Summary 2018 - Railways in Worcestershire

RAILWAYS IN WORCESTERSHIRE
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Summary 2018

Year by Year > 2010-2019 > 2018
WORCESTERSHIRE 2018 - TRAIN SERVICE SUMMARY

With little fanfare GWR introduced a new timetable on 10th September 2018 valid until 31st December 2018

Birmingham and Gloucester Railway
Services on this route were operated by Cross Country Trains, with most trains going via Spetchley.
Trains to and from Bristol and the West Country did not stop anywhere in Worcestershire and were operated mostly using four-car class 220 'Voyager' diesel multiple units or five-car class 221 'Voyager' diesel multiple units. On Saturdays the 20:00 Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street (headcode 1M77) was routed via Worcester Shrub Hill, at 21.01 but did not stop. On Mondays to Fridays the 21:14 from Paignton to Birmingham New Street (1M80) routed non-stop through Worcester Shrub Hill.
The basic service pattern being half-hourly. Trains to the South-west left Birmingham New Street at xx:12 and xx:42 and to the North-east left Cheltenham Spa at xx:11 and xx:40 The trains took about forty minutes to travel between these two stations.

Trains between Cardiff and Nottingham were operated using two-car class 170/1 diesel multiple units, two-car class 170/5 diesel multiple units or three-car class 170/6 diesel multiple units. Two Birmingham bound trains stopped at Bromsgrove in the morning (one of which at 07:49 continued to Stanstead Airport and two Cardiff bound trains called there in the afternoon, presumably to cater for commuter traffic to and from Birmingham New Street. Apart from these four trains (Monday to Friday only) the rest did not stop in the county. These service ceased to stop at Bromsgrove with effect from Monday 30th July 2018. Trains to Cardiff left Birmingham New Street at xx:30 and those to Nottingham left Cheltenham at xx:01. If running on time the trains would pass each other near Spetchley.
From Monday to Saturday the 05:00 (1V01) and 05:37 (1V02) services from Birmingham New Street to Cardiff  routed via Worcester Shrub Hill but did not stop. In the opposite direction the 21:50 (1M89) from Cardiff to Birmingham also routed via Worcester without stopping.
Some services were operated by an HST 125 set with a class 43 diesel power car at each end.

Birmingham New Street to Hereford
Services on this route were operated by London Midland Trains using, mostly, class 170/5 two-car diesel multiple units and class 170/6 three-car diesel multiple units. Some services were operated by two-car class 150 diesel mutilpe units.The basic weekday travel pattern was hourly with services leaving Birmingham New Street at xx:49 and Hereford at xx:40 (there are some minor variations). The time taken for the full journey being just about 90 minutes with four sets of diesel multiple units required to operate the service. Trains pass each other near Worcester. Two services in each direction stopped at Barnt Green.
There was also a 'ghost' London Midland service which left Birmingham New Street 23.00 on Fridays only for Worcester Shrub Hill and Gloucester (1V30). The section of line between Worcester Shrub Hill and Gloucester saw no other scheduled London Midland services. The train returned to Worcester as empty stock (5Z30).

London Paddington to Worcester and Hereford
(former Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway and Worcester & Hereford Railway)
Services on this route, operated by Great Western Railway, were revised on 10th September to reflect the rapid introduction of class 800 five-car hybrid multiple units with more services using class 800s and some with two or three-car class 165/1 diesel multiple units, or three-car class 166 diesel multiple units.  

Monday to Friday
Services from London Paddington over the 'Cotswold line'  terminated at Worcester, Malvern or Hereford to no particular pattern. Services operated at totally different times on Saturdays and Sundays with most trains going to Great Malvern or Hereford.
Five trains operated as far as Hereford but only two during daylight hours. A further five turned round at Malvern with six more going to Worcester.
A similar service opearted to London in the 'up' direction with six from Hereford, four from Malvern and six from Worcester.
Saturdays:
A similar service operated on Saturdays.
Sundays:
A good service on Sundays saw thirteen trains from London - five to Hereford, four to Malvern and four to Worcester. In the other direction there were three from Hereford, three from Malvern and five from Worcester.

Great Malvern to the South Coast
Great Western Railway operated nine trains (one every two hours) from various destinations to Great Malvern or Worcester. Because these are slow trains, and it was often possible to catch later trains and change to these train en-route, the printed timetable (C5) did not show the full service.
Monday to Friday service:
06:01 Gloucester to Worcester Shrub Hill (2G79) and 06:49 Worcester Shrub Hill to Weymouth (2O70).
07:15 Gloucester to Great Malvern (2G80) and 08:50 Great Malvern to Westbury (2F97).
07:23 Warminster to Great Malvern (2E17) and 10:50 Great Malvern to Brighton (1O98).
08:23 Southampton Central to Great Malvern (2M97) and 12:51 Great Malvern to Weymouth (2O90).
08:59 Brighton to Great Malvern (1V94) and 14:50 Great Malvern to Weymouth (2O94).  Operated by three-car class 158 unit.
12:27 Southampton Central to Great Malvern (2M98) and 16:48 Great Malvern to Westbury (2F99).
15:38 Warminster to Great Malvern (2E25) and 18:50 Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads (2T97).
17:28 Warminster to Worcester Shrub Hill (2E27) and 21.46 (21:49 unyil 12/5/2017) Worcester Shrub Hill to Bristol Temple Meads (2T99).
20:41 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Shrub Hill (2E29)  and 22:28 Worcester Shrub Hill to Gloucester (2G99).

Saturday service:
05:50 Gloucester to Worcester Shrub Hill (2G79) and 06:47 Worcester Shrub Hill to Weymouth (2O70).
07:15 Gloucester to Worcester Shrub Hill (2G80) and 09:08 Worcester Shrub Hill to Westbury (2F97).
07:23 Warminster to Great Malvern (2E17) and 10:46 Great Malvern to Brighton (1O99).
08:27 Southampton Central to Worcester Foregate Street (2M97) and 12:41 Worcester Foregate Street to Weymouth (2O90).
09:00 Brighton to Great Malvern (1V94) and 14:50 Great Malvern to Weymouth (2O94).
12:27 Southampton Central to Great Malvern (2M98) and 16:50 Great Malvern to Westbury (2F98).
15:28 Warminster to Great Malvern (2E25) and 18:50 Great Malvern to Bristol Temple Meads (2T97).
17:28 Warminster to Worcester Shrub Hill (2E27) and 21:15 Worcester Shrub Hill to Gloucester (2G98).
20:43 Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Shrub Hill (2E29) and 22:24 Worcester Shrub Hill to Gloucester (2T35).

The Sunday service consisted of five trains from Bristol Temple Meads to Worcester Shrub Hill at  09:20 (2E34), 12:11 (2E38), 14:41 (2E42), 16:41 (2E44) and 18:37 (2E46). These trains returned at 11:38 (2T35), 14.36 (2T39 to Weston-super-Ware). 16:40 (2T43), 18:40 (2T45) and 20:38 (2T47).

Most services operated by 165 or 166 units but class Class 153 railcars also used to make up three-car trains. The three-car hybrid class 158 diesel multiple units operated one service. Occasional services run with class 150/2 units.
Becuase of the inadequate turnround facilities at Great Malvern delayed northbound service terminate short at Worcester or Gloucester in order not to delay the return service.

Services from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stourbridge, Worcester and Great Malvern
Trains on this route are operated by London Midland Trains using two-car or three-car class 172 diesel multiple units. An intensive service of commuter trains operates to Stourbridge Junction with many trains continuing to Kidderminster, Worcester Shrub Hill or Great Malvern. Trains formations often run as two units coupled together to make four or five car trains. Some trains also include a single car class 153 railcar in their consist, but this is rare following the transfer of many of the class to other operators. Many services run to or from Dorridge and other locations on the lines to Leamington and Stratford on Avon.
Kidderminster to London Marylebone
From Monday to Friday Chiltern Railways operates four services each weekday from Kidderminster to London Marylebone via Birmingham Snow Hill and Leamington Spa. These depart from Kidderminster at 06:09, 07:05, 07:30 and 08:09 (1H19, 1H26, 1H29 and 1H33). The fastest of these services (06:09), despite numerous stops in the West Midlands reaches London in just two hours and twenty minutes. One other service starts at Stourbridge Junction at 06:38 (1H21). On Saturdays there are three trains from Kidderminster at 07:12 (1H26), 08:13 (1H33) and 09:10 (1H389).
The return services (Monday to Friday) run from Marylebone to Kidderminster 17:15, 18:15, 18.47 and 20:15 (1K57, 1K62, 1K65 and 1K72) and at 21:15 (1J776) to Stourbridge Junction. On Saturdays and Sundays there are no services from Marylebone to Kidderminster or Stourbridge.
The empty stock from these trains is serviced at Stourbridge Junction Depot.
There are no Sunday services.

STOURBRIDGE TOWN BRANCH
Frequent services on the branch from Stourbridge Junction were operated by London Midland Trains using one of two class 139 single-car diesel railcars (the other was spare in the shed at Stourbridge Junction).

LICHFIELD TO REDDITCH and BROMSGROVE
Six trains per hour ran on this route with two per hour being extended to Redditch. All services operated by London Midland Trains using three-car class 323 electric multiple units. From 30th July 2018 one train in every three was extended from Longbridge to terminate at the new Bromsgrove Staton.

Updated 20/9/2018.


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