The Anonymous Widower

Could The High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield And Crewe Still Be Built?

The original plan for High Speed Two included two routes between Lichfield and Crewe.

This map clipped from the High Speed Two web site, shows the two routes.

Note.

1. High Speed Two Phase 2a is shown in blue.
2. High Speed Two Phase 2b is shown in orange.
3. Crewe is in the North-West corner of the map, at the Southern end of the orange section.
4. The junction at Lichfield is in the South-East corner of the map.
5. The lighter blue route to the East, between the Lichfield junction and Crewe is the proposed new tracks of High Speed Two.
6. The darker blue route to the West, between the Lichfield junction and Crewe is the existing route of the Trent Valley Line and the West Coast Main Line.
7. The Trent Valley Line joins the West Coast Main Line at Stafford.

This second map clipped from the High Speed Two web site, shows the junction North of Lichfield, where High Speed Two connects to the Trent Valley Line through Stafford.

Note.

1. High Speed Two runs North-South across the map.
2. After the Junction by Fradley South, High Speed Two to Crewe and the North, is the branch to the East.
3. The other branch connects to the Trent Valley Line at Handsacre junction.
4. Trent Valley Line can be picked out North of Lichfield, where it passes through Lichfield Trent Valley station.

The Trent Valley Line is no Victorian double-track slow-speed bottleneck.

• The route between Rugby and Crewe is generally three or four tracks, with only one short stretch of double track, through Shugborough tunnel.
• The speed limit is generally 110 mph, with 90 mph at Shugborough.
• I wouldn’t be surprised to see Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 and Class 807 trains could be running at up to 140 mph on the route, if digital signalling were to be installed.
• This speed would probably be attained by High Speed Two trains.

London Euston and Stafford would only have under twenty miles of slower line and that could be 140 mph, so High Speed Two  times on the route could be very fast.

Trains Between London And Stafford Before And After High Speed Two To Lichfield

Currently, Avanti West Coast trains take around one hour and seventeen minutes between London and Stafford.

The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two gives these times between London and Stafford.

• Fastest time before High Speed Two – one hour and seventeen minutes.
• Time after Phase 2a of High Speed Two opens – fifty-five minutes.

Note.

1. That is a time saving of twenty-two minutes.
2. High Speed Two Trains will use the link between the junction at Lichfield and the Trent Valley Line.
3. High Speed Two will also add eighteen trains per hour (tph) to the capacity between London and Lichfield.

This would seem to mean that any trains  going to or through Stafford will be twenty-two minutes faster, if they use High Speed Two between London and Lichfield.

Trains Between London And Crewe Before And After High Speed Two To Crewe

Currently, Avanti West Coast trains take around one hour and thirty minutes between London and Crewe.

The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two gives these times between London and Crewe.

• Fastest time before High Speed Two – one hour and thirty minutes.
• Time after Phase 2a of High Speed Two opens – fifty-six minutes.

Note.

1. That is a time saving of thirty-four minutes.
2. High Speed Two Trains will use the direct line between Lichfield and Crewe.
3. High Speed Two will also add eighteen tph to the capacity between London and Crewe.

This would seem to mean that any trains  going to or through Crewe will be thirty-four minutes faster, if they use High Speed Two between London and Crewe.

High Speed Two Between Lichfield And Crewe Only Saves An Extra Twelve Minutes

It appears that extending High Speed Two to Crewe only saves an extra twelve minutes.

But it will also have these benefits.

High Speed Two Full-Size trains will be able to run to Crewe.

High Speed Two will also add eighteen tph to the capacity between London and Crewe.

Savings From Scrapping High Speed Two Between Lichfield And Crewe

In addition to the savings of the scrapping of the line, I suspect that any modifications to Crewe station will be much simpler.

I wonder how much will be saved by not building High Speed Two to Crewe.

Could The High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield And Crewe Still Be Built?

This is the question I asked in the title.

We know the benefits of building High Speed Two and as time progresses we’ll know the costs and the disruption the building will cause with an increasing accuracy.

I also believe that even High Speed Two Lite will be a rip-roaring success, and other places will want their own High Speed Two service, which will need an increase in capacity North of Lichfield.

So there will come a point, when there is an overwhelming case to build the High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield and Crewe.

Because of that we must make sure, that any sales of land or properties, doesn’t compromise building the High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield and Crewe.

Conclusion

There will come a point, when the amount of traffic, will mean that it is worth building the High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield and Crewe.

My other conclusion is important and the route of the originally proposed High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield and Crewe, must not be compromised.

October 6, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Class 390 Train, Class 807 Train, Crewe Station, Handsacre Junction, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, High Speed Two Full-Size Trains, High Speed Two Lite, Stafford Station