You know what, it's hilarious that #HS2 opponents love to say "why would anyone want to get to Birmingham XX minutes faster", but adding around 4 minutes to a journey time to/from Wales is an outrage, despite OOC providing benefits for GWML passengers. So are journey times important or not? - ThreadSky

railfocus.bsky.social • 76 days ago

You know what, it's hilarious that #HS2 opponents love to say "why would anyone want to get to Birmingham XX minutes faster", but adding around 4 minutes to a journey time to/from Wales is an outrage, despite OOC providing benefits for GWML passengers. So are journey times important or not?

Comments

planningtransport.co.uk•76 days ago

We just want to complain, don't expect us to have a consistent view.

railfocus.bsky.social•76 days ago

I always knew this is how OOC would be reported once Welsh minsters twigged stopping at OOC would add a few minutes to GWR journey times. But it's the hypocrisy that gets me.

schadedorf.bsky.social•76 days ago

The Welsh are pretty bitter about being left out of any direct HS2 related benefits (they choose not to recognise any potential downstream capacity benefits, but then they aren't alone in that).

geoffdoesstuff.bsky.social•75 days ago

Would changing at OOC count as via London or avoiding London?

railfocus.bsky.social•75 days ago

Possibly not, but arguably more straightforward changing at OOC for EL services to central London than Paddington

geoffdoesstuff.bsky.social•75 days ago

Agreed it'll be easier but whether it's London or not impacts ticket prices, if you were doing Curzon Street to Reading via OOC it could make a considerable difference one way or another

railfocus.bsky.social•75 days ago

Awkward one. If the price was significantly different between OOC and Euston then people traveling to central London would just buy tickets to OOC. But I'd argue it's not impossible to have competitive pricing structures for people traveling from say Manchester to Reading.

impaul.bsky.social•76 days ago

This whole debate, especially from Welsh Nationalists is truly pathetic and irritating.
Paul, Cardiff

iamdanw.bsky.social•76 days ago

Hopefully the new South Wales Lumo trains that run non-stop from Bristol Parkway to Paddington will balance out the extra 4 mins / winder if they will also stop at OOC

mikewillsee.bsky.social•76 days ago

That's a very good point. I'm not *aware* of any plans for the Lumo Camarthen service to stop at OOC but equally I'd be very surprised if it doesn't, given what a timetabling nightmare it would be!

railfocus.bsky.social•76 days ago

Not sure tbh. From what I've been told if you stop 1 train at OOC it makes sense to stop them all there for pathing reasons. But the journey possibilities via OOC far outweigh the 4 minute time penalty.

gloriousnse.bsky.social•76 days ago

Yeah as a South West passenger the tradeoff is definately worth it in any configuration beyond it being just a Birmingham shuttle.

(And even that would let me do Birmingham without being on a Voyager 😉)

geoffdoesstuff.bsky.social•76 days ago

Journey times are important but so are reliability, price and capacity

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