West Midlands Railway

[Bob]

Longer than that tony everything from new st from 0742 to 1412 was cancelled. 1512 was running to tame bridge everyone was told to alight and did then driver got radio message to run to rugeley so we all got back on

[RW]

Are WM Railway still considering the need for a site for a new depot? Any news?

[Tony]

Longer than that tony everything from new st from 0742 to 1412 was cancelled. 1512 was running to tame bridge everyone was told to alight and did then driver got radio message to run to rugeley so we all got back on

I was down in the Thames Valley. I checked the two trains that were stuck, one at Bloxwich the other at Cannock, and they were let through after two hours. Now checking back it looks like one lunchtime train was let through, then the 14:42 and every train after that

[Kevin]

Are WM Railway still considering the need for a site for a new depot? Any news?

Wasn't there talk of the site alongside Duddeston station at one point? Or was that to be a tram depot if that extension ever happened?

[mikestone]

From December with the new timetable the 350s on the chase line do odd things. With the hourly service going through to Euston, the other services on the other half hour will be Rugeley to Birmingham International replacing the 'International dodger'. When it gets to International it will then do an International to Liverpool service, so every train on the chase line will be worked by a different unit.

December 2018 track access application posted
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However it doesn't make sense inasmuch as xx.24 departures from Euston to Milton Keynes extend to Birmingham and Rugeley, but there is no corresponding southbound additional service. Presumably they replace the xx.25 Northampton-Birmingham, as there is specific reference to one forming the 16.11 ex Coventry, which takes the place of the 15.25 .
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There is no mention of the new Crewe-Stoke-Birmingham service running to/from Euston, but the additional Shrewsbury-Birmingham train is to run via Bescot so that it can serve Darlaston and Willenhall when they open.
Apart from what Tony mentions above and one Chase Line train per hour running to/from Euston there seems to be no other cross-Birmingham linkage, and the tables in the track access contract suggest Walsall-Wolverhampton locals are to be split.

[Roy]

Looking at the track access application document, it is only showing new paths or paths that need amending.  For instance, the current xx01 and xx05 departures from New Street (to Liverpool and Shrewsbury respectively) are being swapped to create two new paths at xx00 to Shrewsbury and xx04 to Liverpool.  In the case of the London services, the southbound paths used will be the same at xx14, xx34 an xx54 from New Street, but one of the three northbound services will use the xx24 Euston to Milton Keynes path, thus requiring a new path north of Milton Keynes.  Thus this one is shown whereas the others aren't.  The Walsall to Wolverhampton locals use the same paths as at present.

The cross Birmingham services will not use new paths.  For example, an arrival from Liverpool which currently terminates at New Street will still arrive at the same time as at present and continue to Euston using an existing path.  Thus, it is not mentioned in the document.

Finally, I have heard that the current guesstimate for a unit appearing in the new WMR livery is August.

[Isle of Stroma]

Finally, I have heard that the current guesstimate for a unit appearing in the new WMR livery is August.

My local station is going orange (about a year after receiving LMT black paint). Nice to know that £1bn is being spent wisely...

[mikestone]

Looking at the track access application document, it is only showing new paths or paths that need amending.  For instance, the current xx01 and xx05 departures from New Street (to Liverpool and Shrewsbury respectively) are being swapped to create two new paths at xx00 to Shrewsbury and xx04 to Liverpool.  In the case of the London services, the southbound paths used will be the same at xx14, xx34 an xx54 from New Street, but one of the three northbound services will use the xx24 Euston to Milton Keynes path, thus requiring a new path north of Milton Keynes.  Thus this one is shown whereas the others aren't.  The Walsall to Wolverhampton locals use the same paths as at present.

The cross Birmingham services will not use new paths.  For example, an arrival from Liverpool which currently terminates at New Street will still arrive at the same time as at present and continue to Euston using an existing path.  Thus, it is not mentioned in the document.

Finally, I have heard that the current guesstimate for a unit appearing in the new WMR livery is August.

I assume the xx.00 to Shrewsbury is the one via Bescot to be roughly half hourly from Wolves  with the xx.49.

[Roy]

I assume the xx.00 to Shrewsbury is the one via Bescot to be roughly half hourly from Wolves  with the xx.49.

No.  The xx00 service stops at Sandwell & Dudley at xx08, then all stations from Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury.  The xx49 is non-stop New Street to Wolverhampton, then Codsall, Shifnal, Telford, Wellington, Shrewsbury.

[mikestone]

xx.49 via Bescot and xx.00 down the Stour will be almost the same time at Wolverhampton surely.
At the London end presumably surely  the xx.47 MKC-EUS will be starting from Northampton and theres no application for that.

[Westy]

Once the 2 stations concerned are open, why dont they consider a Wolves to Brum via Willenhall, Darlo, Bescot, Tame Bridge?

[Roy]

xx.49 via Bescot and xx.00 down the Stour will be almost the same time at Wolverhampton surely.
At the London end presumably surely  the xx.47 MKC-EUS will be starting from Northampton and theres no application for that.

The timings they are quoting are :-

The xx.49 from BHM to depart WVH at xx.09 and the xx.00 from BHM to depart WVH at xx.19.

The first of these is scheduled to stop at Darlaston and Willenhall when they open (and probably Tame Bridge) so the two trains would be departing WVH very close together unless the timings are changed when the stations open.  The intention for Willenhall and Darlaston is 1 tph WVH-WSL and 1 tph SHR-BHM.  There is also the possibility that the latter service could be extended to serve the Camp Hill stations when they open.

I have seen nothing south of Coventry but it is possible that, if the xx.24 is extended beyond Milton Keynes to Rugeley, then the xx.54 which currently runs to Northampton may be cut back to Milton Keynes.

[Bob]

Anyone know what time the last trains from Euston to Cannock/Rugeley would be under the new timetable

[Kevin]

The timings they are quoting are :-

The xx.49 from BHM to depart WVH at xx.09 and the xx.00 from BHM to depart WVH at xx.19.

The first of these is scheduled to stop at Darlaston and Willenhall when they open (and probably Tame Bridge) so the two trains would be departing WVH very close together unless the timings are changed when the stations open.  The intention for Willenhall and Darlaston is 1 tph WVH-WSL and 1 tph SHR-BHM.  There is also the possibility that the latter service could be extended to serve the Camp Hill stations when they open.

"we'll give you two trains an hour but they'll be 10 mins apart..."  Sounds about right...
Seriously, this cannot be for real?
Personally would have thought a half hourly Shrewsbury via Tame Bridge would make sense, perhaps even stopping at Perry Barr as well when that's redeveloped. Then arriving into New Street from Aston they can run straight through as half hourly Worcester services via University and Bromsgrove. Save the Camp Hill line for actual locals instead of inter-urbans

[mikestone]

The timings they are quoting are :-

The xx.49 from BHM to depart WVH at xx.09 and the xx.00 from BHM to depart WVH at xx.19.

The first of these is scheduled to stop at Darlaston and Willenhall when they open (and probably Tame Bridge) so the two trains would be departing WVH very close together unless the timings are changed when the stations open.  The intention for Willenhall and Darlaston is 1 tph WVH-WSL and 1 tph SHR-BHM.  There is also the possibility that the latter service could be extended to serve the Camp Hill stations when they open.

I have seen nothing south of Coventry but it is possible that, if the xx.24 is extended beyond Milton Keynes to Rugeley, then the xx.54 which currently runs to Northampton may be cut back to Milton Keynes.

The current non-stop running time via Aston is 27 minutes, so that's fantasy on someone's part - although when the Edinburgh portion of the midday scotch was a cl.40 it did it in 26! This is beginning to sound like the unacheivable Manchester-Stockport service, which with three trains an hour less in the May TT than the franchise commitment, requires trains to omit Stockport calls to accomodate freights!
I suspect you are right about the Northampton being cut back, but if I was writing the application I would have made that clear to try to minimize the grounds for Virgin and freight TOCs to object.