Birmingham to Scotland enhancements

[whole diary]

[John R]

Virgin have announced a significant enhancement to Birmingham to Scotland services today, with half of the services run by Pendolinos, and the others by doubled up Vogagers.

Great news, but how can they resource this, as there were several improvements last Dec with completion of the Pendolinos extension and new build completion. Also, they are looking to start services from Blackpool and Shrewsbury from Dec too.  Is there so spare capacity in the existing timetable?

[Rhydgaled]

I can only guess they've paid the fleet maintainers extra to get higher availability out of the fleets (less stock out of service for maintenance), somebody on another fourm once told me ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) pay for an extra 175 from Alstom occasionally when extra capacity is needed.

Unless they are bringing the Pretendolino back into use...

Only guesses I stress, I don't work on the railway or have any insider knowledge.

[trainer]

If I read the current edition of Todays Railways UK^▸ (United Kingdom) correctly, Virgin is now operating four extra Pendolinos recently received releasing, Voyagers to be strengthened to 10 car trains and 9 car units to be used on the Birmingham-Glasgow services.  The coaching stock is not regularly used but on stand-by.

[IndustryInsider]

The extra services are basically combinations of two existing hourly trains, one from Scotland to Birmingham and one from Birmingham to London.  So that provides some of the capacity and by not having two trains most hours sat at Birmingham New Street for about 25 minutes waiting their next working also helps. 

Makes sense as along with the increase in seats, and better use of platform capacity at Birmingham New Street, it also increases the Wolverhampton to Euston service to 2tph as well as much better flows from Birmingham International/Coventry up to the NW and Scotland.

[Southern Stag]

It might not increase Wolverhampton-Euston to 2tph. The few services which are combined to operate Euston-Scotland via Birmingham at the moment are extensions of Birmingham service Northbound, so providing an extra Wolverhampton service but extensions of the Wolverhampton services southbound.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, good point that.  My other points are valid though.

[grahame]

Another angle on the timetable change (and something I had wondered about)

http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2013/05/decision-over-east-coast-is-pure-politics/

Indeed, the announcement on the new timetable represents the most abject acceptance of the utter  failure of the whole franchising concept since the system started in 1996.  In fact, it seems to show that the rules are pretty much ^make them up as you go along^.