Wrexham: Suddenly it's the in place...

[Snapper]

t seems Wrexham is no longer considered a backwater. Virgin Trains have just announced that they are to start running a Euston- Wrexham service later this year. Virgin have just confirmed details in this press release:

"Wrexham set to join Virgin Trains network


Virgin Trains' Chief Operating Officer Chris Gibb last night (February 19)
announced that Wrexham will join the Virgin Trains network later this year.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the All-Party Rail in Wales Parliamentary Group, held at the House of Commons, Chris Gibb confirmed
plans to run the Wrexham-London Euston service from December, 2008, subject to the completion of the West Coast Route Modernisation work.

The Virgin Trains service will run on Mondays-Fridays with a departure
around 0700 from Wrexham. The return journey will leave London at 1810.
Journey time between Wrexham and London will be around two-and-a
half-hours.

The service is being introduced on a trial basis, and more services on
weekdays and weekends have not been ruled out if it is successful.
Chris Gibb added: "The service would be operated by modified Super Voyager trains, with a first class service which is comparable to that provided on our Pendolino trains." He added; "The Wrexham trains will run at 125mph with tilt operational over the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and London.."

 

[thefab444]

I wonder what this could be in "reply" to... :roll:

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

Virgin Trains Worried about W&SR? No, couldnt be!:roll:
Bit like NXEC announcing MORE York trains just a GC get going...

 

[Respite]

How the hell am I going to get our ATW services down that line now is anyones guess. What with the steel trains, the serco timber train to Chirk & now W&SR & Vermin.... So Virgin will try & bully everyone else by chucking loads of cash at notwork fail for prime regulation as usual. The chester- shrewsbury line needs major upgrade work as it is. The single line from wrexham to saltney jnc being such a bottleneck since it was stupidly singled years ago. Then the long signal sections between cross newyd(Wrexham box basically) (sp?) and Gobowen & then on to the IB signals towards salop. I just don't think it can take all of these trains. I'm sure it works on paper where all trains never encounter any delays elsewhere on the network before getting to the saltney-salop line. But in reality it's already terrible with delays from other services. I can only see that this will be a case of more trains for the passengers becomes less reliable service for them.

 

[AlexS]

Fear not my sprinter pottering comrade, by the looks of it they will run via Chester and Crewe.

Which means they're being complete zoids and just after the headlines, rather than going for the real market which is in Shrewsbury.

 

[Snapper]

Who said the Virgin service is going via Shrewsbury?

The fact is that the Welsh Assembly have been lobbying for better rail links. And that lobbying is now paying off.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Fear not my sprinter pottering comrade, by the looks of it they will run via Chester and Crewe.

Which means they're being complete zoids and just after the headlines, rather than going for the real market which is in Shrewsbury.

There's more to the equation than that. Running the route it will it'll be a fast journey. And Chester (and thus the catchment area of the wealthy Wirral) is not to be sniffed at...

 

[yorkie]

Is this new service an initiative of Virgin Trains (as people suggest in earlier replies) or is it specified by the DfT?

 

[Z12XE]

Virgin idea aparently, plus they will have to make it pay as the DfT wont be giving them hand outs for it (yet....)

 

[djw1981]

So basically they are extending one of the Chester trains in the VHF plan to Wrexham.....

 

[me123]

All of a sudden, Wrexham is gaining 2 links to London. ATM, the daily service cannot compare to W+S's more frequent schedule, so I would imagine that, should W+S get going soon, they would be more popular.

Nice to see the rail network expanding, none-the-less.

 

[First ScotRail]

I think its a new service by VT, not specified by DFT as it wasnt in their original plans. It will obviously be similar to the Hollyhead services which are an extension of the new chester hourly service from 2009.

 

[djw1981]

If this fight for Wrexham Passengers ends up like the BA / Virgin Atlantic battles of the 90's then everyone best beware! I think that VWC thought that their 'protection' agreement until 2012 was cast iron, but then realised, when WSMR appled for their paths that by calling at other places around the West Midlands, that they were not so secure, so have decided to try nd use their financial muscle to retain dominance.

Virgin vs DB
ding ding, Round 1!

 

[Respite]

, so have decided to try nd use their financial muscle to retain dominance.

Virgin vs DB
ding ding, Round 1!

Yeah & I wonder who's going to get caught in the middle of that fight!! ATW.

So the vermin service will go through the bottleneck between Wrexham & saltney Jcn to chester & WSR will go through the long signal section bottleneck the other way towards salop..............Oh this is going to get messy.:roll:

 

[richa2002]

But surely they wouldn't allow a service to run if they couldn't get it a path without it disrupting others?

 

[djw1981]

But pathing assumes everything runs to time

 

[Nym]

This sounds like it could end up being nice and fun Maybe they'll do a clever thing at some point, alternate services extending from chester to holyhead and wrexham, or better yet, split and join at chester with hourlies to both, if one won't fit, drop it and dump a unit at chester (like the're planning anyway) or run both...

 

[Techniquest]

Either way, this should be interesting to watch as it pans out.

As others have said (on here and WNXX), the market in Shrewsbury and Telford should spell good news for W&SMR. Indeed, whilst it won't appeal to the old-school bashers, being able to get 67s on the mainline without doing sleeper trips will appeal. If fares are reasonable, then they are (in my eyes) sure to be a hit. After all, if passengers can buy a ticket to London, be reasonably sure of getting a seat and enjoying a through journey without the hassle of changing trains at New Street, whilst also being able to see out of the window in comfort, then W&SMR have got it in the bag.

Who's going to want to go via Chester and Crewe with Virgin at times of the day that are unlikely to be suitable to most, with (probably) extorinate fares, possibly get a seat but only one that is in the aisle with no chance of a view through the window, be uncomfortable and put up with engines underfoot?

I wish W&SMR every bit of luck and hope that they don't suffer problems of the same nature Grand Central did with their stock refurbishment. I'm looking forward to their operations starting soon, should be an interesting experience. Until they launch, getting a loco-hauled train into Marylebone is more than difficult for the average enthusiast.

As much as I'm 'dissing' Virgin above, I am too looking forward to getting their Voyager service to Wrexham one day. Although it would probably only be a leap from Chester. Much like the M-F VXC services that called at Filton Abbey Wood, Patchway and Severn Tunnel Junction (I don't know if AXC are still doing them), it would be a tad odd to get off or on a Voyager at such stops. I imagine it would be like that at Wrexham too.

Anyway, bring on W&SMR!

 

[Max]

Although it would probably only be a leap from Chester. Much like the M-F VXC services that called at Filton Abbey Wood, Patchway and Severn Tunnel Junction (I don't know if AXC are still doing them), it would be a tad odd to get off or on a Voyager at such stops.

Just to confirm, this once daily train does still run as far as I'm aware

 

[Techniquest]

Excellent, thanks for that. I still need them off/onto Voyagers.hock:

 

[Mojo]

Yes, I get the 0747 from Filton (ex Cardiff) to work every morning. It's now being held on to by the DfT primarily as a way of providing capacity (which FGW don't have) on the busiest train of the day between Cardiff & Bristol. However, it started off because of very different motives!

 

[thefab444]

There's also one that stops at Yatton, Worle and Nailsea and Backwell in the mornings.

 

[Mojo]

Yeah, though that one doesn't have a Southbound return IIRC. There are also a number of High Speed trains which stop at local stations, including the 0527 London - Swansea which calls Filton Abbey Wood & the 0630 London - Bristol TM which calls Keynsham. There is also a large number of services from Plymouth/Weston-s-Mare to London which call at stations such as Weston Milton, Worle & Yatton (amongst others).

I've also heard that the silly rule that the front powercar needs to be in the platform has now been dropped, and staff are being retrained. On Friday, 2 signs were erected beside the tracks north of Filton advertising stopping points for HSTs.

 

[Techniquest]

Really?! Now that much I didn't know of [regarding thefab442's post].

 

[Mojo]

It's 1E39, the 0640 Plymouth to Newcastle, which calls Weston-s-Mare at 0830, Yatton at 0840 and Nailsea/Backwell at 0846.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for that, much appreciated.