Should all XC services call at Cambridge North?

[cle]

In the shorter term there might be other ways to get more from Ely. I’ve talked about being tougher on unused freight paths and reclaiming in some cases.

Could a south-facing bay or another through platform be built at Ely? This might enable more service between there and Stansted - likely the core of a Cambridge Crossrail. Or turn EWR services.

Could changes to the Norwich-Nottingham service save a path too? Swapping destinations for instance.

Could splitting/joining be considered?

Could Kings Lynn go to 1tph London (and a shuttle for the second?)

 

[Adrian1980uk]

As said by previous posters, XC called at Audley End years ago and no longer do. On the SWML they no longer call at Brockenhurst and soon even Winchester owing to lack of capacity so they aren't about to start adding calls at stations that will be busy when open.

Exactly. The way I see it is a compromise - you have an hourly 5 car 720 Stansted - Cambridge North to provide better connectivity and frequency with the XC service, or you overcrowd an hourly 3 car 170 by picking up Cambridge North and South calls.

We need to look at traffic flows compared to frequency infrastructure allows, cross Cambridge you have Thameslink to kings Cross, Anglia to Norwich services along with the cross country services and the Anglia Liverpool Street services so there is quite a lot of capacity there.

 

[Trainbike46]

In my ideal world, XC would get a fleet of new fleet of FLIRTs/755-alikes, with a length to fully use the XC platform at Stansted with a single unit, and XC would run hourly all day, obviously serving all 3 cambridge stations.

 

[greataj]

In the ECML timetable change for December 2025, it currently suggests that Birmingham-Leicester trains will reduced from 34 to 16 per day, which would suggest the local run would not operate with only the full Birmingham-Stansted service there:
https://ecmltimetable.info/stations/birmingham-new-street-station#station-content

Given it shows 0 however for Cardiff-Nottingham I'm sure it's more a case they're just not included for whatever reason, rather than withdrawn.

If this were true hypothetically the main disadvantage would be a frequency cut from Birmingham-Coleshill, Nuneaton and Leicester from 2 to 1tph, but suppose this could be partly counteracted with more longer trains? Besides that I could actually see some merit with this:
- You'd halve the passenger train flow from Nuneaton through to Wigston junction by removing one train that doesn't routinely call anywhere along that stretch anyway, perhaps allowing for greater freight throughput?
- Hinckley, Narborough and whatever may call at South Wigston would acheive greater connectivity with a regular service towards Cambridge/Stansted, rather than a Leicester terminating service
- Capacity freed up at Leicester and Nuneaton (1tph) for potential new services elsewhere, or freight. Coleshill would be the main loser but given the passenger flows it's obviously not very well patronised anyway. It sees less passenger throughput than Hinckley and Narborough despite having almost double the service level (off-peak at least).
- This could go some way to adressing driver shortages with a, relatively, minimal impact on service provision, so long as some longer trains could substitute capacity between Birmingham and Nuneaton/Leicester. Platform 2 at Stansted is one of the biggest contraints for bigger trains - I've definitely seen 4-car combinations (2x 2-carriage Class 170 units) operating there but I don't think it can take a 5-car combination, though could be wrong. This would also make the ad-hoc calls in Whittlesea and Manea challenging due to their very short platforms, assuming those calls would continue.

 

[cle]

If anything, Brum-Leicester needs another stopper, and the Cambridge could call at Nuneaton only. The Midlands Hub, if the eastern bits happen, might support this.

But really the Leicester stopper should extend to Peterborough, giving 2tph on that whole leg.

Ideally Cambridge would have a 5 car Azuma service up to Leeds or York.

 

[Meerkat]

Could Peterborough cope with terminating XC and terminating a Stansted-Peterborough* service?
Which flow is more important to get through trains Norwich or Cambridge/Stansted?

*activates crayoning for it to extend through the Werrington underpass to a new Peterborough North station, or even Spalding.