Future Franchise Ideas Discussion

[Clansman]

I've been reading a lot about the same principle idea of new rail franchises being created around the UK. For example Glasgow to Nottingham via Settle and Carlisle, or a new franchise to replace Arriva Trains Wales operations in England as well as a break up in East Midlands Trains service from Liverpool to Norwich to be handed over to First Transpenine Express etc. To save there being all these different threads with the same idea why not use this as a discussion place for all the ideas it self.

Was thinking about the topic and wondered if any of the examples stated above were credible realistic ideas for future rail franchises. To me the Glasgow to the Midlands via S&C seems like a good option in boosting connectivity between Scotland and Central England. How would the journey times compare than if you went via Manchester or the ECML?

 

[swt_passenger]

Glasgow to Nottingham was an ill fated open access proposal, whose web site is about all they ever achieved.

Transferring ATW's routes would not require a new franchise, it's far more likely they would just be allocated to appropriate existing TOCs.

Splitting Norwich to Liverpool has been suggested and consulted on but is not going ahead.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The franchise schedule for the rest of this parliament (up to 2019) is pretty much fixed. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...e/478018/nov-2015-rail-franchise-schedule.pdf
There may be slight tweaking but no major changes.
After 2019, things will be dominated by HS2 and the devolution agenda (within England as well as Scotland/Wales).
You'd have to ask the political parties for their ideas.
Not that you will get a very coherent answer until the manifestos come out - maybe not even then!
By the time the next round of franchises are let, the local bodies now being set up should be in a position to play a major role in specifying and managing them.
The new focus on local as well as existing long distance services might squeeze medium distance regional services.
It will be very interesting to see what happens to the XC franchise in the next few years, as it falls into none of the camps getting stronger political focus.

 

[The Ham]

After TfL takes on the metro services there's a chance that the 3 south of London franchises (SWT, Sourhern and South Eastern) are reformed into 2 franchises.

Probably in simple terms anything passing through Clapham Junction will be one with everything else being the other.

SWT's will lose the island line services.

LM will be split into 2 with WCML services and local West Midlands services being the dividing point.

Another is Chiltern will probably run the East West (Western) services.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

SWT's will lose the island line services.

Will Southern Vectis be in line to take over as part of a co-ordinated bus and train operation as the very situation of the Isle of Wight makes it somewhat of a special situation until a fixed link to the mainland is actually constructed where there will be no need for crossing of the Solent by ferry.

 

[Cambus731]

I'm speaking as a layman so there may be things I've overlooked here. But I do reckon that when Southern Vectis made an offer to purchase has the Isle of Wight line, Network SouthEast should have taken the money.

I also believe that the time has come to seriously examine the possibility of converting the line to a light rail type system. And examine the feasiblity of extending it once more to Ventnor. And of maybe diverting it between Ryde St Johns and the Esplanade so that maybe larger Tram type vehicles could be purchased as they wouldn't need to go through the tunnel at Ryde anymore if that was to happen.
I must admit that it is now twenty years since IO last visited the Isle of Wights so I really have no definite idea of how easy it would be to divert the line through the streets of Ryde. Or how built up it is now between Shanklin and Ventnor.
But I believe that this should be looked into. (Maybe it has already)

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm speaking as a layman so there may be things I've overlooked here. But I do reckon that when Southern Vectis made an offer to purchase has the Isle of Wight line, Network SouthEast should have taken the money.

I also believe that the time has come to seriously examine the possibility of converting the line to a light rail type system. And examine the feasiblity of extending it once more to Ventnor. And of maybe diverting it between Ryde St Johns and the Esplanade so that maybe larger Tram type vehicles could be purchased as they wouldn't need to go through the tunnel at Ryde anymore if that was to happen.
I must admit that it is now twenty years since IO last visited the Isle of Wights so I really have no definite idea of how easy it would be to divert the line through the streets of Ryde. Or how built up it is now between Shanklin and Ventnor.
But I believe that this should be looked into. (Maybe it has already)

There's a very recent thread running to about 8 pages about Trams on the Isle of Wight: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=126520 - and it isn't the only discussion about the Island Line's future in the last year or so.

This is probably why the idea of a composite thread (like the OP of this one proposes) to discuss possible franchise changes in general will never work, it would just cause duplication of information.

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Probably in simple terms anything passing through Clapham Junction will be one with everything else being the other.

There is no need to do that for the benefit of operations at Clapham Jn. The SN and SWT lines through Clapham Jn are completely separate. And wouldn't you then have two TOCs sharing the route through East Croydon and down the Brighton Line? The only combination that makes sense is Southeastern and Southern, because they overlap all over the place.