Proposed new Far North Line timetable?

[CEN60]

While not Far North but by association the Kyle Line - I have always wondered why the 1st train from Kyle to Inverness in morning is timed to miss connecting to the Inverness Glasgow service by 2 or 3 mins (doesn't seem to make any sense) - does anyone have any info on why this is the case and more importantly how would you go about campaigning to get it altered!

 

[D6130]

Seems to be a better freight service to the industrial heartland of Georgemas than passenger service...

I can't help wondering whether these proposals are connected in some way with the planned new timber flow from Georgemas to the Norboard factory at Dalcross. Although the, apparently successful, six week trial prior to Christmas involved loading the timber at Georgemas yard, there was speculation at the time that some of the future timber loadings may take place lineside in mid-section, as has happened in the not-too-distant past. This would involve lengthy possessions of the Forsinard - Georgemas section and could be greatly facilitated by an altered passenger service.

 

[30907]

While not Far North but by association the Kyle Line - I have always wondered why the 1st train from Kyle to Inverness in morning is timed to miss connecting to the Inverness Glasgow service by 2 or 3 mins (doesn't seem to make any sense) - does anyone have any info on why this is the case and more importantly how would you go about campaigning to get it altered!

There seems no obvious reason why it couldn't run 15 earlier throughout and make the connection, but whether that would be popular with most of its users I don't know - is it normally well used by commuters?

 

[47827]

There seems no obvious reason why it couldn't run 15 earlier throughout and make the connection, but whether that would be popular with most of its users I don't know - is it normally well used by commuters?

Haven't studied it hard but guessing there may be some conflicts on the bottom half of the far north line which may mean other services had to be tweaked too or the first southbound sitting somewhere thus needing more than 15 minutes onto its start time to achieve a good connection at Inverness. There probably isn't a lot of give in it all. It's a shame one of the first ones couldn't be a through train serving the capital with an equivalent northbound the other way which would avoid these connection issues and provide a daily link.

 

[CEN60]

Haven't studied it hard but guessing there may be some conflicts on the bottom half of the far north line which may mean other services had to be tweaked too or the first southbound sitting somewhere thus needing more than 15 minutes onto its start time to achieve a good connection at Inverness. There probably isn't a lot of give in it all. It's a shame one of the first ones couldn't be a through train serving the capital with an equivalent northbound the other way which would avoid these connection issues and provide a daily link.

I catch the 1st one in the morning from Kyle - I think at 6.11 - its infuriating to see the Glasgow train pull out of inverness just as you are arriving!!!!!!!

 

[willgreen]

It's a shame one of the first ones couldn't be a through train serving the capital

The capital?!

 

[47827]

The capital?!

I should have said a single Edinburgh service each day off the far north and another going the other way.

Noticed the query was about a missed connection off Kyle and I was thinking of the far north as my mind was elsewhere when I read that and was thinking of the 06xx from Wick etc.

 

[adrock1976]

The capital?!

When I first had a taste of geography in primary school many years ago, the capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

 

[HST43257]

I seem to like the idea of a semi Takt timetable, as normal

- 1tph Inverness to Tain all stations - thats simple.

Then I’d have 1 path per hour for semi fast (first part of the journey) long distance services. The rotation would be every 4 hours, running 3-4 times a day in each case. These would stop at Muir of Ord and Dingwall then the applicable services would then stop at Invergordon and Tain, then all stations. I’m in favour of the bus stop request system on platforms and trains as well being used at all stops where looping isn’t happening. Anyway, here are my services:
- 1tp4h Inverness to Kyle
- 1tp4h Inverness to Wick
- 1tp4h Inverness to Dingwall (infill - could be for any absurd new long distance route up there)
- 1tp4h Inverness to Hemsdale

If 1tp2h isn’t needed as far as Hemsdale, I’d cut the Dingwall and Helmsdale slows so the semi fast long distance path is 1tp2h out of INV, 1tp4h for Wick and 1tp4h for Kyle.

Inverness to Tain could be electrified. 4 car EMUs on this route. As discussed on a different thread in speculative ideas, I’d have a hydrogen/electric bimode loco with good, smooth (as possible), comfy stock and large windows (sloping sides with windows up slopes like Swiss?). Cycle/Luggage space would be there as well.

A clock face timetable may mean less loops are needed, especially on low frequency sections.

 

[willgreen]

When I first had a taste of geography in primary school many years ago, the capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

I know - I thought he was referring to Glasgow (which isn't the capital, obviously) - may have misunderstood!

 

[D6130]

I know - I thought he was referring to Glasgow (which isn't the capital, obviously) - may have misunde

When I first had a taste of geography in primary school many years ago, the capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.

That may be a matter of opinion......especially to Glaswegians!!!!!!! Seriously though, although Edinburgh may be the administrative capital of Scotland, Glasgow is very much the commercial capital (much like Rome and Milan in Italy) and I would have thought that there may be more demand for travel from Inverness to Glasgow in the mornings than to Edinburgh. Certainly, in my experience, the Glasgow trains have usually been busier than those to and from Edinburgh....if you don't count the shorter distance commuting journeys South of Perth.

 

[Bletchleyite]

For all I love Takt, once you get below hourly (certainly below two-hourly) it probably makes more sense to time trains for when people need them for specific purposes.

As I've said before, the Conwy Valley timetable would be made more useful with 4 round trips timed for specific purposes than the usual 5 (which are almost bob-on every 3 hours without much thought as to the use-case for each). They also did quite a good job of that with the temporary single-unit Marston Vale timetable before it went back to buses, they didn't just drop a diagram and run two-hourly, they actually thought about it, e.g. timing for the schools (when they were open).

With the even less frequent timetable running on the Far North Line, this is even more the case.

 

[Class 170101]

It's a shame one of the first ones couldn't be a through train serving the capital with an equivalent northbound the other way which would avoid these connection issues and provide a daily link.

The problem with serving Kyle (or Wick for that matter) to any of Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow or Edinburgh is that the train needs to make a reversal on a running line outside Inverness Station to then head into the 'south' side of the station. Inverness Station is in effect split in two, Platforms 5 to 7 for the Far North and Platforms 1 to 4 for the routes to the 'south'

 

[D6130]

The problem with serving Kyle (or Wick for that matter) to any of Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow or Edinburgh is that the train needs to make a reversal on a running line outside Inverness Station to then head into the 'south' side of the station. Inverness Station is in effect split in two, Platforms 5 to 7 for the Far North and Platforms 1 to 4 for the routes to the 'south'

I know that the loco-hauled trains from Wick/Thurso and Kyle used to do this in the old days, but is there any real need for it now that they are just two car DMUs with a very short walk round to the "South" platforms?

 

[47827]

The problem with serving Kyle (or Wick for that matter) to any of Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow or Edinburgh is that the train needs to make a reversal on a running line outside Inverness Station to then head into the 'south' side of the station. Inverness Station is in effect split in two, Platforms 5 to 7 for the Far North and Platforms 1 to 4 for the routes to the 'south'

Yes. Am aware of that issue. Have travelled on trains that have reversed to access or run off the mainline platforms. I think there is 1 of the far north platforms with an access line for the South, sometimes used for turning a locomotive in years gone by. A short dmu formation may be OK to do the movement though too arriving from the North then heading south.

 

[Bald Rick]

There is a connection from the ‘south’ into platform 5, but it is via a siding controlled by a Ground Frame, unsignalled, and not authorised for use by passenger services in normal circumstances.

 

[InOban]

And AIRC the length accessible from both directions is far too short for even a 2-coach set.

Correction. The tweet below suggests that it's quite a bit longer. It shows it being used to turn a single class 43.

https://twitter.com/CallumGreenINV/status/1352582425407352832?s=19