TfW/Scotrail route collaboration?

[Andy78uk]

Hi,

This might have already been mentioned somewhere before so apologises if its being repeated.

I remember hearing possibly a few years ago about a direct route between a Welsh station, maybe Cardiff, and a Scottish station, maybe Glasgow or Edinburgh, and possibly going via Manchester, which was going to be a joint operation by TfW and Scotrail.

Is this actually something in the pipeline?

Just curious about this.

Cheers

Andy

 

[DS25]

If this would to unlikely happen, what rolling stock would operate the route, and what would the calling points be?
Personally, I'd have it call at Cardiff Central, Newport, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Hereford, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, Crewe, Warrington BQ, Wigan NW, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme or Penrith then run to Glasgow/Edinburgh (calling at Haymarket and Motherwell)
Personally a route like this is something I would want to happen, but I doubt it would

 

[Severnia333]

If this would to unlikely happen, what rolling stock would operate the route, and what would the calling points be?
Personally, I'd have it call at Cardiff Central, Newport, Cwmbran, Abergavenny, Hereford, Ludlow, Shrewsbury, Crewe, Warrington BQ, Wigan NW, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme or Penrith then run to Glasgow/Edinburgh (calling at Haymarket and Motherwell)
Personally a route like this is something I would want to happen, but I doubt it would

That seems quite slow... I think something this length you'd want want to be minimal stops.

Cardiff, Newport, Briz Parkway, Bham New Street, Stoke/Crewe, Manchester Picc, Preston, Carlisle/Penrith, Glasgow

 

[Envoy]

The shortest and fastest route from Cardiff to Edinburgh/Glasgow is that outlined by DS25 above. The section from Cardiff to Crewe is also solely used by TFW for passenger services.

If ever this became a reality, then surely something like a bi-mode Inter City FLIRT would be the ideal rolling stock being as it is unlikely The Marches will get electrified.

 

[Acathater]

If you ignored Cardiff and instead reversed at Newport and ran to Bristol and even maybe Westbury you'd provide a XC route avoiding New Street - so reducing traffic through there
As for what to use - the 185s of course initially. If you're running north of Lancaster you need their hill-climbing grunt

 

[Smwrff]

A route from Cardiff to Edinburgh......ignoring Cardiff sounds sort of counter intuitive!

 

[Envoy]

Bristol to Edinburgh already has direct services - albeit via the longer Newcastle route. (Cardiff also has one direct service each way to Edinburgh via the longer Newcastle route - weekdays only).

 

[Acathater]

Bristol to Edinburgh already has direct services - albeit via the longer Newcastle route. (Cardiff also has one direct service each way to Edinburgh via the longer Newcastle route - weekdays only).

but via Birmingham
what I suggested avoids Birmingham and the associated overcrowding

 

[waverley47]

I think Andy is probably confused, about eighteen months ago there was a glut of open access operations proposed, most of them by just two or three culprits, and mostly denied.

They were submitted at the same time as it became clear that GBR would be unfriendly towards new open access operations, and that if these companies wanted a slice of the ORCATS pie, they'd need to get their applications in and get firm rights before that cliff edge. First, for example, in buying up the rights to operate the Stirling - Euston services, have ensured they will keep a portion of ticket sales on Edinburgh and the southern WCML to London ticket revenue after nationalisation.

One such proposal which didn't go anywhere was this outfit: Grand Union Trains. I expect this is where the confusion has come from.

In answer to the ScotRail and TfW question, I'd say that it would not be in either operators best interest to run new services up and down the WCML from Carlisle to Warrington. No such proposal has ever been discussed as far as I am aware between the two companies.

 

[gazthomas]

There are already so many options with just a simple change at Crewe or Manchester Piccadilly