WTT query

[Tim R-T-C]

Hi folks,

I spend a lot of time these days browsing through RTT and I've noticed that there seem to be a lot of quite regular freight workings that always use a STP or even VSPT, while at the same time a number of workings that are listed as WTT and in for every weekday seem to be rarely if ever used.

How are paths for freight trains allocated and is there any advantage to booking a regular path for a rare train or running regular services via a STP?

Thanks.

 

[The Planner]

No real allocation as such, if a freight operator bids for a path and it works then it goes in! If it is a short term flow then more often than not it will just be used STP until it ends. A WTT path may not neccessarily be used but may be considered strategic in the larger picture and gets kept.