Service going directly North of East Midlands Parkway?

[Gathursty]

Is there a passenger service which, after passing East Midlands Parkway, DOES NOT go to Derby or Nottingham, but continues straight through Trent towards Chesterfield and the North?

The PSUL website appears to me to show nothing fitting my request.

The train doesn't need to call at East Midlands Parkway or Chesterfield btw.

 

[Spartacus]

The only current 'booked' service is the VSOE Victoria - Chesterfield WO WTT, both ways via the high level. While it's a WTT it only runs every few months, next time I think is on April the 18th judging by their website.

From the 30th of July until the 7th of October things will be a lot different. Due to the works to rebuild Derby station all the EMTs from St Pancras to Sheffield and back will be going that way, I don't think any will be reversing at Nottingham either which a few do now, mostly Leeds services. All are booked via Trent Jn, although I would be far from surprised if a few went via the HLG to avoid conflicts as all the Cross Country services will be going via Toton and Castle Donnington.

 

[cactustwirly]

Is there a passenger service which, after passing East Midlands Parkway, DOES NOT go to Derby or Nottingham, but continues straight through Trent towards Chesterfield and the North?

The PSUL website appears to me to show nothing fitting my request.

The train doesn't need to call at East Midlands Parkway or Chesterfield btw.

No booked workings, but in January there were some engineering diversions that way because of the Long Eaton blockade.
Some services also ran via Castle Donnington & Stenson Jct.

 

[Gathursty]

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking at my Route Coverage map and presumed there must be a service as it is the fastest way to Sheffield from London however it would waste a path by not calling at either Derby or Nottingham.

In the future, apart from engineering diversions, would EMT or it's successor want to have services as I'm alluding to in this thread?

 

[38Cto15E]

I enjoyed the HST's on the Rio's, Leicester, next stop Stockport, via the Erewash.

 

[Kite159]

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking at my Route Coverage map and presumed there must be a service as it is the fastest way to Sheffield from London however it would waste a path by not calling at either Derby or Nottingham.

In the future, apart from engineering diversions, would EMT or it's successor want to have services as I'm alluding to in this thread?

Best way is to keep an eye on any early morning Sunday morning diverts when HSTs are sent Nottingham - Toton (reverse) - East Midlands Parkway via the high level bridge when Network Rail are maintaining the main junction below.

Either that or keep an eye on any railtours which use that connection

 

[70014IronDuke]

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking at my Route Coverage map and presumed there must be a service as it is the fastest way to Sheffield from London however it would waste a path by not calling at either Derby or Nottingham.

In the future, apart from engineering diversions, would EMT or it's successor want to have services as I'm alluding to in this thread?

I forget exactly, probably 10 or 12 years ago, there was one Sunday working ex St Pancras somewhere in the 17.00 - 18.00 slot which went via the Erewash to Sheffield. I don't think there was an equivalent on the up.

Many years ago - like c 1970 - they diverted the Master Cutler via the Erewash and it saved about 15 minutes versus the Derby route (It didn't stop at Derby - and I have no idea why they routed it that way in the first place.) . AFAIR, it's not much faster than via Derby right now due to PSRs, especially at Trent. Presumably any time saved (and passengers perhaps gained by the faster running to Sheffield/Chesterfield) is not worth the loss of Derby traffic.

If, but presumably it's a big if, the TOC could realiably fill trains without the need to stop at Derby, it could be worth introducing a regular service this way. Either that, and/or Alfreton needs to double in size, or get a university or something to make it a decent generator for London traffic. Then it could build a business case to take our the PSRs, or some of them.

Going via Nottingham means too big a time penalty due to reversal, except for a couple of peak business services. I have no idea how they load between Sheffield and Nottingham. Anyone know?

 

[edwin_m]

The Master Cutler ran that way, in the Up direction only, well into the 1990s. It may have been right up to the re-cast (May 1999?) when the Turbostars came in.

The HSTs only really run via Alfreton because they are based in Leeds and most of them spend the day on London-Nottingham journeys so need to transit to and from Nottingham (a few go via Derby instead). Until Northern started running on the same route they essentially provided the southbound morning and northbound evening Nottingham-Sheffield service, meaning EMT didn't have to send units up there at those times of day, allowing them to do other things at peak times and reducing the number that start or end at Sheffield, Manchester or Liverpool.

If HS2 reaches Toton then there are various ideas for connecting services on the existing network, some of which would run via Trent. However it would then be highly unlikely that anyone would use the existing MML to get to London from Alfreton, as changing at Toton would be vastly quicker.

 

[High Dyke]

The Master Cutler used to be routed via Toton up until a few years ago.