(30 Jan 2024, 9:04 am)54APhotography wrote According to Nexus with the new trains (whenever that is likely to be), timetable enhancement would make it impossible for 'express' or limited stop services because of the signalling headway. The only possible way of changing that is cab signalling, which even then would reduce headways only by at best two minutes during the rush hour, given the intermediate Manors to Pelaw crush services. The cost of cab signalling is excessive to Nexus, and Network Rail won't install that on the Durham Coast. The structure of the timetabling is adequate.
Focus on support for extensions, the most plausible being Pelaw to South Hylton via Washington, which operated as up and down loop trains. That is within the fleet capability, more trains would be needed for any adventure into Dunston, which would need immense funding, well beyond anything available regardless of who is in power.
Long bump there, but don't see why they couldn't run the peak extras, non stop a few stations. As long as it doesn't catch up the train in front there's always 10 mins or so it could effectively 'catch' up the train in front. It was more about distributing the loads, more so than anything, than having the current problem where the peak train 2 minutes in front is slammed and the normal train is delayed sitting behind the peak train.
Mind I still, and always will, think the South Hylton to Pelaw via fields and the outskirts of Washington is a monumental waste of money and time. I'd rather focus on getting a national rail service all the way through to Ferryhill instead personally. There's no sensible journeys, no-one from Sunderland wants to be on the outskirts of Washington and by the time most people travel to the outskirts of Washington on a bus, they might aswell stay on the same bus to Sunderland since the Metro goes around the world.
Rail in the North East is a complete foreign idea to the Tyne and Wear councils though.