Freight through Bescot and electrified West Midlands lines

[MarkWi72]

I recall that there used to be ( I'm talking about 80s and early 90s)a lot more freight on the Stafford Bushbury line , some on Stour Valley lines and Grand Junction, plus southbound via Coventry to Rugby. I see a lot of South bound freight, instead of going through Stechford to Coventry and Rugby, now go to the Trent Valley at Nuneaton. This must make more sense, alleviating the passenger capacity via Grand Junction , Bushbury-Stafford, Stour Valley and Brum-Rugby.

I'm aware Bescot doesn't really handle freight now.

When did this change? Bescot's demise and less freight under the wires?

 

[Bald Rick]

I recall that there used to be ( I'm talking about 80s and early 90s)a lot more freight on the Stafford Bushbury line , some on Stour Valley lines and Grand Junction, plus southbound via Coventry to Rugby. I see a lot of South bound freight, instead of going through Stechford to Coventry and Rugby, now go to the Trent Valley at Nuneaton. This must make more sense, alleviating the passenger capacity via Grand Junction , Bushbury-Stafford, Stour Valley and Brum-Rugby.

I'm aware Bescot doesn't really handle freight now.

When did this change? Bescot's demise and less freight under the wires?

4 tracking Rugeley - Tamworth on the Trent Valley released capacity that way.

 

[MarkWi72]

Ok, not being from that way, and being out of the Midlands half of the 90s and 00s, when did this occur? I never knew it was only double track to be fair.

 

[Bald Rick]

Ok, not being from that way, and being out of the Midlands half of the 90s and 00s, when did this occur? I never knew it was only double track to be fair.

Commissioned 2008. Took 4 years to build. Also included the remodelling of Nuneaton (inc reinstating the flyover), 4 tracking Rugby to Brinklow, and a few other bits and pieces.

I don’t actually know if some freight from Stafford to Coventry / Rugby was sent via the W Mids rather than Trent Valley because of capacity constraints on the latter, but it seems likely. And with the Coventry corridor filling up post the Virgin High Frequency timetable of 2008, and the Cross City Line going to 6tph at some point around then (reducing capacity for long slow trains at Aston), it also seems likely that any freight on the Cov corridor route that could go via the Trent Valley would be sent that way from around then.