In retrospect, the 222's should have been built in numbers to replace the whole HST fleet. Because this offset 2 tier system hasn't worked out too well has it?
I guess it'd be argued the HSTs weren't life expired 20 years ago.
Removing the HST without direct replacement is part of the problem with EMR ( as with Cross Country) but that is what you get for voting for 15 years of the same party in power.
Perhaps MML HSTs should have been replaced by IEP Project trains at the same time as elsewhere? But that would presumably also have been locked into the same contract that I believe some Informed Sources believe to be a pretty bad deal...
This is certainly the ideal longer term solution. However would there be track capacity to do this *and* maintain 2tph to Corby plus the current 4tph to Nottingham/Sheffield?
This comes up every so often, but Connect already does pick up everything South of Kettering, except on Sunday mornings when there's no capacity.
I understand that additional semi-fast services would get in the way of the Nottingham/Sheffields. For instance, it's quite common in my experience of the intercity trains, to creep through Wellingborough because the Connect has been caught before it can get onto the slow lines North of Wellingborough.
So a new service would have to leave London at e.g. xx07 but the extra 8 minutes is used calling at Kettering P4 and Harborough, so it'd have the xx32 Sheffield right behind it into Leicester.
Also, running 2 semi-fast services 8 minutes apart (e.g. xx07 Leicester and xx15 Corby) doesn't add much value unless one is overloaded.
Or it has to use the slow lines e.g. from Sharnbrook to Kettering, get overtaken by 2 IC services and basically be useless for everybody.
Alternatively, a more limited stop service would essentially duplicate the inter city service so what's the point unless they are both 240m and full.
Finally, either option takes capacity from Thameslink (I think the hypothetical xx07 would take fast line capacity used by Three Bridge-Bedford trains as far as Harpenden), and also need to be threaded through Wigston Junction into a vacant platform in Leicester.