(11 Apr 2015, 5:50 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote GC now want to operate trains between Liverpool and London on behalf of Alliance Rail - basically a mocking of when ORR said no about Alliance's GNWR application.

I'm wondering if it would be any kind of success. Liverpool, Manchester and (if going on the MML) Sheffield/Derby all have frequent and fast links to London already; the likes of Sunderland and Bradford didn't previously. If there's only a handful of trains a day in each direction, I don't think it will sway customers to GC - especially if it takes longer to get there*!


* Based on some quick calculations:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P5...0/advanced - Virgin Trains' Liverpool - London services, with stops at Runcorn, Crewe and Stafford, take just over 2hrs, with a 1hr frequency,
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P5...0/advanced - Virgin Trains' Manchester - London services, both via Crewe and via Stoke-on-Trent, take 2h-2h20m, with a 20m frequency alternating between Crewe and Stoke,
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C8...0/advanced - East Midlands Trains' Sheffield to London services take 2h-2h10m, with a 30m frequency.

Whereas Liverpool to Manchester takes around 1h via Warrington Central, Manchester to Sheffield takes just under an hour then another 2h to London - double the duration of the rest.
If it's going to pick up any competing TOC's customers, it would be EMT's Liverpool to Norwich services which are sprinter-ran and which call at a fair few stations en-route. Plus it'd save a change of train at Sheffield if they were to use the MML.