CrossCountry Trains Cannot Be Saved | #Railnatter 318
Summary
This episode analyzes CrossCountry’s chronic issues with cancellations, punctuality, and overcrowding, attributing them to an aging Voyager fleet and fragmented operations. The host explores solutions like new, longer trains constrained by platform lengths and argues for merging all intercity operators under Great British Railways to achieve economies of scale. The discussion also covers a recent IT collapse caused by a power failure and critiques the operator’s poor communication during disruptions.
Topics discussed
Introduction: CrossCountry's platform issues and poor performance
Defining CrossCountry: History and service scope
Network routes, passenger growth, and overcrowding statistics
Operational failures: Diesel reliance, staffing, and punctuality
Bottlenecks, short trains, and fleet maintenance backlogs
Critique of official statements and the core fleet problem
Potential fleet replacements: Stadler, Alstom, and engineering limits
Platform length constraints and capacity comparisons of train classes
Recent IT collapse, PR failures, and the case for GBR
Benefits of a unified Intercity operator and standardized services
Designing a hub-and-spoke timetable for major city pairs
Visualizing new route groupings: West Coast, Midland, and Wessex
Conclusion: Integrating CrossCountry into a single Intercity brand
Outro: The history and accidents of Class 318 trains
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