Fantasy Map of the CrossCountry Network (Post HS2 & EWR)

[bluenoxid]

Extend Reading terminators to Old Oak Common (maybe even Paddington) via Heathrow

I have read the thread. I just thought I would throw it in.

 

[VT 390]

Extend Reading terminators to Old Oak Common (maybe even Paddington) via Heathrow

I have read the thread. I just thought I would throw it in.

I do not think there would be capacity between Reading and Paddington or Heathrow on the fast lines.
What use would this serve as Reading and Oxford already have fast services to Paddington and places further north like Banbury and Leamington Spa would have a quicker service to Marylebone. Also if people did use it it would just add more passengers on to an already busy service making it more crowded and I do not XC would have enough stock to operate this service.
If XC did get enough stock then it would be better to extend the Reading terminators to Southampton as this happens every other hour anyway so you could use the same path in the alternative hour.

 

[swt_passenger]

If XC did get enough stock then it would be better to extend the Reading terminators to Southampton as this happens every other hour anyway so you could use the same path in the alternative hour.

No, that’s an incorrect assumption, they can’t use the same path in the other alternate hours, it is reserved for freight paths. This is well documented in the original track access application and then subsequent route studies. It needs additional new infrastructure, eg more freight loops, to run a 2 tph XC service through Basingstoke all day.

 

[LancasterRed]

From a selfish perspective, Windermere to Weymouth via the WCML, Reading and Bournemouth would be a good one. You could also start it at Blackpool and call it at Poulton, Kirkham and Cottam (after opening) instead of Kendal, Oxenholme and Lancaster. For a (somewhat) more sensible idea though, Scotland to Weymouth.

Connecting the WCML to further north in Scotland is one that I'd also like to see. While it isn't the end of the world to change in Glasgow/Edinburgh, it'd be nice to see a few services and improve accessibility.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

From a selfish perspective, Windermere to Weymouth via the WCML, Reading and Bournemouth would be a good one. You could also start it at Blackpool and call it at Poulton, Kirkham and Cottam (after opening) instead of Kendal, Oxenholme and Lancaster. For a (somewhat) more sensible idea though, Scotland to Weymouth.

Connecting the WCML to further north in Scotland is one that I'd also like to see. While it isn't the end of the world to change in Glasgow/Edinburgh, it'd be nice to see a few services and improve accessibility.

Maybe Blackpool-Reading and Scotland-Weymouth?

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Finally Completed my version of CrossCountry

It is important to note that I have assumed that Birmingham-Leicester and Birmingham Nottingham have been transferred and I have stopped services from Reading to Guildford and Bristol to Cardiff and Bath

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

UPDATE: Some errors have been fixed

 

[swt_passenger]

Why have you removed the existing Southampton extensions? Not as if they are running around empty.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Why have you removed the existing Southampton extensions? Not as if they are running around empty.

They are there!!!

 

[swt_passenger]

They are there!!!

But you only have one service beyond Reading - there are two in alternate hours now.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

But you only have one service beyond Reading - there are two in alternate hours now.

No one service runs to Southampton every two hours as shown the other runs to Weymouth. The box is where the service terminates (this ones Reading and Southampton). So Southampton has two services

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

C2 runs from Southampton to Hull and C4 is Weymouth to Manchester

The key is on the left of the map. C4 should say Manchester to Weymouth not Bournemouth

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Doesn’t make a lot of sense...

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

The letter C means CrossCountry and the number is the route number:

Basically there are 16 services only one doesn’t run regularly (Newquay-Glasgow).

 

[LOL The Irony]

I can't open the image.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

I can't open the image.

If it is crashing just reload it. I’ll reupload it tomorrow, but it is working for me.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

But you only have one service beyond Reading - there are two in alternate hours now.

You do know that the CrossCountry map on ProjectMapping does the same only one coloured route is hown south of New Street towards Bournemouth, and splits at New Street with one going to Manchester the other to Newcastle mine is the same only one goes to Manchester and one to Hull (instead of Newcastle).

http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/CrossCountry-Route-Map.pdf

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

See if this is any better.

 

[tbtc]

The problem with these XC threads is they just decending into lists of places that once had one or two long distance through through trains a day to somewhere far-flung, so therefore must have them again every hour, apparently.

Suggestions need to come with an evidenced justifucation of why that is a good use of capacity and resources (at the inevitable expense of something else) that is not already fulfilled by existing connectional opportunities.

I'm all for "fantasy" but there needs to be some kind of parameters in these threads (especially where everything gets extended to the furthest coast - e.g. people seem obsessed with extending services all the way to Brighton/ Weymouth/ Swansea/ Inverness/ Hull, instead of terminating anywhere inland!).

I don't think that there's space for much more than two "proper" XC services per hour on the Derby/ Stafford/ Reading/ Bristol axis (ignoring the Turbostar services for a moment) - so everything becomes a zero sum game - you can serve Liverpool but that would come at the expense of an equivalent number of Manchester services - you can serve Hull but that would come at the expense of an equivalent number of Newcastle services.

Even with HS2 and other planned improvements, there will be plenty of other services competing for paths through New Street, no guarantee they'll all be XC paths.

 

[topydre]

If XC trains had ertms fitted, they’d could run Barmouth - Yarmouth

 

[NewcastleOne]

Newcastle Services shouldn’t be dropped as they are quite popular.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Newcastle Services shouldn’t be dropped as they are quite popular.

Post HS2 it will be difficult to keep them.

 

[43074]

Post HS2 it will be difficult to keep them.

Source?

 

[Glenn1969]

XC to cover more of Yorkshire- in my dreams

Bradford- Halifax- Huddersfield- Barnsley- Meadowhall- Sheffield- Chesterfield- Derby- Burton- Tamworth- Birmingham. Possibly extended to Cardiff via Gloucester. Not that I expect that to actually happen but those towns are big enough to justify an hourly XC service

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Bradford was one of many suggestions for CrossCountry by Stakeholders. I would say the best way would be to provide a Bradford Interchange-Barnsley-Sheffield-Chesterfield-Derby-Birmingham New Street

 

[LOL The Irony]

Bradford was one of many suggestions for CrossCountry by Stakeholders. I would say the best way would be to provide a Bradford Interchange-Barnsley-Sheffield-Chesterfield-Derby-Birmingham New Street

Bradford Interchange - Halifax - Preston - Lancaster - Oxenholme Lake District - Penrith - Carlisle - Carstairs - Glasgow Central. How about that?

 

[VT 390]

Bradford Interchange - Halifax - Preston - Lancaster - Oxenholme Lake District - Penrith - Carlisle - Carstairs - Glasgow Central. How about that?

Would there be that much demand for this service and the best use of WCML paths especially as unless bi-modes were introduced there would be a lot of diesels running under the wires?
I think this route would be better served by having an increased frequency to every half an hour with improved connections at Preston.

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

Bradford Interchange - Halifax - Preston - Lancaster - Oxenholme Lake District - Penrith - Carlisle - Carstairs - Glasgow Central. How about that?

TransPennine/Northern Connect more like.

 

[LOL The Irony]

TransPennine/Northern Connect more like.

The former probably.
I have another one: Hull - Leeds - York - Darlington - Durham - Newcastle - Edinburgh - Perth - Dundee - Aberdeen - Inverness

 

[Jorge Da Silva]

The former probably.
I have another one: Hull - Leeds - York - Darlington - Durham - Newcastle - Edinburgh - Perth - Dundee - Aberdeen - Inverness

I do have concerns for capacity post-HS2 with 2 London-Newcastle, 2 Birmingham-Newcastle and 1-York to London service (joining with Sheffield service at Toton).