Extra XC Trains extending beyond Reading to Southampton

[whole diary]

[bigdaz]

Text copied courtesy of "Paul" from SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Yahoo Groups!

Starting Dec 2010. Apparently a XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) SLC2 commitment, although this was also mentioned in the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) earlier this year:

Six extra services to Southampton

06:33 BHM - RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on context) is extended to SOU, arriving 09:17
06:15 LDS - RDG is extended to SOU, arriving 11.17
07.23 NCL - RDG is extended to SOU, arriving 13.17
09.35 NCL - RDG is extended to SOU, arriving 15.17
11.27 NCL - RDG is extended to SOU, arriving 17.17
13.34 NCL - RDG is extended to SOU, arriving 19.53

Six extra up services, one of which starts Winchester, presumably as
an ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) move to Southampton Central cannot be pathed?

08.41 RDG - NCL starts back from WIN at 08.01
10.41 RDG - NCL starts back from SOU at 09.46
12.41 RDG - NCL starts back from SOU at 11.46
14.41 RDG - EDB starts back from SOU at 13.46
16.41 RDG - NCL starts back from SOU at 15.47
18.41 RDG - YRK starts back from SOU at 17.46

[devon_metro]

Good news! Especially considering i'll be living there soon.

[brompton rail]

Wonder where the extra Voyagers are coming from?

Will XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) diagram 4 HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) a day on Edinburgh / Plymouth (I.e 2x Leeds to Plymouth and return to Edinburgh, 2x Edinburgh to Plymouth and return to Leeds)?

Does this mean that few, if any, Voyager diagrams will be double sets?

And what happens in May 2011 when XC run beyond Edinburgh every 2 hours to Glasgow?

[fatcontroller]

This will be instead of terminating at Reading, probably in conjunction with the rebuilding works and not being able to accomodate them there anymore?!?

[IndustryInsider]

Good news indeed.  At last some of the direct links from stations south of Reading to the NE will now be restored.  Let's hope the HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) fleet is fully utilised as a result (as it should be tomorrow - does anyone know if it is?)

[paul7575]

Thanks for posting this for me!

I reckon only one unit is needed, but I haven't checked the exact details. 

If you look this proposal up in the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy), it explains that more than 2 hourly isn't possible as there are too many existing freight and ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) paths on the route.

Paul