The Anonymous Widower

A Taste Of The Future

On Friday, I went to Chester and took a train home from Crewe to Euston.

It was a new Hitachi Class 805, that sped me to London, with just a stop at Milton Keynes.

This picture shows the train arriving at Crewe.

Note.

1. High Speed Two it is not, but it went most of the way to Euston at 125 mph in an hour and 50 minutes.
2. High Speed Two will take 56 minutes, although that is not cast in stone and steel yet.
3. Crewe is one of the towns and cities, that will benefit most from High Speed Two.

But whether High Speed Two is delivered or or not, Crewe’s train service should improve in Spring 2026, as the first Lumo service on the West Coast Main Line service will be starting.

I describe the service in Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026.

This paragraph from the linked post, describes the route.

Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.

It is fully-electrified and can support 125 mph running most, if not all, of the way.

It will certainly give knowledgeable travellers options on how they travel on the West Coast Main Line.

Lumo are also proposing another open access service on the West Coast Main Line to Rochdale, which will increase travel options.

My only worry is that Heidi Alexander will cancel it, on the grounds that open access services abstract the revenue of Great British Railways.

But then after announcing the service in a reception in Holyrood, she surely couldn’t cancel it now.

On the other hand, it could be that this Labour Government has discovered that open access trains are a more affordable way of developing rail services to and from London and over longer distances.

Consider.

• Recently, Lumo has proposed open access services from London to Carmarthen, Paignton, Rochdale and Stirling.
• Recently, Arriva has proposed open access services from London to Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Scunthorpe and between Newcastle and Brighton.
• Recently, Alsthom has proposed open access services from London to Shewsbury and Wrexham.

Not one of these services will cost the government a lot of money, but Network Rail will pick up access charges.

So has Heidi Alexander seen sense and feels that it is better to allow more open access services?

Could Any Other Open Access Services Be Opened On The West Coast Main Line?

London Euston and Rochdale is planned by Lumo and I wrote about it in FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service.

This sentence from the linked post, gives the route.

The trains would call at Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles and Manchester Victoria.

Other possibilities would surely be Blackpool and Barrow-in-Furness, but Blackpool gets a three trains per day (tpd) service from Euston and frequent trains from Preston.

Barrow-in-Furness could be a very useful destination.

With increased defence spending, the shipyards will be busy.

It could be another gateway to the Lake District.

Services could be extended to Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Cumbrian Coast Line between the West Coast Main Line and Barrow-in-Furness.

Note.

1. The red tracks on the Eastern side of the map is the electrified West Coast Main Line.
2. At the bottom of the map on the West Coast Main Line is Lancaster, with its station.
3. The black track going West from Lancaster is the Morecambe and Heysham branch.
4. The black track going West across the top of the map is the Cumbrian Coast Line.
5. Barrow-in-Furness station is indicated by the blue arrow.
6. The length of track without electrification on the route is less than thirty miles.

One of Lumo’s battery-electric trains would easily handle a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness route.

Conclusion

There is obviously scope for new railway routes in the UK and some will be suitable for open access operators.

Perhaps, we need the Office of Road and Rail to be more proactive in deciding, when a route is to be served and then select an operator.

It would need to be an unbiased apolitical process, to stop an incumbent political party running trains to marginal seats, they hoped to win.

 

June 8, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Barrow-in-Furness Station, Chester Station, Class 805 Train, Crewe Station, Cumbrian Coast Line, Great British Railways, Heidi Alexander, High Speed Two, Lake District, Lumo, Lumo Euston And Rochdale, lumo Euston And Stirling, Milton Keynes Central Station, Open Access Operators, Politics, West Coast Main Line