Came across this photo on Facebook - did metro ever used to run expresses?
Thanks. Can see why they wouldn’t have lasted long - they would have just got bunched up behind the stoppers.I'm pretty sure they used to run a couple of peak trains "fast" from West Monkseaton to Haymarket and return, but they didn't last long. But I can't find a timetable that shows it, so I'm not sure I'm not confusing it with the peak expresses via the ECML on pre-Metro days.
Can see why they wouldn’t have lasted long - they would have just got bunched up behind the stoppers.
It was when there were fewer stations (before Palmersville and Northumberland Park were built) if memory serves me right.
My gut instinct although can’t prove it is that it might have been one of those things planned but not followed through.
They’d also make far more sense as extensions of the initial “red” service, as we can now see for those 2 morning trains they would not have been running as variations of the normal coast loop trains...Ah good spot, sadly I was only 3 at the time thats my excuse for not remembering!
is it possible to get to St James without going round the coast?
No - there's no access to St James from the south (Sunderland direction). At a guess they would stop at Monument or Haymarket.
A bit of both I think, as the example in the timetable shows the two express services on the Red route started back from Monkseaton, called at West Monkseaton and then only skipped Shiremoor, so from Benton to Pelaw they’d have been the same timings as a normal Benton starter. (Palmersville and Northumberland Park were not open.).Would the point of the ‘express’ services be more about avoiding overcrowding as opposed to faster journeys?
They have for special occasions - e.g.Sunderland v Newcastle football matches, direct from the station with the car park in Sunderland (St Peter's?), to one of the Newcastle centre ones (don't remember which - is it possible to get to St James without going round the coast?
I remember being in Newcastle one Sunday when this was happening, probably a decade or so ago.
Yes. You'd go from Sunderland to Jesmond points, switch ends, go via the old Jesmond station (the 'curve' / coast avoiding line) to Manors points, switch ends again and you'd be at St James. Not sure if this is what they did or whether they terminated them at Monument though.
The express runs from Newcastle to Sunderland and Sunderland to Newcastle for football go to Central Station as the police strategy typically uses Central Station for crowd control and allows the BTP to also assist. It keeps fans from the Northern units also with those from the Metro.
The Metro specials ran non stop from Central Station to St Peters alongside Northern specials doing the same thing. Definitely not any rare track moves through stock exchange lines
I'm pretty sure however back in the day there used to be an early morning service from Tynemouth to the Airport using the depot avoiding line.