Northern Rail Termination points (North East)

[kez19]

This is more of a question which I think the locals will know more than myself.

Question I was going to ask, I noticed the Northern rail from Middlesbrough terminates at Hexham and the other one is Carlisle to Morpeth.

I wondered why does the Middlesbrough one not go as far as Carlisle then turn back? Is it timings or is to do with crew changes etc?

Just to add would it not benefit Carlisle to have 2 services towards Newcastle? Just to say it’s only a question as I’m an outsider to the area.

 

[Anvil1984]

Carlisle does have two services during daytime hours to Newcastle on a weekday / Saturday (One to Morpeth and one that terminates at Newcastle). It’ll be a mixture of timings / unit diagramming and pathing as you say.

On a Sunday it is usually 1tph Middlesbrough / Nunthorpe - Newcastle - Carlisle

 

[kez19]

Carlisle does have two services during daytime hours to Newcastle on a weekday / Saturday (One to Morpeth and one that terminates at Newcastle). It’ll be a mixture of timings / unit diagramming and pathing as you say.

On a Sunday it is usually 1tph Middlesbrough / Nunthorpe - Newcastle - Carlisle

I was thinking as during the day (weekdays) without switching stations ie Hexham/Newcastle, but you point out this happens on a Sunday.

 

[Anvil1984]

I was thinking as during the day (weekdays), but you point out this happens on a Sunday.

But you also asked “would it not benefit Carlisle to have 2 services towards Newcastle” which it does

Again it’ll be a mixture of all the reasons you mentioned (some of the Durham Coasts are double sets so keeps them in place with a shorter trip to Hexham etc). Sometimes sets come fresh off Heaton for Cumbrian Coast / Settle and Carlisle services from Carlisle. Services at the Middlesbrough end use single track towards Nunthorpe / Whitby which isn’t always punctual especially with leaf fall and heat restrictions etc

 

[kez19]

But you also asked whether Carlisle should have two services towards Newcastle which it does

Again it’ll be a mixture of all the reasons you mentioned (some of the Durham Coasts are double sets so keeps them in place with a shorter trip to Hexham etc)

Oh right ok thank you

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Carlisle does have two services during daytime hours to Newcastle on a weekday / Saturday.

There's also the one daily Northern service from Carlisle that continues to Chathill. There's another to Nunthorpe and a third to Hartlepool during the week. On Saturday, there's a Carlisle -> Sunderland working, as well as Carlisle -> Chathill and Carlisle -> Middlesbrough and on Sundays, Carlisle -> Whitby.

 

[kez19]

There's also the one daily Northern service from Carlisle that continues to Chathill. There's another to Nunthorpe and a third to Hartlepool during the week. On Saturday, there's a Carlisle -> Sunderland working, as well as Carlisle -> Chathill and Carlisle -> Middlesbrough and on Sundays, Carlisle -> Whitby.

Thanks for the additional information too

 

[markydh]

Of course all of this will become moot whenever the new east coast timetable eventually happens, as there won’t be any through services (all trains will terminate at Newcastle from every direction for the majority of the day). As to the original post, given how regularly the Middlesbrough to Hexham trains end up picking 10 minutes worth of delays by the time they get to Newcastle, terminating them there would be far better for containing the delays.