How have the minor stations between Morpeth and Berwick avoided closure?

[Killingworth]

"Didn't have rights to serve them?"

The joys of the privatised railway...

In BR days there were, by contrast, some really resourceful services, which have come up on here before. In (I think) 1983 there was an afternoon Manchester-Bristol XC, for example, which then formed a Bristol to Weston-super-Mare stopper for the evening peak - the rationale being, presumably, that no DMUs were available to work the service, but there was an XC set available which would otherwise be sat in the sidings doing nothing.

Until recently TPE operated an early morning 3 car 185 on the Barton on Humber line instead of Northern's single car 153.

 

[drb61]

With regard to pathing Newcastle to Berwick stoppers between longer distance expresses on that section, would using 100mph EMUs instead of 156s (which are IIRC limited to 75mph) make it more practical? Are there not some classes of EMU from down south, now surplus to requirements, that might fit that bill?

 

[zwk500]

With regard to pathing Newcastle to Berwick stoppers between longer distance expresses on that section, would using 100mph EMUs instead of 156s (which are IIRC limited to 75mph) make it more practical? Are there not some classes of EMU from down south, now surplus to requirements, that might fit that bill?

It might help but would it help by enough?

 

[yorksrob]

I actually know someone who comes from Widdrington Station (the name of the village, a bit like some being called X Junction). You could maybe justify a couple more round trips if there was a unit/crew available and they could be pathed, so you might pick up a bit of leisure traffic, but it's never going to justify an hourly service.

Conveniently for comparison it's about the same size as a Milton Keynes grid square, and from lots of past experiments one grid square alone can't stand a bus service, and that's with somewhere nearby to go to on a daily basis!

This sort of line normally sustains itself by there being bigger places at each end and through traffic (e.g. the basket case that is the Bentham Line would be even more of one without Lancaster at one end and Leeds at t'other). This one hasn't.

The Bentham line is not a "basket case".

 

[adrock1976]

It might help but would it help by enough?

Would a Newcastle - Berwick local work if it was held in Chevington Loop to allow a London KX - Edinburgh (and onwards) to overtake?

Also, would it be possible for a frequency of every 2 hours or every 60 minutes post HS2 (the 2021 version for the eastern arm)?