le-Willows, Wigan North Western, all stations via Lancaster to Skipton, Keighley, Shipley), running in hours when neither Liverpool – Glasgow nor Leeds – Lancaster services do.

 

[ASX_Terranova]

I have been viewing old SWT, Wessex & FGW Link timetables recently, I have a few Ideas to reinstate old links.

Idea 1: Bristol Temple Meads to London Waterloo via Keynsham, Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury, Andover, Basingstoke & Woking.

Idea 2: Plymouth to Portsmouth & S'Sea via Totnes, Newton Abbot, Tiverton P, Taunton, Castle Cary, Westbury, Warminster, Salisbury, Romsey, So'ton Central, Fareham, Cosham & Fratton.

Idea 3: Straford (UA) to London Paddington via Warwick, Leamington Spa, Banbury, Kings Sutton, Heyford, Tackley, Oxford, Didcot & Reading.

Also, if anyone can remember using these services wayback when and tell me about usage and allocated traction, that would be greatly appreciated

 

[HST43257]

As an extension of Hull Trains I’ve sometimes wondered about a seasonal service (Summer Fri, Sat, Sun?) to the East/North Yorkshire Coast. Once per day in the morning going north and evening south. I assume it’d be rather slow though

London to Scarborough calling at Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster, Selby/Goole, Brough, Beverley, Bridlington, Hunmanby, Filey and Scarborough.

 

[jfowkes]

Norwich - Bristol/Cardiff using EWR:

Norwich
Ely
Cambridge (probably all stations)
Bedford
Bletchley
Bicester Village
Oxford
Swindon
Bristol Parkway
Bristol or Newport & Cardiff

No idea about feasibility of this in terms of paths and revenue abstraction but it would help me out personally!

 

[Mgameing123]

Ideally something like Lumo on the WCML, but doing the low cost airline concept properly, and wholly outside the national ticketing system (as they are in most other countries).

That means:

1. E-ticketed only (including the option just to show ID instead of a ticket)
2. Compulsory reservations, actually enforced
3. Small bag free, but more and larger bags available to purchase, cheaper at the time of booking or online
4. Chargeable seat selection including extra legroom options at a higher fee
5. "Advances" and more flexible fares with the latter also being dynamically priced as per easyJet
6. Long trains - "pile it high, sell it cheap"
7. Lumo's staffing concept - DOO with stewards
8. Ideally using a low-floor unit like a Stadler
9. Options to order food to be delivered to your seat via the website as well as a trolley service

Perhaps the Government could be sold on this being the second Liverpool instead of Avanti, or use pairs of 5 car units and split to both Liverpool and Manchester.

Would probably be abstractive to an extent but like LNR's Trent Valley operation grow the market too. Perhaps Trent Valley calls could make it less purely abstractive.

The bag fee is a terrible idea if your competing against airlines.

 

[The Prisoner]

Had an idea, but looking here a few have come up with something similar - Glasgow - Carlisle - Skipton - Keighley - Shipley - Leeds - Wakefield Kirkgate - Barnsley- Sheffield - Chesterfield - Derby - Leicester - Bedford - Luton - Luton Airport - London St Pancras

Opens up Glasgow to Leeds and the East Midlands, direct Barnsley to London service, access for Luton airport amongst others.

Reversal at Leeds

Traction - 221/222 or bi mode 800 series new build.

Around 7 hours at a guess end to end.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The bag fee is a terrible idea if your competing against airlines.

It allows a lower headline fare which you need for that purpose.

 

[VItraveller]

The great bourbon stopper, this is inspired by a time I was stuck at Basingstoke station and all the XC trains were cancelled, leaving me having to take four separate trains to get back to where I wanted to go.
The service would be an all stations stopper from Banbury calling principally at Banbury, Oxford, Reading, and Basingstoke and all the stations between.
it would run twice a day, and would take hours to get anywhere.