Lichfield-Leicester Re-opening Potential?

[Birmz]

New user, live in Birmingham and regularly travel across the West and East Midlands.

I was looking at a few things online and considered the potential for re-opening the Lichfield to Burton-on-Trent 'South-Staffs Line' and Burton-on-Trent to Lichfield 'Ivanhoe Line' as one rail service. Proposal service run by either: XC...new service with additional Turbostars or alternating the Birmingham-Leciester paths via Nuneaton and Lichfield/Burton. EMT...with additional Sprinters or if you axed the Lichfield section it could run a circular Nottingham-Derby-Burton-Leicester-Nottingham service. WMR...new service with additional Turbostars or if it was ever possible extension of the X-C line to Burton and a different operator does Burton-Leicester/.

Lichfield City [terminus and interchange with X-City] - Lichfield Trent Valley [WCML interchange] - Alrewas - Burton-on-Trent [XCML interchange] - Ashby-de-la-Zouch - Coalville [potential interchange with Battlefield Line heritage railway] - Bardon Hill - Bagworth - Welford Road [for rugby stadium] - Leicester [terminus]

...Platform use at Lichfield and Leicester itself has it's own problems but hypothetically this could be a service every hour in each direction to provide better connectivity for the areas. The opportunity to provide a route from Nottingham to Birmingham that doesn't need to go via Derby, could enable alternative routing in the event of XC mainline problems. A fair few towns that are disconnected from the mainline would now have a train service, alongside a potential for Lichfield, Burton and Leicester commuters to get across the Midlands easier. Understandably, money is a big issue. Network Rail and whoever else that gets involved will inevitably argue the case that financial reasons is a big factor in decision making regarding this. However, considering that the line is already built but needing rejuvenation it could be feasible for improving the northern end of the Midlands. *Remember this is just an idea by the way*

 

[yorkie]

I do not know what the costs involved would be, but on the face of it a service via Lichfield and Coalville would be a good idea, though whether it's better value than many of the other ideas I do not know.

The opportunity to provide a route from Nottingham to Birmingham that doesn't need to go via Derby, could enable alternative routing in the event of XC mainline problems.

We already have this; I've been on Voyagers and HSTs that have gone via Lichfield as planned diversions on several occasions (usually without stopping) and a few years ago we even held a forum meal in Lichfield City and got a direct HST back to Leeds.

Note that during the hours that a frequent Cross City service is provided the XC trains are going to be very slow indeed between Birmingham and Lichfield.

The 1935 Newcastle - Birmingham is regularly booked via Lichfield in the current timetable: https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/C11259/2019-04-09

 

[whhistle]

I wonder how long it would take to get to Birmingham fro Leicester going that way?
If around an hour, could be competitive with the talk of the normal route via Nuneaton going to West Midlands Trains.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

The best hope here is to convert a semi-fast Lichfield path every hour to Diesel and extend it to Burton with a call at Alrewas; likely also including a call at Peartree to satisfy that station (All in the name of good Press).

For the Coalville line, you would probably need a bay platform at Burton due to the platform capacity there. You can probably ‘cut it in’ to the existing island. You probably want a major Parkway-style station on the roundabout at Church Gresley; another at Ashby de la Zouch; a station at Coalville and then a final station at Kirkby Muxloe.

The single biggest issue for time and effort is the fact that the Branch ‘faces the wrong way’ at the Leicester end. Not sure how you’d solve that one...

 

[Doctor Fegg]

I don't see a great need to run through services off the Cross-City. There's a possible argument for running some Ivanhoe services through to Lichfield TV, not so much for Burton-Lichfield (which is a pretty tiny commuter flow) but for giving Coalville, Ashby and Swadlincote a direct link to the WCML. But interweaving it with the intensive Cross-City service is likely to hammer reliability without giving many useful journey opportunities.

But...

Given limited budgets, running a commuter service from Ashby/Coalville to Derby would be the best place to start. Forget Coalville-Leicester for now, the north-facing Knighton Chord would be expensive and pathing into Leicester difficult. The commuter flow from East Staffordshire / South Derbyshire / NW Leicestershire into Burton and Derby is colossal, and the roads are uniformly clogged. A regular service (at least half-hourly peak, hourly peak) would be a winner from the off.

With only 5 miles between stations, there'd be no need to upgrade the line beyond 50mph; and by terminating at Derby you wouldn't need to rebuild the bay platform at Burton.

I suspect the main reason this hasn't happened is that Leicestershire County Council has always been the one driving the project, and for them Coalville-Leicester would be crucial. If Derbyshire and Staffordshire were to take a lead then maybe a Coalville-Derby service could happen.

 

[train_lover]

The West Midlands Combined Authority has published plans to extended the Cross City line north of Litchfield TV to Burton

 

[VT 390]

If paths on the Midland Main line could be found (possibly splitting/joining services at Kettering) could a service run London St Pancras, (selected Midland Main line stations), Market Harborough, Leicester South (new station), Coalville (new station), Ashby (new station), Swadlincote (new station), Burton-on-Trent & Derby.
This would have the benefits of:

• serving Leicester without an awkward new chord
• Direct trains between London and Burton-on-Trent
• Alternative route for MML diversions

I know that currently there is not the trains or capacity to do this but when EMT (or new franchise) order replacement stock then some services could split/join at Kettering or alternatively service on the above proposed route terminating at Kettering or Bedford with good connections to MML services.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

If paths on the Midland Main line could be found (possibly splitting/joining services at Kettering) could a service run London St Pancras, (selected Midland Main line stations), Market Harborough, Leicester South (new station), Coalville (new station), Ashby (new station), Swadlincote (new station), Burton-on-Trent & Derby.
This would have the benefits of:

• serving Leicester without an awkward new chord
• Direct trains between London and Burton-on-Trent
• Alternative route for MML diversions

I know that currently there is not the trains or capacity to do this but when EMT (or new franchise) order replacement stock then some services could split/join at Kettering or alternatively service on the above proposed route terminating at Kettering or Bedford with good connections to MML services.

I know the good people of Burton do want a new service and, in theory, when (sorry, if...) Corby is absorbed into Thameslink you could relatively easily use the Corby path to Kettering, let the Sheffield past and then continue to ‘Leicester South’ (or not even Leicester South), Coalville, Ashby De la Zouch and Burton; even extending to Derby if needed.