GWR direct service to Birmingham

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Good morning,

I have heard lots of rumours that Great Western Railway are planning to introduce direct services from London Paddington to Birmingham New Street via Oxford.

Is this true?

Thanks.

 

[swt_passenger]

Good morning,

I have heard lots of rumours that Great Western Railway are planning to introduce direct services from London Paddington to Birmingham New Street via Oxford.

Is this true?

Thanks.

Well I'm going with a definite NO. Never seen anything remotely approaching such a thing, IIRC the nearest option in recent studies or consultation has been a possibility of the GW franchise going back to Stratford on Avon...

 

[Harbornite]

Good morning,

I have heard lots of rumours that Great Western Railway are planning to introduce direct services from London Paddington to Birmingham New Street via Oxford.

Is this true?

Thanks.

You can dismiss those rumours, Birmingham won't be getting and doesn't need another service to London. Until operation Princess, there were Virgin XC services from Paddington to Liverpool/Manchester via New Street, but they were axed because the Voyagers weren't ATP fitted and there was a shortage of paths.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Deleted

 

[Mag_seven]

As an aside, at one time the last Cheltenham - Swindon sprinter started at Birmingham

Wikipedia says it...

So it must be true!

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Wikipedia says...

The proposals for Great Western Railway include:
* an introduction of a service between {{Stnlnk|Birmingham New Street}} and London Paddington;
* a reduction in services between {{Stnlnk|Oxford}} and London Paddington because of the [[Chiltern Railways]] service between {{Stnlnk|London Marylebone}} and {{Stnlnk|Oxford}};

 

[Darandio]

Wikipedia says a lot of stuff.......

What you have neglected to mention is that a) This is a 2013 document b) these were proposed for after HS2 was complete c) the document is wonderfully named 'Assumptions'.

 

[yorkie]

Wikipedia says...

The proposals for Great Western Railway include:
* an introduction of a service between {{Stnlnk|Birmingham New Street}} and London Paddington;
* a reduction in services between {{Stnlnk|Oxford}} and London Paddington because of the [[Chiltern Railways]] service between {{Stnlnk|London Marylebone}} and {{Stnlnk|Oxford}};

Even our Year 7s know Wikipedia is not a primary source

Can you please provide a decent source and a quote in quote tags, as per our forum rules. Thanks

 

[SwindonBert]

As an aside, at one time the last Cheltenham - Swindon sprinter started at Birmingham




So it must be true!

I remember that, fairly sure it was both short lived & run by Cross Country trains.

 

[pdeaves]

I remember that, fairly sure it was both short lived & run by Cross Country trains.

Yes on both counts. VXC wanted to run a regular service Birmingham-Swindon and it was shown as a separate route in their timetables. In practice it was only Cheltenham-Swindon. It took over the Wessex Trains Stroud line services (FGW retained its ones) so for two years Kemble, Stroud and Stonehouse were Wessex Trains stations not served by Wessex Trains.

 

[Dr_Intoxicated]

I remember back in the late 70 computing between Paddington and Oxford and 47 hauled services that were either Birmingham services or cross country services

 

[Tim R-T-C]

What would the purpose of direct trains on that route be. There are direct trains Birmingham to Oxford. Direct from Oxford to London. There are direct trains Birmingham to London which are much faster than they would be able to run via Oxford.

Welcome to the world of wikipedia and platform end wibble. If you look hard enough, almost everything has been suggested in a report at some point, doesn't mean it has ever got past one optimistic civil servant.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I've heard that the rumoured GWR service from Paddington to Birmingham will be run entirely using locos from the strategic steam reserve that's been hidden away in Woodhead Tunnel since the 1960s.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I've heard that the rumoured GWR service from Paddington to Birmingham will be run entirely using locos from the strategic steam reserve that's been hidden away in Woodhead Tunnel since the 1960s.

With rolling stock salvaged from the now defunct "nuclear control trains" hidden away in the now demolished carriage shed at Craven Arms.

A special and secret Welsh coal mine is to be re-opened to provide loco coal , with a resident shunt engine called "Ivor"

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I remember back in the late 70 computing between Paddington and Oxford and 47 hauled services that were either Birmingham services or cross country services

There were indeed such trains , some working through to Piccadilly and (I think) Glasgow , mainly because the sets and traction came from a good nights rest at Old Oak Common. All ended with Operation Princess, if not slightly before.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I've heard that the rumoured GWR service from Paddington to Birmingham will be run entirely using locos from the strategic steam reserve that's been hidden away in Woodhead Tunnel since the 1960s.

Ha ha, my aching sides... :roll:

 

[BanburyBlue]

I think towards the end (before Princess) the Paddington XC services were limited to one morning train a day - agree with the Old Oak Common scenario. I don't remember any southbound trains terminating at Paddington?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I don't mean proposals from ages ago! It honestly says on Wikipedia that proposals for later in the rebranded franchise include a direct Birmingham service

 

[Darandio]

I don't mean proposals from ages ago! It honestly says on Wikipedia that proposals for later in the rebranded franchise include a direct Birmingham service

The bit you quoted? You mean the proposals for services in 10 years time?

 

[cactustwirly]

I don't mean proposals from ages ago! It honestly says on Wikipedia that proposals for later in the rebranded franchise include a direct Birmingham service

Not going to happen because it's a waste of time, money & capacity.

 

[Gareth Marston]

With rolling stock salvaged from the now defunct "nuclear control trains" hidden away in the now demolished carriage shed at Craven Arms.

A special and secret Welsh coal mine is to be re-opened to provide loco coal , with a resident shunt engine called "Ivor"

Alas I've heard Grayling wants to cancel the plan.....

 

[yorkie]

I don't mean proposals from ages ago! It honestly says on Wikipedia that proposals for later in the rebranded franchise include a direct Birmingham service

Yes but,as I said above, Wikipedia isn't a primary source; you need to provide a link to a reputable source and a quote from it.

A good Wikipedia article will cite it's sources.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

I don't mean proposals from ages ago! It honestly says on Wikipedia that proposals for later in the rebranded franchise include a direct Birmingham service

Yes Wikipedia, accurate to the last

 

[Lemmy99uk]

I remember back in the late 70 computing between Paddington and Oxford and 47 hauled services that were either Birmingham services or cross country services

Class 50s were also regular on the Paddington/Brum services.

I remember the 19:25 Birmingham to Didcot well. It was a regular commute home to Solihull for me.

 

[route101]

I think towards the end (before Princess) the Paddington XC services were limited to one morning train a day - agree with the Old Oak Common scenario. I don't remember any southbound trains terminating at Paddington?

I used to have timetable and im sure there was a Glasgow to Paddington Train

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Alas I've heard Grayling wants to cancel the plan.....

"Like" (along with many others of your comments !)

 

[xotGD]

I used to have timetable and im sure there was a Glasgow to Paddington Train

There was a Padd - Edinburgh at one point back in the day. I remember a feature on the service in one of the rail mags.

 

[Kite159]

Wouldn't it make so much more sense for the proposal to be a XC service from Brighton towards London, then to Reading, Birmingham, Nottingham before carrying on to Glasgow via the S&C?

 

[swt_passenger]

Wouldn't it make so much more sense for the proposal to be a XC service from Brighton...

I was screaming already at that stage..

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Wouldn't it make so much more sense for the proposal to be a XC service from Brighton towards London, then to Reading, Birmingham, Nottingham before carrying on to Glasgow via the S&C?

Surely to Edinburgh, via the S&C then the re-opened Waverley route...