Interview: Rethinking ‘Unusual And Special’ CrossCountry
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the sub-heading.
CrossCountry’s National Rail Contract came into force on October 15, giving the business some medium-term certainty and Managing Director Tom Joyner a chance to reflect with Rail Business UK on its evolving role as a truly national train operator.
These are thoughts based on what is said in the article.
Unusual And Special
This paragraph is Tom Joyner’s explanation of what he meant.
‘CrossCountry is unusual and special. The fact that we’re a long-distance operator that connects so many places means we can be there for something different’, believes Managing Director Tom Joyner as he reflects on the operator’s short and medium-term future following the award on September 20 of its National Rail Contract.
I have found CrossCountry useful in the past to efficiently visit some towns and cities in the past, when Ipswich Town are playing away.
Arriva UK’s Contract To Run CrossCountry
This paragraph details the operating contract.
Under the NRC, incumbent Arriva UK Trains will continue to run the non-London inter-city passenger business as it has since November 2007. Commencing on October 15, the contract has a guaranteed core term of four years and an option for this to be extended to eight. The government will take the revenue risk, as it has done since the pandemic, with Arriva receiving a fixed fee to operate the business, with limited bonuses on offer if certain performance targets are met.
As a resident of London, I rarely use CrossCountry. But my only obvious improvement would be that CrossCountry ran trains with a smaller carbon footprint.
Post Pandemic Purpose
This paragraph details their post-pandemic purpose.
‘CrossCountry hasn’t benefitted from re-franchising in the last 10 years and this has presented challenges, particularly from a rolling stock perspective. We’ve been working closely with DfT to agree the post-pandemic purpose and vision for CrossCountry and how these fit into our railway network’, Joyner reports.
Most rail operators in the UK are London-centric or regional. Perhaps CrossCountry should become more ‘Unusual And Special’ to serve the important places, that other rail operators cannot reach.
One place would be the National Memorial Arboretum, which I wrote about in New Station Proposed For National Arboretum.
There must be lots of other places.
It could surely be the transport network for those who wanted to roam the UK on a holiday.
Could it be at the heart of levelling up the regions of the UK?
Fleet Under Pressure
This paragraph describes the current fleet and its condition.
Perhaps most reassuring for regular users of CrossCountry is news that the NRC will allow the operator to deliver some improvements to its train fleet, the backbone of which are the Class 220 and 221 DEMUs Arriva inherited from Virgin Trains in 2007. Other than some minor cosmetic work, these have not been refurbished since they were introduced in 2001. These 200 km/h Voyager trainsets are augmented by a fleet of Class 170 Turbostar DMUs for 160 km/h operation on regional routes to Cardiff and Stansted Airport; CrossCountry withdrew its last ex-British Rail IC125 High Speed Trains on September 18.
I do think, that some way must be found to reduce the operators large carbon footprint.
Are Battery Trains The Answer?
This paragraph gives Tom Joyner’s view on battery trains.
He is equally sceptical about the prospects for alternative traction technology to replace diesel. ‘I keep hearing views from industry colleagues who say, “electrification isn’t the answer, battery is the answer”. But you can’t get a battery that’s got the range that we need, even on the regional services currently worked by Class 170s.’
Birmingham New Street and Leicester is only 39.8 miles, so this route for a Class 170 train, might be possible for battery-electric trains, when there is electrification or charging at Leicester.
Perhaps the plan would be to run battery-electric trains between Birmingham and Leicester and see how the passengers react and how this will change the economics of the other Class 170 services?
A Lot More Food For Thought
There are some more sections in the article, that are worth a read.
- Sustainability Challenge
- Service Offering
- Commuters’ ‘Coventry Conundrum’
- Doing Something Different
This paragraph towards the end of the article makes the levelling up case, that CrossCountry can fulfil.
He suggests that the operator may not need as structured a timetable, and that its operating model could involve serving more destinations rather than the current largely fixed hourly axes crossing in Birmingham. ‘We serve regional Britain and when we talk about levelling up, the railway company best placed to level up in terms of connecting the whole of Britain is us’, he insists. This ethos is reflected in the daily Cardiff – Edinburgh service, with Joyner noting that this will not be a repeating service through the day.
Read the whole article.
I wish Tom Joyner the best of luck!
New Station Proposed For National Arboretum
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railnews.
This is the first two paragraphs.
It has been revealed that a new station is being proposed at Alrewas between Lichfield Trent Valley high level and Wichnor Junction, which is on the line linking Tamworth and Burton-on-Trent. The original station serving the village of Alrewas was closed in 1965, although the line remained open.
A new Alrewas station would serve the National Memorial Arboretum, which is visited by more than 300,000 people a year and stages 250 events, including services of remembrance. It includes a Railway Industry Memorial, which was unveiled in May 2012, and also a memorial commemorating the thousands of prisoners of war who were forced to work on the infamous Burma Railway in the Second World War.
I first wrote about this proposed station in Everybody Could Do Better For Rail In South Staffordshire.
Two totally unrelated events had happened.
- I heard the exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions and Michael Fabricant was passionate about creating the rail service on the freight-only line to give passenger train access to the National Memorial Arboretum and Alrewas.
- Burton were playing Manchester City in the League Cup, so the Police thought it would be a good idea to shut the M6. Nothing moved for hours and many Burton supporters missed the match.
Note.
- Quite frankly, it is a disgrace, that the National Memorial Arboretum, has been designed for most visitors to come by car.
- The M6 incident was caused by illegal immigrants stuffed into the back of a truck, but surely the Police reaction to shut the motorway for so long was over the top?
- I have been to Burton by train a couple of times and it is one of those places, you wouldn’t go to by train, unless it was absolutely essential.
It would appear that after a quick glance, Michael Fabricant’s proposal could be one of those ideas, that would benefit a lot of travellers.
These are a few thoughts on the new service.
Services To And From Burton-on-Trent Station
I said this about services to and from Burton-on-Trent in Everybody Could Do Better For Rail In South Staffordshire.
If you look at the train services from the town, you can go to faraway places like Glasgow and Plymouth, but services to practical local places like Lichfield, Stoke and Derby are rare. There used to be a service to London, but that was discontinued in 2008.
A regular service between Burton and Lichfield, running at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph) could connect at Lichfield to the following services.
- Hourly services on the West Coast Main Line
- Half-hourly services across Birmingham on the Cross-City Line.
If a decent service via Lichfield had existed, how many fans on that League Cup night, would have used the trains to get to Manchester?
Not many probably, as there would not have been a late train home, as is particularly common in The Midlands. Try getting back to London from Derby, Nottingham or Sheffield, after 21:30 for example!
I am certain, that with a station at Alrewas and a well-designed train service between Burton-on-Trent and Birmingham stations via Alrewas for the National Memorial Arboretum and Lichfield would be a positive addition to the transport system of the area.
Electrification Between Litchfield Tent Valley And Burton-on-Trent Stations
This map from Open Railway Map shows the track between Litchfield Tent Valley and Burton-on-Trent stations.
Note.
- Burton-on-Trent station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Lichfield Trent Valley station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Burton-on-Trent and Lichfield Trent Valley stations are probably less than fifteen miles apart.
- The orange line is the Burton-upon-Trent and Birmingham line via Tamworth.
- The yellow line is the Burton-upon-Trent and Birmingham line via Lichfield.
The National Memorial Arboretum is just South of the junction between the orange and yellow lines.
This second map from Open Railway Map shows this junction to a larger scale.
Note.
- The National Memorial Arboretum can be seen between the two tracks.
- The village of Alrewas and the site of the proposed Alrewas station are to the West of the arboretum.
- Central Rivers depot, where CrossCountry trains are serviced, is in the North-East corner of the map.
- I have found a twelve car formation of Class 220 trains running between Birmingham New Street station and Central Rivers depot.
There is electrification at Lichfield Trent Valley station as this picture shows.
This electrification could be extended as far as required.
I would extend the electrification all the way to Burton-on-Trent.
- This would mean that the Class 730 trains used on the Cross-City Line could terminate at Burton-on-Trent station, rather than Lichfield Trent Valley station, after extra stops at Alrewas for the National Memorial Arboretum and possibly another new station at Barton-under-Needwood.
- Excursion trains for the National Memorial Arboretum could be electric-hauled.
- It would also mean that electric trains could reach Central Rivers depot under their own power.
- It would probably require less than fifteen miles of double-track electrification.
- I suspect that the West Coast Main Line electrification could provide enough power for the branch electrification to Burton-upon-Trent.
I doubt that this would be considered a major electrification scheme.
Electric Services Between Birmingham New Street And Leicester Stations Via Burton-on-Trent
Consider.
- Leicester and Burton-on-Trent stations are under thirty miles apart on the Ivanhoe Line.
- The Ivanhoe Line is an existing freight line, that could be opened to passenger trains.
- Leicester is to be electrified in the Midland Main Line electrification.
A battery-electric service could be run between Birmingham New Street and Leicester stations via Burton-on-Trent, Alrewas and Lichfield Trent Valley stations.
It should also be noted that East Midlands Railway run a service between Lincoln and Leicester.
- Nottingham and Leicester will probably electrified with the rest of the Midland Main Line.
- Only thirty-four miles of the route between Leicester and Lincoln is not electrified.
If it were felt to be needed, a battery-electric service could be run between Birmingham New Street and Lincoln stations.
Heritage Rail Excursions To The National Memorial Arboretum
Type “Coach Trips To The National Memorial Arboretum” and you get a good selection of trips from all over the UK.
I believe that the National Memorial Arboretum, would make the ideal destination for steam- or diesel-hauled heritage rail excursions with all the trimmings.
- They could even be hauled by a Class 90 electric locomotive, dating from the late 1980s, if the route between Alrewas and Lichfield were to be electrified.
- Rakes of comfortable Mark III coaches could be used.
- A long platform at Alrewas station would be needed, so that the maximum size of heritage train could be handled.
- For steam locomotives, there may need to be a runround loop.
Track improvements at Lichfield Trent Valley station, may allow direct services from London.
This page on the West Midlands Rail Executive web site is entitled Steam Engine Rolls Into Moor Street Station To Launch New Vintage Trains Partnership.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Historic steam engines are set to play a greater role in the region’s rail network following the signing of a ground-breaking new partnership.
The West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) has teamed up with Tyseley-based Vintage Trains in a bid to establish the Shakespeare Line as Britain’s premier mainline heritage railway.
Perhaps, it would be possible to run a heritage train like a short-formation InterCity 125 between Stratford-om-Avon and the National Memorial Arboretum.
Conclusion
Opening up of the Lichfield Trent Valley and Burton route to passenger trains opens up a lot of possibilities.
Talks Take Place Over Plans To Reopen Railway Line Between Lichfield And The National Memorial Arboretum
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Lichfield Live.
The title is a good summary of what happened between the local MP, the Chief Executive of the West Midlands Rail Executive and the Chief Executive of the National Memorial Arboretum.
This map shows the National Memorial Arboretum.
Note.
- The village of Alrewas is to the North West of the arboretum.
- The Burton and Lichfield line lies between the village and the arboretum.
- The station will go on this line.
The article also gives details of the station.
- It would initially be a simple single-platform station.
- Trains would not be electric.
- if successful, a two-platform station would be built.
- This station would be connected to the village by a footbridge over the A38.
- Many visitors would be able to walk to the arboretum, but an environmentally-friendly shuttle would be provided.
One of those at the talks is quoted as calling the station; National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas.
A Train Service To National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas
Currently, there is an electric train service to the high-level platform at Lichfield Trent Valley station, which is shown in this picture.
Note.
- The service runs with a frequency of two trains per hour (tph) across the City of Birmingham to either Redditch or Bromsgrove.
- The trains are being replaced with new Class 730 trains.
- Lichfield Trent Valley and Alrewas are about six miles apart.
- Lichfield Trent Valley and Burton-on-Trent are less than fifteen miles apart.
As the new Class 730 trains are Aventras, there is the possibility, that battery electric versions could be created.
Because of the distances involved, extending this route to the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas or even Burton-on-Trent, using battery electric trains is a very feasible proposition.
No new infrastructure, except for the new station at National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas would be needed.
Conclusion
This is a very sensible proposal and I can’t understand, why when the National Memorial Arboretum was first proposed, that this rail service wasn’t built at the same time.
Everybody Could Do Better For Rail In South Staffordshire
There were two unrelated events which show the poor state of rail services in South Staffordshire.
This article on Tamworth Informed is entitled Lichfield MP Asks The Prime Minister To Create A rail Passenger Service Direct From Lichfield To Burton And Beyond.
I heard the exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions and Michael Fabricant was passionate about creating the rail service on the freight-only line to give passenger train access to the National Memorial Arboretum and Alrewas.
Quite frankly, it is a disgrace, that the National Memorial Arboretum, has been designed for most visitors to come by car.
This Google Map shows the site of the National Memorial Arboretum.
Note the two rail lines running past the site.
- The freight-only line between Lichfield and Burton runs West-East to the North of the site.
- The line between Burton and Tamworth runs North-South to the East of the site.
Alrewas is to the North-West of the site.
The second incident happened later in the day.
Burton were playing Manchester City in the League Cup, so the Police thought it would be a good idea to shut the M6. Nothing moved for hours and many Burton supporters missed the match.
The incident was caused by illegal immigrants stuffed into the back of a truck, but surely the Police reaction to shut the motorway for so long was over the top?
I have been to Burton by train a couple of times and it is one of those places, you wouldn’t go to by train, unless it was absolutely essential.
If you look at the train services from the town, you can go to faraway places like Glasgow and Plymouth, but services to practical local places like Lichfield, Stock and Derby are rare. There used to be a service to London, but that was discontinued in 2008.
A regular service between Burton and Lichfield, running at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph) could connect at Lichfield to the following services.
- Hourly services on the West Coast Main Line
- Half-hourly services across Birmingham on the Cross-City Line.
If a decent service via Lichfield had existed, how many fans would have used the trains to get to Manchester?
Not many probably, as there would not have been a late train home, as is particularly common in The Midlands. Try getting back to London from Derby, Nottingham or Sheffield, after 21:30 for example!
Conclusion
Rail services in South Staffordshire could be greatly improved.
The Anonymous Widower 