ECML Pendolinos

[52D]

Newcastle only stops are being hinted at

They'll still get held at Chevington for the 1738 to Chathill.

Be nice if they still retained rails at platform 3 at Alnmouth, they could hold the 1738 in the platform while the mighty Pendolino streaks past. It would also give the AVR lads less of a problem in getting a main line connection.

[cambois]

Not sure that is true because they would need to be paying Access Charges to NR. T thought these paths were given up years ago when it became clear they would not use them. Paths that are not able to be used have to be given up. ORR polices this but really only when there is pressure for more capacity

[Chris Grouse]

Don't think we'll ever see tilting equipment fitted to the MK4's, they're neatly 25 years old now, and tne APT tilt system is even older(and didn't work properly!). Not much point fitting it even if it were possible, not when the 91+MK4 fleet will end up cascaded either to Anglia or the MML(or both) once the IEP rubbish starts being delivered...
If the MK4's were that bad a ride then surely the fleet engineers would have taken them out of service by now.
I wasn't aware that Eurostar 'owned' any 'slots' on the ECML, don't think any TOC's own any of their train paths, they're allocated by NR based on the current timetable. Track access charges aren't paid simply because a spare path is available to a TOC, a train has to be booked to run and actually run in that path for a track access charge to be levied by NR. this might explain why trains are cancelled when it's infrastructure or signalling causing delays, as NR also have to foot the bill of a train's cancellation in this situation, but when a TOC is at fault the trains will usually run, as cancelling a train costs a lot more than the saving of its access charges and fuel costs...

[Andy W]

What you can run on NR is laid down in your "Schedule 5" rights in your Track Access Contract and they can be hard wired or quantum only, with stopping pattern and journey time protections. The ORR prefer the quantum end of the scale these days but when Eurostar had the rights on the ECML, they were very hard wired. The ORR decides what rights you have in your contract with NR.

Before they fell away under the present Access Agreement, Eurostar used to say they wouldn't take up their rights on the ECML and NR could then timetable across them. But that waiving of rights was always regarded as for one timetable period at a time and anyone using those paths knew it.

You cannot sell your rights on to third parties and you do not bid for fixed slots - you bid to NR for paths which, these days, can be flexed to suit the overall timetable that NR has to produce. NR then offers you the paths that are a best fit with your rights.

[third-rail]

So I take it the consortium with with eurostar, could see a limited service from edinborugh or glasgow to london