Later LNR semi-fast services?

[moogal]

Currently the last weekday semi-fast LNR service out of Euston is the 2150 to Birmingham.
After this, every LNR train stops pretty much everywhere, which makes it incredibly slow to get to busy further-out stations like Leighton Buzzard, Bletchley and Northampton. Also these late evening trains tend to be extremely busy - I use them quite regularly and they're often full and standing for rather a long time after Euston.

I'm aware that the south WCML goes down to 2 tracks around that time of night so it's harder to fit services in, however there's still several Avanti services after this point, so my question would be - is there any way to "flight" a LNR semi-fast service with a similar stopping pattern behind one of those, at least as far as Northampton? That way folk living in those outer stations don't have such a long trip (potentially standing for a lot of it), and it'd take some load off the stoppers.

 

[JonathanH]

Isn't one of the particular issues that two-track railway applies in both directions? Therefore, for every additional train that goes north, one has to come south.

The last fast line LNR train southbound before two track railway is the 2013 from Crewe (2149 from Milton Keynes), which stock stays overnight in Euston for the 0643 to Crewe. The 2036 from Birmingham New Street (2158 from Milton Keynes) runs slow line or fast line from Ledburn depending on which is open, and a 2202 stopper from Milton Keynes follows it. The rest of the southbound trains are then stoppers. Rolling stock for the 0621 to Birmingham New Street also needs to spend the night at Euston, which it does off a stopper before two track railway.

To run a faster LNR in the gap between Avanti trains and the existing LNR trains (if that gap exists) would need some balancing workings southbound which also need to fit in the corresponding southbound gaps.

The 'problem' of no semi-fasts also applies southbound. The 2036 from Birmingham arrives in Euston at 2252, but offers a LNR connection at Rugby arriving in Euston at 2226. There is no 2106, which instead leaves at 2115 and terminates at Northampton without a southbound connection. The 2136 arrives in Euston at 0012. The 2206 arrives in Euston at 0049.

 

[Hadders]

The Avanti trains after 22:00 aren't exactly fast. They're timed slow line - for example the 22:30 Avanti service to Birmingham New STreet is timed to take 55 minutes from Euston to Milton Keynes.

 

[Topological]

Are the LNR really standing room only? Could more capacity be added rather than additional services?

I understand that it feels faster to have a train that does not stop, but if it has to be timed slowly then stops seem to be beneficial.

 

[Jimini]

The Avanti trains after 22:00 aren't exactly fast. They're timed slow line - for example the 22:30 Avanti service to Birmingham New STreet is timed to take 55 minutes from Euston to Milton Keynes.

Aye, they're painfully slow if you miss the cut off! Miss the 2136 off Euston (might have changed since my time commuting on that line) at your peril.

 

[moogal]

Are the LNR really standing room only? Could more capacity be added rather than additional services?

I understand that it feels faster to have a train that does not stop, but if it has to be timed slowly then stops seem to be beneficial.

At least one of them is now a 10 car 730 which helps a lot, but most are still 8 car 350s, so even going up to 12 would help.
I think the perception of it taking a long time is exacerbated when you can't even get a seat.

 

[Kite159]

At least one of them is now a 10 car 730 which helps a lot, but most are still 8 car 350s, so even going up to 12 would help.
I think the perception of it taking a long time is exacerbated when you can't even get a seat.

And how many times is it a case of the rear coaches being busy but front coaches being lightly loaded due to it being Euston and only getting advertised a couple of minutes before departure.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And how many times is it a case of the rear coaches being busy but front coaches being lightly loaded due to it being Euston and only getting advertised a couple of minutes before departure.

That only tends to happen on 12 car sets (or 10 car 730s), not on 8s, particularly not if the 8 is in a "long" platform so the ramp end is about a third of the way down the train anyway. (Often the rear coaches are quietest on these services!)

 

[moogal]

And how many times is it a case of the rear coaches being busy but front coaches being lightly loaded due to it being Euston and only getting advertised a couple of minutes before departure.A

Not often in my experience - they've got a lot better at announcing things early (so long as the incoming stock has arrived), and they do fill up all the way through.