Ministers Sack Top Tail Adviser Who Spoke Out Over HS2 Train Debacle
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Chris Gibb, an industry veteran, said plans to shorten HS2 trains would likely inflate costs, slow services beyond Birmingham and result in fewer seats
These three paragraphs add more details.
A leading government adviser has been fired for criticising Whitehall plans to reduce the length of HS2 trains, it can be revealed.
Chris Gibb, a non-executive director of the nationalised train operator, is understood to have had his contract terminated by ministers this weekend after allegedly breaching media engagement rules.
Gibb was appointed to the board of the Department for Transport Operator Limited (DFTO) in 2020, having worked in the rail industry for more than 40 years. DFTO is the state-owned company that oversees train companies as they are brought into full public ownership.
This paragraph appears to detail what Gibb has said that caused offence.
Gibb said there was “no doubt that if HS2 opened by replacing 11-coach Pendolinos with eight-coach trains, these would be full and leave people behind on day one”.
So I will audit, what he said.
Now that Leeds is not going to be served by HS2, Manchester Piccadilly, is the only station other than Birmingham Curzon Street, that will terminate 400 m. trains, and the Birmingham station will be brand-new, so hopefully, that will be designed for the right capacity.
Manchester Piccadilly currently handles three trains per hour from London.
- Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport
- Nuneaton, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport
- Stafford, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport
Trains are usually Class 390 11-car Pendolino with 607 seats
These will be replaced by.
- 200m. train – Euston and Macclesfield via Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
- 400m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham International and Manchester Airport.
- 400m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
- 400m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
Trains will be 200m 8-car HS2 train which will have 504 seats. 400m trains will be two trains running as a pair.
I can add up the hourly seats.
Currently, if the three trains per hour are 11-car Pendolinos, then the hourly London-Manchester capacity is 1821 seats.
On HS2, if the four and a half trains per hour are 8-car HS2 trains, then the hourly London-Manchester capacity is 9 x 504 or 4536 seats, or a 149% increase in capacity.
- And HS2 doesn’t serve Macclesfield, Stockport or Wilmslow!
- Four 200m. HS2 trains would give a 121 % increase in capacity.
- Perhaps, as there is spare capacity on HS2 between Crewe and London, another service could be fitted into the hourly scheme of things.
How about Blackpool?
How Many 8-car HS2 Trains Would Be Needed To Replace The Capacity Of The Current Service?
To provide an hourly London-Manchester capacity of 1821 seats with 8-car HS2 trains would need around 3.6 trains.
Even in the unreal world that in which politicians exist, I doubt fractions of a train exist.
So I suspect, a practical timetable could be.
- 200m. train – Euston and Macclesfield via Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
- 200m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham International and Manchester Airport.
- 200m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
- 200m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
This would be 2016 hourly seats, which is an increase of about 10 %
Please check my figures, as they could explain a lot.
Easter Disruption For Europe’s Busiest Train Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Thousands of Easter train journeys will be disrupted by a six-day shutdown on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
These two paragraphs add more details.
Engineering work means no intercity services will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes from Good Friday to Wednesday, 8 April, Network Rail said.
The Easter work is part of a £400m project to boost reliability, which WCML said was Europe’s busiest railway line used for passenger and freight trains.
This graphic from London Northwestern Railway, shows the Rail Replacement Bus routes around the blockade.
Note.
- There are no trains South of Milton Keynes Central
- There is a Rail Replacement Bus between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford.
- There is a Rail Replacement Bus between Milton Keynes Central and Watford Junction
This OpenRailwayMap , shows the Marston Vale Line between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford.
Note.
- The two Bedford stations ; Bedford and Bedford St. Johns are in the North East corner of the map.
- Milton Keynes Central station is on the Western edge of the map.
- The Marston Vale Line, which is shown in yellow, links Milton Keynes Central and the two Bedford stations.
- The track shown in red, going through Milton Keynes Central is the West Coast Main Line.
- The track shown in orange, going North South through Bedford is the Midland Main Line.
- The Midland Main Line appears to be running normally between Bedford and St. Pancras. This is according to Real Time Trains.
- The Marston Vale Line should be running new Class 196 trains, but it is not due to a door opening dispute with the trains.
- The Marston Vale Line appears to be running normally between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford. This is according to Real Time Trains.
This OpenRailwayMap shows Bletchley station and the flyover on the East side of the station.
Note.
- The West Coast Main Line is on the West side of the map.
- Bletchley station is indicated by the blue arrow at the bottom of the map.
- To the East of the station is Bletchley flyover, which is labelled “Summit of Bletchley Flyover.
- The flyover splits with one branch going North to Milton Keynes and the other East to Bedford.
It does appear, that no train can go between Milton Keynes Central and Bedford stations, without a reverse at Bletchley station.
But you can go between Milton Keynes Central and Oxford stations, without a reverse at Bletchley station, as you stop on the flyover.
To check, I read the tracks right, I asked Google AI, “Can Trains Go Between Bedford And Milton Keynes Central Without A Reverse At Bletchley and received this answer.
Currently, no. Trains running between Bedford and Milton Keynes Central cannot bypass a reversal (reversing direction) at Bletchley because the Marston Vale line terminates at Bletchley station. Trains must enter Bletchley and then change direction to join the West Coast Main Line to reach Milton Keynes Central.
Key Details:
Current Routing: The Marston Vale line connects Bedford and Bletchley. Services from Bletchley to Milton Keynes Central operate as a separate connection.
The Reversal: Passengers currently must change trains or experience a driver change/reversal at Bletchley to continue.
Future Changes: The East West Rail project aims to improve these connections, but as of early 2026, the direct link remains through Bletchley.
Conclusion
Does this explain, why there is a Rail Replacement Bus rather than a shuttle train between Bedford And Milton Keynes Central stations?
We Live Three Minutes From The Station — And Can’t Catch A Train
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
A line connecting Oxford to Milton Keynes was finished 16 months ago. So why does it remain useless to families who moved to be next to it?
These four paragraphs add more details.
Nearly two years after moving to Winslow for its rail connections, Rachael Lee is still waiting to catch her first train.
Winslow station, a three-minute walk from Lee’s house, should have opened last year, connecting locals to Oxford, Milton Keynes and beyond. But as the site remains plagued by delays, the only people to pass through its doors are the security guards paid to keep watch.
“All the lights are on and there’s ticket machines that are on,” said Lee, 36, a marketing professional who moved to the Buckinghamshire town with her family in June 2024. “Who’s paying for all of that? It just feels like it takes the mickey when you drive and walk past it.”
Construction issues, union disputes about onboard guards and a lack of ready trains have all delayed the opening of the station, which was built for East West Rail (EWR) in a £6 billion government-funded project to reconnect Oxford and Cambridge by train for the first time since 1967. It is one of the country’s biggest rail projects, begun in 2014, and is expected to bring tens of thousands of jobs and billions of pounds to the regional economy.
Harold Wilson would have solved this problem with beer and sandwiches at No. 10.
Delays To Opening Makes Station A ‘Laughing Stock’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Residents of Winslow are frustrated a new railway station completed over a year ago has still not opened.
These three introductory paragraphs add detail to the article.
A local councillor said it had been due to open in the Buckinghamshire town in December 2025 but there had been a “comedy of errors”, including a row over who will control the opening and closing of carriage doors.
Diana Blamires, who sits on the town council, said the local community was “obviously furious” and “it makes Winslow station a laughing stock”.
In a statement, Chiltern Railways – responsible for operating services between Oxford and Milton Keynes – said no date for the opening had yet been confirmed.
My feeling is that this project has been badly affected by two many adverse factors.
- A lack of overall leadership at the top of the project.
- Too many changes of Government in the UK.
- Are all these governments committed to the project?
- The uncertainty about the Aylesbury Spur, which I wrote about in East-West Rail: Aylesbury Spur.
- The inability to reach a sensible compromise on route through Bedford, with the large number of Nimbys in the area.
- I used to live near Newmarket and their ideas for the town will arise the anger of the horse-racing industry.
- The theme-park I wrote about in ‘Rollercoasters In My Back Yard’: Welcome To Universal Studios Bedford, hasn’t exactly helped.
- Stories like East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?, don’t help.
The planning for East West Rail hasn’t been good
But another story on the BBC, which is entitled How The Elizabeth Line Has Changed Reading, has to my mind shown up the poor quality of the planning for the East West Rail.
This Is the sub-heading.
Since the Elizabeth Line opened in May 2022 it has become the UK’s busiest rail service with an estimated 750 million passenger journeys.
And this is the first paragraph.
The line provides a direct service from Reading into central London, but after years of planning and delays is the Berkshire town finally feeling the benefits of an additional connection to the capital?
Are Bicester, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bedford and other places going to feel a similar effect to Reading, because the railway track layouts say that if Reading gets a boost from the Elizabeth Line, then they will get one from East West Rail!
The Reading/Oxford area is where the East West and Elizabeth Lines make contact and I predict, that if in the future, you want a machine to test the strength of jelly, this will be the place, where you will go to get one invented.
East West Rail Unveils Next Phase For Oxford-Cambridge Growth
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the UK Government.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- more frequent trains on the horizon for millions of passengers between Oxford and Cambridge as multibillion pound East West Rail project confirms next steps
- new rail station set to help serve upcoming Universal theme park in Bedford, as well as improvements planned for several existing stations
- new route delivers on the government’s Plan for Change, unlocking £6.7 billion of regional economic growth and delivering up to 100,000 new homes
These two introductory paragraphs make a few general points about the overall project, housing and jobs.
Millions of people across the Oxford to Cambridge corridor are set to benefit from more frequent trains as the East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has revealed the next steps for the second phase of the project today (19 November 2025).
As one of Britain’s largest transport projects, East West Rail forms a cornerstone of the government’s Plan for Change, unlocking £6.7 billion of regional economic growth by 2050, enabling up to 100,000 new homes and supporting tens of thousands of new jobs along the route.
These sections make some more detailed points.
How Many Permanent Staff Will Be Employed At Universal Studios Bedford?
As many will want to live locally, this will surely encourage many to use the trains on the East-West Rail to travel to work, so this will be an important factor.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Universal Studios plans to employ 8,000 permanent staff at its new resort in Bedford. This number is part of an overall total of approximately 28,000 jobs, which includes 20,000 jobs during the construction phase.
My project management knowledge is telling me that the station should be built before the theme park.
How Many Daily Visitors Are Expected At Universal Studios Bedford?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
The Universal Studios theme park in Bedford is expected to have 55,000 visitors on peak days from its launch, based on its plan to handle 8.5 million annual visitors. The project, planned to open in 2031, is expected to attract 8.5 million annual visitors in its first year, with numbers rising to 12 million within 20 years.
I would expect a large number of visitors and staff will probably be encouraged to come by train, just as they are at some Premier League football stadiums.
Will Universal Studios Bedford Be Marketed As A Low Carbon Theme Park?
I’m asking this question, as it seems, the railway is being upgraded make this easier.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Yes, it appears Universal Studios Bedford will be marketed as having a low-carbon focus, as evidenced by its planning applications that highlight sustainability efforts. The project outlines include goals for water conservation, energy reduction and clean energy use, waste minimization, and the use of low-carbon materials, all of which will likely be part of the marketing narrative for the theme park, according to LinkedIn.
How Many Car Parking Spaces Will Be Provided At Universal Studios Bedford?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
The Universal Studios resort planned for Bedford will include a minimum of 7,106 parking spaces and 100 coach bays. The resort is also expected to have 250 cycle spaces and enough room for over 7,100 cars
That is a lot of car parking spaces. Hopefully, there will be a lot of car charging points.
Increased Train Frequency And Capacity
These two paragraphs from the press release, talk about increased train frequency and capacity.
Following extensive consultation with local communities, the multi-billion-pound project has confirmed it is exploring a series of transformative plans including increasing the proposed frequency of trains from 3 or 4 to up to 5 per hour.
These enhancements could provide up to 70% more seating across the route, easing overcrowding and speeding up boarding, as well as cutting average waiting times, improving service resilience and creating a smoother, more reliable passenger experience.
When you consider that London Overground, Merseytravel, the South Wales Metro, West Midlands Trains and other local lines in the UK consider than four trains per hour to be a minimum service, then five trains per hour is to be welcomed.
Station Improvements And New Stations
These two paragraphs from the press release, talk about station improvements and new stations..
Several other improvements across the route have also been confirmed, including new station entrances at Bletchley, Cambridge and Bedford, as well as four brand-new stations along the Marston Vale Line – the first significant investment since the 1960s.
With the current stations on the Marston Vale Line seeing some of the lowest usage in the country, the new stations will better serve local communities by providing faster, more frequent services, as well as helping to serve the upcoming Universal theme park.
I thought Bletchley, Cambridge and Bedford stations had already been substantially improved in recent years.
A New Station At Stewartby
Are the station improvements to upgrade public transport access to the Universal theme park at Stewartby station?
- An East-West Rail service between Oxford and Stansted Airport via Bletchley, Milton Keynes Central, Stewartby, Bedford and Cambridge would give the Universal theme park all-important airport access.
- Would an upgraded Bletchley station improve interchange between the West Coast Main Line and East-West Rail give better access to the theme park from London, the West Midlands and North-West for visitors?
- Would an upgraded Bedford station improve interchange between the Midland Main Line and East-West Rail give better access to the theme park from London, the East Midlands and North-East for visitors?
- An upgraded Bedford station could also be marketed as a zero-carbon route between the theme park and the Continent via St. Pancras International and Eurostar.
- Would an upgraded Cambridge station give better access to the theme park from the East of England?
In addition four new stations on the Marston Vale Line would improve access for visitors and staff, who live locally.
Will Battery-Electric Trains Be Used On The East-West Rail?
As five major East-West Rail stations; Bedford, Bletchley, Cambridge, Milton Keynes and Reading are substantially served by main line electric trains, and it is likely that more stations will be in future, I believe that East-West Rail must either be electrified or services should be run by battery-electric trains, which would enable zero-carbon rail routes to and from London and all the city’s airports, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and an increasing number of cities in the North and Midlands of England, and Scotland and Wales.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Yes, the East West Rail (EWR) project plans to use battery-electric trains as part of a discontinuous electrification strategy. This means trains will run on overhead electric power in sections where they are installed, and on onboard batteries in other sections of the route.
It does appear that discontinuous electrification and battery-electric trains will be used.
Electrification At Bedford Station
This OpenRailwayMap shows The East side of Bedford station.
Note.
- The red tracks are electrified and black tracks are not.
- The black track looping into the station from the East is the Marston Vale Line, which will connect the East-West Rail to Bedford station.
- At the Easternmost part of the curve is Bedford St. Johns station, which serves Bedford hospital.
- The Marston Vale Line services normally connect to Platform 1A at Bedford station.
- But it also appears trains can also use Platforms 1 and 2 at Bedford station.
- It also appears that that Platforms 1A, 1 and 2 are all electrified.
This picture confirms electrification in Platforms 1A and 1.
Note.
- Platform 1A is on the left.
- Platform 1 is on the right.
- The Thameslink train on the right is in Platform 2.
- Platforms 1A, 1 and 2 are all clearly electrified.
- Platform 1A is 81 metres long, so could accept a typical four-coach train.
Battery-electric trains with pantographs could certainly by charged in either of these two platforms at Bedford station.
Electrification At Milton Keynes Central Station
It would appear that East-West Rail services will use Platform 2A at Milton Keynes Central station.
This OpenRailwayMap shows Platform 2A at Milton Keynes Central station.
Note.
- The red tracks are electrified and black tracks are not.
- Platform 1 is the through platform on the North-East side of the station.
- Platform 2A is the bay platform tucked underneath Platform 1.
- Platform 2A is clearly electrified.
- Platform 2A is 124 metres long, so could accept a typical five or six-coach train.
These pictures show Platforms 1 and 2A at Milton Keynes Central station.
Battery-electric trains with pantographs could certainly by charged in Platform 2A at Milton Keynes Central station.
Electrification At Oxford Station
It would appear that terminating East-West Rail services will use Platform 1 or 2 at Oxford station.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms at Oxford station.
Note.
- The red and black tracks are to be electrified and black tracks are not.
- Platforms 1 and 2 are shown in black and are likely to be used by terminating East-West Rail trains.
- Platforms 1 and 2 would need to be electrified to be able to charge trains.
- Platforms 1 and 2 would also be used by Chiltern’s London services.
- Platform 1 and 2 are respectively 157 and 160 metres long, so could accept a typical five or six-coach train.
- As Oxford and Reading is to be electrified, through East-West Rail trains could use that electrification to travel to and from Reading.
These pictures show Platforms 1 and 2 at Oxford station.
Battery-electric trains with pantographs could certainly by charged in Platform 1 and 2 at Oxford station, if the platforms were electrified.
Electrification At Reading Station
The West-facing platforms at Reading station are all electrified and longer than 120 metres, so could accept a typical four or five-coach train.
What Trains Should Be Used?
Consider.
- There is only one battery-electric train, that has been tested on the UK rail network – The Hitachi Class 802 train or similar.
- There is only one battery-electric train, that has been ordered – The Hitachi Class 802 train or similar.
- The longest distance on battery, between Reading and Bedford, is probably about thirty miles.
The Government could do a lot worse than order some more Class 802 trains, that were tailored for East-West Rail.
The Hitachi Class 802 train has five-cars, which are 26 metres long.
- It has a 125 mph operating speed.
- It has a range of 45 miles on battery power.
- The trains have been proven in service.
- The trains are made in the UK.
- The trains could handle extended routes like Birmingham and Stansted Airport or Cardiff and Cambridge.
A four-car variant of the train with a 100 mph operating speed could be an alternative.
What Will Be The Initial East-West Rail Service?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
The initial East West Rail service will be between Oxford and Milton Keynes/Bletchley, with passenger services delayed until at least 2026 due to a dispute over train crew roles. Freight services began in June 2025, and temporary diesel services will run until the line is electrified. The full project aims to connect Oxford and Cambridge.
Note.
- Stewartby station for Universal Studios Bedford will not be served by East-West Rail initially.
- But I suspect, that the current Marston Vale Line service will continue, with a change if needed at Bletchley or Bedford to get to Stewartby.
- Earlier I showed that Google AI is predicting 20,000 construction jobs at Universal Studios Bedford, which I am sure will need some form of high-capacity rail transport, if grid-lock is to be avoided in much of Bedfordshire.
Perhaps an initial fleet of four- or five-car Class 802 diesel-electric trains could be ordered and they would run the full route between Oxford and Bedford stations, with a reverse in Platform 2A at Milton Keynes station.
- The trains would run initially on diesel.
- By using stepping-up in Platform 2A at Milton Keynes station, I believe a two trains per hour (tph) service could surely be run.
- Hitachi could probably deliver the trains quickly, as they have not long been out of production.
- Those living locally would get a much improved train service from their local station to and from Bedford, Milton Keynes or Oxford.
- A large portion of the onward connectivity of the East-West Rail would be delivered early to the benefit of locals and visitors.
- If extra services are needed, semi-fast services could be added between Bedford and Reading with stops at Stewartby, Bletchley, Bicester Village, Oxford Parkway and Oxford stations.
When Platforms 1 and 2 at Oxford station are electrified and the trains are converted to battery-electric operation, the route could be converted to zero-carbon operation.
Virtually Nothing Is Said About The Route Of The East-West Rail Between Bedford and Cambridge South Stations Via Tempsford Station
This quote from David Hughes, CEO, East West Railway Company, is the only time, that Tempsford is mentioned in the press release.
“From a new station at Cambridge East to better access in Oxford and clear alignment through Tempsford, East West Rail is shaping the modern, sustainable transport link this region needs to thrive.”
I asked Google AI, if the proposed route of the East-West Rail between Bedford and Cambridge South stations through Tempsford is controversial and I received this reply.
Yes, the proposed route of East West Rail between Bedford and Cambridge is controversial, with opposition from some local residents and political figures who have expressed concerns about the southern alignment through Tempsford and surrounding villages. However, East West Rail Co has selected the route north of the Black Cat roundabout as the preferred alignment, citing reasons like cost-effectiveness and fewer disruptions, while also updating designs to include a southern station entrance to connect with planned growth areas around Tempsford.
Does Government or Artificial Intelligence have precedence?
Cambridge East Station Gets A First Mention
This quote from David Hughes, CEO, East West Railway Company, is the first time, that I’ve seen Cambridge East station mentioned.
“From a new station at Cambridge East to better access in Oxford and clear alignment through Tempsford, East West Rail is shaping the modern, sustainable transport link this region needs to thrive.”
In this document on the East-West Rail Consortium web site, there is extensive talk of an A14 Parkway station.
- The document dates from 2018.
- Google AI can’t find any trace of the A14 Parkway station referred to in the document.
- This article on the BBC, which was written five days ago and is entitled Additional City station Proposed By East West Rail, is the only reference on the Internet, that references Cambridge East station.
- The BBC article also says that other proposals after consultation include a new eastern entrance for Cambridge station, locating Cambourne station closer to the town and a mined tunnel for Bourn Airfield.
- I also have to assume that A14 Parkway has also morphed into Cambridge East station.
- To access all my posts, that relate to A14 Parkway, click this link.
But it does seem that consultation appears to have produced an acceptable compromise.
Between Kempston Hardwick and Tempsford Stations Through Bedford
I’ve now found that OpenRailwayMap has been updated between Bedford and Cambridge.
This first section shows the route between Kempston Hardwick and Tempsford stations through Bedford.
Note.
- Kempston Hardwick station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The yellow track is the Marston Vale Line, which goes through Bedford St. Johns and Bedford stations.
- The red track on the West side of the map is the Midland Main Line.
- The red track on the East side of the map is the East Coast Main Line.
- The dotted red line across the top of the map will be the route of the East-West Rail.
- Tempsford station will be to the South-West of where the East Coast Main Line and East-West Rail cross in the North-East cornet of the map.
I hope the good people of Bedford are happier now!
Between Tempsford and Cambourne
I’ve now found that OpenRailwayMap has been updated between Bedford and Cambridge.
This second section shows the route between Tempsford and Cambourne stations.
Note.
- The dotted red line across the top of the map will be the route of the East-West Rail.
- Tempsford station is in the South-West corner of the map on the route of the East-West Rail.
- The red track on the West side of the map is the East Coast Main Line.
- Cambourne is the village in the North-East corner of the map.
East West Rail Train Door Row May See Launch Delayed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The launch of a new £7bn railway faces being delayed because of a row over who will control the opening and closing of carriage doors.
These three paragraphs add more details.
The BBC understands train operator Chiltern Railways is in a standoff with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, which represents train guards, over how East West Rail services between Oxford and Milton Keynes will run.
The RMT said the operator wants train drivers to open and close the doors at stations, with no guards required.
Passenger trains were scheduled to start running between Oxford and Milton Keynes for the first time in nearly 60 years by the end of December.
I suspect that the unions won’t be satisfied until all trains in the UK have a crew of two.
Could London And Central Scotland Air Passengers Be Persuaded To Use The Trains?
How Many Passengers Fly Between London And Edinburgh?
Wikipedia gives these figures for 2024 for passengers from Edinburgh to London
- London City – 334,873
- London Gatwick – 476,152
- London Heathrow – 1,148,634
- London Luton – 338, 729
- London Stansted – 693,953
This gives a total of 2,992,341.
As Wikipedia doesn’t give complete figures for from London to Edinburgh, for the purpose of this analysis, I’ll assume they are the same.
How Many Passengers Fly Between London And Glasgow?
Wikipedia gives these figures for 2024 for passengers from Glasgow to London
- London City – 208,405
- London Gatwick – 456,002
- London Heathrow – 954,027
- London Luton – 255,095
- London Stansted – 225,110
This gives a total of 2,098,639.
As Wikipedia doesn’t give complete figures for from London to Glasgow, for the purpose of this analysis, I’ll assume they are the same.
How Many Passengers Fly Between London And Scotland’s Central Belt?
Adding the two figures gives 5,090,980. in both directions.
Which is an average of 97,903 per week or 13,948 per day.
How Many Train Seats Run Between London And Scotland’s Central Belt?
These figures are for Friday the 1st of August.
- Aventi West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central – 5 x 9-car Class 390 train – 2,345 seats
- Aventi West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central – 16 x 11-car Class 390 train – 6,677 seats
- LNER – London King’s Cross and Edinburgh – 26 x 9-car Class 801 train – 15,886 seats
- Lumo – London King’s Cross and Edinburgh – 5 x 5-car Class 803 train – 2,010 seats
Note.
- All services are all-electric.
- All services are fairly new or have recently been refurbished,
This gives a total of 26,918 train seats.
Adding Lumo’s Service To Glasgow
In Lumo Will Extend Its King’s Cross And Edinburgh Service To Glasgow, I suggested that the Glasgow service would be run as follows from December 2025.
- Two existing Lumo services will leave London as pairs of five-car trains.
- The pairs will split at Edinburgh.
- The leading train will go on to Glasgow Queen Street calling at Edinburgh Haymarket and Falkirk High stations.
- The trailing train will return to London King’s Cross.
- At the end of the day, the two trains in Glasgow will do a fast run back to London King’s Cross as a pair of 5-car trains.
This will add 804 seats per day between London and Glasgow Queen Street in both directions.
The daily total would now total 27,722 train seats, which compares with a daily average of 13,948 passengers per day, who travel by air.
Adding Lumo’s Service To Stirling
In Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026, I talk about Lumo’s new service to Stirling.
- There will be five trains per day (tpd) in each direction.
- Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
- The service will use 6-car Class 222 trains, which in the linked post, I estimate will have a similar one-class capacity to the Class 803 trains between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
- If the capacity of the two train types is similar, this should give operational advantages and allow some more Class 803 trains to run the Euston and Stirling route.
This second Scottish route will add 2010 train seats per day between London Euston and Stirling in both directions.
The daily total would now total 29,732 train seats, which compares with a daily average of 13,948 passengers per day, who travel by air.
Could More Capacity Be Added Between London And Scotland’s Central Belt?
I believe some of the Lumo services between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh could be doubled up to a pair of trains.
There would have to be no platform length issues at London King’s Cross, Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth stations.
If three trains could be doubled up, that would add 1,206 train seats per day between London and Edinburgh in both directions.
The daily total would now total 30,938 train seats, which compares with a daily average of 13,948 passengers per day, who travel by air.
I also suspect, that some of the Stirling services could be doubled up.
Connectivity Of England’s Northern Airports To London And Central Scotland
Birmingham Airport
Consider.
- There are easyJet flights to Edinburgh and Glasgow
- There are 1.5 trains per hour (tph) between Birmingham New Street and Edinburgh.
- There are 6 tpd between Birmingham New Street and Glasgow.
You would make your choice and pay the money.
East Midlands Airport
There are no flights or trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Leeds Airport
Consider.
- There are no flights to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- There is one tph between Leeds and Edinburgh
- There is one tpd between Leeds and Glasgow
Could Leeds and Glasgow get better connectivity?
Liverpool Airport
Consider.
- There are no flights to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- There is one tph between Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh
- There is three tpd between Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow
The Liverpool area is well connected to Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston stations on the West Coast Main Line for alternative services to Glasgow.
Manchester Airport
Consider.
- There are no flights to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- There is one tph between Manchester Airport and Scotland via Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road, which alternates between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The Manchester area is well connected to Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston stations on the West Coast Main Line for alternative services to Glasgow.
Omio gives this summary of flights between Heathrow and Manchester airports.
Flights from Manchester Airport to London Heathrow Airport depart on average 8 times per day, taking around 1h 6m. Cheap flight tickets for this journey start at £63 but you can travel from only £16 by coach.
Wrightbus and others will be producing mouse-quiet hydrogen-powered coaches in a couple of years. I suspect these will give short flights a good kicking.
Newcastle Airport
Consider.
- There are no flights to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- There is three tph between Newcastle and Edinburgh with an additional 5 tpd from Lumo.
- There is two tpd between Newcastle and Glasgow.
- There is one tpd between Newcastle and Stirling.
- From December 2025, Lumo will add two tpd from Newcastle to Glasgow and one tpd from Glasgow to Newcastle.
- In Lumo Will Extend Its King’s Cross And Edinburgh Service To Glasgow, I stated that I believe that Lumo’s Glasgow to Newcastle service will be a late evening ten-car train, so travellers can have a long day in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle and still return to London.
Lumo would appear to fill in the gap between Newcastle and Glasgow.
Google AI gives this summary of flights between Heathrow and Newcastle airports.
There are usually 5-6 direct flights per day between Newcastle and Heathrow airports. These flights are operated by British Airways. The average flight time is around 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Note.
- In 2024, 497, 469 passengers flew between between Heathrow and Newcastle airports, which is an average of 681 passengers in each direction every day.
- This was an increase of 13.6 % on 2023.
- From December Lumo will be running extra London King’s Cross and Newcastle services, with each train having 402 seats.
- The improvements in rail services in and around Newcastle in recent months, will surely bring more passengers to use trains from Newcastle station.
- Will Lumo also target adverts at airline passengers?
London and Newcastle could be another route for mouse-quiet hydrogen-powered coaches.
Conclusion
These numbers summarise my calculations.
- Currently an average of 13,948 passengers per day fly between London and Central Scotland.
- Currently, there are 26,918 train seats available per day between London and Central Scotland.
- In December 2025, Lumo will add another 804 low-cost train seats between London King’s Cross and Glasgow Queen Street.
- In Spring 2026, Lumo will add 2010 low-cost train seats between London Euston and Stirling.
- From Spring 2026, there will be 29,732 train seats available per day between London and Central Scotland.
- This represents a 10 % increase of seats on the trains between London and Central Scotland.
How many passengers, who normally fly, will switch to using the train?
- Lumo may only offer one class, but you get a trolley and can order food from M & S and others to be delivered to your seat.
- Both LNER and Lumo accept dogs. I don’t know about Avanti.
- All services will be all-electric, when Lumo gets its new electric trains for Stirling, in a few years.
- It looks to me like Lumo could be offering a late train back to London from Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line should speed up services.
If Lumo to Glasgow and Stirling works out, it could also cut the total carbon footprint of travel between London and Central Scotland.
A Taste Of The Future
On Friday, I went to Chester and took a train home from Crewe to Euston.
It was a new Hitachi Class 805, that sped me to London, with just a stop at Milton Keynes.
This picture shows the train arriving at Crewe.
Note.
- High Speed Two it is not, but it went most of the way to Euston at 125 mph in an hour and 50 minutes.
- High Speed Two will take 56 minutes, although that is not cast in stone and steel yet.
- Crewe is one of the towns and cities, that will benefit most from High Speed Two.
But whether High Speed Two is delivered or or not, Crewe’s train service should improve in Spring 2026, as the first Lumo service on the West Coast Main Line service will be starting.
I describe the service in Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026.
This paragraph from the linked post, describes the route.
Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
It is fully-electrified and can support 125 mph running most, if not all, of the way.
It will certainly give knowledgeable travellers options on how they travel on the West Coast Main Line.
Lumo are also proposing another open access service on the West Coast Main Line to Rochdale, which will increase travel options.
My only worry is that Heidi Alexander will cancel it, on the grounds that open access services abstract the revenue of Great British Railways.
But then after announcing the service in a reception in Holyrood, she surely couldn’t cancel it now.
On the other hand, it could be that this Labour Government has discovered that open access trains are a more affordable way of developing rail services to and from London and over longer distances.
Consider.
- Recently, Lumo has proposed open access services from London to Carmarthen, Paignton, Rochdale and Stirling.
- Recently, Arriva has proposed open access services from London to Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Scunthorpe and between Newcastle and Brighton.
- Recently, Alsthom has proposed open access services from London to Shewsbury and Wrexham.
Not one of these services will cost the government a lot of money, but Network Rail will pick up access charges.
So has Heidi Alexander seen sense and feels that it is better to allow more open access services?
Could Any Other Open Access Services Be Opened On The West Coast Main Line?
London Euston and Rochdale is planned by Lumo and I wrote about it in FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service.
This sentence from the linked post, gives the route.
The trains would call at Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles and Manchester Victoria.
Other possibilities would surely be Blackpool and Barrow-in-Furness, but Blackpool gets a three trains per day (tpd) service from Euston and frequent trains from Preston.
Barrow-in-Furness could be a very useful destination.
With increased defence spending, the shipyards will be busy.
It could be another gateway to the Lake District.
Services could be extended to Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Cumbrian Coast Line between the West Coast Main Line and Barrow-in-Furness.
Note.
- The red tracks on the Eastern side of the map is the electrified West Coast Main Line.
- At the bottom of the map on the West Coast Main Line is Lancaster, with its station.
- The black track going West from Lancaster is the Morecambe and Heysham branch.
- The black track going West across the top of the map is the Cumbrian Coast Line.
- Barrow-in-Furness station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- The length of track without electrification on the route is less than thirty miles.
One of Lumo’s battery-electric trains would easily handle a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness route.
Conclusion
There is obviously scope for new railway routes in the UK and some will be suitable for open access operators.
Perhaps, we need the Office of Road and Rail to be more proactive in deciding, when a route is to be served and then select an operator.
It would need to be an unbiased apolitical process, to stop an incumbent political party running trains to marginal seats, they hoped to win.
East West Rail To Hold Drop-In Events Ahead Of Statutory Consultation
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on RailUK.
These three paragraphs introduce the article.
East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has announced a series of information events in May to help people understand how the formal application process to build the railway works.
Nine information events will be held in May across the whole line of route between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.
These events are aimed at providing information about the statutory consultation process which will start in June. Details of the proposed design about the route will be shared when the statutory consultation begins.
These are the dates for the information events.
- Tuesday 7 May – Bedford Rowing Social Club, The Boathouse, Duck Mill Lane, Bedford, MK42 0AX, from 2pm-7pm.
- Wednesday 8 May – Cutteslowe Pavilion Hall, Cutteslowe Park, Oxford, OX2 8ES, from 2pm-7pm.
- Thursday 9 May – Weyland Hall, 8-10 North Street, Bicester, OX26 6ND, from 2pm-7pm.
- Friday 10 May – South Cambridgeshire Hall, Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne, CB23 6EA, from 2pm-7pm.
- Monday 20 May – Roxton Village Hall, High Street, Roxton, MK44 3EB, from 2pm-7pm.
- Tuesday 21 May – St Philip’s Church Centre, 185 Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3AN, from 2pm-7pm.
- Wednesday 22 May – Comberton Village Hall, Green End, Comberton, CB23 7DY, from 2pm-7pm.
- Thursday 23 May – Bletchley Masonic Centre, 263 Queensway, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK2 2BZ, from 2pm-7pm.
- Friday 24 May – Marston Moreteyne Community Centre, Great Linns, Marston Moreteyne, MK4 0DD, from 2pm-7pm.
They would appear to have the area covered.
I shall probably go to the Bedford event, as if I didn’t make it, I could go to another.
Alstom Plans To Operate Its Own Passenger Train Service In The UK For The First Time
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Alstom.
These two bullet points, act as sub-headings.
- Alstom is partnering with SLC Rail to form a new open access rail operation between North Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and London
- Formal application now being submitted to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) with passenger service sought from 2025
These are the first three paragraphs.
Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, plans to operate a new passenger rail service across England and Wales. Working in partnership with consultancy SLC Rail, the open access operation will be known as Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR).
As the country’s foremost supplier of new trains and train services, and a leading signalling and infrastructure provider, Alstom will operate its own rail service in the UK for the first time.
WSMR is seeking to introduce direct connectivity to and from North Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and London that doesn’t exist today, linking growing communities and businesses, and making rail travel more convenient, enjoyable and affordable.
I can’t remember a service proposal being put forward by a train manufacturer since the privatisation of UK’s railways in the 1990s.
This is some more information and my thoughts.
The Route
This paragraph from the press release, describes the route.
The proposal envisages a service of five trains per day in each direction Monday to Saturday, with four travelling both ways on Sundays. Trains will stop at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes on their journey between Wrexham General and London Euston.
Note.
- The proposed call at the new Darlaston station.
- The route is electrified between Euston and Nuneaton and Walsall and Wolverhampton.
- Much of the route North of Nuneaton is on tracks with a maximum speed of 70-80 mph.
The route is in these sections.
- Euston and Nuneaton – 96.7 miles – electrified
- Nuneaton and Walsall – 26.7 miles
- Walsall and Wolverhampton – 6.7 miles – electrified
- Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury – 29.7 miles
- Shrewsbury and Wrexham General – 30.3 miles
That is a total of 190.1 miles or 380.2 miles round trip.
I suspect that the service will need bi-mode trains.
Should The Service Call At Wellington?
This article on the BBC is entitled Rail Company Urged Not To Forget Wellington.
This is the sub-heading.
A rail company which is bidding to bring back a direct service between Shropshire and London has been urged not to forget a town.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway said it was preparing to apply to the government to run the service.
Trains would stop at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coleshill and Nuneaton.
But Telford and Wrekin Council said the omission of Wellington as a stop was “short-sighted”.
Although Wellington is smaller than than Shrewsbury and Telford, it looks like a bit of analysis would provide a solution, that would be acceptable for all parties.
The Trains
In the press release, this phrase is used.
positive impact to both communities and the environment.
I can’t see any more electrification being erected on the route, so the trains will need to be bi-mode.
- Bi-mode diesel trains won’t have a positive impact on the environment.
- As the route between Wolverhampton and Wrexham General is not electrified, a battery-electric train would need a range of at least 60 miles or 120 miles for the round trip, if there were no charging at Wrexham General.
- But Alston are developing a Hydrogen Aventra, which I wrote about in Alstom And Eversholt Rail Sign An Agreement For The UK’s First Ever Brand-New Hydrogen Train Fleet.
So could Alstom be using this route to trial and showcase their new Hydrogen Aventra?
I believe that the route will be very suitable for a hydrogen train.
- Changeover between electric and hydrogen power can always take place in a station.
- All hydrogen refuelling could be performed at one end of the route.
- A large proportion of the UK’s green hydrogen is produced by INEOS at Runcorn, which is less than fifty miles from Wrexham. A refuelling tanker could supply the train, as they do on some hydrogen routes in Germany.
- London has only small amounts of hydrogen infrastructure.
I suspect that refuelling will be done at the Wrexham end of the route.
This Alstom visualisation shows the train.
But it is only a three-car train.
- That is not a problem, as Aventras can be lengthened as required to the length required for the number of passengers.
- Some Aventras, like the Class 701 trains for South Western Railway, have even been ordered as ten-car trains.
- Two three-car trains may also be the ideal capacity, running as a six-car train.
So capacity will not be a problem.
If it is assumed that Alstom’s trains for the WSMR route, can use the overhead wires, where they exist, each trip between Wrexham General and London will require a total of 86.7 miles or 140 kilometres of running on hydrogen.
- A round trip will therefor require 280 kilometres of running on hydrogen.
- But between London Euston and Nuneaton, it will just be another electric train.
- I suspect that like the similar Class 730 train, it will be capable of 110 mph on the West Coast Main Line.
- Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen train has a range of around a 500-800 kilometres on hydrogen.
- The WSMR trains will probably be 100 mph trains using hydrogen on a route, where that speed is possible.
So if a Hydrogen Aventra has a similar range to the Coradia iLint, it will be able to do two round trips before refuelling.
How Long Will The Service Take?
West Midlands Trains, who use the similar Class 730 trains take one hour and eleven minutes between London Euston and Nuneaton with a single stop at Milton Keynes Central.
As the WSMR trains will use the same route, I suspect the same time can be used.
As Nuneaton and Wrexham General are 93.4 miles apart a table can be created showing the time for the rest of the journey for different average speeds
- 50 mph – 1 hour 52 minutes – 3 hours 3 minutes.
- 60 mph – 1 hour 33 minutes – 2 hours 44 minutes.
- 70 mph – 1 hour 20 minutes – 2 hours 31 minutes.
- 80 mph – 1 hour 10 minutes – 2 hours 21 minutes.
Note.
- The first time is the Nuneaton and Wrexham General time and the second time is the overall journey time.
- Typical Avanti West Coast services via Crewe and a change at Chester, take between two-and-a-half and three hours.
I suspect, if the WSMR trains can keep the speed up through the Midlands, that two hours and 30 minutes could be possible.
Could The Hydrogen Aventra Run At 125 mph Under The Wires?
In March 2018, I wrote Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power, which was based on this article in Rail Magazine.
These are a few points from the article.
- Development has already started.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- The trains will be built at Derby.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
- Export of trains is a possibility.
- Bombardier’s spokesman also said, that they have offered the train to three new franchises. East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry.
Have Alstom looked at what they bought from Bombardier and decided the following train is possible?
- Five-cars or what the customer needs.
- 125 mph under the wires.
- Running on hydrogen away from the wires.
- 100 mph on tracks without electrification.
Obviously, maximum speeds would depend on track limits.
Looking at 125 mph Avanti West Coast trains that have a Milton Keynes stop between London Euston and Nuneaton, they can reach Nuneaton ten minutes quicker than West Midlands Trains 110 mph Class 730 trains.
Two hours and 30 minutes between London Euston and Wrexham is looking increasingly possible.
Are we seeing an audacious proposal from Alston to sell new trains to CrossCountry and a host of other franchises?
Conclusion
London Euston and Wrexham would appear to be an excellent route for an Aventra-based hydrogen train.
- It can probably cruise at 110 mph on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Nuneaton.
- All switchovers between electrification and hydrogen can be performed in electrified stations.
- Hydrogen would only be used North of Nuneaton.
- The train can be refuelled at Wrexham General, with fuel supplied from INEOS at Runcorn.
- Given the typical 1000 km. range of hydrogen trains, a train can probably do three round trips without refuelling.
I can see this being a service with an excellent operational record.
The Anonymous Widower 