Is This The Problem At Bedford With The East West Railway?
The East West Railway certainly has problems at Bedford.
These two posts seem to be creating an impasse on getting the railway built and/or operational.
So I took a quick look at the rail lines in the rail around and trough Bedford, as shown in this OpenRailwayMap.
Note.
- The Midland Main Line runs down the left hand side of the map.
- Bedford station is marked by the blue arrow,
- The East Coast Main Line runs down the right hand side of the map.
- Stations on the East Coast Main Line from North to South are St. Neots, Sandy, Biggleswade and Arlesey.
- The East West Railway is planned to connect to the East Coast Main Line at a new station at Tempsford , which will be South of St. Neots.
- The original connection was to be at Sandy.
- There used to be a railway between Bedford and Sandy.
- This railway between Bedford and Sandy, was the Varsity Line and I write about its current status in Is The Varsity Line Trackbed Between Bedford And Sandy Still There? – No, is the only answer.
- In Did Beeching Recommend Closure Of The Varsity Line?, I find out that he didn’t and it was totally the fault of Labour Politicians; Barbara Castle and Tom Fraser, with perhaps some help from Harold Wilson. Were they jealous that Oxford and Cambridge had a better link than the non-existent one across the North?
Did Beeching Recommend Closure Of The Varsity Line?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post, and received this answer.
No, Dr. Richard Beeching did not recommend the closure of the Varsity Line in his 1963 report The Reshaping of British Railways.
In fact, the report recommended retaining the line with only minor curtailments.However, despite surviving the initial “Beeching cuts,” the line was ultimately closed a few years later following separate reviews by the government.
Key Details of the Line’s Demise
The First Hit (1966): Local freight facilities and minor sections were withdrawn.
Total Passenger Closure (1967): The passenger service between Bedford and Cambridge was officially withdrawn by then-Minister of Transport Tom Fraser.
The Oxford-Bletchley Segment: The passenger services between Oxford and Bletchley avoided complete closure at that time but were eventually heavily scaled back.
The closure of the Bedford to Cambridge section is largely attributed to Transport Minister Barbara Castle’s decision, as she authorized the withdrawal of services due to the route’s heavy operating losses.
Is The Varsity Line Trackbed Between Bedford And Sandy Still There?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this post, and received this answer.
The trackbed between Bedford and Sandy largely survives as an open, walkable alignment, but the original tracks themselves were removed decades ago.
Today, much of this section of the old Varsity Line (often referred to as the Bedford-Cambridge route) operates as National Cycle Route 51, though a few specific areas have seen modern development.
The status of the trackbed varies depending on the specific location:
:Bedford to Sandy (General): The rails and sleepers are long gone, but the formation is still clearly visible.
A large section of the trackbed between Bedford and Sandy has been repurposed as a traffic-free path for cyclists and walkers (National Cycle Route 51).
Sandy Station Area: The former Varsity Line platforms at Sandy were cleared after the line closed in 1968.
New housing has been built over parts of the route through the town, altering the original alignment.Because the original alignment was interrupted by modern housing and other developments in certain areas, the upcoming East West Rail project—which aims to re-establish a direct railway between Oxford and Cambridge—will bypass the original trackbed for the central section (Bedford to Cambridge).
The new railway is slated to follow a slightly different route.
Conclusion
Council Says ‘No’ To East West Rail Demolitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A council has strengthened its opposition to houses being demolished to make way for a huge railway project.
These three parargraphs add more details to the story.
Bedford Borough Council said any demolitions for the East West Rail line, from Oxford to Cambridge, would be “unacceptable”.
The Conservative-led authority’s response to the latest consultation on the project, external was finalised at a meeting on Wednesday.
The East West Railway Company (EWRC) said the demolitions were necessary to speed up construction time.
In February, I wrote Delays To Opening Makes Station A ‘Laughing Stock’ and if Winsford station was a laughing stock then, it now appears that the whole East West Rail Line, is one gigantic omnistambles.
In the linked post, I said this.
My feeling is that this project has been badly affected by too many adverse factors.
- A lack of overall leadership at the top of the project.
- Too many changes of Government in the UK.
- Are all these governments committed to the project?
- No Overall Control In Bedford Council
- The uncertainty about the Aylesbury Spur, which I wrote about in East-West Rail: Aylesbury Spur.
- The inability to reach a sensible compromise on route through Bedford, with the large number of Nimbys in the area.
- I used to live near Newmarket and their ideas for the town will arise the anger of the horse-racing industry.
- The theme-park I wrote about in ‘Rollercoasters In My Back Yard’: Welcome To Universal Studios Bedford, hasn’t exactly helped.
- Stories like East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?, don’t help.
The planning for East West Rail hasn’t been good.
I can see Universal Studios Bedford with the backing of Donald Trump, suing Bedford Council for all the money they’ve wasted.
Delays To Opening Makes Station A ‘Laughing Stock’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Residents of Winslow are frustrated a new railway station completed over a year ago has still not opened.
These three introductory paragraphs add detail to the article.
A local councillor said it had been due to open in the Buckinghamshire town in December 2025 but there had been a “comedy of errors”, including a row over who will control the opening and closing of carriage doors.
Diana Blamires, who sits on the town council, said the local community was “obviously furious” and “it makes Winslow station a laughing stock”.
In a statement, Chiltern Railways – responsible for operating services between Oxford and Milton Keynes – said no date for the opening had yet been confirmed.
My feeling is that this project has been badly affected by too many adverse factors.
- A lack of overall leadership at the top of the project.
- Too many changes of Government in the UK.
- Are all these governments committed to the project?
- No overall control in Bedford Council.
- The uncertainty about the Aylesbury Spur, which I wrote about in East-West Rail: Aylesbury Spur.
- The inability to reach a sensible compromise on route through Bedford, with the large number of Nimbys in the area.
- I used to live near Newmarket and their ideas for the town will arise the anger of the horse-racing industry.
- The theme-park I wrote about in ‘Rollercoasters In My Back Yard’: Welcome To Universal Studios Bedford, hasn’t exactly helped.
- Stories like East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?, don’t help.
The planning for East West Rail hasn’t been good.
But another story on the BBC, which is entitled How The Elizabeth Line Has Changed Reading, has to my mind shown up the poor quality of the planning for the East West Rail.
This Is the sub-heading.
Since the Elizabeth Line opened in May 2022 it has become the UK’s busiest rail service with an estimated 750 million passenger journeys.
And this is the first paragraph.
The line provides a direct service from Reading into central London, but after years of planning and delays is the Berkshire town finally feeling the benefits of an additional connection to the capital?
Are Bicester, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bedford and other places going to feel a similar effect to Reading, because the railway track layouts say that if Reading gets a boost from the Elizabeth Line, then they will get one from East West Rail!
The Reading/Oxford area is where the East West and Elizabeth Lines make contact and I predict, that if in the future, you want a machine to test the strength of jelly, this will be the place, where you will go to get one invented.
Footage Released Of East West Rail’s First Commercial Freight Train
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Network Rail.
These four paragraphs give detail to the story.
The inaugural journey was part of a dual first, as it also saw the entry into service of Maritime Transport’s Northampton Gateway Terminal.
This Easter Network Rail completed its work there to join the 35-acre freight facility directly to the West Coast Main Line via the Northampton Loop.
The modern junction design allows freight trains to enter and exit the site at speeds of up to 40mph, which is eight times faster than conventional freight connections.
Clearing the railway junction much faster will significantly improve both passenger and freight journeys – as it reduces the impact on other services running on the main line.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the location of Maritime Transport’s Northampton Gateway Terminal.
Note.
- The red track running diagonally across the bottom half of the map is the West Coast Main Line.
- The orange track running North-South is the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line.
- The blue arrow indicates Northampton station.
- The grey line running diagonally across the map, vaguely parallel to the West Coast Main Line is the M1 Motorway.
- The SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway is indicated between the Northampton Loop and the M1 Motorway.
This Google Map shows the layout of the logistics park to a larger scale.
Note.
- The Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line running North-South across the map.
- The M1 Motorway running between the North-West and South-East corners of the map.
- Junction 15 is the M1 junction in the South-East corner of the map which connects the logistics park and the A45 to the M1.
- Junction 15A is the M1 junction in the North-West corner of the map which connects the A43 and Northampton services to the M1.
- There is probably space to add more warehouses and other facilities.
The logistics park is well connected to both rail and road.
This second Google Map shows the rail connection to the logistics park in more detail.
From this map, it appears that Network Rail have met their objective outlined in this paragraph of the news item.
The modern junction design allows freight trains to enter and exit the site at speeds of up to 40mph, which is eight times faster than conventional freight connections.
As only freight trains and slower passenger trains use the Northampton Loop, I would expect that freight trains should be able to enter and leave the logistics park with the minimum of disruption to traffic on the Northampton Loop.
The Route Of Yesterday’s Train
These three paragraphs from the Network Rail news item describe the route.
The first commercial freight train has travelled along the East West Rail line as part of its journey into a new strategic rail freight interchange in Northampton.
Shortly after 13:00 yesterday (Monday 16 June) the service* from Didcot came onto the new infrastructure at Oxford, travelling the 35 miles to Milton Keynes to connect with the West Coast Main Line.
It marked the first time East West Rail infrastructure has been used for commercial freight, after many months of signaller training and train driver learning since the £1.2bn railway was completed in October 2024.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route from Didcot to Milton Keynes.
Note.
Didcot Parkway station is in the South-West corner of the map.
Milton Keynes Central is in the North-East corner of the map and marked with a blue error.
The route is via Oxford, Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow and Bletchley.
This video shows the train passing Winslow.
Stowmarket Station – 14th March 2025
tThe one and only time, that I’ve used Stowmarket station, was when I’d taken my Lotus in for a service near Diss and I was getting back to Newmarket, with a change at the station.
So as I was going to Stowmarket station, I felt with the judicious use of a East Anglian Ranger ticket, I could combine the trips to Stowmarket and Saxmundham stations.
I also wanted to look at the progress on the new footbridge that I wrote about in Stowmarket Station To Go Step-Free.
I took these pictures.
Note.
- I arrived on the Norwich-bound platform, crossed the tracks by the level crossing and then left from the Ipswich-bound platform.
- The station has a cafe.
- The footbridge in the pictures is a temporary one to ease construction.
- The station buildings are Grade II Listed.
There doesn’t appear to have been much progress on the new footbridge.
I do have some other thoughts.
Greater Anglia’s Stadler Trains Are Step-Free Between Train And Platform
The first two and last pictures in the gallery show this feature.
I arrived on a Class 745 train and left on a Class 755 and both train classes have gap fillers, that do their job automatically.
We need more of this technology to protect the elderly, those with restricted movement and the just untrained stupid.
Housing By The Station
It appears that two blocks of flats have been built on railway land or the station car park.
The bridge also appears to give the owners and residents access across the railway.
Is this thoughtful holistic design or just a bribe to get planning permission?
Who Will Use The Footbridge?
Two main lines effectively cross at Stowmarket.
- The Great Eastern Main Line between Ipswich and Norwich goes through Needham Market, Stowmarket and Diss.
- The Ipswich and Ely Line between Ipswich and Cambridge goes through Needham Market, Stowmarket, Elmswell, Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds, Kennett, Newmarket and Dullingham.
So, if you need to go between say Newmarket and Diss, you would change trains at Stowmarket. Hopefully, the bridge will encourage train travel.
New Housing In East Anglia
On the main railway lines between Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich, there used to be a lot more stations.
- There are eight closed stations between Stowmarket and Cambridge.
- There are three closed stations between Stowmarket and Ely .
- There are two closed stations between Stowmarket and Ipswich.
- There are eight closed stations between Stowmarket and Norwich.
Note.
- A new Soham station was built between Stowmarket and Ely. Passenger numbers are rising with each year.
- I have double-counted Higham and Saxham and Risby stations on both the Ely and Cambridge routes.
- But that still leaves nineteen stations, that might be good sites to build new houses.
- The East-West Railway intend to build a new A14 Parkway station to link the A14 road to the Ipswich and Ely Line.
- When housing is taken into account, some stations will give a better return on investment.
Could the new footbridge at Stowmarket be part of a wide ranging plan to build more housing in towns and villages along the railways of East Anglia?
Was The Old Footbridge Too Low?
This picture was taken of the old bridge.
Was the bridge too low for some container trains?
The New Station With Wildflowers And No Car Park
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A new railway station with solar panels and wildflowers on the roof and no car park has been hailed as an example of sustainable transport
These three paragraphs, explain the thinking behind the design.
Cambridge South station, on Francis Crick Avenue, at the city’s Biomedical Campus, is expected to be completed by early 2026.
Designer and architect Jan Kroes said the site, which sits next to a nature reserve, would “fit in within the green belt”.
Network Rail said the site would be next to a guided busway system and connect with local cycleways and footpaths.
Regularly, when I lived nearly twenty miles from Cambridge, I would drive to Whittlesford Parkway station, which has 348 parking spaces and take the train to London.
This Google Map shows the area to the South-East of Cambridge.
Note.
- Cambridge is towards the North-West corner of the map.
- Newmarket, which has a population of nearly 16,000, is towards the North-East corner of the map.
- Haverhill, which has a population of nearly 30,000, is towards the South-East corner of the map.
- Whittlesford Parkway station, is towards the South-West corner of the map close to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford
- I used to live at Great Thurlow between Newmarket and Haverhill.
The only railway stations on this map are Cambridge, Cambridge North, Dullingham, Newmarket, Shelford and Whittlesford Parkway.
As bus services are pretty thin on the ground, if you live to the bSouth-East of Cambridge, I can understand if there has been surprise, at the lack of parking at the new Cambridge South station.
- If you are travelling to London or Stansted Airport, you can still use Whittlesford Parkway, which has parking.
- But if when the East West Railway opens, you will need to use Cambridge or Cambridge South stations.
- Now that Cambridge North station is open, travelling to Norwich by train may be easier, unless there is not enough parking at Cambridge North station.
When I lived in the area, the most common excuse for not using the train, was the problems of parking at the stations.
I predict, that parking will be added to Cambridge South station.
East West Rail To Hold Drop-In Events Ahead Of Statutory Consultation
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on RailUK.
These three paragraphs introduce the article.
East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has announced a series of information events in May to help people understand how the formal application process to build the railway works.
Nine information events will be held in May across the whole line of route between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.
These events are aimed at providing information about the statutory consultation process which will start in June. Details of the proposed design about the route will be shared when the statutory consultation begins.
These are the dates for the information events.
- Tuesday 7 May – Bedford Rowing Social Club, The Boathouse, Duck Mill Lane, Bedford, MK42 0AX, from 2pm-7pm.
- Wednesday 8 May – Cutteslowe Pavilion Hall, Cutteslowe Park, Oxford, OX2 8ES, from 2pm-7pm.
- Thursday 9 May – Weyland Hall, 8-10 North Street, Bicester, OX26 6ND, from 2pm-7pm.
- Friday 10 May – South Cambridgeshire Hall, Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne, CB23 6EA, from 2pm-7pm.
- Monday 20 May – Roxton Village Hall, High Street, Roxton, MK44 3EB, from 2pm-7pm.
- Tuesday 21 May – St Philip’s Church Centre, 185 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3AN, from 2pm-7pm.
- Wednesday 22 May – Comberton Village Hall, Green End, Comberton, CB23 7DY, from 2pm-7pm.
- Thursday 23 May – Bletchley Masonic Centre, 263 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2BZ, from 2pm-7pm.
- Friday 24 May – Marston Moreteyne Community Centre, Great Linns, Marston Moreteyne, MK4 0DD, from 2pm-7pm.
They would appear to have the area covered.
I shall probably go to the Bedford event, as if I didn’t make it, I could go to another.
ORR: Open Access Services Given Green Light Between London And Stirling
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the Office of Rail and Road.
This is the sub-heading.
The latest access decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) provides more services for rail passengers travelling between London and central Scotland.
These five paragraphs detail the ORR’s decision.
ORR has today (7 March) given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains, an open access operator, to start a new train service between London and the city of Stirling, from June 2025. ORR’s decision will offer more choice to passengers, bring private sector investment to the railway and increase competition.
Grand Union Trains will introduce four new return services per day between London Euston and Stirling stations. These services will also call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe (subject to agreement between Grand Union Trains and Network Rail), Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert. Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.
ORR found that the proposed services would increase choice for passengers, significantly increasing direct journey opportunities to and from London and central and southern Scotland, while making use of existing capacity on the network.
The new services will be the first run by an open access operator on the West Coast Mainline. Open access operators run services independently of government funding as they do not have a franchise agreement with government.
Following ORR’s decision to approve new Grand Union Trains services between Carmarthen in south Wales and London Paddington in 2022, ORR has now approved open access services on three of Britain’s major routes.
Note.
- The Grand Union service appears to be running into London Euston. Earlier plans had it terminating at Queen’s Park station.
- Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.
- London Euston and Stirling is electrified all the way.
- The third open access service, that the ORR has approved is the Lumo service between King’s Cross and Edinburgh via the East Coast Main Line.
I have a few thoughts.
Stirling Is An Ideal Place To Explore Central Scotland By Train
In Stirling, I give the reasons, why I spent a couple of days in Stirling, when I wanted to visit several places in Central Scotland.
Note.
- Stirling has direct services to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth.
- Aberdeen is one hour and 15 minutes away.
- Dundee is just 63 minutes away.
- Edinburgh is just 48 minutes away.
- Glasgow is just 39 minutes away.
- Inverness is two hours and 46 minutes away.
Stirling has about a dozen affordable hotels and guest houses within walking distance of the station, as this map shows.
Stirling would appear to have got Central Scotland covered.
Could The Train Serve Gleneagles?
Gleneagles is about twenty minutes North of Stirling and is served by the Caledonian Sleeper from London.
This Google Map shows the area around Gleneagles station.
Note.
- Gleneagles station is at the bottom of the map.
- The red arrow indicates the famous Gleneagles hotel.
- The pink dots are other hotels.
- Airbnb lists several very splendid properties in the varea.
Not everybody, who goes to the Gleneagles area will be exceedingly rich and I could see the Gleneagles area generating substantial business for Grand Union Trains. I suspect the best way to serve Gleneagles would be a zero-emission coach from Stirling.
Along The Motherwell And Cumbernauld Line
Between Motherwell and Stirling, a lot of the route used is on the Motherwell and Cumbernauld Line.
- The line is fully-electrified.
- It is only 28.9 miles between Motherwell and Stirling.
- \cumbernaukd and Motherwell takes 20 minutes.
I do wonder, if extra stops might be worthwhile.
Motherwell Has Good Connections To Edinburgh And Glasgow
As well as Stirling, Motherwell has good connections to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, so some passengers might find their most convenient route involves a change at Motherwell.
Nuneaton And Scotland Would Get A New Service
Nuneaton has been named by Avanti West Coast, as a place that needs more trains, as it connects with the service between Birmingham and Stansted Airport, via Coleshill Parkway, Leicester, Peterborough, March, Ely and Cambridge.
I suspect that, Nuneaton will become an interchange, between East Anglia and, the North West and West Scotland.
Milton Keynes And Scotland Should Get An Improved Service
Consider.
- It appears that all Avanti West Coast services between Milton Keynes and Scotland, go via Birmingham.
- I suspect that Grand Union’s route using the Trent Valley Line could be faster with similar trains.
- Creating a new route between Milton Keynes and Stirling could be a good move, as it gives one-change access to much of Central Scotland.
- Milton Keynes has good local connections to places like Northampton, Rugby, Tring and Watford Junction.
- Milton Keynes will be a stop on the new East-West Railway.
- From many stations, it will be quicker to go via Milton Keynes rather than Euston.
I suspect Milton Keynes could be a nice little earner.
Will Grand Union’s Trains Be Fitted With Digital Signalling?
Consider.
- At some point in the next ten years the West Coast Main Line will be fitted with digital signalling, to enable trains to run at 140 mph on selected parts of the route.
- Digital signalling will allow extra services between London Euston and Motherwell.
- Motherwell and London Euston is 388 miles.
I suspect, that Grand Union’s Trains will need to be fitted with digital signalling, so they can save time on services and possibly add in a few more.
It will add costs, although the faster speed will surely attract passengers.
Will Grand Union’s Trains Be Electric?
There are these train services going between England and Scotland.
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street – 7 tpd – Class 390 – Electric
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street – 5 tpd – Class 390 – Electric
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Glasgow Central via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Class 390 – Electric
- CrossCountry – Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley – 1 tph – Class 220/221 – Diesel – Uses diesel all the time
- LNER – London King’s Cross/Leeds to Aberdeen – 4 tpd – Class 800 – Bi-mode – Uses diesel North of Edinburgh
- LNER – London King’s Cross to Inverness – 1 tpd – Class 800 – Bi-mode – Uses diesel North of Stirling
- LNER – London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley – 3p2h – Class 800 – Bi-mode or Class 801 – Electric
- LNER – London King’s Cross to Glasgow Central – 1 tpd – Class 801 – Electric
- LNER – London King’s Cross to Stirling – 1 tpd – Class 801 – Electric
- Lumo – London King’s Cross to Edinburgh – 5 tpd – Class 803 – Electric
- TransPennine Express – Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley – 7 tpd – Class 802 – Bi-mode
- TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central – 2 tpd – Class 397 – Electric
- TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport to Edinburgh Waverly – 1 tp2h – Class 397 – Electric
- TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central – 1 tp2h – Class 397 – Electric
Note.
- tpd is trains per day.
- tph is trains per hour.
- tp2h is trains per two hours.
- LNER services to Glasgow and Stirling are likely to be dropped.
- Some Lumo services are likely to be extended from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
- Many services South from Stirling to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street are electric.
The current two tpd direct trains to Stirling are electric and if you change at Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow, it is likely to be an all-electric service.
For marketing reasons, I would recommend, that Grand Union Trains ran electric trains between London Euston and Stirling, as they are competing against an all-electric service.
Although to meet service dates it might be necessary to run something like a diesel Class 222 train to get the service started.
What Trains Will Grand Union Use?
The Wikipedia entry for Grand Union Trains, says this for their London Euston and Stirling service.
In 2023 Grand Union revised its proposal changing its planned rolling stock to Class 22x units, at the same time the start date for this service was changed to June 2025.
I would suspect they will put in the order for new electric trains fairly sharpish.
The new trains could be.
- A variant of Hitachi’s Class 800 trains.
- A variant of CAF’s Class 397 trains.
Would they have an emergency battery un case of overhead line failure?
How Long Will A Service Take?
The service can be divided into two sections.
- London Euston and Motherwell – 388 miles.
- Motherwell and Stirling – 28.9 miles.
Note.
- The 08:30 train from Euston to Motherwell takes 4 hours and 17 minutes with six stops via Nuneaton.
- The Grand Union Trains service will also have six stops and go via Nuneaton.
I would expect with today’s signalling and electric trains, that Euston and Motherwell would take a maximum of 4 hours and 17 minutes.
- The twenty minute time to Cumbernauld could be added.
- The twenty-five minute time between Cumbernauld and Stirling could be added.
It looks the time would be just over five hours.
I doubt there would be much scope for increasing speed North of Motherwell, but could there be savings made to the South of Motherwell?
Consider.
- London Euston and Motherwell is 388 miles.
- Four hours and 17 minutes is 257 minutes.
- Motherwell is on the main London Euston and Glasgow Central route.
This is an average speed between London Euston and Motherwell of 90.6 mph.
By comparison.
- London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is 392.6 miles.
- Journeys can take four hours and 20 minutes or 260 minutes.
This is an average speed between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh of 90.6 mph.
In the next decade, there will be improvements on both the East and West Coast Main Lines.
- King’s Cross and Edinburgh is currently being digitally signalled.
- London Euston and Glasgow Central is likely to be an early priority for digital signalling after London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is completed.
- When High Speed Two opens to Birmingham and Lichfield, High Speed Two trains between London Euston and Glasgow Central will use the West Coast Main Line to the North of Lichfield.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see some track realignment and modifications to improve speeds on the West Coast Main Line to the North of Lichfield.
I can build a table of times between London Euston and Motherwell against average speed.
- 90 mph – 4 hours 19 minutes
- 100 mph – 3 hours 53 minutes
- 110 mph – 3 hours 32 minutes
- 120 mph – 3 hours 14 minutes
- 125 mph – 3 hours 6 minutes
- 130 mph – 2 hours 59 minutes
Note.
- Adding 15 minutes gives a London Euston and Glasgow Central time.
- Adding 45 minutes gives a London Euston and Stirling time.
- Averaging 120 mph would give London Euston and Glasgow Central or Stirling times of under four hours.
It strikes me, that to improve Anglo-Scottish relations and to make rail a better alternative to flying, a priority for all West Coast services is to improve the West Coast Main Line and install digital signalling, so that a 120 mph average is possible between London Euston and Motherwell.
What Difference Will High Speed Two Make?
High Speed Two is claiming it will knock thirty minutes off times between London Euston and Glasgow Central, when it opens to Birmingham and Lichfield.
But Grand Union Trains are not expected to use the new line between London Euston and Lichfield, as High Speed Two will, as it will make calling at Milton Keynes and Nuneaton impossible, as they are bypassed by High Speed Two.
Conclusion
This train service is going to be good for Milton Keynes, Nuneaton and Stirling and all the towns in Central Scotland.
But they must make full use of the available electrification.
The Anonymous Widower 