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'Parliamentary' Trains

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Steve Hammond

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I've heard of parliamentary trains but don't really know much about them.
Is it posible to travel on them or is this actively discouraged?
Are there any such trains run in the South West of England?
Thanks in advance for any information provided in respect of this topic.
Looking foward to a possible adventure by rail.
 
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yorkie

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The term comes from the minimum level of service specified by parliament (a long time ago) for a line (or station) to be considered 'open' and avoid closure proceedings; see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-what-is-the-definition-of-a-parliamentary-train.129742/

The minimum frequency for a route to be considered to be open for passenger use is only once per week (in one direction!)

Very few trains run that infrequently!

However there are many more examples of infrequent services, which run more frequently than the parliamentary minimum, but only really exist for route knowledge retention purposes, e.g. Paddington to Marylebone, which runs once per day.

Then there more still that do not just exist for parliamentary or route retention reasons, but to provide a service at a time that is genuinely useful to customers e.g. the Dundee to Glasgow train via the Forth Bridge.

Then there are services which use lines that each have frequent services but the overall route taken by that train is infrequent. But this is getting even further than the original request.

If you want a narrow definition of strictly parliamentary trains it will be a very short list (with possibly none in the South West of England) so you may wish to widen your requirements to one of the above?

In any case you can travel on any service advertised in the public timetable.
 

bnm

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'Parliamentary' is a term nowadays most usually applied to services that are retained to prevent formal closure of a stretch of line or a station. Such closures require a formal legal process that can be long drawn out and expensive. Diversionary route retention knowledge is a secondary concern.

One location that fits that bill in the (South) West of England is Pilning Station in South Gloucestershire, near Bristol.

That station is served by just two trains a week. Both on Saturday and, since the removal of the footbridge to the westbound platform, both in the eastbound direction. Those two trains are:

0834 to Taunton
1534 to Taunton

Both trains start from Cardiff Central.

Passengers wanting to make a journey from Pilning to South Wales have to circulate via Filton Abbey Wood and double back. Passengers wishing to get to Pilning from Bristol and beyond have to circulate via Severn Tunnel Junction or Newport (South Wales) to pick up one of the two eastbound trains. Local fares and routeing easements are in place to allow this.
 
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Steve Hammond

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The term comes from the minimum level of service specified by parliament (a long time ago) for a line (or station) to be considered 'open' and avoid closure proceedings; see https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/trivia-what-is-the-definition-of-a-parliamentary-train.129742/

The minimum frequency for a route to be considered to be open for passenger use is only once per week (in one direction!)

Very few trains run that infrequently!

However there are many more examples of infrequent services, which run more frequently than the parliamentary minimum, but only really exist for route knowledge retention purposes, e.g. Paddington to Marylebone, which runs once per day.

Then there more still that do not just exist for parliamentary or route retention reasons, but to provide a service at a time that is genuinely useful to customers e.g. the Dundee to Glasgow train via the Forth Bridge.

Then there are services which use lines that each have frequent services but the overall route taken by that train is infrequent. But this is getting even further than the original request.

If you want a narrow definition of strictly parliamentary trains it will be a very short list (with possibly none in the South West of England) so you may wish to widen your requirements to one of the above?

In any case you can travel on any service advertised in the public timetable.
Thanks for the info Yorkie and all who have kindly provided information on this topic. very interesting stuff, when did this type of action to keep lines open come into practice? I'm looking at trying to ride on a service with the least number of passengers, should imagine it would be like having your own chartered train :)
 

Deafdoggie

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Ironically, some of these trains are quite busy, due to their rarity!I did the Stockport-Stayelbridge last week, there were 17 of us on departure-including one "genuine" passenger! 3 more joined us at Denton. Of course, this now has a return journey, so isn't truly a Parliamentary train anymore!

In the South West you have the Oakehamptons on Summer Sundays, not strictly parliamentary, and can be quite busy, but rare nevertheless.
 

Steve Hammond

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Yes I've enjoyed the trip to Okehampton previously and will be doing so again this summer, thanks for the suggestion.
 

cactustwirly

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Not really parlimentary, but Chapelton station on the Barnstaple only gets 2 trains per day.
 

30907

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very interesting stuff, when did this type of action to keep lines open come into practice?
The earliest example I can think of is the MSWJ line from Cheltenham to Andover which in about 1960 was reduced on some sections to 1 train (from 3) a day Mon-Sat. However, this was a prelude to closure proceeedings rather than an attempt to avoid them.
I would guess that reductions to 1 train a day SX at specific stations or over specific short sections started in the late 60s. It would be a good 10 years later that anything less frequent than that was introduced.
 

yorkie

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I'm looking at trying to ride on a service with the least number of passengers, should imagine it would be like having your own chartered train :)
If you post a thread in Trip Planning & Reports, I am sure people will come up with suggestions. I can think of a few and will contribute once you create the thread, to keep this one (mostly!) on topic ;)
 

Steve Hammond

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If you post a thread in Trip Planning & Reports, I am sure people will come up with suggestions. I can think of a few and will contribute once you create the thread, to keep this one (mostly!) on topic ;)
Cheers Yorkie, thanks for your suggestion and will do! :)
 

Spartacus

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The one out of Paddington always seems to get very lightly loaded when I’ve done it.
 

gnolife

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Peterborough to Horsham has been added to the list.
Not really - just becauase it's operationally convenient for GTR to join that pair of stations up on one service only (not checked myself, just going off this post) doesn't make it parliamentary as it isn't the only service on any section of the route
 

mmh

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I think Peterborough to Horsham is tongue in cheek, it doesn't go over any track which is rarely used (far from it!) but it's remarkably difficult to actually do that new direct route without changing due to the Thameslink chaos
 

Parallel

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2 services a day each way calling, apart from Sundays where it gets 4 services calling each way
As does Portsmouth Arms. There are some nice walks around there too, and a pub.

Coombe Junction Halt gets two trains a day stopping on the Looe Valley Line. All other trains do not pass it as they reverse at the junction without travelling up to the station.
 

cactustwirly

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Not a parlimentary, but the summer Saturday HST specials (London to Pembroke Dock & Newquay) a quite fun to do.

The HST to Hereford is also interesting, but obviously more frequent with 5x day each way.
 

Alex Smith

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Not a parlimentary, but the summer Saturday HST specials (London to Pembroke Dock & Newquay) a quite fun to do.

The HST to Hereford is also interesting, but obviously more frequent with 5x day each way.

I need the track from Oxford to Worcester, keep meaning to travel on a HST up to Hereford, will have to do soon!
 
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Polesworth on the trent valley is on a route that I travel and it gets 1 train per day and only in 1 direction as they knocked down the bridge to the southbound platforms, good way to eliminate demand there.
 

The Planner

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It is a bit narrow but the road bridge would still allow you to get to the up side.
 

A Challenge

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I imagine the Pilning services are no different to any other service on a Saturday from Cardiff to Bristol (and then onto the Wessex line as it goes), just with one extra stop added in.

Tees-side Airport is only served by 1 train per week (westbound only) but I can't imagine the train is empty (unlike, say, the Chiltern service to Paddington) as it is useful for other journeys
 

A Challenge

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Its still less useful, as the Teas-side Airport (and, I've just thought, Briech) are on on normal services.

I imagine the inbound is used more than the outbound (as it still goes from High Wycombe and is nonstop to a London station, whereas it goes from a different station on the outbound and only goes to West Ruislip), is it? It does run between South Ruislip and West Ruislip as a normal service though and so someone travelling just between the two might use it (and not realise it is any different to an ex-Marylebone train!)
 

Spartacus

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Don't think they're Parliamentaries, but the Sunday only Darlington - Hartlepool terminators are strange ones......and mostly empty.
Bit off topic, but the new Durham coast timetable has a Mon - Sat Newcastle to Stockton 2N40 which continues as 5N40 to Darlington, so in effect a through Darlington service. Why not class it as such?

It does look a bit strange, but I think it could be as simple as being because it needs to run fast in order to make a path into Darlington before the crew's next working out again. If the Darlington - Hartlepool - Darlington's are mostly empty it might be a wise choice so as not to mess up the path into Darlington at a busy time due to people for intermediate stations deciding to pull the pass com when they pass through somewhere like Eaglescliffe.
 

Muzer

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I need the track from Oxford to Worcester, keep meaning to travel on a HST up to Hereford, will have to do soon!
A friend and I hit the jackpot on that one once. On one occasion when Reading was shut they were running various things to Oxford as a railhead to change onto Chiltern services (I don't remember if GWR were actually running Chiltern diversions themselves or not). For operational convenience, the first service from Hereford ended up getting joined with a service to Swansea, and became an epic 259 mile Hereford to Swansea trip on a single advertised train service, via Worcester, Oxford, the Didcot West Curve, and Gloucester (since there were also Severn Tunnel works)! And of course we did that on a Hereford to Swansea fare using the direct train rule ;)
 

IanXC

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Don't think they're Parliamentaries, but the Sunday only Darlington - Hartlepool terminators are strange ones......and mostly empty.

Are they not the only franchised services which use the direct route via Stockton Cut Junction? I have always understood them to be Parliamentaries.

(Grand Central doesn't count to this purpose as the DfT must ensure the line has passenger service to avoid closure.)
 
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