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Timetable review - All change for East Coast

WITHOUT doubt, the major change to the national timetable is on the East Coast Main Line, which has seen its biggest shake-up of services for 20 years.

The changes introduced by Government-backed operator East Coast see an additional 19 weekday trains, improved frequencies and many faster journeys. The changes will provide an additional three million seats a year on the prestige route.

Aiming to tempt away further airline passengers, the ‘Flying Scotsman’ is
re-introduced as an 05.40 departure from Edinburgh Waverley, arriving at King’s Cross four hours later with a stop at Newcastle.

There is no new northbound working, East Coast telling The RM that feedback from Scottish and North-East stakeholders was that journey time was less important on the northbound evening services than it was on the southbound morning run. However, the time-honoured 10am departure from King’s Cross remains, arriving in Edinburgh at 14.22.

Leeds is served by 65 services a day from King’s Cross, with departures every 30 minutes, and York now gets 11 non-stop trains to London. For the first time in 20 years, Harrogate gets a direct service to the capital at 07.28 on weekdays, calling also at Horsforth. There is a return at 17.33 but without the Horsforth stop.

Also getting a direct HST service to and from London is Lincoln, with an 07.20 up service on weekdays returning at 19.06. There are minor changes to other services and passengers for the intermediate stations of Retford, Newark and Grantham will find a better selection of services, on weekdays at least.

Between the morning and evening peak slots, East Coast (EC) has a basic pattern of five departures an hour, as follows: XX.00 to Edinburgh (or Aberdeen); XX.03 or XX.05 Leeds; XX.08 York; XX.30 Newcastle (or Edinburgh) and XX.35 Leeds.

In addition to the timetable changes, EC has completely changed its first class catering. The traditional restaurant car service has gone and been replaced with a complimentary food that ranges from a full breakfast served on all trains until 09.30 to an all-day offer, possibly sandwiches or a salad, with afternoon tea on selected services. Evening trains offer a three-course (at-seat) meal on London departures from 17.00 to 19.03.

Standard class passengers have the option of a trolley service or freshly-cooked food from a café-bar.

Another major change for East Coast is the cessation of through services to Glasgow Central, which has helped to make the other timetable changes possible. Passengers heading from stations on the East Coast route will need to change to First ScotRail or CrossCountry services, the latter extending a number of services through to Glasgow.

CrossCountry, in response to requests, is trialling an additional station call at either Lydney or Chepstow on its Nottingham-Cardiff services, which fills gaps in the local Arriva Trains Wales Cheltenham/Gloucester-Cardiff service.

CrossCountry is also diverting a couple of extra Saturdays-only trains from Plymouth to Paignton to cater for the increased demand from holidaymakers heading to the Torbay area. The termination of Wrexham & Shropshire services earlier this year has seen the surplus Class 67s and Mk3s utilised by Chiltern Railways as a precursor to faster running between Birmingham and London under its ‘Evergreen 3’ plans.

The faster services are being delayed until late summer, but in the meantime there are four loco-hauled services from Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone each weekday (see Traction & Stock News).

Completion of the testing of the new ‘Pendolino’ for Virgin will see that set
used in traffic as a nine-car, and allow one Birmingham-Glasgow/Edinburgh service to switch to a Class 390 from a five-car Class 221 with a resultant increase in seating.

In Wales, Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) has introduced an additional Holyhead-Cardiff service, departing at 07.51, calling at Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Chester, and then running via Wrexham in the path of the 07.15 ex-Holyhead, which is diverted via Crewe to Shrewsbury. Arrival in Cardiff is 12.08 and this train will be loco-hauled from December.

ATW has also improved journey times of Manchester-Cardiff services with the more consistent and superior performance of its Class 175 units.

As a result of the East Coast timetable restructuring, Northern has made a number
of minor changes, but has also taken the opportunity to introduce an earlier service over the Settle & Carlisle line with an 05.58 Carlisle to Leeds. It replaces the 06.20 Carlisle-Kirkby Stephen and 07.14 Ribblehead-Leeds trains. This provides a 25min earlier arrival for passengers travelling to stations between Carlisle and Kirkby Stephen (although the Langwathby stop is omitted), with a one-minute later arrival in Leeds at 08.37.

In the reverse direction, the 05.50 Leeds-Carlisle leaves five minutes later, and runs through to Carlisle, picking up the path of the former 07.28 ex-Kirkby Stephen, but has the downside of a 17min later arrival at Carlisle.

Northern has also extended off-peak Blackpool to Liverpool Lime Street services
to Liverpool South Parkway for better connections to Liverpool Airport.

Southern has renamed Smitham station Coulsdon Town and this change, effective from May 22, is reflected in the new timetable.

The operator has also introduced an additional hourly Sunday trains each hour between Brighton and London Victoria until September 4, departing from Victoria at 09.36 and then hourly until 20.36.

In the reverse direction, the additional trains run from Brighton from 09.10 until 20.10. Southern is extending a number of West London route trains from East Croydon to terminate at South Croydon.

On Southeastern, the only significant change is the start of a new high-speed
service from Maidstone West to St Pancras International. SouthEastern says the changes are designed to help improve the performance of existing services.

North of the border, First ScotRail now has sufficient Class 380 units for its Ayrshire and Inverclyde services to cascade Class 334 units to permit a full service on the Airdrie to Bathgate route, which was re-opened in December for the first time in 54 years.

A half-hourly daytime direct service between Milngavie and Edinburgh operates, with a 15-minute frequency six-days-a-week between Bathgate and Edinburgh, from 06.30-18.30 on weekdays and 08.30-18.30 on Saturdays.

Six trains an hour will run between Glasgow and Coatbridge or Airdrie, with more trains calling at Drumgelloch.

Other changes include an earlier start for the 06.12 Perth-Glasgow. Now starting from Dundee at 05.58, it provides business travellers from that city with a first arrival in Glasgow Queen Street an hour earlier than previously. There’s also a call at Invergowrie.

There are more services to and from Dunbar calling at Musselburgh, which will
be a boost for students and staff at Queen Margaret University.

Direct trains from Edinburgh Haymarket to North Berwick are being re-introduced at 17.42 and 18.40. There is a new 17.42 service from Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Central, calling at Carstairs, Carluke, Wishaw and Motherwell to benefit Lanarkshire commuters, with a reverse working at 19.50 from Glasgow Central.

Finally, following last year’s trial of a direct service between Edinburgh and Oban on Sundays, ScotRail is extending the service to ten Sundays, from June 26 to August 28. Departure from Edinburgh Waverley is at 08.10, calling at Haymarket, Linlithgow, Polmont, Falkirk High, Dalmuir, Helensburgh Upper and then all stations to Oban, with a halt at Falls of Cruachan by request, arriving Oban 12.06.

Oban departures are at 17.04, with the same calling pattern, arriving in Edinburgh Waverley at 21.09.