Thanks, had hoped to get more videos this weekend as was off yesterday but the wind stopped play. Had issues with the HS2 security too so not a great morning of drone flying.
I don't think there's much space on the other side
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Early 2025
Cor! As in, May 2025 timetable tweaks?
No, they will likely start in between Dec 24 and May 25. They will get offered in the Dec 24 timetable but probably not uploaded.
Of when passenger services will start.
This is very encouraging, for the MKC piece especially and lack of conflicts (and final use of 2A!)
Not yet, but one FOC is already looking at it.
One of the very early discussions about possible EWR freight, (in some NR publication I can’t recall), suggested the route might be used in only one direction. For example Daventry to Southampton wouldn’t cause crossing conflicts at either Bletchley or Oxford. Are there any other freight flows that take significantly different routes in the two directions?
I've often wondered if there was scope for a reversing crossover between Crewe and Sandbach to allow freights from Basford Hall to access the Trent Valley lines via Stoke, to avoid crossing moves at Colwich.
Correct.....as do the Liverpool-Drax biomass trains for the same reason - mainly to avoid the loaded trains causing disruption by stalling on the steep gradient between Manchester Victoria and Miles Platting. However this routing via Northwich, Stockport and Denton actually causes a number of conflicting moves.
Chiltern drivers will also have to do the traction learning on the class 196s which I presume WMR driver trainers will assist in the early days. With route learning it will be the the freight drivers who will learn first so I would assume that the Chiltern driver trainers will join them. The very first trainers will have gone out during the construction stage and where necessary walked the parts of the line checking sightings, turnouts etc.