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Great Western Coffee Shop > Journey by Journey > Cross Country services > Cross country - Long Distance, or providing full line service?
Poll
Question: Where should Cross Country stop?  (Voting closed: July 16, 2018, 06:53:24)
Major Interchanges only - 14 (38.9%)
All major stations - 9 (25%)
Everywhere - 0 (0%)
Alternate trains - major interchanges and all major stations - 7 (19.4%)
Another mixture - 2 (5.6%)
Should not be a separate franchise - 3 (8.3%)
Other - 1 (2.8%)
Total Voters: 36

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Author Topic: Cross country - Long Distance, or providing full line service?  (Read 18343 times)
broadgage
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« Reply #30 on: July 04, 2018, 17:31:42 »
I voted for option 4, alternate services serving all major stations and main interchanges only.

However I agree strongly with those who state that the lack of capacity is by far the greatest problem, full length trains are needed before any tinkering with calling patterns.
And yes LONGER trains, NOT squeezing a few more seats into the existing trains.

Fixed formation at least 8 car, with provision for lengthening to at least 10 car. NOT flexible length. Whilst I don't think much of voyagers, I cant support scrapping them, they should be retained for lightly used services.
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
Adelante_CCT
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« Reply #31 on: July 04, 2018, 18:09:31 »
Nothing about full length buffets broadgage?  Shocked         Wink


I agree, capacity is the number one issue before anything else.

Being a little picky though, and actually a disadvantage to longer train lengths is the situation at Reading. With full length crossrail trains, services are more restricted for the use of common platforms 13 & 14 whilst anything longer than a 5 car voyager rules out the other common Platform 3, which is the perfect platform for XC▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services at the moment and therefore would make that platform pretty much redundant. More careful planning will be required.
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JayMac
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« Reply #32 on: July 04, 2018, 18:22:44 »
Alternate longer trains call Didcot and skip Reading?  Tongue
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grahame
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« Reply #33 on: July 04, 2018, 18:43:23 »
Quote from: bignosemac on July 04, 2018, 18:22:44
Alternate longer trains call Didcot and skip Reading?  Tongue

And carry on to Poole which along with Middlesborough, Liverpool, Swindon, Hull, Bradford, Northampton, Norwich , Sunderland and Preston is one of the ten largest urban connurbations outside the South East which is not served by Cross Country. 
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Adelante_CCT
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« Reply #34 on: July 04, 2018, 19:01:10 »
Quote from: grahame on July 04, 2018, 18:43:23
Quote from: bignosemac on July 04, 2018, 18:22:44
Alternate longer trains call Didcot and skip Reading?  Tongue

And carry on to Poole which along with Middlesborough, Liverpool, Swindon, Hull, Bradford, Northampton, Norwich , Sunderland and Preston is one of the ten largest urban connurbations outside the South East which is not served by Cross Country. 

Why not just skip Didcot, Reading and go beyond Poole to Weymouth, calling at Swindon and Melksham along the way   Wink
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didcotdean
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« Reply #35 on: July 04, 2018, 23:25:24 »
I can remember going from Weymouth to Leicester without changing one summer Saturday in the mid 1980s, avoiding Reading, going via Bedworth.
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