May 2026 timetable

[dk1]

If you ever want an excuse to swear at a freight train, try standing on Manchester Piccadilly Platforms 13 and 14, six deep with commuters, during the evening rush.

Always good entertainment

 

[The Planner]

Indeed, I would say that passenger paths need to take precedence and freight just needs to fit round the passenger services, so that if a passenger service - particularly a long standing one - needs the path, freight just has to fit round it.

Freight traffic is considerably less time sensitive than passenger - you can probably loop a freight train for 15 mins in the middle of nowhere to allow other trains to pass while this would probably be unacceptable for a passenger service.

I wonder how BR dealt with this? Did BR prioritise passenger services and get freight to use whatever was left over?

Those days are over for Intermodal traffic. You can't just loop trains anymore.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 May 2026 ==

Chiltern should explore beginning their Oxford - Moor St service asap, and undercut XC in a major way. Will maybe be moot under GBR…

As explained before, if the XC path is there north of Leamington, they can't.

 

[brad465]

Maidstone to Blackfriars services make a return on Southeastern with a morning service (1F91) at 06:52 from Maidstone East to Blackfriars arriving at 08:05.
In the evening the return service (1F97) departs Blackfriars at 17:44 arriving at Maidstone East at 18:55

Southeastern's updated report on this suggests these will all be 8-car 377s. I'm guessing they've got some availability within the existing fleet as SE have not received anymore between December and now, and these are all additional services (although the evening peak to Maidstone goes onto Charing X services after, but presumably does a swap with another diagram already running).

Train Timetables | Southeastern Railway

Check your train times before you travel. Download our timetables for updated routes and times along with helpful information for your journey.

www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

Direct peak-time services restored to London Blackfriars​

Morning peak arrivals at Blackfriars include:​

• 0652 Maidstone East – Blackfriars, calling at Barming, East Malling, West Malling, Borough Green & Wrotham, Otford, Swanley, St Mary Cray, Bromley South and Elephant & Castle
• 0730 Gillingham – Blackfriars, calling at Chatham, Rochester, Meopham, Longfield, Swanley, Bromley South and Elephant & Castle

Evening peak returns include:​

• 1710 Blackfriars – Rochester
• 1744 Blackfriars – Maidstone East (Services will be formed of 8 car Class 377 Electrostars.)

 

[Killingworth]

The growth in leisure travel on the railway since Covid hasn't done much for its revenue position, which is still worse than before Covid. Just because leisure travel raises some revenue doesn't mean that there are no better ways to raise more revenue.

Interesting facts that need watching are increasing passenger numbers, reduced average journey lengths and depressed income. Much of that is down to the reduced amount of business travel and commuting against increased leisure users looking for the cheapest fares.

The ORR is considering how they tackle the split ticketing effect. That may account for 5% of journeys on some routes, and maybe higher for long distance operators like CrossCountry.

 

[wls1]

Southeastern's updated report on this suggests these will all be 8-car 377s. I'm guessing they've got some availability within the existing fleet as SE have not received anymore between December and now, and these are all additional services (although the evening peak to Maidstone goes onto Charing X services after, but presumably does a swap with another diagram already running).

Train Timetables | Southeastern Railway

Check your train times before you travel. Download our timetables for updated routes and times along with helpful information for your journey.

www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

Stock for these Blackfriars services should come from changing the majority of Gillingham - Victoria semi fasts into networkers both 8 and 6 car

 

[dk1]

We are certainly winners here in Brundall this time round. With almost all Lowestoft services becoming stoppers the village now enjoys at least two trains to Norwich 7 days a week. Add to that additional Great Yarmouth services (SX) at 08:44 up (09:07) & 18:02 down which are being reinstated after ceasing during the pandemic. The latter also calls at Brundall Gardens (my closest station) which will be good for local commuters and those connecting from Stansted & London arrivals. On Sunday late afternoon & evenings the calls at the Gardens are also doubled to hourly in both directions.

 

[Kilopylae]

Leisure travel has a limited impact on the economy more generally, it is mainly about people spending money in place B instead of place A. If that expenditure is outside the UK, then that's a loss to the UK economy.

This doesn't tell you that the notions of "growth" you're working with are a little artificial, and not worth hinging train timetables on?

 

[brad465]

Stock for these Blackfriars services should come from changing the majority of Gillingham - Victoria semi fasts into networkers both 8 and 6 car

Are you privy to this stock allocation from inside Southeastern? I doubt 6-car Networkers will be an option, as there are not many 466s left, with the remaining ones more or less fully utilised. They might be able to make one of the GLM-VIC diagrams an 8-car, but I doubt enough 465s are available to convert two, at least not till the bulk of them have had their C4 overhauls.

 

[jfollows]

The ORR is considering how they tackle the split ticketing effect. That may account for 5% of journeys on some routes, and maybe higher for long distance operators like CrossCountry.

Makes sense to me.
I only split tickets for two reasons:

1. Ridiculous Cross Country fares, eg Wilmslow-Birmingham, huge savings made by splitting at Stafford
2. Lack of long distance day returns, eg Wilmslow-Derby, split at Tutbury & Hatton to overcome this.

It’s good that more people are aware of these anomolies.

Both are stupid circumventions for a broken system.

 

[nw1]

Makes sense to me.
I only split tickets for two reasons:

1. Ridiculous Cross Country fares, eg Wilmslow-Birmingham, huge savings made by splitting at Stafford
2. Lack of long distance day returns, eg Wilmslow-Derby, split at Tutbury & Hatton to overcome this.

Not sure I'd even call this long distance - as the crow flies, it's really not very far at all. Both towns are not far from opposite edges of the Peak District. Certainly well within the range where day returns ought to be available.

 

[jfollows]

Not sure I'd even call this long distance - as the crow flies, it's really not very far at all. Both towns are not far from opposite edges of the Peak District. Certainly well within the range where day returns ought to be available.

I agree.
Back in the day I did a day return Macclesfield-Weymouth, and it could be argued that this is long distance, although why the ticket should be abolished even so doesn’t make sense to me. But Wilmslow-Derby is sillier to have abolished them. So people “in the know” or who use the right Web sites are OK, but without knowing and turning up for a ticket at a ticket office, you’re effectively fleeced. I bought from the ticket office on the day but explicitly asked for the split tickets.

 

[Class 170101]

Indeed, I would say that passenger paths need to take precedence and freight just needs to fit round the passenger services, so that if a passenger service - particularly a long standing one - needs the path, freight just has to fit round it.

Freight traffic is considerably less time sensitive than passenger - you can probably loop a freight train for 15 mins in the middle of nowhere to allow other trains to pass while this would probably be unacceptable for a passenger service.

I wonder how BR dealt with this? Did BR prioritise passenger services and get freight to use whatever was left over?

You are also assuming that the loops are long enough for Freight Trains. Some of the longest Freight trains are now too long for the loops on the network and have to be run straight through.

Some trains are also over length on the day and although scheduled to be looped cannot do so on the day.

 

[fishwomp]

In the case of Banbury, most of the southbound freight is intermodal to Southampton, and it has a ship to catch.

Indeed!

FWIW - this is what one of the new XCs has to contend with:

Taking the 0733 dep BHM to RDG - which will skip Banbury..

BHM d 0733. (NB. the working for ECS/incoming not yet in the realtimetrains feed, but its platform, 11a, isn't busy);
has 3 mins pathing allowance at Grand Jct+Proof House
is 4 mins behind an _as required_ freightliner at Bordesley, which loops for a 30 mins wait just after Bordesley - and ran only once last week..
LMS 0802-0803.5 {5 mins behind BMO to LMS stopper}
{nothing southbound until 0821}
BAN {pass} 0820.5 {nothing southbound until 0835}
OXF 0838.5-0841. {0845-0847 ex Gt Malvern to Pad wants the platform after it}
Didcot East {pass} - 0852 {conflict at 0854.5 with ex Southampton freightliner entering Didcot for a 100 min break)
RDG 0908 {yeah, busy}

Its pathing allowances between BHM and LMS are 2.5 mins longer than the 0833 BHM (ex NCL) to RDG.

Taking all that in,... what could be done differently to squeeze in a stop at Banbury..? Seems to me that a 2 min earlier arrival at LMS and 1 min later dep at Oxford could be possible without obvious pain.

 

[Benjwri]

is 4 mins behind an _as required_ freightliner at Bordesley,

4 minutes is the minimum headway here. It doesn't matter that the path is as required, it exists. Changing that would be a far bigger discussion than just the Banbury calls. It is then following 4O44 to Dorridge at minimum headway as well. I do not see any way in which it could arrive at Leamington any earlier without moving these paths, and the stop at Leamington is minimum dwell. At Oxford the minimum platform reoccupation is 3 minutes, so as you say it can arrive one minute later. Given the minimum dwell is 1 1/2 minutes for a voyager this obviously isn't going to fit, let alone an extra half minute again as the train is now starting from stopped at Banbury.

 

[Harpo]

I wonder how BR dealt with this? Did BR prioritise passenger services and get freight to use whatever was left over?

In general terms, yes. The principle of InterCity being ‘first on the graph’ on core routes although odd bits of flexing/pathing time were needed in places in the peaks. The arrival of company freight trains from around the 70s where customers expressed their needs over BR’s did start shifting things a little.

 

[fishwomp]

4 minutes is the minimum headway here. It doesn't matter that the path is as required, it exists. Changing that would be a far bigger discussion than just the Banbury calls. It is then following 4O44 to Dorridge at minimum headway as well.

The as required 4O13 does spend 30 mins at Small Heath, it's actually overtaken in theory by another as required (ex Wakefield).. that break could be split between St Andrews Jct and Small Heath, if the ex Wakefield didn't exist..

It's not hard to see capacity getting sucked out by trains that rarely run.., doesn't feel like a good use of capacity..

Is a 2-car lightly loaded sprinter of more value than a rarely run freight slot .. !

 

[Merle Haggard]

It's a long time since I retired but in my day one issue was the actual timetabled overall speed of class 4, 75mph, freight trains. From recollection it was about 23 mph.
An example taken at random is Northampton Gateway to Southampton Docks. By road, A43 then A34, it's about 111 miles and the freight trains take an only slightly less direct route. One such train is timetabled to leave Northampton Gateway at 1908 and arrive at Southampton at 0440 the next morning. That's 9 hours 32 minutes, so an average speed, on the basis of road miles, of 11 1/2 mph. Surely there's not many passenger trains between midnight and 0440?
Another issue was regulation; a late running class 2 all stations train formed of stock limited to 75mph would often be given precedence over an on-time class 4 75 mph freight train. Don't know whether things have changed.

 

[The Planner]

It's a long time since I retired but in my day one issue was the actual timetabled overall speed of class 4, 75mph, freight trains. From recollection it was about 23 mph.
An example taken at random is Northampton Gateway to Southampton Docks. By road, A43 then A34, it's about 111 miles and the freight trains take an only slightly less direct route. One such train is timetabled to leave Northampton Gateway at 1908 and arrive at Southampton at 0440 the next morning. That's 9 hours 32 minutes, so an average speed, on the basis of road miles, of 11 1/2 mph. Surely there's not many passenger trains between midnight and 0440?
Another issue was regulation; a late running class 2 all stations train formed of stock limited to 75mph would often be given precedence over an on-time class 4 75 mph freight train. Don't know whether things have changed.

Thats a bit of a poor example as it goes into DBs depot at Didcot for 5 hours 45.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Thats a bit of a poor example as it goes into DBs depot at Didcot for 5 hours 45.

Sorry, didn't look at it closely, just took a local example.
Edit,
Subtracting the 5 hrs 45 minutes at Didcot leaves 3 hours 47 minutes for 111 miles, average just under 30 mph. So still not very impressive for a 75 mph train

 

[Falcon1200]

Another issue was regulation; a late running class 2 all stations train formed of stock limited to 75mph would often be given precedence over an on-time class 4 75 mph freight train. Don't know whether things have changed.

They did (sometimes) when I was a Controller - Refer my Post #429!

 

[Merle Haggard]

They did (sometimes) when I was a Controller - Refer my Post #429!

Yes, I did notice your post.
We managed to build bridges with certain Controls and Power Boxes and if traffic was needed urgently my colleague would persuade them to 'give our train a run'. Obviously, sparingly and only when really needed, production lines and boats involved. People understood and were happy to do it.
But sadly as soon as Railtrack took over they had to just stick to the rules. Walls instead of bridges

 

[Watershed]

Subtracting the 5 hrs 45 minutes at Didcot leaves 3 hours 47 minutes for 111 miles, average just under 30 mph. So still not very impressive for a 75 mph train

Google Maps says the driving time departing now, with no traffic, is 2h3m. Add on extra time to account for the fact that trucks can only go 56mph and for the typical traffic which might be expected during the daytime and the two figures aren't so dissimilar. Speed is also hardly of the essence for container traffic - they could easily fly the goods by air freight if so, rather than plodding along the ocean at 10 knots!

 

[The Planner]

Sorry, didn't look at it closely, just took a local example.
Edit,
Subtracting the 5 hrs 45 minutes at Didcot leaves 3 hours 47 minutes for 111 miles, average just under 30 mph. So still not very impressive for a 75 mph train

23 minutes is sat in Claydon for an E-W service. It has to wait at Oxford North and looks to have a driver change elsewhere, stopping 1600t trailing and getting it started again isn't quick.

 

[davews]

There are actually some changes on SWR from May!

All Reading services now stop at Vauxhall in both directions, with departures from Waterloo two minutes earlier than now.

On Mon-Fri the 2048 and 2148 from Waterloo are extended from Bracknell to Reading, while the 2248 is extended to Wokingham. There is also a new 2241 from Reading to Waterloo.

The above have followed intense lobbying by local MPs.

I have just noticed this change, all Reading trains calling at Vauxhall. This was one of the suggestions in the earlier proposed timetable changes dropped after covid. I have mixed views. Clearly of advantage if you are going to use the Victoria line. Otherwise just increases journey time. And more importantly to me, there are no loos at Vauxhall. Good though we have got rid of the evening Bracknell terminators but have now got one which terminates at Wokingham instead, probably not what our Bracknell MP wanted in his campaigning.

 

[Kite159]

I have just noticed this change, all Reading trains calling at Vauxhall. This was one of the suggestions in the earlier proposed timetable changes dropped after covid. I have mixed views. Clearly of advantage if you are going to use the Victoria line. Otherwise just increases journey time. And more importantly to me, there are no loos at Vauxhall. Good though we have got rid of the evening Bracknell terminators but have now got one which terminates at Wokingham instead, probably not what our Bracknell MP wanted in his campaigning.

At least Wokingham is slightly better than Bracknell, assuming there is a GWR service between the arrival of the Wokingham terminator & the next SWR to Reading

 

[Goldfish62]

At least Wokingham is slightly better than Bracknell, assuming there is a GWR service between the arrival of the Wokingham terminator & the next SWR to Reading

There is, a few minutes after. Assuming it runs, which given it's the North Downs line that's by no means certain!

 

[MasterPhillips]

There is, a few minutes after. Assuming it runs, which given it's the North Downs line that's by no means certain!

The train only has 7 minutes to be cleared out. So if it is just a few minutes late I can imagine the GWR service will be let into Wokingham first.

And it is only one service which terminates at Wokingham, the rest all run through to Reading, so we should at least be grateful for that.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Google Maps says the driving time departing now, with no traffic, is 2h3m. Add on extra time to account for the fact that trucks can only go 56mph and for the typical traffic which might be expected during the daytime and the two figures aren't so dissimilar. Speed is also hardly of the essence for container traffic - they could easily fly the goods by air freight if so, rather than plodding along the ocean at 10 knots!

I was only quoting the road details as a rough estimate of the distance.
Wagons are designed for different maximum speeds and the faster they are permitted to travel the more expensive they are to build.
Speed may not be essential for export box traffic - it's mostly empty boxes anyway, or used to be. But the boat doesn't wait if the train's late. In the case of import traffic there may well be schedules for delivery of the contents from the freight terminal.
Speed is of importance in some freight traffic though, although some of the best paying (because of the speed) seems to have been lost for various reasons.
On a personal note I sometimes have to drive on the A34 and I wish more container traffic went by rail; following an 'overtaking' lorry doing 0.1 mph faster than the overtaken one on the downhill followed by 0.1 mph less on the subsequent uphill, remaining side by side for mils really causes congestion behind imo. But it does seem to demonstrate that speed is indeed important, at least to the overtaking lorry driver.

23 minutes is sat in Claydon for an E-W service. It has to wait at Oxford North and looks to have a driver change elsewhere, stopping 1600t trailing and getting it started again isn't quick. (my bold)

Indeed., But this is an argument against 'why can't they loop freight trains out of the way of my passenger train' surely. My comment was with regard to comments of that nature above. Give them a run and they'll cause less delays overall.

The interest in average speed of class 4s was also with reference to the interference with passengers trains, though I accept that, when they're actually moving they are probably doing so at close to 75 mph. But the lower the average speed, simplistically (I know) the longer the journey time and the more opportunity are out getting in the way of passenger trains. But standing at Claytdon doesn't count in this, I know - until passenger services start.

//

On the subject of freight driver changes; I was recently waiting for a train on a down fast main line platform, and saw someone I know also waiting. He was releiving a freight train; the train stopped and the crew change took a very short time - perhaps a minute. it happened to be empties, but my mate took off with such effort that, by the time the last wagon passed me, it was already going well - doing perhaps 40 mph. So a crew change shouldn't take long (spoiler - it was not a DB Schenker train)

 

[NormalPerson7]

Does anyone know what's happening with the 1929 Chester to Euston (Monday to Friday) in the May timetable? I can see it on weekdays in both RTT and on Network Rail's electronic National Rail timetable, table 065, but curiously it doesn't appear in Avanti's timetable for the 6 month period, and it's currently not possible to book tickets on this service on any date I've tried because they're "sold out". This could potentially be a very useful train for me as it is unusually scheduled to call at Milton Keynes Central.

The previous iteration of this train, which used to depart at 1932, was axed in December alongside the whole WCML pathing fiasco that was discussed here https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-december-2025-timetable-change.295483/page-3

 

[The Planner]

I was only quoting the road details as a rough estimate of the distance.
Wagons are designed for different maximum speeds and the faster they are permitted to travel the more expensive they are to build.
Speed may not be essential for export box traffic - it's mostly empty boxes anyway, or used to be. But the boat doesn't wait if the train's late. In the case of import traffic there may well be schedules for delivery of the contents from the freight terminal.
Speed is of importance in some freight traffic though, although some of the best paying (because of the speed) seems to have been lost for various reasons.
On a personal note I sometimes have to drive on the A34 and I wish more container traffic went by rail; following an 'overtaking' lorry doing 0.1 mph faster than the overtaken one on the downhill followed by 0.1 mph less on the subsequent uphill, remaining side by side for mils really causes congestion behind imo. But it does seem to demonstrate that speed is indeed important, at least to the overtaking lorry driver.



Indeed., But this is an argument against 'why can't they loop freight trains out of the way of my passenger train' surely. My comment was with regard to comments of that nature above. Give them a run and they'll cause less delays overall.

The interest in average speed of class 4s was also with reference to the interference with passengers trains, though I accept that, when they're actually moving they are probably doing so at close to 75 mph. But the lower the average speed, simplistically (I know) the longer the journey time and the more opportunity are out getting in the way of passenger trains. But standing at Claytdon doesn't count in this, I know - until passenger services start.

//

On the subject of freight driver changes; I was recently waiting for a train on a down fast main line platform, and saw someone I know also waiting. He was releiving a freight train; the train stopped and the crew change took a very short time - perhaps a minute. it happened to be empties, but my mate took off with such effort that, by the time the last wagon passed me, it was already going well - doing perhaps 40 mph. So a crew change shouldn't take long (spoiler - it was not a DB Schenker train)

Crew changes are normally given 2 minute dwells.