New East Coast Berwick-London services

[Galvanize]

Found this on another forum and thought it was worth mentioning here since nobody else has!

Rail operator East Coast is planning to run more services between Northumberland and London Kings Cross.

There will be an extra early train leaving Berwick before 0600 and an additional weekday service leaving Kings Cross at 1930 each day.

East Coast said the changes were being made due to customer feedback.

The timetable, which is being put together by Network Rail, is still being developed and is due to be introduced on 22 May 2011.

The proposed new service from Berwick Upon Tweed departing at 05.59 will call at Alnmouth, Morpeth, Newcastle and non-stop to London arriving at 09.59.

For the first time it allows commuters to arrive in London before 1000 from Alnmouth and Morpeth without the use of an overnight sleeper.
'Positive difference'

The 0559 will also connect with the four-hour Flying Scotsman at Newcastle, departing 0704, allowing commuters to arrive in London 0940.

The proposed new service to depart King's Cross at 1930 for Alnmouth, will arrive at 2312. Currently the last train from King's Cross to Alnmouth and Berwick is at 1800.

Alnmouth will benefit from more long distance trains and with a better frequency.

East Coast spokesman Neal Smith said: "We are proposing these changes because we recognise they can make a really positive difference to people in Northumberland and the North East.

"The new timetable will help deliver more than two million extra seats per year and faster, more frequent service on East Coast."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10302076.stm

 

[route:oxford]

Found this on another forum and thought it was worth mentioning here since nobody else has!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/10302076.stm

So the non-stop service will arrive in after the later Flying Scotsman?

Is this to relieve a particularily busy service? Or would it be better to have a 180 employed offering a Edinburgh-Newcastle stopping service?

 

[rail-britain]

The proposed new service from Berwick Upon Tweed departing at 05.59 will call at Alnmouth, Morpeth, Newcastle and non-stop to London arriving at 09.59

The 0559 will also connect with the four-hour Flying Scotsman at Newcastle, departing 0704, allowing commuters to arrive in London 0940
These changes don't appear in the original Euraka proposal
It looks like the 05:20 Edinburgh - Kings Cross has an earlier departure from Edinburgh, calling additionally
The swap would therefore be possible at Newcastle

Berwick is one of the big winners of the new timetable

 

[jamesontheroad]

It looks like the 05:20 Edinburgh - Kings Cross has an earlier departure from Edinburgh, calling additionally

That would answer my next question, which is where does the set and crew come from, since it would be odd to start a service at Berwick and terminate another at Alnmouth... so it's basically a tweaked Edinburgh train. Good news though.

 

[rail-britain]

I looked at the earlier Eureka timetable (I don't have a copy of the revised one yet)
My first thought was the Newcastle - Kings Cross had been extended to Berwick, but that would waste a ECS movement to Berwick
However, that wouldn't make sense as a change at Newcastle wouldn't be needed

The Edinburgh now arrives at the same time, so I don't see why the BBC are recommending a change of train
If you missed the connection then tough and you'd be back on the train you just got off (assuming you could make your way back to it)!