InterCity Shuttle

[Bald Rick]

By this time BA had rebranded the 'Shuttle' as 'Super Shuttle' due to competition from British Midland who were offering 'Diamond Service' on board.

Interesting though that the InterCity Shuttle didn't actually compete with any of the airline routes. The shortest BA domestic route was still Manchester to Heathrow but with a full hot meal and bar service on a flight of under an hour! I think InterCity was still operating the Super Pullman sets on the Manchester to Euston route in the early 1990s though - 228 First Class and 376 Standard Class seats in 12 coach Mark 3 push-pull sets compared to 198 seats in a BA 757-200. There were three Southbound workings with these sets and one Northbound in the morning with the reverse in the evening.

IIRC, back then 1P02 (Birmingham Pullman) was also usually formed by the same sets.

 

[edwin_m]

At the time, they were probably thinking of BA's Shuttle service...

Who in turn nabbed it from Eastern Airlines in the States. It's come a long way from being a block of wood that went to and fro in a weaving loom.

 

[LAX54]

See https://ageofthetrain.retropia.co.uk/post/128099925354/intercity-shuttle-1993

Confirms, London - Norwich/Wolverhampton/Nottingham/Sheffield...

I agree with Phil in post#5 - Victoria-Gatwick wasn't InterCity Shuttle AFAICR.

Re Paddington-Bristol I'm not sure - I was travelling through Paddington a lot in the early '90s but can't remember seeing the ICS branding - though it would have made sense.

Still recall the 'SHUTTLE' signs at Colchester so....back in 1993 with 86's and a DBSO British Rail Anglia, well.. British Rail 'Anglia/Gatwick Express', were doing Norwich to Liverpool Street in 96 mins, and now 26 years later a more modern fleet in 2019, they are sweating on doing it 90 !

 

[Ianno87]

Still recall the 'SHUTTLE' signs at Colchester so....back in 1993 with 86's and a DBSO British Rail Anglia, well.. British Rail 'Anglia/Gatwick Express', were doing Norwich to Liverpool Street in 96 mins, and now 26 years later a more modern fleet in 2019, they are sweating on doing it 90 !

*Cough*
On a much fuller railway than 26 years ago
*End cough*

 

[LAX54]

*Cough*
On a much fuller railway than 26 years ago
*End cough*

Comparing 'The Anglian' 1993: Norwich to Ipswich 35 mins (non-stop) 2019: 38 mins ( 1 stop @ Diss)

 

[Bald Rick]

Comparing 'The Anglian' 1993: Norwich to Ipswich 35 mins (non-stop) 2019: 38 mins ( 1 stop @ Diss)

North of Ipswich it’s essentially the same railway it was in 1993 though - you’d know that better than anyone! Hence the timings are essentially the same (if anything the current service is slightly quicker, as the stop at Diss costs 4 minutes in theory, so non-stop should be 34 today).

The train service south of Ipswich is very, very different though, and again you’d know all about that.

Edit: just checked, for the 9Pxx from the new TT it is indeed 34 min down, 32 mins up.
(Must be downhill to Ipswich )

 

[Colin1501]

Not InterCity, but in the early privatisation years London-Southampton was branded SWT Shuttle when a half-hourly service was introduced

Actually this was in the 'shadow franchise' period in 1994, and it was a 20 minute interval service between Waterloo and Southampton.

 

[fowler9]

Shuttle seems a bit of a crap name for a more premier service as it sounds more like a short extension of an exsisting service using something like a 156 or 158. Maybe even a bus/coach service to a town centre/airport. BR really could've thought up of a better name.

This is from the years the Space Shuttle was in full use (Apart from the occasional misshap). It was a pretty good name to make the extraordinary seem ordinary.