Liverpool-Cardiff is now, and will remain after the Halton Curve is open, faster via Crewe to Shrewsbury and onwards.
.. and Liverpool to Edinburgh will always be quicker by the WCML, but it doesn't stop the new TPE franchise running a direct service by extending the current Newcastle one. We are always told that is to benefit the people of Yorkshire getting to Edinburgh, well J Collin's suggestion would be to benefit the people of Wrexham getting to Liverpool, (and vice versa).
The simple point that JCollins is making, and it is a very valid one, is that for all but a handful of people regular connectivity between North Wales and the cities of both Manchester and Liverpool, will be of much greater relevance than connectivity to Cardiff. With that in mind, I am once again going to state my position on this.
The current Holyhead to Cardiff should keep its 'Premier' through service and maybe have another path in the middle of the day.
All remaining Holyhead workings would continue through Chester limited stop into Manchester and possibly onto the Airport
All Remaining Cardiff workings would continue through Chester limited stop into Liverpool.
The Current Llandudno - Manchester would instead go into Liverpool,
The Northern Connect Service would extend beyond Chester to Wrexham.
That way the North Wales coast, and Wrexham would both have connectivity to the two major cities of the North West.
What colour the carriages are, which company ultimately reaps the profits of these services and which governing body makes the decisions I really don't care. But given the limitations on the infrastructure, and political games aside, these are the services that ultimately I believe would be of most use to the vast majority of people wanting to use the railways.
