Lancaster Station – 23rd May 2025
I finally got to Lancaster station today, after my failure that I wrote about in An Annoying Day.
I took these pictures.
I shall deal with the features of the station in separate sub-sections.
The Original High Speed Two Schedule Through Lancaster Station
This diagram shows High Speed Two services, as they were originally envisaged before Phase 2 was discontinued.
Note.
- Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
- Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
- Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
- Blue circles are shown, where trains stop.
- The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
- In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
If I look at the trains counting from the left of the diagram, I see the following trains passing or terminating at Lancaster station.
- Train 4 is a pair of classic-compatible trains, that split and join at Crewe, with one train going to Lancaster and the other to Liverpool Lime Street.
- Trains 10 and 11 are pairs of classic-compatible trains going between London and Scotland.
- Train 12 is a single classic-compatible train going between Birmingham and Scotland.
Only the Lancaster portion of Train 4 stops in Lancaster station.
The Track Layout
This OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout through the station.
Note.
- Tracks shown in red are electrified and tracks in black or not.
- In the North-West corner of the map the two bay platforms 1 and 2, that are used for local services can be seen.
- Platform 3 is a long platform on the Western side of the station, which is generally for Northbound through stopping trains, that can take 265 metre long eleven-car Class 390 trains.
- Paired with the track through Platform 3, there is a Northbound avoiding line, that allows faster trains to overtake trains stopped in the station.
- Platform 4 is a long platform on the Western side of the island platform on the Eastern side of the station, which is generally for Southbound through stopping trains, that can take 265 metre long eleven-car Class 390 trains.
- Paired with the track through Platform 4, there is a Southbound avoiding line, that allows faster trains to overtake trains stopped in the station.
- Platform 5 is a long platform on the Eastern side of the island platform on the Eastern side of the station, that is over two hundred metres long.
- All through tracks have a 75 mph maximum speed, except for Platform 5, which is just 30 mph.
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
How Will High Speed Two Operate At Lancaster Station?
I would expect that the three High Speed Two services to and from Scotland will go through Lancaster station on the avoiding lines, which will mean that each avoiding line will handle one High Speed Two classic-compatible train every twenty minutes.
The train, that terminates at Lancaster has a few options.
- It could terminate from London in any of platforms 3, 4 or 5.
- It could leave for London from any of the platforms 3, 4 or 5.
Note.
- All three platforms are long enough to accept a single High Speed Two classic-compatible train, which is only 200 metres long.
- There would probably need to be some works to the tracks so that trains could terminate in platforms 4 or 5.
- There might need to be some works to the tracks so that trains could leave from London from platform 3.
The logical way to terminate the train would probably for the train to arrive and leave in Platform 5, but then this would need improvements to the tracks and also to the passenger footbridge across the tracks.
Eden Project Morecambe And The Morecambe Branch
In a few years time, both the Eden Project Morecambe and High Speed Two will be open and I suspect, a day out could be to take High Speed Two to Lancaster and the local train to Morecambe for a day at the Eden Project Morecambe.
This paragraph from the Eden Project Morecambe web site, describes the current status of the project.
Eden Project Morecambe, previously known as Eden Project North, has been awarded £50m in the second round of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The funding allows the project to move into its next phase and begin the process of finalising the remaining funds required from private and philanthropic sources identified as part of the bidding process.
I had intended to take a train to Morecambe to have a look round, but the train, that I would have needed to catch to get back to London at a reasonable hour, didn’t run due to lack of train crew.
As High Speed Two will provide connections at Lancaster to Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Preston, Warrington and Wigan and other trains will provide connections to Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, the Eden Project Morecambe will be well connected to those who might like to visit by rail.
A day out with the kids, could involve a trip on High Speed One to Lancaster, a trip on a battery-electric shuttle train to Morecambe and a day out at the Eden Project Morecambe.
The Eden Project Morecambe could be a big money earner for High Speed Two and other rail companies.
I would envisage, that you would be able to buy an All-in-One ticket to the Eden Project Morecambe, which included your rail tickets.
The Passenger Footbridge
There is a lift on the Southbound side, but on the Northbound and bay platform side, there are only steps.
If substantial numbers of passengers visit the station and need to cross the tracks on the footbridge, as you would from arriving in Platforms 4 or 5 and wanting to go to Eden Project Morecambe, the footbridge is totally inadequate.
Lancaster Station Architecture
Lancaster station is Grade II Listed and you can see why from the pictures.
Work appears to be ongoing to refurbish the station.
The stonework appeared immaculate and very much High Speed Two-ready.
These picture shows part of the Costa coffee shop.
It was not what I expected.
Is Wigan North Western Station Ready For High Speed Two?
This diagram shows High Speed Two services, as they were originally envisaged before Phase 2 was discontinued.
Note.
- Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
- Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
- Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
- Blue circles are shown, where trains stop.
- The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
- In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
- Was Lancaster chosen as it’s close to the new Eden Project Morecambe?
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
It would appear if High Speed Two sticks to this original pattern of services, then the following trains will go through Wigan North Western station.
- 200 metre single train – London Euston and Lancaster, which stops at Old Oak Common, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston.
- 400 metre pair of trains – London Euston and Edinburgh Haymarket/Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central, which stops at Old Oak Common, Preston, Carlisle.
- 400 metre pair of trains – London Euston and Edinburgh Haymarket/Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central, which stops at Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Preston, Carlisle.
- 200 metre single train – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Haymarket/Edinburgh Waverley or Motherwell/Glasgow Central, which stops at Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and Lockerby and every two hours at Oxenholme and Penrith.
Note.
- Only single High Speed Two classic-compatible trains, stop in Wigan North Western station and they are only two hundred metres long.
- One train per hour (tph) terminates at Lancaster and a second tph terminates alternatively at Edinburgh Haymarket/Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central.
- Four hundred metre long pairs of trains go through North Western station without stopping.
Currently Wigan North Western has 14 trains per day (tpd) stopping at the station, eleven of which go to Scotland and three to Blackpool.
This Google Map shows Wigan North Western station.
Note.
- The two long platforms in the middle of the station, where the Avanti trains stop.
- A long platform on the Southern side of the station used by local services to and from Liverpool and Blackpool.
- Three bay platforms on the Northern side of the station, one of which is unused, that handle local services to Manchester and beyond.
As the 265.3 metre long Class 390 trains can use the central platforms, High Speed Two classic-compatible trains will be able to use these platforms.
On my brief visit to the station yesterday, I took these pictures.
Note.
- All Class 390 trains are longer than High Speed Two classic-compatible trains, so the train in the pictures indicates that the High Speed Two trains will be able to stop at Wigan North Western station.
- The platforms are long and wide.
- The station is well-equipped with lifts, cafes, waiting rooms and some of the best toilets in a station in the North of England.
- Wigan Wallgate station is only a short walk away, with a selection of local services to Blackburn, Headbolt Lane, Manchester, Southport and a large proportion of Lancashire.
- The last two pictures were taken looking at the two stations from halfway.
- The shops between the two stations are a good selection and include a Morrisons Local.
I had been intending to go on to Preston, Lancaster and Morecambe, but a points failure at Preston meant that no trains were running.
Conclusion
The two Wigan stations and the buses that serve them, could be a good interchange for passengers to catch High Speed Two.
I feel that most of the work needed to be done at Wigan North Western to get the station ready for High Speed Two will mainly be cosmetic or technical upgrades like signalling. I can’t see any expensive or disruptive upgrades like platform lengthening being needed.
An Annoying Day
My plan was simple on Saturday May the 10th.
I intended to go to Liverpool Lime Street on a Day Return ticket.
I would then buy a Lancashire Day Ranger ticket and visit Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster stations, to see how ready, they are for High Speed Two services.
I also intended to go to Morecambe to see how the Eden Project Morecambe was getting on.
I did get to Wigan North Western station and later wrote Is Wigan North Western Station Ready For High Speed Two?
But then there was a points failure at Preston and after waiting at the station for over an hour for tranport to Preston, I changed plan.
I decided to go back to Liverpool by way of Wigan Wallgate and Headbolt Lane stations.
On return home, I wrote Wigan Wallgate To Headbolt Lane – 10th May 2025.
A Quick Run Back To London
At Lime Street station, I walked into the Wetherspoons pub at the station, with the intension of buying a bottle of my favourite brew, which all of the chain stock. But not this one!
So I got an early train back to London.
The Most Expensive Taxi Back From Euston
I paid over thirty pounds, when under twenty is the norm, not because I was being ripped off, but by the number of roadworks, that slowed our journey.
250,000 Seats A Day On The WCML?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
These are the first three paragraphs.
In the Parliamentary debate on the cancellation of HS2 phase 2, Transport Minister Mark Harper claimed that what remains of HS2 will deliver “a massive increase in capacity to the West Coast Main Line (WCML)” by providing 250,000 seats a day. This figure was subsequently repeated by the Prime Minister and Rail Minister who advised that it applies “across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast.”
Yet without HS2 phase 2a, there is to be no WCML capacity increase north of Lichfield. Furthermore, with no HS2 station in Manchester it will not be possible to run the planned two-unit 400-metre HS2 trains to the city. Instead, there can only be single 200-metre unit HS2 trains which are shorter than the current 265-metre Pendolino trains.
Furthermore, 250,000 seats a day is equivalent to running 17 x 605-seat Pendolinos an hour, 24 hours a day. This is clearly not credible.
Note.
- The writer’s assumptions about Manchester are correct.
- Liverpool Lime Street is already is already HS2-ready for trains between Crewe and London, after the recent upgrade.
- Liverpool Lime Street will certainly be able to take two London trains per hour (tph), which can only be single 200-metre unit HS2 trains.
- Liverpool Lime Street may be able to take a third London train per hour.
These are my thoughts.
Current Services
Current services include.
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Birmingham New Street – 2 trains per day (tpd)
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street – 5 tpd
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street – 7 tpd
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Birmingham New Street – 1 tph
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Holyhead – 10 tpd
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street – 1 tph – Increasing to 2 tph.
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport – 1 tph
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport – 1 tph
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport – 1 tph
- Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central – 1 tph.
- West Midlands Trains – London and Birmingham New Street – 2 tph
- West Midlands Trains – London and Crewe – 1 tph
- West Midlands Trains – Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street – 1 tph
It looks like there are eight Avanti West Coast tph and two West Midlands Trains tph between Stafford and Crewe.
High Speed Two Services
This diagram shows High Speed Two services, as they were originally envisaged before Phase 2 was discontinued.
Note.
- Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
- Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
- Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
- The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
- In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
- Was Lancaster chosen as it’s close to the new Eden Project Morecambe?
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
The Author’s Assumption
The author has made these assumptions.
- Current West Coast Main Line capacity North of Lichfield; Avanti West Coast – 8 tph, West Midlands – 1 tph and freight trains – 4 tph
- HS2 offers no extra capacity North of Lichfield.
- Max capacity ; Old Oak Common – 8 tph and London Euston – 10 tph.
- 400-metre long trains North of Birmingham ; Min – 1 tph to Edinburgh/Glasgow
- 400-metre long trains North of Birmingham ; Max – plus 3 tph to Liverpool/Manchester
- Trains operate a maximum of 14 hours per day.
I would add.
- All pairs of 200-metre long trains split and join at Crewe.
- Birmingham Curzon Street has seven platforms.
- Lancaster and Macclesfield have long bay platforms, that can handle 200-metre trains
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly have two platforms, that can handle 200-metre trains.
- I suspect
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly could both handle four 200-metre trains tph hour – Three for London and one for Birmingham.
There is a surprising amount of capacity in the North.
The Author’s Minimum Plan For HS1 – Phase 1
I think his minimum plan is as follows.
- Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
- Old Oak Common and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- Old Oak Common and Liverpool Lime Street – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Old Oak Common and Macclesfield via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Old Oak Common and Manchester Piccadilly – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
- Old Oak Common and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
Note.
- 400-metre long trains are a pair of 200-metre long trains, that can split and join.
- This fulfils all the requirements of the original HS2 timetable for Phase 1.
- The total is nine tph and Old Oak Common can only handle 8 tph.
- Perhaps, the Liverpool Lime Street service could be a Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly service, that splits at Crewe?
I think it could work with London having the following services.
- Birmingham Curzon Street – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
- Birmingham International – 400-metre long trains – 4 tph
- Carlisle – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Crewe – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
- Edinburgh Waverley – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Glasgow Central – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Lancaster – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
- Liverpool Lime Street – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
- Macclesfield – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Manchester Piccadilly – 200-metre long trains – 2/3 tph
- Preston – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
- Stafford – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Stoke-on-Trent – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Warrington Bank Quay – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- Wigan North Western – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
Services care as good or better than the current services.
The Author’s Maximum Plan For HS1 – Phase 1
I think his maximum plan is as follows.
- London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
- London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Macclesfield via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
- London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
Note.
- 400-metre long trains are a pair of 200-metre long trains, that can split and join.
- This fulfils all the requirements of the original HS2 timetable for Phase 1.
- That is nine tph and London Euston can handle 10 tph.
- Perhaps, a tenth train could serve Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central with a split at Crewe.
It should work.
Could High Speed Birmingham Curzon Street and Liverpool Lime Street And Manchester Piccadilly Services Be Provided With A Reverse At Birmingham Curzon Street?
A train would take this route.
- A 400 metre long train would leave London and go to Birmingham Curzon Street.
- At Birmingham Curzon Street the train would reverse and travel to Crewe.
- At Crewe the train would split with separate trains going to Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.
Note.
- Automation could be used extensively to do the joining and splitting.
- The train would have an onboard team of drivers, so all joins, reverses and splits are performed as fast as possible.
- A local service could be paired with each train, so that intermediate stations on the Liverpool and Manchester branches had excellent connections to Birmingham and the South.
Suppose the maximum plan is now as follows.
- London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 3 tph – Reverses at Birmingham Curzon Street – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Lancaster – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Macclesfield via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400 metre long trains – 2 tph – Splits at Crewe.
Note.
- Birmingham Curzon Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly would all get four tph to and from London.
- Birmingham Curzon Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly would all get one tph to and from London, that could be non-stop and didn’t join, reverse or split.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Liverpool Lime Street would have a three tph service.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Piccadilly would have a three tph service.
- Lancaster, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central and other stations would get the originally-promised service to and from London.
- That is ten tph to and from London Euston and the station can handle that number of trains.
It should work.
Could High Speed Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central Services Be Provided With A Reverse At Birmingham Curzon Street?
In the previous section, I showed how, three tph between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly could be provided with a reverse at Birmingham Curzon Street.
So could the fourth train between London and Birmingham Curzon Street take this route?
- A 400 metre long train would leave London and go to Birmingham Curzon Street.
- At Birmingham Curzon Street the train would reverse and travel to Crewe, or another station, where the split can be performed.
- The train would split with separate trains going to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.
Note.
- They would use the current paths used by Avanti West Coast Birmingham and Scotland services along the West Coast Main Line.
- This would give a third train to both Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.
It certainly appears that by using a reverse at Birmingham Curzon Street, more capacity can be created on the West Coast Main Line/HS2 route.
Could High Speed Two Serve North Wales?
It finally looks like the North Wales Coast Lines will finally be electrified.
- Would this allow a 200 metre long train to run all the way to Holyhead for the boats to Ireland?
- There could be a join and split at Crewe with another train.
- Chester would also be served by HS2.
It would create a zero-carbon route to Ireland.
What Would Be The Daily Number Of Passengers Carried?
The maximum plan could now be as follows.
- London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 3 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central via Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Macclesfield via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
- London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly/Holyhead – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
- London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400 metre long trains – 2 tph – Splits at Crewe.
Note.
- There are eight 400 metre long trains and one 200 metre long trains in both directions.
- A 200 metre long train hold 550 passengers.
- There are seventeen 200 metre long tph in both directions.
- Trains operate a maximum of 14 hours per day.
The number of passengers per day is 261,800.
High Speed Two To Lancaster
There has been a lot of speculation about the Northern end of High Speed Two, so I might as well add sort out a few facts and add a bit of speculation of my own.
The Current Lancaster Service
I shall look at the 07:30 train on the 29th September 2023.
- It was a nine-car Class 390 train or Pendolino, which left on time.
- Euston and Lancaster are 230 miles apart.
- The train passed Crewe at 09:59
- The train arrived at Warrington Bank Quay at 09:14 and left at 09:15.
- The train arrived at Wigan North Western at 09:25 and left at 09:26.
- The train arrived at Preston at 09:39 and left at 09:41.
- The train arrived at Lancaster at 09:55 and left at 09:57.
- The journey took two hours and 25 minutes
- The average speed was 95.2 mph.
- There is at least one train per hour (tph).
Lancaster Will Get Its Own High Speed Two Service
This graphic shows High Speed Two services after Phase 2b is completed.
Note.
- Lancaster and Liverpool share a pair of High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains, that will split and join at Crewe.
- The Lancaster service will stop at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston, to the North of Crewe.
The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two gives these times for trains from London after Phase 2a opens to Crewe.
- Crewe – 56 minutes
- Warrington Bank Quay – One hour and 20 minutes
- Wigan North Western – One hour and 34 minutes
- Preston – One hour and 18 minutes
- Lancaster – Two hours and 3 minutes
- Oxenholme – One hour and 56 minutes
- Carlisle – Two hours and 23 minutes
Note.
- The Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Lancaster times will apply to the direct Lancaster service.
- The Preston and Carlisle times apply to the non-stop Scottish service.
- Oxenholme will be reached with a change from London.
- Currently, Pendolinos travel between Crewe and Lancaster in an hour or a few minutes less.
I feel the Lancaster time is suspect and a better time would be around one hour and 52-56 minutes.
140 Mph Running Between Crewe And Preston
Consider.
- London Euston and Crewe is 56 minutes
- One hour and 18 minutes to Preston infers a time of 22 minutes between Crewe and Preston.
- Crewe and Preston is 51 miles.
This implies an average speed of 139 mph.
As the West Coast Main Line was built for 140 mph, when digital signalling was installed, this would appear to be feasible, once the signalling is upgraded.
It may also mean, that faster times are possible in services to Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western.
Crewe And Warrington Bank Quay
Consider.
- The distance is 24.1 miles
- HS2 will take 24 minutes with one acceleration and one deceleration, which probably take a maximum of 4 minutes in total.
- I explain the four minutes in High Speed Two To Crewe.
This gives an average speed of 72.3 mph.
Warrington Bank Quay And Wigan North Western
Consider.
- The distance is 11.7 miles
- HS2 will take 14 minutes with one acceleration and one deceleration, which probably take a maximum of 4 minutes in total.
This gives an average speed of 70.2 mph.
Wigan North Western And Lancaster
Consider.
- The distance is 36.1 miles
- HS2 will take 29 minutes with two accelerations and two decelerations, which probably take a maximum of 8 minutes in total.
- I will also allow a minute for the dwell time at Preston.
This gives an average speed of 108.3 mph.
Crewe And Lancaster
Consider.
- The distance is 72 miles
- HS2 will take 67 minutes with four accelerations and four decelerations, which probably take a maximum of 16 minutes in total.
- I will also allow a minute for the dwell times at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan and Preston.
This gives an average speed of 90.6 mph.
I now feel happier about two hours and three minutes between London and Lancaster.
Conclusion
The West Coast Main Line needs upgrading to full in-cab digital signalling as soon as possible.
Once working it would give journey time savings for everybody travelling on the line.
See Also
Could High Speed Two Finish At Lichfield?
Platform Canopies To Be Renovated For Passengers At Lancaster Station
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Station platform canopies are being renovated at Lancaster to improve passenger journeys on the West Coast Main Line.
Network Rail is investing £9.5m to restore and upgrade the station building for the future.
This picture from Network Rail shows an aerial view of the station.
Note that the camera is looking South.
This picture shows the current canopies.
Network Rail can surely do better on a Grade II Listed Building.
The press release lists that this work will be done.
- Replacing all glazing in the platform canopies
- Repairing and strengthening the structure of the canopy structures
- Repainting across the station
The press release says the work won’t affect train services, but will be done when trains aren’t running.
These are my thoughts.
Lancaster Station and High Speed Two
Lancaster station will be a terminus on the High Speed Two Network.
Note.
- Train 4 , which is a pair of 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains, leaves London Euston and splits at Crewe, with one train going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Lancaster.
- Train 12, which runs between Birmingham Curzon Street and Scotland, also calls at Lancaster.
Both trains will be single 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains at Lancaster station and platforms 3, 4 and 5 can handle them.
But how will the Lancaster train terminate?
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the lines through Lancaster station.
Note.
- The red lines are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- In the North-West corner of the station are the bay platforms 1 and 2, which handle Morecambe services.
- West Coast Main Line services between London Euston and Scotland, go through platforms 3 and 4 in the middle of the station.
- On the East side of the station is platform 5 which is on a loop off the West Coast Main Line.
I would expect that the London Euston and Lancaster service will generally terminate in platform 5.
Wikipedia says this about platform 5 and the signalling.
Platform 5, which can be used by both northbound and southbound trains or by terminating services.
All platforms are signalled for arrivals and departures in either direction.
That all sounds very convenient.
There may be some minor changes for the longer High Speed Two trains, but I doubt it would be too challenging.
Onward To Morecambe
The Eden Project North at Morecambe could attract a lot of traffic.
- Lancaster will be just two hours and three minutes from London by High Speed Two.
- There are numerous rail connections from Lancaster to all over the North of England and Scotland.
- Would you drive for two hours to the Eden Project North, if there was a convenient and quicker train?
- Train companies may offer combined tickets for the attraction with rail tickets.
Wikipedia says this about the development and opening of the attraction.
Having been granted planning permission in January 2022 and with £50 million of levelling-up funding granted in January 2023, it is due to open in 2024 and predicted to benefit the North West economy by £200 million per year.
I’ve always wanted to go to the Eden Project in Cornwall, but it’s difficult if you don’t drive.
However, I might manage to get to Eden Project North.
Trains between Morecambe and Lancaster are at least hourly.
- I think they can use any platform at Lancaster.
- Morecambe station has two platforms.
- Morecambe and Lancaster stations are four miles apart, with probably half electrified.
- A battery-electric train could work between Morecambe and Lancaster.
I can envisage two main ways to arrange the connection between Morecambe and Lancaster.
- Trains arrive in Lancaster and passengers for Morecambe catch the next Morecambe train for two stops, that take ten minutes.
- When High Speed Two serves Lancaster from Euston, the shuttle train can wait in the Northern end of Platform 5 and when the High Speed Two train arrives passengers can just walk up the platform to the shuttle.
But if the Eden Project North is as successful as the Cornish original, there is going to be a need for more trains between Morecambe and Lancaster.
This Google Map shows Morecambe station.
Note that the island platform is probably about 160 metres long.
This would accommodate.
- A five-car Class 802 or Class 805 train.
- A pair of four-car Class 319, Class 321 trains.
- A pair of three-car Class 331 trains.
But why not be bold and lengthen at least one platform to the full two hundred metres, so that it can accommodate a High Speed Classic Compatible train?
This would also accommodate.
- A seven-car Class 807 train.
- A pair of four-car Class 331 trains.
All of these electric trains would need the Morecambe branch line to be electrified to Morecambe station.
But the Eden Project North would get the public transport access it needs.
Electrifying To Morecambe
This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the Morecambe Branch Line between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station.
Note.
- The tracks shown in red on the Eastern side of the map are the West Coast Main Line.
- The black lines are the unelectrified tracks of the Morecambe branch line.
- Morecambe station is marked by the blue arrow.
- Much of the Morecambe branch line is single track, with some sections of double track.
- The distance between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station is around 2.1 miles.
I don’t think it would be the most challenging of electrifications.
A Green Route To The Isle Of Man And Ireland
This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the terminal of the Morecambe Branch Line at Heysham Port.
Note.
- There is a rail connection to the West Coast Main Line via Morecambe, which is shown in yellow.
- The port appears to have three berths for ferries.
- There are only a couple of train services per day.
- South of the port is the Heysham nuclear power station, which has a capacity of 2.5 GW.
At a first glance, it would appear, that a rail-served passenger terminal could be built close to the port.
I suspect most passengers using Heysham are travelling with a vehicle.
The problem is also that the ferry crossing to Belfast takes around eight hours and there are faster and more convenient routes.
The ferries could be decarbonised by using ammonia or hydrogen fuel, but I doubt that they would be any faster.
I suspect that getting more passengers to use Heysham for the Isle of Man or Ireland will be a difficult proposition to sell to passengers.
And it is made even more difficult with such an infrequent train service.
Before High Speed Two
Avanti West Coast might like to run a train between Euston and Morecambe for the Eden Project North.
Are National Rail Promoting Theme Parks?
I found this page on the National Rail web site, which is entitled Theme Parks.
It gives a list of most theme parks and their nearest stations.
Does such a page exist for hospitals, cathedrals and other similar groups.
Proposed High-Speed Two Services Are Not Complete
This diagram shows High Speed Two services.
Note.
- Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
- Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
- Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
- The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
- In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
Are The Services Incomplete Or Has Someone Left Something Out?
Look at trains 4, 5 and 6.
- Train 4 is a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, which split at Crewe, with one going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Lancaster.
- Train 5 is a single Classic-Compatible train, that goes to Liverpool Lime Street.
- Train 6 is a single Classic-Compatible train, that goes to Macclesfield.
As an example, Train 5 could be a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, which split at Crewe, with one going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Chester, Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead. I actually believe that this would be a way of creating a low-carbon route to Dublin, with a zero-carbon high-speed ferry from Holyhead.
What to do with Train 6 is more difficult.
- Stafford and Stoke need to be served by High Speed Two.
- Stafford, Stoke and Macclesfield are not stations with long platforms, so may not be suitable places to split a pair of Classic-Compatible trains.
- Places North of Macclesfield to terminate trains are not numerous and probably only Manchester and Huddersfield may be suitable.
The alternative might be to split a pair of Classic-Compatible trains forming Train 6 at Birmingham Interchange, one going to Stafford, Stoke and Macclesfield and the other going to Blackburn, Blackpool, Crewe, Lancaster, Liverpool or Preston
Landmark Levelling Up Fund To Spark Transformational Change Across The UK
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the UK Government.
These are the four bullet points.
- More than 100 projects awarded share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.
- Projects will benefit millions of people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and create jobs and boost economic growth.
- £672 million to develop better transport links, £821 million to kick-start community regeneration and £594 million to restore local heritage sites.
- Successful bids include Eden Project North in Morecambe, a new AI campus in Blackpool, regeneration in Gateshead, and rail improvements in Cornwall
The press release expands the last bullet point.
Projects awarded Levelling Up Fund money today include:
Eden Project North
Eden Project North will receive £50 million to transform a derelict site on Morecambe’s seafront into a world class visitor attraction. It will also kick-start regeneration more widely in Morecambe, creating jobs, supporting tourism and encouraging investment in the seaside town.
Note.
- Because of its closeness to the West Coast Main Line, it will have excellent rail connections to all over the North of England and Central and Southern Scotland, through Lancaster, which will only be a shuttle train away.
- One of High Speed Two’s direct destinations will be Lancaster, which will be served by High Speed Two by hourly trains to Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, London, Preston, Warrington and Wigan and by two-hourly trains to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lockerbie and Motherwell.
- London and Lancaster will be a journey of just two hours and three minutes.
I believe that this high quality rail access will ensure the success of the Eden Project North.
Cardiff Crossrail
Cardiff Crossrail has been allocated £50 million from the fund to improve the journey to and from the city and raise the economic performance of the wider region.
The Cardiff Crossrail is obviously a good project from the little that I’ve read about it. But it does need a web site to explain the reasoning behind it.
Blackpool Multiversity
Blackpool Council and Wyre Council will receive £40 million to deliver a new Multiversity, a carbon-neutral, education campus in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway Central Business District. This historic funding allows Blackpool and The Fylde College to replace their ageing out-of-town centre facilities with world-class state-of-the-art ones in the heart of the town centre. The Multiversity will promote higher-level skills, including automation and artificial intelligence, helping young people secure jobs of the future.
Blackpool certainly needs something.
My suggestion in Blackpool Needs A Diamond, was to build a second Diamond Light Source in the North to complement the successful facility at Harwell.
I don’t think the two proposals are incompatible.
Fair Isle Ferry
Nearly £27 million has been guaranteed for a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. The service is a lifeline for the island, supporting its residents, visitors and supply chains, and without its replacement the community will become further isolated.
Note.
- Will it be a British-built ferry?
- Will it be hydrogen-powered? After all by the time it is built, the Northern Scottish islands will be providing enough of the gas to power a quarter of Germany.
- Surely, a hydrogen-powered roll-on, roll-off ferry will be a tourist attraction in its own right.
I hope the Government and the islanders have a good ship-yard lined up
Gateshead Quays And The Sage
A total of £20 million is going towards the regeneration of Gateshead Quays and the Sage, which will include a new arena, exhibition centre, hotels, and other hospitality. The development will attract nearly 800,000 visitors a year and will create more than 1,150 new jobs.
I don’t know much about the Sage, but this project seems very reasonable.
Mid-Cornwall Metro
A £50 million grant will help create a new direct train service, linking 4 of Cornwall’s largest urban areas: Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth/Penryn. This will level up access to jobs, skills, education, and amenities in one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the UK.
I wrote about this scheme in The Proposed Mid-Cornwall Metro, where I came to this conclusion.
I believe that a small fleet of Hitachi Regional Battery Trains could create an iconic Metro for Cornwall, that would appeal to both visitors and tourists alike.
Judging by the recent success of reopening the Dartmoor Railway to Okehampton in Devon, I think this scheme could be a big success. But it must be zero-carbon!
Female Changing Rooms For Northern Ireland Rugby
There is £5.1 million to build new female changing rooms in 20 rugby clubs across Northern Ireland.
Given the popularity of the female version of the sport in England, Scotland and Wales, perhaps this is a sensible way to level it up in Northern Ireland. As rugby is an all-Ireland sport, perhaps the Irish have already sorted the South?
High Speed Two To The North West Of England
This map clipped from the High Speed Two web site, shows High Speed Two routes in the North West of England.
Note.
- When shown in orange, High Speed Two will use new tracks.
- When shown in blue, High Speed Two will use existing tracks.
- New stations are shown as large blue dots.
- High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line appear to share a corridor through Crewe, before dividing near Walley’s Green.
- High Speed Two loops to the East of the West Coast Main Line and rejoins it South of Wigan between Bryn Gates and Abram Brow.
The route will or might serve the following stations in North West England.
Blackpool North
Blackpool North station is not planned to be served by High Speed Two.
But the station has been recently rebuilt.
- It has a number of platforms, that are capable of handling 200 metre long classic-compatible High Speed Two trains.
- The route to High Speed Two at Preston is fully electrified.
- In a couple of years, it will be connected to Blackpool’s expanding tramway.
- Blackpool would welcome High Speed Two with open arms.
Blackpool North would be an ideal extra destination, if more trains were to be split and joined at Crewe.
But whatever happens, I believe that high speed commuter trains will run from Blackpool North.
- Blackpool and Manchester Piccadilly via Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport.
- Blackpool and Derby via Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent.
Blackpool North has the platforms and electrification and it will be used.
Carlisle
Carlisle station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
But two tph will be 400 metre London Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow trains, so platform lengthening will probably be required.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Carlisle – I tph – 118 minutes
- London Euston and Carlisle – 2 tph – 154 minutes.
After any necessary platform lengthening, Carlisle will be ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
The High Speed Two web site, says Carlisle will be reached in Phase 2b, but as Edinburgh and Glasgow are part of Phase 1, this must be a mistake.
Crewe
Crewe station is at the bottom of the map, just to the right of centre.
The station gets this introduction on this page of the High Speed Two web site.
HS2 services will call at Crewe, where passengers will be able to access the high speed network heading south. Journey times to London will be cut to under an hour. Macclesfield, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent will also receive HS2 services, spreading the benefits of better connectivity.
The page also says that between five and seven trains per hour (tph) will call at Crewe.
Lancaster
Lancaster station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
Lancaster will also be a terminus of 200 metre long classic-compatible High peed Two train from London Euston, so there may need to be refurbishment to handle the larger, if not longer train.
The use of Lancaster as a terminus, would appear to have the following advantages.
- The platform is already there.
- Using Lancaster as a terminal, may reduce the scope of works at Carlisle and Preston.
- The one tph service from London Euston is effectively a High Speed Northern stopper between Lancaster and Crewe, with calls at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston stations.
- Lancaster has connections to Barrow-in-Furness, Heysham Port and Morecambe and the scenic Cumbrian Coast and Settle-Carlisle Lines.
- Paces like Barrow-in-Furness. Morecambe and a host of other stations, should save forty-three minutes on journeys to and from London.
I think that Lancaster, is a good place to terminate a service in the North-West of England.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Lancaster – I tph – 65 minutes
- London Euston and Lancaster – 1 tph – 101 minutes.
After the necessary refurbishment, Lancaster will be ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
But I do feel that Lancaster could be reached in Phase 1 of the project, if necessary works North of Preston and at Lancaster station were planned as an independent project.
Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street station is at the Western edge of the map, at the end of the Liverpool Branch of the West Coast Main Line.
Liverpool gets this headline and brief description on this page of the High Speed Two web site.
The City Region Wants To Deliver a World Class Transport Network
Its ambitious plans would integrate the existing HS2 route and builds on the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals for high speed, east-west links directly into Liverpool City Centre.
Liverpool has made a good start to prepare for High Speed Two.
- The Grade II Listed; Lime Street station now has lengthened platforms and an improved layout so that it can handle two 200 metre long High Speed Two trains per hour.
- Merseyrail is taking delivery of a fleet of new Class 777 trains to update their suburban network.
- By the time High Speed Two arrives in the city, the suburban network will be larger.
Liverpool is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Macclesfield
Macclesfield station is at the Eastern edge of the map, at the end of its own leg of High Speed Two.
The station was the surprise destination added, during the last iteration of High Speed Two.
- The late, great Brian Redhead, who lived in the town would be very pleased.
- The station was rebuilt in 1960 and has three platforms.
- It is planned to have one tph to London Euston via Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and Old Oak Common.
- The visualisation on this page of the High Speed Two web site, also shows three platforms, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a fourth added, as the extra platform would add flexibility.
The second surprise for Macclesfield, is that like Liverpool, it will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport station is the Southern large blue dot at the top of the map.
This page on the High Speed Two web site is rather sparse on information about Manchester Airport station.
I have combined train times given on the web page, with frequencies from an article in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways to create this table, which should be valid after the completion of High Speed Two.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Airport – 2 tph – 32 minutes
- Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport – 1 tph – 29 minutes
- London Euston and Manchester Airport – 3 tph – 63 minutes
- London Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport – 3 tph – 56 minutes
- Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport – 5 tph – 6 minutes
In Changes Signalled For HS2 Route In North, I stated that Northern Powerhouse Rail were proposing the following Liverpool and Manchester service.
Manchester Airport station will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
- Six tph
- Stops at Manchester Airport and Warrington.
- An end-to-end journey time of 26 minutes.
This would do the following.
- Add a Liverpool and Manchester Airport service with a frequency of 6 tph, that will take 20 minutes.
- Add a Warrington Parkway and Manchester Airport service with a frequency of 6 tph that will take around 10 minutes.
- Increase the frequency between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport to 11 tph. Or more likely 12 tph.
How many cities have an airport connection running every five minutes using trains running at 125 mph?
As these Liverpool and Manchester services would probably start in places like Hull and Newcastle and come via varied routes that included a selection of Bradford, Doncaster Huddersfield, Leeds and Sheffield, all of the North, that lies to the East of the Pennines will be connected to Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool by high speed trains.
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station is the Northern large blue dot at the top of the map.
This page on the High Speed Two web site is rather sparse on information about Manchester Piccadilly station.
Using the same data as before I can create a table of services from Manchester Piccadilly station, where I have included Liverpool and Manchester services, that will be run by Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- Birmingham Curzon Street – 2 tph – 40 minutes
- Birmingham Interchange – 1 tph – 37 minutes
- London Euston – 3 tph – 67 minutes
- London Old Oak Common – 3 tph – 60 minutes
- Manchester Airport – 12 tph – 6 minutes
- Liverpool – 6 tph – 26 minutes
Manchester Piccadilly station will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
Oxenholme Lake District
Oxenholme Lake District station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Oxenholm Lake District – I tph – 79 minutes
- London Euston and Oxenholme Lake District – 115 minutes – Change at Preston
Oxenholme Lake District is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
But I do feel that Oxenholme Lake Districtcould be reached in Phase 1 of the project, if necessary works North of Preston and at Lancaster station were planned as an independent project
Penrith North Lakes
Penrith North Lakes station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Penrith North Lakes – I tph – 102 minutes
- London Euston and Penrith North Lakes – 138 minutes – Change at Preston
Penrith North Lakes is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
But I do feel that Penrith North Lakes could be reached in Phase 1 of the project, if necessary works North of Preston and at Lancaster station were planned as an independent project
Preston
Preston station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
But two tph will be 400 metre London Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow trains, so platform lengthening will probably be required.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Preston – I tph – 50 minutes
- London Euston and Preston – 3 tph – 78 minutes.
After any necessary platform lengthening, Preston will be ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Runcorn
Runcorn station is a through station on the Liverpool service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be two tph between London Euston and Runcorn and trains will take 74 minutes.
Runcorn is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Stafford
Stafford station is a through station on the Macclesfield service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be one tph between London Euston and Stafford and trains will take 54 minutes.
Sfafford is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Stoke
Stoke station is a through station on the Macclesfield service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be one tph between London Euston and Stoke and trains will take 71 minutes.
Stoke is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Warrington
Warrington Bank Quay station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Warrington Bank Quay – I tph – 25 minutes
- London Euston and Warrington Bank Quay – 1 tph – 73 minutes.
Warrington Bank Quay is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Wigan
Wigan North Western station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Wigan North Western – I tph – 36 minutes
- London Euston and Wigan North Western – 1 tph – 84 minutes.
Wigan North Western is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Existing Stations Where High Speed Two Trains Will Call
The June 2020 Edition Of Modern Railways has an article called HS2 Minister Backs 18 tph Frequency, which gives a detailed diagram of the route structure of High Speed Two and it is possible to summarise the stations, where High Speed Two trains will call.
- Carlisle – 3 tph – 400 metres – Split/Join
- Chesterfield – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Crewe – 2 tph – 400 metres – Split/Join
- Darlington – 2 tph – 200 metres
- Durham – 1 tph – 200 metres
- East Midlands Hub HS2 – 7 tph – 400 metres – Split/Join
- Edinburgh Haymarket – 2.5 tph – 200 metres
- Edinburgh Waverley – 2.5 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Glasgow Central – 2.5 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Lancaster – 2 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Leeds HS2 – 5 tph – 400 metres
- Liverpool Lime Street – 2 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Lockerbie – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Macclesfield – 1 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Manchester Airport HS2 – 5 tph – 400 metres
- Manchester Piccadilly HS2 – 5 tph – 400 metres
- Motherwell – 0.5 tph – 200 metres
- Newcastle – 3 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Oxenholme – 0.5 tph – 200 metres
- Penrith – 0.5n tph – 200 metres
- Preston – 4 tph – 400 metres
- Runcorn – 2 tph – 200 metres
- Sheffield – 2 tph – 200 metres
- Stafford – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Stoke-on-Trent – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Warrington Bank Quay – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Wigan North Western – 1 tph – 200 metres
- York – 4 tph – 200 metres
Note.
- HS2 after the station name indicates a new station for High Speed Two
- tph is trains per hour
- 0.5 tph is one train per two hours (tp2h).
- 200/400 metres is the maximum length of trains that will call.
- Terminal indicates that trains will terminate at these stations.
- Split/Join indicates that trains will split and join at these stations.
These are more detailed thoughts on how existing stations will need to be modified.
Train Lengths
Before, I look at the individual stations, I’ll look at the train lengths.
- High Speed Two train – Single – 200 metres
- High Speed Two train – Pair – 400 metres
- Class 390 train – 11-car – 265.3 metres
- Class 390 train – 9-car – 217.5 metres
- Class 807 train – 7-car – 182 metres
- Class 810 train – 5-car – 120 metres
- Class 810 train – Pair of 5-car – 240 metres
- InterCity 125 – 2+8 – 220 metres
- InterCity 225 – 9-car – 245 metres
- Class 222 train – 4-car – 93.34 metres
- Class 222 train – 5-car – 116.16 metres
- Class 222 train – 7-car – 161.8 metres
- Class 222 train – 4-car+5-car – 209.5 metres
- Class 222 train – 5-car+5-car – 232.32 metres
These are the thoughts on the individual stations.
Carlisle
Carlisle station will need two 400 metre through platforms, so each can accommodate a pair of 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
I estimate the platforms are about 380 metres, but it looks like, they could be lengthened, without too much difficulty.
As High Speed Two trains to the North of Carlisle will be 200 metres long, there would probably be no need for platform lengthening North of Carlisle, as these trains are shorter than the Class 390 trains, that currently work the routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Carlisle station is step-free, has good secondary rail connections and is within walking distance of the city centre.
The only thing it needs, is a connection to Edinburgh on a rebuilt Borders Railway.
Chesterfield
Consider.
- Chesterfield station will need to handle 200 metre trains.
- Chesterfield station may be rebuilt for High Speed Two.
- Chesterfield station can handle an InterCity 125, which is 220 metres.
- It will need to handle a pair of Class 810 trains, which would be 240 metres.
This Google Map shows Chesterfield station.
Note.
- The slow lines passing the station on the Eastern side.
- There are two long through platforms and a third bi-directional platform on the down slow line.
There is space to build two long platforms for High Speed Two, but is it worth it, when one one tph will stop?
- According to High Speed Two’s Journey Time Calculator, trains will take just twelve minutes between Sheffield and Chesterfield stations.
- This compares with 12-15 minutes for the current diesel trains.
- The distance between the two stations is 14 miles, which means that a twelve minute trip has an average speed of 70 mph.
- If there are still two tph to St. Pancras, there will be four tph, that run fast between the Sheffield and Chesterfield stations, of which three will stop at Chesterfield.
I think this could result in a simple and efficient design for the tracks between Sheffield and South of Clay Cross, where High Speed Two joins the Erewash Valley Line.
Chesterfield station is step-free.
Crewe
Crewe station will need two 400 metre through platforms, so each can accommodate a pair of 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
There have been references to rebuilding of Crewe stations, but it does appear that some platforms are over 300 metres long.
Darlington
Darlington station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Durham
Durham station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Edinburgh Haymarket
Edinburgh Haymarket station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Currently, Avanti West Coast runs the following services to Glasgow Central.
- One tph from London Euston calling at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District (1tp2h), Penrith (1tp2h) and Carlisle.
- One tp2h from London Euston calling at Milton Keynes Central, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell and Dudley, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District (1tp2h), Penrith (1tp2h) and Carlisle.
High Speed Two is proposing to run the following trains to Glasgow Central.
- Two tph from London Euston calling at Old Oak Common, Preston and Carlisle.
- One tp2h from Birmingham Curzon Street calling at Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme (1tp2h), Penrith (1tp2h), Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell (1tp2h)
If the current services to Glasgow Central were to be replaced by the High Speed Two services, most travellers would get a similar or better service.
But if Avanti West Coast decide to drop their classic services to Glasgow via Birmingham, will travellers starting between Milton Keynes and Crewe, be a bit miffed to lose their direct services to Glasgow?
Glasgow Central station would appear to be ready for High Speed Two.
Lancaster
I was initially surprised, that on High Speed Two, one tph would terminate at Lancaster station.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- There are two bypass lines without any platforms on the Western side of the tracks, where trains can speed through.
- The station has five platforms.
- Some Avanti West Coast services terminate at Lancaster station.
- 265 metre, eleven-car Class 390 trains, stop in Lancaster station.
As High Speed Two services will use 200 metre trains, which are shorter than all Class 390 trains, I would suspect that High Speed Two services will be able to be turned at Lancaster station, without too much difficulty.
Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street station will need to be able to turn two 200 metre High Speed Two tph.
- The remodelling of the station in 2018, probably allowed for two tph between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street station.
- From 2022-2023, it will be turning two Class 807 trains per hour, which will probably be 182 metres long.
Liverpool Lime Street station may well be ready for Phase One of High Speed Two. It’s also very much step-free.
There are also alternative plans for a new High Speed station in Liverpool.
- It would be alongside the current Liverpool Lime Street station.
- The station would have a route to High Speed Two at Crewe via Warrington and a junction at High Legh.
- Northern Powerhouse Rail would start in the station and go to Manchester via Warrington, High Legh and Manchester Airport.
- It would enable six tph between Liverpool and Manchester, in a time of just 26 minutes.
I talked about this plan in Changes Signalled For HS2 Route In North, where I included this map.
High Legh Junction is numbered 5 and 6.
Nothing published about High Speed Two, would appear to rule this plan out.
Lockerbie
Lockerbie station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Macclesfield
I was initially surprised, that on High Speed Two, one tph would terminal at Macclesfield station.
This Google Map shows the station.
Wikipedia says this about the platforms in the station.
There are three platforms but only two are in regular use, the up platform for services to Manchester and the down platform to Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham. Platform 3 sees a small number of services. Evidence of a fourth platform can be seen, on which a Network Rail building now exists.
As the station has a regular Avanti West Coast service every hour, the platforms must be over 200 metres long and they will be long enough for the 200 metre High Speed Two trains.
So why would High Speed Two want to terminate a train at Macclesfield, rather than at Manchester Piccadilly as they do now?
Currently, Avanti West Coast runs these services between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly.
- One tph via Milton Keynes Central, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport.
- One tph via Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport
- One tph via Stafford, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport
The diagram in the Modern Railways article shows these High Speed Two services to Manchester Piccadilly.
- One tph from London Euston via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport
- Two tph from London Euston via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport
- Two tph from Birmingham Curzon Street via Manchester Airport.
Note.
- None of these five tph serve Macclesfield, Milton Keynes Central, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent or Wilmslow.
- All five proposed services are shown to call at Manchester Airport.
- It is likely, that a tunnel will be bored between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
- The High Speed Two station at Manchester Piccadilly might even be in a tunnel under the current Manchester Piccadilly station or central Manchester.
- A below-ground High Speed Two station for Manchester could also serve Northern Powerhouse Rail services to Leeds and the East.
- According to the plans, I talked about under Liverpool Lime Street earlier, there could also be up to six tph running between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester Airport, as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Plans need to be developed to serve the towns and cities, that will not be served by High Speed Two’s current proposals.
- It appears Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield will be served by an independent High Speed Two service from London Euston.
- Terminating one tph at Macclesfield station doesn’t appear to be challenging.
- A rail route between Macclesfield and Manchester Airport to link up with the proposed tunnel could be very difficult.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Macclesfield stations have a frequent rail connection, with most trains calling at Stockport station.
- Perhaps during construction work for High Speed Two in the centre of Manchester, Macclesfield station can be used as an alternative route into the city, using the existing Manchester Piccadilly station.
The London Euston and Macclesfield service via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent could be a pragmatic solution to part of the problem, but what about Milton Keynes, Wilmslow and Stockport?
According to the title of the Modern Railways article, High Speed Two will have a maximum frequency of 18 tph.
When fully-developed, the current proposed timetable shows the following.
- A frequency of 17 tph between London Euston and Birmingham Interchange stations.
- A frequency of 11 tph between Birmingham and Crewe.
- A frequency of 9 tph through East Midlands Hub station.
It would appear that if there is a capacity bottleneck, it is between London and Birmingham.
However if classic services to Manchester Piccadilly are replaced by the High Speed Two services to the city via the new tunnel from Manchester Airport to a new station in the City Centre, there will be spare capacity on the Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly route via Wilmslow and Stockport stations.
This could lead to a number of solutions.
- A direct High Speed Two service runs using the spare path, between London and the current Manchester Piccadilly station.
- Similar to the previous service, but the service splits and joins at Crewe, with one individual train going to Manchester Piccadilly and the other somewhere else. Blackpool?
- One service between London and Liverpool is planned to split and join at Crewe with individual trains going to Lancaster and Liverpool. The other Liverpool service could split at Crewe with individual trains going to Liverpool and Manchester Piccadilly.
- The service between London and Macclesfield is run by a pair of trains, that split at Birmingham Interchange, with individual trains going to Macclesfield and Manchester Piccadilly. The advantage of this service, is that if you got into the wrong train, you’d still be going to roughly the same destination.
- Wikipedia says “At peak times, the current Avanti West Coast services may additionally call at one or more of: Watford Junction, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley.” So why not run classic services on the West Coast Main Line between Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Milton Keynes using suitably fast trains. Perhaps, the new Class 807 trains would be ideal.
Note.
- All services serving the current Manchester Piccadilly station would call at Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport stations.
- Passengers going to or from Manchester Airport would change at Crewe.
The more I look at Macclesfield, the more I like using it as a High Speed Two destination.
Motherwell
Motherwell station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Newcastle
Newcastle station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Oxenholme
Oxenholme station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Penrith
Penrith station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Preston
Preston station will need two 400 metre through platforms, so each can accommodate a pair of 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
I estimate that the main through platforms aren’t much short of the required 400 metres.
But something must be done to make the station step-free.
Runcorn
Runcorn station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 217 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also step-free.
Sheffield
Sheffield station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
As the station can already handle a 220 metre InterCity 125, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also substantially step-free.
Stafford
Stafford station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also step-free.
Wikipedia says this about Stafford station and High Speed Two.
Under current proposals, Stafford will be a part of the High Speed 2 network, via a ‘Classic Compatible’ junction, which will allow HS2 trains to operate to Stafford, and further on towards Liverpool. This would shorten journey time from Stafford to London, to an estimated 53 minutes. Under current proposals it is expected that an hourly services will operate in both directions, however it is currently unclear if these services will terminate at Stafford, or Liverpool.
This does appear to be rather out of date with High Speed Two’s latest proposals as disclosed in the Modern Railways article, which say that Stafford is served by the following service.
- One tph between London Euston and Macclesfield.
- Calls at Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
- A 200 metre train.
One possibility must surely be to run a pair of 200 metre trains to and from Stafford, where they would split and join.
- One could go as currently proposed to Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield.
- The second train could go to Liverpool via Crewe and Runcorn or Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport.
- The recent works at Norton Bridge Junction will have improved the route for the second train.
There would need to be platform lengthening at Stafford to accommodate the 400 metre pair of trains.
A split and join at Stafford does show the possibilities of the technique.
Another possibility is mentioned for Stafford in Wikipedia.
There is also been proposals to reintroduce services to Stafford to terminate on the Chase Line which was cutback to Rugeley Trent Valley in 2008. The Key Corridors states “Extension of Chase Line services to Stafford”. This is proposed to be in development.
It will surely connect a lot of people to Stafford for High Speed Two.
The extract from Wikipedia, that I used earlier, mentions a Classic Compatible junction, which will allow High Speed Two trains to reach Stafford.
This 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.
- High Speed Two runs North-South across the map.
- After the Junction by Fradley South,
- High Speed Two to Crewe and the North, is the branch to the East.
- The other branch connects to the Trent Valley Line, which 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.
- Most of the route between Rugby and Stafford is three or four tracks.
- The speed limit is generally 125 mph.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 and Class 807 trains running at 140 mph on the route.
- 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. High Speed Two is quoting 54 minutes on their Journey Time Calculator.
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also step-free.
Warrington Bank Quay
Warrington Bank Quay station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Wigan North Western
Wigan North Western station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
In Is Wigan North Western Station Ready For High Speed Two?, I said this.
Wigan North Western station would accept a single-train now, but the platforms would need lengthening to handle a double-train.
As all trains through Wigan North Western station will only be 200 metre single trains and the station is step-free, the station appears to be ready for High Speed Two.
York
York station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Conclusion
I have come to these conclusions.
- Because most of these stations have been rebuilt in the last few decades to accommodate the 200-plus metre InterCity 125s, InterCity 225s and Class 390 trains, all the stations can handle a 200 metre High Speed Two train without significant lengthening.
- Some stations like Carlisle, Crewe, Preston and Stafford may need a small amount of platform lengthening to accommodate a pair of trains, but most of the improvements needed for a world-class High Speed railway will be more refurbishment than a complete rebuild.
- Using existing platforms at Lancaster and Macclesfield stations as terminal platforms is an elegant and a much more affordable solution than building new stations or even platforms.
- Because all five tph into the High Speed Two station at Manchester Piccadilly go via Manchester Airport, I would envisage that this will be in a tunnel, that can be part of a future Northern Powerhouse Rail.
I also think that the plan has been devised with the Project Management and minimising disruption to travellers in mind.
The Anonymous Widower 