What if CrossCountry could restore the services

[WTT Gremlin]

Why not use mk4 coaches and loco haul for a service? Might give the 93s something do ; Sussex Scot? Dorset Scot? Liverpool to Dover direct? All avoiding London and no changing?

A) The carriages approach 40 years old and have a compromised design thanks to tilting.
B) Even combined the Class 93s have less than 1800, the journey times and paths which they would have off the wires (and particularly on 3rd rail territory) would significantly offset any advantage from direct services.

 

[The exile]

Why not use mk4 coaches and loco haul for a service? Might give the 93s something do ; Sussex Scot? Dorset Scot? Liverpool to Dover direct? All avoiding London and no changing?

For very similar reasons to why most of the former cross-London services were short-lived. Add to that the fact that there are probably even fewer paths available than 30 years ago.

 

[Harlequinuk]

For very similar reasons to why most of the former cross-London services were short-lived. Add to that the fact that there are probably even fewer paths available than 30 years ago.

25 years For Brighton services wasn`t short lived (to Manchester then Scotland) , 18 years for Poole to Glasgow - Wessex Scot. They would be freight timings (was a 47 then traction change to electric at Birmingham)

 

[The exile]

25 years For Brighton services wasn`t short lived (to Manchester then Scotland) , 18 years for Poole to Glasgow - Wessex Scot. They would be freight timings (was a 47 then traction change to electric at Birmingham)

Indeed, the Brighton wasn't short-lived (hence "most"). The others (Dover / Canterbury / Ramsgate) were. The closest the Poole services got to being "cross-London" was somewhere between Reading and Basingstoke!

 

[Jimini]

Indeed, the Brighton wasn't short-lived (hence "most"). The others (Dover / Canterbury / Ramsgate) were. The closest the Poole services got to being "cross-London" was somewhere between Reading and Basingstoke!

Back in 2002(ish), I used to live / work in Croydon, but had ties back to Reading. Used to love those services when heading to Berkshire for the weekend; one quick stop at Kensington Olympia but other than that, a nice direct train! I can still remember being held on the slope by Acton Mainline, waiting for a path across the GWML to the down main

 

[VItraveller]

The logical home for Reading - Birmingham if not with an XC-type operation is with what is currently GWR. Possibly combined with the Oxford fasts so as not to take up any more paths into Paddington. Hourly 9-car IETs or equivalents should resolve capacity issues - though there would be a loss of capacity /frequency between Oxford and Reading that might need addressing.

an out of the box solution for Birmingham to Reading is a service from Birmingham Moor Street to Reading via Solihull, Leamington, Banbury and Oxfordrun by Chiltern or whatever it turns into, true folks from Coventry and Birmingham International would lose out but to be honest most long-distance services start from New Street anyway and it’s quite frequent service from Birmingham International, and Leamington isn’t really that far from Coventry station anyway.

 

[The Planner]

an out of the box solution for Birmingham to Reading is a service from Birmingham Moor Street to Reading via Solihull, Leamington, Banbury and Oxfordrun by Chiltern or whatever it turns into, true folks from Coventry and Birmingham International would lose out but to be honest most long-distance services start from New Street anyway and it’s quite frequent service from Birmingham International, and Leamington isn’t really that far from Coventry station anyway.

Are you suggesting an extra service here (which has always been on the cards post HS2) or re-routing an existing one into Moor St? If its the latter, then thats incredibly unlikely.