An Express Service On The Overground
On Thursday, last week, I was travelling between Highbury & Islington and Willesden Junction stations on the North London Line of the London Overground. From Willesden Junction I intended to get the Bakerloo Line to Paddington for my trip to Okehampton.
There had been a problem and the train was rather full.
The surprise was that after Camden Road station it went non-stop to Willesden Junction.
It got me thinking.
- The Class 378 train sped along, as does the occasional Class 800 train, that is going to and from Hitachi’s North Pole Depot.
- It has been proposed to turn back some trains at Camden Road to increase frequencies through East London, which I wrote about in Will Camden Road Station Get A Third Platform?.
- There is a spare rarely-used bay platform at Willesden Junction station with short-distance step-free access to the two platforms that serve the Watford DC and Bakerloo Lines.
- I seem to remember that original plans for the North London Line including extending some services to Willesden Junction.
Could an express service be run between Stratford and Willesden Junction stations?
- It would stop at all stations to the East of Camden Road.
- It would terminate bay platform at Willesden Junction.
- It would improve the interchange at Willesden Junction station for many travellers.
I suspect though, it would need improved signalling, which is probably the reason it has never been implemented.
Is There A Case For A Round-The-Wash Service Between Doncaster And Ipswich/Norwich?
I suggested this service in The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands And The East Coast Main Line.
Effectively, it would join East Midlands Railway’s Doncaster and Peterborough service with Greater Anglia’s Cambridge and Ipswich service.
- The service could go via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge North, Cambridge, Newmarket, Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket.
- There would be reverses at Cleethorpes and Cambridge.
- There may be extra stops in Lincolnshire and across Suffolk.
- The service would not use the East Coast Main Line, but would use the new Werrington Dive-Under and the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line to the East of the East Coast Main Line.
- The frequency would be one train per two hours (1tp2h).
- Ideal trains could be Class 755 trains, perhaps running on batteries or hydrogen.
It would be paired with a new Doncaster and Norwich service, that could partly replace East Midlands Railway’s Liverpool and Norwich service.
- The service could go via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge North, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.
- There would be reverses at Cleethorpes and Cambridge.
- There may be extra stops in Lincolnshire and across Norfolk.
As with the Ipswich train it would not use the East Coast Main Line and have a frequency of 1tp2h.
The Objectives Of The Service
I believe this service could have several objectives.
Remove Slower Trains From The East Coast Main Line Between Peterborough And Doncaster
There aren’t many except freight, but this plan could provide a better solution to the Liverpool and Norwich service.
Providing Better Connections To The Biggest Growth Point In The UK – Cambridge
Cambridge needs better connections, so that it can bring in the staff and workers, that the high-tech capital of the UK needs.
Better Connection Of East Anglia And Lincolnshire To Northern England And Scotland
In Peterborough and Doncaster the route has two main interchanges to bring about these connections.
Promoting Tourism
For a start the route has five cathedrals; Bury St. Edmunds, Ely, Lincoln, Norwich and Peterborough and the historic city of Cambridge.
But I do believe that there are numerous places, where tourists might stay on the route and use it to explore the East of the country.
A Few Questions
These are a few questions.
Would The Route Be Electrified?
I don’t believe it will be fully electrified for two reasons.
Freight locomotives will increasingly become hydrogen-powered and also be able to use electrification, where it exists.
Plans by the likes of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Furrer and Frey are likely to enable discontinuous and battery-electric trains to be able to work the route.
This philosophy would avoid all the disruption and reconstruction of structures of electrification and probably be much more affordable.
Would York Or Leeds Make A Better Northern Terminal For The Route?
Both have possibilities.
- York would need running on the East Coast Main Line.
- Leeds would probably need trains capable of 125 mph running.
On the other hand both Leeds and York would have superb connectivity.
Conclusion
I feel this would be a very valuable new service and it could be created without building any new infrastructure other than perhaps some strategic stations.
The Anonymous Widower 