Cross Country

[Trident 4194]

HST started this morning at totems. Usually these trains are stabled up north. Any idea why this is different today?

[Cheese]

HST started this morning at totems. Usually these trains are stabled up north. Any idea why this is different today?

Presume you mean Totnes? Rail bridge was hit by a lorry in Plymouth earlier in the week so the line is part closed.

[Trident 4194]

Presume you mean Totnes? Rail bridge was hit by a lorry in Plymouth earlier in the week so the line is part closed.

I know that much just they usually start service up north rather than down south

[Roy]

You are right that the HST sets in service are normally stabled overnight in the north and operate southbound services 1V44 and 1V50 (the 0812 and 1112 departures from New Street).  Both of these services are shown as HST operated as normal today.

However, the XC HST fleet is based at Laira (Plymouth) depot and is serviced and stabled there when not in service.  In fact, HST sets are swapped at Plymouth by taking a set out of service on arrival at Plymouth and dispatching it to Laira.  The replacement set is then brought in from Laira to operate the northbound departure.

1S41 (normally Plymouth to Newcastle but starting at Totnes today) is HST operated this morning rather than the usual Class 220.  This is probably due to sets being out of position due to the disruption caused by yesterday's bridge strike on the outskirts of Plymouth, with the HST available and pressed into service.  The people to benefit are the regular passengers on 1S41 who must think that it is Christmas today! 

[mikestone]

It was booked on 1S51 from Penzance this week due to the diversion via Westbury, but obviously that's now out of the window.

[mikestone]

From Monday numerous cancellations on Turbostar routes and HSTs removed from traffic (to avoid any complications due to ad hoc service alterations), due to refusal of ASLEF to renew RDW agreement.

[Trident 4194]

Cross country hit hard with staff shortages at the moment. Believe it's to do with working conditions and walk outs

[mikestone]

And an RMT  strike announced today for 24th and 31st December

[mikestone]

Track Access Application has appeared for the Dec 2024 introduction of a Cardiff-Edinburgh service - an existing Cardiff-Nottingham train will become a 221 and attach at New Street to the 08.27 Plymouth-Edinburgh, while the return will be formed by the set currently detached off the 13.05 Edinburgh-Plymouth at Gloucester and running empty to Central Rivers.
;
The hourly Reading-Newcastle service is planned to be re-instated in May 2025.
;
The already announced addition of seven ex Avanti 221s will make this feasible.

[spacecowboy150]

How many Voyagers are cross country gonna get

[BK63 YWP]

How many Voyagers are cross country gonna get

12

[BlackCountryBusSpotter]

Do CrossCountry have Stock shortages, My dad caught the 18:43 I think it was from Wolverhampton to Stockport and stood the whole way On Wednesday as it was 4 cars he caught the 13:13/33 Train back from Stockport to Wolverhampton on Friday afternoon and again this was a 4 car. I swear last year they used to Double these trains up to make 8/9/10 Car trains

[twbc99]

Do CrossCountry have Stock shortages, My dad caught the 18:43 I think it was from Wolverhampton to Stockport and stood the whole way On Wednesday as it was 4 cars he caught the 13:13/33 Train back from Stockport to Wolverhampton on Friday afternoon and again this was a 4 car. I swear last year they used to Double these trains up to make 8/9/10 Car trains

They have always had a shortage but the timetable has changed with more services in the last couple of years to be closer to the old 30 min headway on the core routes which means that they can't run as much double sets. With the Manchester trains as well it is difficult to run double sets on the Bristol route as it would block 2 platforms for about 50 mins each hour which is why only the Bournemouth services are double sets these being at 0725, 0925 and 1525. Over time there should be extra 5 car 221's from Avanti which will hopefully allow more doubling up and the restoration of the full hourly Newcastle - Reading service.

[markcf83]

Do CrossCountry have Stock shortages, My dad caught the 18:43 I think it was from Wolverhampton to Stockport and stood the whole way On Wednesday as it was 4 cars he caught the 13:13/33 Train back from Stockport to Wolverhampton on Friday afternoon and again this was a 4 car. I swear last year they used to Double these trains up to make 8/9/10 Car trains

The sooner they're are asked to order more and longer trains the better. They're approaching 25 years old now.

[Roy]

The sooner they're are asked to order more and longer trains the better. They're approaching 25 years old now.

I couldn't agree more.  Hopefully, the creation of Great British Railways will result in a more co-ordinated approach when ordering new trains.  A new fleet of bi-mode units with at least 7 coaches for Cross Country services on the Edinburgh/Newcastle to Plymouth/Reading and Manchester to Bristol/Bournemouth services would be beneficial all round.  As well as providing the capacity needed on these services, they would also operate in electric mode over large parts of the routes (Edinburgh–York/Doncaster and Manchester-Birmingham/Coventry).  In addition, it would allow the Voyagers to be cascaded to increase capacity on other routes such as Cardiff to Nottingham, Birmingham to Stansted, Cardiff to Portsmouth etc.