Two new cross-country open access applications have been submitted for consultation, despite concerns over the sector’s future in a nationalised railway.
Two new cross-country open access applications have been submitted for consultation, despite concerns over the sector’s future in a nationalised railway.
Rail consultancy firm SLC is planning two new services: Nottingham-Bristol via Oxford and Liverpool-Cardiff via Hereford.
SLC is also behind the Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (WSMR) plan linking Wrexham and London Euston, one of several applications currently awaiting Office of Rail and Road approval.
The first new application, under the Midland Central and Western Railway (MCWR) banner, is for a seven-year operation for eight Nottingham-Bristol services in each direction Monday-Saturday, with six on Sunday.
Trains would call at East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester, Kettering, Market Harborough and Bedford on the Midland Main Line. The proposed route would then use the Marston Vale line, stopping at Stewartby, and then the new East West Rail route from Bletchley High Level station to reach Bicester Village, Oxford Parkway and Oxford. From there, the service would call at Swindon, Chippenham and Bath Spa, before terminating at Bristol Temple Meads.
The second proposed route, from the Liverpool & South Wales Railway (L&SWR), again requests a seven-year operation for eight services between Liverpool Lime Street and Rhoose Cardiff International Airport on Monday- Saturday, with six on Sunday.
Stops would be at Liverpool South Parkway, Runcorn, Chester, Wrexham General, Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Hereford, Newport, Cardiff Parkway (when opened), Cardiff Central and Barry.
Both new services would use available Class 221 or ‘222’ five-car units. In its application, L&SWR says it believes there is “significant merit” in introducing direct ‘inter-city’ styled services on the main line route between Liverpool, the Marches, and Cardiff.
Such a service already features as an aspiration in the Western Gateway Partnership ‘Rail Deal’ published earlier this year. The introduction of direct trains would also cut journey times between several stations on both routes, compared with existing services.
Proposals for the new services come at a time when Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has expressed concerns about the impact of open access operations on congested parts of the rail network, and about levels of
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Peter Plisner
Peter Plisner is a former BBC Correspondent and has spent more than 30 years writingand reporting on transport issues. Much of his coverage over the years hasbeen rail related. He runs his own transport and media consultancy business and publishes a variety of films on his Transport Matters YouTube channel.
Starsk - 02/04/2025 20:44
Why do they have to use the bane of all cross country services - the bloody Voyagers?!?!?!