Sudbury Suffolk to Walton On Naze

[Bringback309s]

GA have stated that Sudbury services will be extended to Colchester Town once the FLIRTS have been intorduced. However, this would mean to maintain an hourly service with only one unit on the branch, there would need to be a long layover at Colchester Town hogging the platform. I've just studied the timetables and realised using existing off peak patterns, they could simply merge the Colchester to Walton and Sudbury services making a much more attractive Sudbury to Walton service. There is enough space to give a few minutes at Marks Tey for switchover to diesel - it could work perfectly. Is there any reason why it couldn't be done? Could a FLIRT happily work to Walton? Would its low floors give issue at Wivenhoe?

 

[Z12XE]

If this service makes it into the new timetable I'd expect it to run to Colchester Town then back to Colchester North before going back to the town and then off to Sudbury again. The London service does this at the moment.

Remember the current timetable gets scrapped so whatever the pattern is now may not be the same in the future.

If this service does run I see it plagued with delays anyway (because it will be held back to let more important services run at Colchester or Marks Tey on the main line) so interworking it with another branch line will import those delays elsewhere.