Network Rail unlikely to support any new West Coast Main Line track access plans - apart from one

Network Rail has said it is not expected to support any of the additional track access requests for the southern stretch of West Coast Main Line (WCML), bar one.

In a general representation letter to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) regarding applications on the WCML, the Head of Franchise Management, Paul Harris, said the only exception could be one Manchester-London Euston service by Avanti West Coast.

NR said that 24 of the 82 unsupported applications that were submitted to the regulator for timetable changes between December 2024 and December 2025 directly impacted WCML South, including eight from passenger operators and 16 freight proposals.

WCML South covers the stretch between London and Nuneaton.

Current passenger applications for the WCML include new open access proposals from Lumo (Rochdale-Euston via Manchester Victoria), Virgin (Birmingham New Street/Liverpool Lime Street/Preston/Rochdale-Euston) and Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway (Wrexham-Euston via Shrewsbury and Walsall).

Avanti also wants to run new services to Blackpool North and Glasgow Central.

There are also freight applications from Colas Rail, DB Cargo UK, DCRail, DRS, Freightliner, GB Railfreight,Legge Infrastructure Services Ltd and Varamis.

Earlier this year Network Rail said it would not be able to accommodate all applications seeking to use the Fast lines from December 2025 onwards.

Harris’ letter said analysis of the Fast line timetable between Euston and Rugby showed “the importance of recovery being available” to absorb delays.

He wrote: “The current Operating Plan is not performing to a consistently high level, and recovery from incidents are taking longer to recover due to the successive flighting of trains on the WCML Fast lines.”

Key areas are Rugby (both directions) and Ledburn Junction, south of Leighton Buzzard, in the Down direction towards the evening peak.

NR has said there is “poor punctuality of services” between Ledburn and Euston through to the evening peak and firebreaks “do not have enough resilience inbuilt to reset lateness that has propagated from the north”.

The letter also warned that the introduction of further Avanti services to Liverpool and FirstGroup’s Euston-Stirling open access service in the December 2025 timetable is “likely to have a further impact on performance”.

Harris went on to say: “Given the likely impacts as a result of introducing additional services on WCML South Fast Lines, Network Rail does not currently support any additional quantum access rights on the Fast Lines,” except the additional Manchester service which would have to run as an empty stock movement for rolling stock balancing purposes if not approved.

“For the benefit of passengers and freight users, it is Network Rail’s view that Operational Performance across all operators on WCML South needs to both recover to, and be sustained at, a higher level than current performance before additional train services, which don’t have rights, are considered for inclusion into the timetable.”

Focusing on Rochdale, where Lumo and Virgin both plan to terminate, NR warns of a “lack of terminating capacity”, saying that the open access services could only use one of the station’s three platforms (with one not accessible from the rest and one too short) and is currently used at least four times an hour by local passenger services as well as additional freight traffic.

There are also further concerns about capacity in other areas of Manchester the two operators plan to serve, pointing out tha the Calder Valley is the agreed diversionary route for Diggle during the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

“This has diversionary capacity for up to three services per hour to support keeping the Manchester-Leeds passenger market on trains during the main construction phases of TRU (into the 2030s). Therefore, no additional access rights can be granted to Rochdale which do not allow for this diversionary route capability,” Harris rote.

“Both Lumo and Virgin applications would be affected by this. Adding additional paths to the WCML Fast Lines, would mean reducing the capacity for the diversionary route. Consequently, engineering access is less likely to be supported by operators, significantly driving up the cost of delivering work.”

The Manchester Task Force is now focused on infrastructure work to support “robust increase in services in the 2030s” through the Manchester North West Transformation Programme, which includes new turnback sidings east of Manchester Victoria and at Oldfield Road, a new platform at Salford Crescent and Wigan-Bolton electrification.

However it’s warned that this work will only lead to a “minor increase in service level” between Manchester Victoria and Salford Central.

There are also concerns about power supply at Washwood Heath (during evening peak), Crewe and Weaver (peaks throughout the day) and Willenhall.

NR has said capacity at several locations means “no additional services running in electric in these areas beyond those for which rights have already been sold can be accommodated until power system enhancements have been delivered”.

Harris added: “These enhancements are part funded, with outstanding funding subject to ongoing discussions with DfT.”

Focusing on Lumo again, NR said its paths should “not be supported using electric traction until upgrades have been completed”, but dates and funding remain unknown.

Last year FirstGroup said it would order 13 Hitachi ‘80x’ bi-mode units for its Rochdale and Paddington-Paignton applications if approved.

Specific representations to each passenger application are due at a later date.