How Will The East Coast Main Line Timetable Change Affect Sheffield?
This article in the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways is entitled Industry Gears Up For December ECML Timetable Change.
This is the first paragraph.
Major changes are planned to trains along the East Coast main line from 14 December as the long-heralded timetable takes effect.
In this post, I will see how the changes detailed in the article in Modern Railways will affect Sheffield and Doncaster.
Aberdeen-Edinburgh
This is said about Aberdeen and Edinburgh services.
Monday-Saturday services will not change between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with all intermediate stations served at similar times.
The LNER service to and from King’s Cross will call additionally at Doncaster, Newark Northgate and Peterborough; the last LNER Monday-Friday departure from Aberdeen will terminate at Doncaster instead of Leeds, and the first LNER Monday-Saturday train to Aberdeen will start from King’s Cross at 05:48 instead of Leeds.
Note.
- An hourly fast train between Edinburgh and King’s Cross will have a journey time of 4 hours and 10 minutes, which is a saving of at least 12 minutes.
- There is an Aberdeen-Manchester air service, but no Edinburgh-Manchester or Leeds-Scotland air services.
- In Could London And Central Scotland Air Passengers Be Persuaded To Use The Trains?, I speculated about how air passengers could be tempted to use the trains between London and Central Scotland.
- It looks to me, that LNER are strengthening their services between Doncaster and Scotland.
- Will that 05:48 King’s Cross departure for Aberdeen, enable a working day in Aberdeen and return?
Is LNER’s aim to get travellers to use the trains between Doncaster and Scotland, as an alternative to driving or trains from Leeds?
Alnmouth and Berwick
This is said about Alnmouth services.
Quicker LNER journey times are promised to stations South of York, with King’s Cross-Alnmouth journey times up to 15 minutes quicker.
More TPE trains will run between Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick, Reston, Dunbar, East Linton and Edinburgh Waverley.
The number of trains calling at Durham on weekdays will fall from 18 to 13 Southbound and from 15 to 10 Northbound.
This is said about Berwick services.
LNER trains will call every two hours during the middle of the day, and the number of weekday trains to King’s Cross falls from 15 to 11 Southbound with a 13 to nine fall Northbound. More TPE trains will call.
Note.
- Lumo serves Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh.
- Reston and East Linton are new stations.
- The stations between Newcastle and Edinburgh need adequate parking to attract commuters.
It looks to me, that LNER are timing the trains to attract day trips along the East Coast Main Line.
Bradford Forster Square/Interchange
This is said about Bradford Forster Square services.
The number of weekday trains will remain as per May 2025, but on Sundays, the number of trains serving Forster Square increases from two to six each way on a two-hourly interval. LNER stopping patterns change, with fewer trains calling at Peterborough and none at Grantham or Retford.
Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Shipley, but surely a more regular six trains per day (tpd) is preferable.
This is said about Bradford Interchange services.
At Interchange, Grand Central Trains will run at different times to the May 2025 timetable, with King’s Cross journeys up to 20 minutes quicker. One GC each way will call at Peterborough, while some will stop at Pontefract Monkhill on Sundays for the first time.
Note.
- Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor
- Is the twenty minutes time saving due to the new digital signalling to the South of Doncaster?
- Is this another open access operator being allowed to do what they do best?
This looks to be a very useful service, which serves several stations, with no other service to London.
Doncaster
This is said about Doncaster services.
Additional trains calling at destinations including Birmingham New Street, Sheffield, York, Newark and Berwick-upon-Tweed. LNER Aberdeen/Inverness trains will call at Doncaster. EMR trains will be retimed at Doncaster to provide better connections with LNER’s revised timetables, but journeys from Doncaster to Sleaford and Spalding will require a change at Lincoln. This change has been made to “enable improved connections” at Peterborough, Sleaford, Lincoln and Doncaster. The number of trains calling at Stevenage falls from 24 to 19 Southbound and 24 to 21 Northbound, with Grantham stops dropping by seven trains to 28 Southbound and 4 to 29 Northbound.
If CrossCountry Trains were to switch their trains to Hitachi InterCity Battery trains, I believe that a version of these trains could handle routes like Plymouth and Aberdeen.
- This would speed up services.
- Trains would run close together and thus increase capacity.
- Services could even be faster.
So expect a replacement order for CrossCountry Trains diesel multiple units soon.
Glasgow
LNER gave up serving Glasgow Central from King’s Cross in the December 2024 timetable change.
In Lumo Will Extend Its King’s Cross And Edinburgh Service To Glasgow, I talked about Lumo extending their King’s Cross and Edinburgh service to Glasgow Central station.
Hull
This is said about Hull services.
On Mondays-Fridays, Hull Trains will provide an extra train from London.
The LNER Monday-Friday Hull-Doncaster train will be withdrawn;
Northern will operate a 20:25 departure to Doncaster; calling at Brough and Selby.
Note.
- It looks like Great British Railways have surrendered Hull and Beverley to Hull Trains.
- Hull Trains are converting their Class 802 trains to battery-electric power.
- It is likely that Hull Trains upgraded trains will be able to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line via Lincoln on battery power.
The new timetable appears to be ready for the future of Hull Trains.
Leeds
This is said about Leeds services.
LNER services will depart to King’s Cross at xx.10 and xx.40.
Northern will introduce an extra mostly hourly service between Leeds and Sheffield calling at Wakefield Westgate. They will depart about 30 minutes earlier or later than the CrossCountry service.
Note.
- I would expect the two King’s Cross and Leeds services which would both stop at Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would set the timings between Doncaster and Leeds.
- Currently, of the four trains that run to and from Leeds every two hours, two are planned to terminate at Leeds, one at Harrogate and one at Bradford Forster Square.
- There is also a daily service between King’s Cross and Skipton via Leeds.
- I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Ilkley via Leeds, Kirkstall Forge, Guiseley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding.
- I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Huddersfield, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield and Deighton.
- I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Hebden Bridge, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Brighouse.
- An alternative to Hebden Bridge would be Rochdale, which already has four platforms and is on the Manchester Metrolink
- It appears that Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Leeds and Skipton stations can turn nine or ten-car trains and Ilkley can turn five-car trains.
- I also believe that one of Hitachi’s InterCity Battery trains could use battery power to take the spectacular Settle and Carlisle Line to Carlisle or even Glasgow Central.
- If needed pairs of five-car trains could split and join at Leeds, with one train waiting at Leeds and the other train going on to another destination.
- The CrossCountry and Northern Trains services on the Sheffield and Leeds route via Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would probably need to be modern battery-electric trains to maximise the capacity on the route.
There certainly seem to be opportunities to give a number of stations in Yorkshire an all-electric service to King’s Cross with a two-hourly frequency, in a time of a few minutes over two hours.
Lincoln
This is said about Lincoln services.
One more LNER train from King’s Cross will run, with the first train arriving earlier and the last train later. There will no longer be an LNER train serving Stevenage with passengers having to change at Newark Northgate or Peterborough. An improved service will run to and from Nottingham, with an increase from one to two trains per hour on Mondays-Saturdays. An hourly service will run to Crewe, and a new Matlock-Nottingham-Lincoln-Cleethorpes service will run. EMR will cease all bar morning peak direct trains to/from Leicester. Newark Northgate-Lincoln trains will be reduced from five to four on Mondays-Fridays, eight to four on Saturdays and ten to eight on Sundays.
Note.
- Travellers between Lincoln/Nottingham and the North/Scotland will have two trains per hour to Newark Northgate, where there will be two tph to the North/Scotland.
- The hourly Crewe service will give access to Liverpool Manchester and the West Coast Main Line.
- Will there still be a Liverpool and Norwich service or will this be replaced by East-West Rail?
There seems to be a big sort out to EMR services.
Newcastle
This is said about Newcastle services.
The number of trains serving King’s Cross increases from 35 to 53 Southbound on weekdays and from 36 to 52 Northbound. One train every hour will run non-stop to York. More TPE trains will run Northbound (see Alnmouth and Berwick), while Northern is retiming services on the Northumberland Line in anticipation of Northumberland Park and Bedlington stations opening in early 2026. A semi-fast hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough will run on Mondays-Saturdays and there will be an hourly stopping service between them.
Note.
- There will be a big increase in services between King’s Cross and Newcastle.
- Is the aim to persuade travellers to use trains rather than airlines?
- LNER also runs one train per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Middlesbrough.
- Grand Central Trains will be running at a frequency of six tpd between King’s Cross and Sunderland via Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe, Hartlepool and Seaham.
Hull appears to have been left to Hull Trains and Glasgow to Lumo, and Sunderland appears to be left for Grand Central Trains.
Conclusions
I am coming to some conclusions about services on the East Coast Main Line, with respect to Sheffield.
Doncaster Is A Well-Equipped Station
Doncaster is the nearest station to Sheffield on the East Coast Main Line.
- Over the last few years, Doncaster station has been improved.
- It has a subway with a more than adequate number of lifts.
- The station has nearly 600 parking spaces.
- There is a taxi rank.
- There is no Marks & Spencer’s food store, which is important for a coeliac like me.
- There are thirty bus stands close to Doncaster station.
- Doncaster station is well-equipped with cafes, a pub and coffee stalls.
- All trains to Aberdeen, Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, Edinburgh, Hull, King’s Cross, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield seem to stop at the station.
- There are several local trains per hour.
- Changing trains is not a strenuous exercise.
Doncaster is one of the UK’s better regional stations.
Doncaster Needs A Connection To The Sheffield Supertram
One of the first things, I do when I arrive in a strange town or city is look for the local public transport network.
In 2019, Sheffield published an ambitious plan for their tram network, which I wrote about in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
The post contained this map, of Sheffield’s plans for the trams.
Doncaster and Doncaster Sheffield Airport are connected to the current end of the tram-train route at Rotherham Parkgate.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the rail lines between Rotherham Parkgate and Doncaster.
Note.
- Doncaster station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Rotherham Central station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The blue arrow in the South-West corner indicates Rotherham Parkgate tram stop.
- Swinton, Mexborough and Conisbrough stations can be picked out.
- The dotted red line running North-South across the map is the route of the ill-fated Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.
It is a simple application of tram-train technology to connect Doncaster station and Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the Sheffield Supertram.
With all the comings and goings on the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster station, I believe that the tram-train connection to Sheffield and Rotherham is essential.
The Cities Of Bradford, Doncaster, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield Can Have a High-Frequency Rail Connection
Consider.
- Four stations are all step-free with a bridge or subway served by lifts.
- Bradford Forster Square station has level access to the platforms from the street.
- The rail lines between the five stations are electrified, with the exception of Sheffield and Doncaster.
- Services between the cities are run by CrossCountry Trains, Grand Central Trains, Hull Trains, LNER and Northern Trains.
- Most maximum speeds are not unduly slow.
Consequently the five cities can have a high-frequency rail connection in excess of four tph.
Could this be the basis of a Five-Cities Metro?
Open Access Services
There are six open access services running on the East Coast Main Line.
- Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Bradford Interchange via Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor – 4 tpd
- Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Sunderland via Peterborough, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe and Hartlepool – 6 tpd
- Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Hull via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough – 4 tpd
- Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Beverley via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough, Hull and Cottingham – 2 tpd
- Lumo – King’s Cross-Edinbugh via Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth – 5 tpd
- Lumo – King’s Cross-Glasgow Queen Street via Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth, Edinburgh and Falkirk High – 2 tpd
Note.
- tpd is trains per day.
- All seem to serve an exclusive area, except Lumo.
- In a couple of years, all could be using Hitachi trains.
- I suspect some services will swap their diesel generators for batteries.
Battery-power would allow some services to be zero-carbon, even when using the GNGE diversion.
The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands And The East Coast Main Line
Note that this is not a finished post.
To read the The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands (IRP), click this link.
There is a section in the IRP called Serving Leeds, York and North East England.
It is a section of six paragraphs and I shall describe their contents in detail separately.
Paragraph 3.41
This is said in the IRP.
Under the original plans, HS2 trains would have served Leeds, York and North East England via the West Midlands, with the Eastern Leg branching off from the Phase One line just north of Birmingham Interchange.
This is a significantly longer route than the current East Coast Main Line from King’s Cross, which goes directly up the eastern side of the country.
Due to capacity constraints north of Doncaster HS2 trains to Newcastle and York could also only be accommodated at the expense of existing services, potentially reducing or removing connections between the North East and Doncaster, Newark and Peterborough.
Unlike the West Coast Main Line, there is also potential to lengthen existing trains by up to three carriages, increasing the number of seats on those trains by around 40%.
Geography wins and I’ll discuss the train lengthening later.
Paragraph 3.42
This is said in the IRP.
The IRP has concluded in favour of a significant package of upgrades to the East Coast Main Line which could deliver similar journey times to London and capacity improvements for York and the North East as the original proposals – but many years sooner, and with operational carbon savings because trains will be taking a shorter route.
Speed is important in both project delivery and running of the trains.
Paragraph 3.43
This is said in the IRP.
We are therefore taking forward a substantial package of investment for the East Coast Main Line between London and Leeds and the North East, subject to future business case. Development work will consider interventions from both NPR designs undertaken by Network Rail, mainly focussed on York and northwards, and work undertaken by Mott MacDonald for the Department for Transport focused on the line south of York. North of York we will look to increase the number of paths for long distance high speed trains from 6 to 7 or 8 per hour. In addition to the already planned roll-out of digital signalling, work is expected to include looking at opportunities to improve rolling stock performance; power supply upgrades to allow longer and faster trains; route upgrades to allow higher speeds, including of up to 140mph on some sections; measures to tackle bottlenecks, for example south of Peterborough and at stations and junctions such as Newark, Doncaster, York, Northallerton, Darlington and Newcastle all of which limit speed and capacity; and to replace level crossings where needed.
We will ask Network Rail to now take forward these proposals, including considering any alternatives which may deliver better outputs and/or more cost-effective solutions.
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
Paragraph 3.44
This is said in the IRP.
This package is intended to:
-
- Cut journey times from London to a range of destinations, including Leeds, Darlington, Northallerton, Durham, and Newcastle by up to 28 minutes, bringing journey times closer to those proposed by HS2, much earlier than previously planned;
- Allow the introduction of longer trains, increasing the number of seats;
- Provide 7–8 long distance high speed paths per hour north of York to Newcastle, compared to the current 6 paths (and so allowing a minimum of two fast Manchester to Newcastle services each hour alongside other ambitions);
- Improve performance and reliability, enabling faster and more reliable services for passengers.
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
Paragraph 3.45
This is said in the IRP.
Journey times from London to Newcastle under this plan could be as little as 2 hrs 25-28 minutes (subject to stopping pattern), about 21-24 minutes faster than now and 8 minutes slower than under the full HS2 plans.
Journey times to York and Darlington under this plan would be about 15 minutes faster than now and 12-14 minutes slower than under the full HS2 plans.
Journey times from London to Leeds, at around 1 hour 53, would be about 20 minutes faster than now, but 32 minutes slower than under the full HS2 plans.
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
Paragraph 3.46
This is said in the IRP.
Journey times from Birmingham to Leeds would be around 30 minutes faster than the current typical time, and, subject
to further analysis, York and the North East could be would be around 30 minutes faster than the current typical time,
via HS2 Western Leg, Manchester and NPR (based on indicative train service).
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
My Thoughts
These are my thoughts.
Longer Trains
This is said in Paragraph 3.41
Unlike the West Coast Main Line, there is also potential to lengthen existing trains by up to three carriages, increasing the number of seats on those trains by around 40%.
The Hitachi Class 800, Class 801, Class 802 and Class 803 trains, that run the routes out of King’s Cross come in lengths of five, nine and ten coaches.
- The maximum length of an individual train is twelve cars according to this Hitachi document.
- All destinations with the possible exception of Harrogate, Lincoln and Middlesbrough can handle the current nine-car trains.
- Lengthening a five-car train by three cars would increase capacity by 60 %. You’d just run a current nine-car train.
- Lengthening a nine-car train by three cars would increase capacity by 33.3 %. Poor maths but possible.
- Lengthening a ten-car train by three cars would increase capacity by 30 %. Two trains would have to be lengthened, as ten-car trains are a pair of five-car trains.
It looks to me that the IRP is talking about running twelve-car trains.
- The Hitachi trains are all plug-and-play.
- The main stations on the route are Doncaster, Edinburgh, King’s Cross, Leeds, Newcastle and York.
- Some platforms would need to be lengthened, but some like Edinburgh, Leeds and York are probably already long enough.
But what about the important London terminus at King’s Cross?
These pictures show the Northern ends of the platforms at King’s Cross station.
The two trains are both nine-car Hitachi Class 800 or Class 801 trains and I was standing in line with their noses.
I wonder what is the maximum length of trains that can be handled in these platforms.
- They can certainly handle ten-car trains, as LNER run these to Leeds.
- Looking at maps, I suspect that eleven-car trains could be the largest that can be handled.
I suspect it will be tight, but I suspect with a simple platform extension, twelve car trains could be accommodated in King’s Cross station.
Journey Times
These times come from High Speed Two’s Journey Planner and the IRP.
- London and Edinburgh – Three hours and forty-eight minutes – Four hours and nineteen minutes – Three hours and fifty-eight minutes – My estimate based on IRP figures
- London and Newcastle – Two hours and seventeen minutes – Two hours and forty-nine minutes – Two hours and 25-28 minutes
- London and Durham – Two hours and sixteen minutes – Two hours and fifty-five minutes – Two hours and forty minutes
- London and Darlington – One hour and fifty minutes – Two hours and twenty-two minutes – Two hours and seven minutes
- London and York – One hour and twenty-four minutes – Two hours and ten minutes – One hour and fifty-five minutes – My estimate based on IRP figures
- London and Leeds – One hour and twenty-one minutes – Two hours and thirteen minutes – One hour and fifty-three minutes
Note.
- The first time is that from High Speed Two, which assumes the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two has been built.
- The second time is the current best time via the East Coast Main Line.
- The third time is the IRP’s estimate via an upgraded East Coast Main Line.
- Where the estimates are mine it is noted.
London and York and London and Leeds are under two hours, London and Newcastle is under three hours and London and Edinburgh is under four hours.
Are these times fast enough for modal shift from the Air and Roads to Rail?
Project Delivery
Rail projects in the UK have a variable record in the delivering of projects on time and on budget.
I haven’t done the full analysis, but I do believe that smaller projects have a better record of delivery, based on media reports.
In Railway Restored: Regular Trains To Run On Dartmoor Line For First Time In 50 Years, Network Rail have delivered an important smaller project, for which I said.
Network Rail have set themselves a good precedent to open the line in nine months and £10 million under budget.
As the improvement of the East Coast Main Line is more of a succession of smaller projects, rather than one large project does this mean it is more likely to be delivered on time and on budget?
Extra Paths
This is said in Paragraph 3.43
North of York we will look to increase the number of paths for long distance high speed trains from 6 to 7 or 8 per hour.
One of the min reasons for building High Speed Two, but here we have extra capacity being created on the East Coast Main Line.
One extra path would be very good, but two would be excellent.
Power Supply Upgrades
In the last eighteen months, I’ve written two articles about updating of the power supply on the East Coast Main Line.
- East Coast Main Line Northern Power Supply Works Funded
- East Coast Main Line Electrification Research Agreement
The second article talks about the involvement of the University of Leeds to get the power supply to a high standard.
It does appear that Network Rail are doing all they can to enable the East Coast Main Line to handle the eight electric trains per hour
140 mph Running
There are several elements to the successful achievement of 140 mph running on a railway.
- The trains must be capable of running safely at 140 mph.
- The track must be able to support trains at that speed.
- The signalling must be in-cab and fully tested.
- The electrification must be designed for running at the required speed.
- The drivers must be fully trained.
Note.
- There are certainly 140 mph trains in service and there are tracks in the UK, where they can be tested at that speed.
- I wouldn’t be surprised as we have been running 140 mph InterCity 225 trains on the East Coast Main Line for thirty years, that a lot of the track is already profiled for 140 mph running.
- The digital signalling is being installed.
- The electrification on the East Coast Main Line has been dodgy for years, but is now being upgraded.
- Drivers are probably the least to worry about, as they probably know the route well and are honing their skills in simulators.
I can see 140 mph running being delivered in stages and on time.
Darlington Improvements
In First Phase Of ‘Transformational’ Darlington Rail Station Upgrade Approved, I said this about the improvements at Darlington station.
This upgrade is on the Eastern side of the current station and will include a new entrance, station building, concourse and three new platforms.
This design should allow the following.
-
- LNER, High Speed Two and other expresses not stopping at the Darlington station to pass through at speeds of up to 125 mph or more.
- Expresses stopping in the station will slow and accelerate in less time than they do now.
- It will probably allow more local trains to Bishops Auckland, Middlesbrough and Saltburn
A seventy-five percent increase in platforms probably offers other advantages.
This could knock several minutes off journey times.
York Improvements
I describe this problem and my solution in Improving The North Throat Of York Station Including Skelton Bridge Junction.
My solution won’t happen, as I advocate replacing the historic Skelton Bridge with a modern four-track bridge.
Effects On Lincoln Service
It will be interesting to see how the improvements to the East Coast Main Line effect LNER’s service between King’s Cross and Lincoln.
Any time improvements South of Newatk will surely be reflected in the time between King’s Cross and Lincoln.
Conclusion
The plan seems feasible to me.
What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?
According to media reports, it is likely that the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two will be scrapped on kicked into the long grass.
So out of curiosity, what times can be achieved between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
Wikipedia says this about digital signalling on the line.
Increasing maximum speeds on the fast lines between Woolmer Green and Dalton-on-Tees up to 140 mph (225 km/h) in conjunction with the introduction of the Intercity Express Programme, level crossing closures, ETRMS fitments, OLE rewiring and the OLE PSU – est. to cost £1.3 billion (2014). This project is referred to as “L2E4” or London to Edinburgh (in) 4 Hours. L2E4 examined the operation of the IEP at 140 mph on the ECML and the sections of track which can be upgraded to permit this, together with the engineering and operational costs.
Note.
- Woolmer Green is 23.8 miles North of King’s Cross and a short distance to the North of the Digswell Viaduct.
- Dalton-on-Tees is North of Doncaster, where the line to Leeds leaves the East Coast Main Line.
The 186 mile journey to Leeds can be broken down into these sections.
- King’s Cross and Woolmer Green – 23.8 miles – 16 minutes – 89.3 mph
- Woolmer Green and Doncaster – 132.2 miles – 85 minutes – 93.3 mph
- Doncaster and Leeds – 29.9 miles – 32 minutes – 56 mph
In Will Avanti West Coast’s New Trains Be Able To Achieve London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street In Two Hours?, I estimated that each stop in an electric Hitachi Class 802 train takes eight minutes, which includes six minutes accelerating and decelerating and a two minute dwell time in the station.
- Services between London Euston and Leeds typically stop three times, so this means there are four acceleration/deceleration cycles, if you add in the one split between London Kings Cross and Leeds.
- There are also three dwell times of perhaps two minutes in the intermediate stations.
- This would mean that a total of thirty minutes must be added to calculate the journey time.
If the train averaged these speeds over 186 miles, the following times would be achieved.
- 125 mph – 89 minutes
- 130 mph – 86 minutes
- 140 mph – 80 minutes
- 150 mph – 74 minutes
- 160 mph – 70 minutes
Adding in the thirty minutes for stops gives some reasonable timings for between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
There are ways that times could be reduced.
Removal Of Level Crossings
This course of action always brings results, but is hated by the local users.
This article in The Times is entitled HS2 Eastern Leg To Leeds Axed, where there is said.
The government’s long-awaited Integrated Rail Plan also commits to full electrification of the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Sheffield, as well as upgrades to the East Coast Main Line. The Times understands this includes removing level crossings, which will help reduce journey times.
Every little helps!
More Running At Higher Speeds
From my figures, it appears that roughly a ten mph increase in average speed reduces journey time by up to six minutes.
So the more running at 140 mph or even faster the better.
It should be noted that the Selby Diversion on the East Coast Main Line was designed by British Rail for 160 mph The Wikipedia entry says this.
The line was the first purpose-built section of high-speed railway in the UK having a design speed of 125 mph; however, research by British Rail in the 1990s indicated that the route geometry would permit up to 160 mph operation, subject to the necessary overhead line equipment and signalling upgrades.
Upgrading the line for higher speeds would be a way of reducing the journey time.
- Curves could be better profiled.
- Full digital signalling with perhaps even some degree of automatic control could be introduced.
- More robust overhead line equipment could be installed.
- Some sections of slab track could be laid.
- Level crossing removal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the new Hitachi trains within a few years could be able to average 140 mph between London King’s Cross and Leeds, with a possible 160 mph average speed in the future.
Faster Acceleration And Deceleration
If the three-minute acceleration and deceleration times can be reduced to two minutes this will save eight minutes on the journey.
Quicker Dwell Times
Why not?
Automatic Train Control Through The Newark Crossing
I proposed this in Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem? and I believe it would allow trains on the East Coast Main Line at full speed if they didn’t stop at Newark station.
Automatic Train Control Over The Digswell Viaduct And Through The Welwyn North Station
As at the Newark Crossing, I believe ERTMS and ETCS could increase speeds over the Digswell Viaduct and through Welwyn North station.
High-Speed Two Classic Compatible Trains
These faster trains could bring the time down further, if they were to run the service.
Sample Times
I wouldn’t be surprised to see with full digital signalling and a 125 mph average between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
- 125 mph Base Time – 89 minutes.
- Four Acceleration/Deceleration section at 6 minutes each – 24 minutes.
- Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes
This would mean a total time of one hour and 59 minutes.
Uprate that to 140 mph and faster acceleration and deceleration.
- 140 mph Base Time – 80 minutes.
- Four Acceleration/Deceleration section at 4 minutes each – 16 minutes.
- Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes
This would mean a total time of one hour and 42 minutes.
Uprate that to 160 mph and faster acceleration and deceleration.
- 160 mph Base Time – 70 minutes.
- Four Acceleration/Deceleration section at 4 minutes each – 16 minutes.
- Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes
This would mean a total time of one hour and 32 minutes.
A Non-Stop Service
This would speed up the service.
With a 125 mph average between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
- 125 mph Base Time – 89 minutes.
- One Acceleration/Deceleration section at 6 minutes each – 6 minutes.
This would mean a total time of 95 minutes.
Uprate that to 140 mph and faster acceleration and deceleration.
- 140 mph Base Time – 80 minutes.
- One Acceleration/Deceleration section at 4 minutes each – 4 minutes.
This would mean a total time of 84 minutes.
Uprate that to 160 mph and faster acceleration and deceleration.
- 160 mph Base Time – 70 minutes.
- One Acceleration/Deceleration section at 4 minutes each – 4 minutes.
This would mean a total time of 74 minutes.
These compare with a proposed time of one hour and 21 minutes on the original plan to High Speed Two.
Conclusion
It looks like a non-stop service between London and Leeds running at 140 mph, with perhaps some sections at perhaps a bit faster, could be able to match the High Speed Two times.
Red Wall Commuters To Get Rail Revolution
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Sunday Times.
This is the first paragraph.
Nearly £100 billion will be spent on England’s railways outside London, including the construction of three new high-speed lines that will cut journey times in half.
The paper is also predicting that the Birmingham and Leeds leg of High Speed Two will be scrapped.
The three new high speed lines are.
- Birmingham and East Midlands Parkway
- Leeds and Sheffield
- Manchester and Crewe.
I have felt for some time, that timings between London and Yorkshire can be upgraded almost to High Speed Two levels by upgrading the Midland Main and the East Coast Main Lines.
I shall be doing some calculations, when the schemes are announced on Thursday.
The Anonymous Widower 