Interegional Services - Timetable

[Peter Kelford]

This thread is inspired by the 3 Hour London to Scotland one. It discusses interegional connectivity which improves both freight and passenger capacity. The ideas I can think of at the moment include:

Norwich and Anglia to Birmingham via Peterborough and Leicester. The nature of this project is the creation of a 100mph electrified line.

Newcastle-Carlisle. This line would do with electrification, offering WCML services to Newcastle (Liverpool to Newcastle).

Cambrian Improvements. The improvement of the Cambrian line to compete more effectively with road, primarily capacity upgrades which allow for a train every 1 or 2 hours.

Are there any others?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Cambrian Improvements. The improvement of the Cambrian line to compete more effectively with road, primarily capacity upgrades which allow for a train every 1 or 2 hours.

The Cambrian (i.e. the mainline, not the Pwllheli branch) already has the capacity for an hourly service, it just isn't being operated yet - I believe it's planned in future. Personally I think a rolling stock upgrade would be a good thing for what is a very long run - possibly some 4 or 5-car end-doored units with First Class and a small buffet/cafe area (like a diesel Class 444 perhaps). That would have the downside, though, of relegating Pwllheli to a connection, though a Class 230 with lots of luggage and cycle space would do that very well indeed.

(It is getting new CAF DMUs, but with little extra capacity and they are no more IC than the present 158s)

 

[The Planner]

Liverpool to Newcastle via Carlisle is moot if the Transpennine upgrade gets going.