Are they ever going to electrify the chase line

[Discodave]

I like using the train to brum from bloxwich but can find the service at times can be crap hourly is not enough I know the line is being upgraded signals and speed but looking at various sources it cant be improved due to a lack of diesels there seems to be a lot of debate on electricfication and I feel it would make sense they could use the 323's and I know they carry more pluse other routes maybe could use the route possible north west area trains nice not having to go through Brum if it happened?

[Ash]

Apparently the 323's are leaving the Walsall to Wolverhampton service and the desario's will be used instead when the new ones are delivered to London Midland and hopefully keep to time better as the service is always late arriving into Walsall as its given 10 minutes between Aston and Tame Bridge and it takes alot longer than this so with the desario's seeming to have quicker acceleration it could improve things. Would be nice to see some class 172's appear on the chase line on occasion.

[Tony]

I like using the train to brum from bloxwich but can find the service at times can be crap hourly is not enough I know the line is being upgraded signals and speed but looking at various sources it cant be improved due to a lack of diesels there seems to be a lot of debate on electricfication and I feel it would make sense they could use the 323's and I know they carry more pluse other routes maybe could use the route possible north west area trains nice not having to go through Brum if it happened?

Have a read of this debate in Parliament and it seems like electrification may be in tomorrows £9billion pound railway improvement announcement.

Full debate is at http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2012-06-14a.577.0

[Discodave]

looking at it all the MPs along the route including mine David Winnick support and so do all of the councils, centro, network rail and the operator but with one announcementin the news of the midland mainline being done at a huge cost it looks as the midlands will be snubbed even though it is a short distance and smaller cost will bring in many benefits to other existing lines and possible services from walsall to the north it looks a the minister is trying to say the upgrade will be enough but the thick tory toffs want us to suffer again with pointless and expensive HS2 where the money could be better used elsewhere

[Tony]

looking at it all the MPs along the route including mine David Winnick support and so do all of the councils, centro, network rail and the operator but with one announcementin the news of the midland mainline being done at a huge cost it looks as the midlands will be snubbed even though it is a short distance and smaller cost will bring in many benefits to other existing lines and possible services from walsall to the north it looks a the minister is trying to say the upgrade will be enough but the thick tory toffs want us to suffer again with pointless and expensive HS2 where the money could be better used elsewhere

The announcement tomorrow will be more than just the Midland Mainline electrification, the cost of that is estimated at approximately half a billion pounds, hopefully there will be the 30 million needed for the Chase line somewhere in the several billion they are expected to announce

[Bob]

do they ever still use them awful sprinter trains on it ?

[Discodave]

do they ever still use them awful sprinter trains on it ?

I know they have gone but where i do not know

[Tony]

do they ever still use them awful sprinter trains on it ?

I know they have gone but where i do not know

Some to First Great Western for use around Bristol, some to North Western for use around Manchester, and 3 kept at London Midland, one for a Worcester-New Street peak working, one for Bedford-Bletchley and one spare

[Bob]

They werent very nice to travel on, but seemed to have more room on them the current trains on the chaseline seem pretty narrow inside

[Tony]

Looks like it is in todays announcement
http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/hlos-2012

[Discodave]

Just heard the news and looked at the report map its great lets hope there is no U turn well there best not be, at last a better service for the folk of staffs and walsall and some nice electric trains

[JIM H]

Just read the Department of Transport proposals to be completed
by 2019. So that's my next 7 years sorted out for spotting and
photography. Good job i'm retired.

[Bob]

what difference does it make whether its electric or diesel? what difference in journey time between cannock & birmingham will it make?

[Tony]

what difference does it make whether its electric or diesel? what difference in journey time between cannock & birmingham will it make?

It will make several minutes difference as the line speed is also being increased from 45/50 mph to 75mph. Electric trains will be able to use this between stations whereas 170s have to start braking soon after reaching 50mph

The biggest difference is the increase in frequency it will enable. Electric trains have much better acceleration than diesels, so will be able to do a Birmingham-Rugeley Trent Valley round trip in 2 hours easily. Diesels cannot which is why, during off-peak Monday-Friday there are four diesels out all day, but we only get an hourly service and on Saturdays every alternate trains has to miss 3 stations out to be able to make the 2 hours.

4 Electric trains will be able to operate half hour frequency all day, no problem. The other big advantage is it will enable northbound services to be reintroduced. The extension from Rugeley to Stafford was stopped because there wasn't room for 'slow' 170s on that busy part of the West Coast main line. There is no reason why some Liverpool trains cannot be sent via Walsall & Cannock instead of Wolverhampton. You never know if the Cross Country Voyagers get converted to Electric which looks very likely now Cross Country might even decide they want to send some Manchesters that way. They could then use the Colwich branch to Stoke-on Trent and might even be faster than via Stafford

[Bob]

Will there be the demand for half hourly trains between Rugeley & Birmingham ( and back) ? I think its a pretty crap service at present and disgusting that they charge a higher fare before 930 when buses dont