| From Swindon - East and West good, what about south and north? Posted by grahame at 19:16, 15th October 2026 |     |
From the Swindon Advertiser
Mixed response as direct Birmingham to Swindon route questioned
Plans to restore a direct rail link between Swindon and Birmingham have sparked a lively debate on social media, with many residents welcoming the prospect of easier travel while others questioned ticket prices, the economic benefits and whether the project will ever become reality.
[snip]
Under the plans, Swindon would be linked to Birmingham via Stroud and Stonehouse through a new hourly service. The route could provide more than two million extra seats every year and up to 130 additional trains per week.
[snip]
"We also need a direct train to Southampton."
Gary Timmins simply described the announcement as "About time", while Sally Cole asked the question on many readers' minds: "Great!!!!! When? ?? ??"
[snip]
Several people suggested that high ticket prices remain a bigger issue than the availability of direct routes.
Adam Czop said: "Train ticket prices are unacceptable; traveling by train is completely unprofitable. If you want to reduce car use, make a cheap tickets."
Alan Wilson agreed, saying rail travel can still be prohibitively expensive despite railcard discounts.
Some residents also questioned how much demand there would be for travel between the two destinations.
Chris Wheeler joked: "you don't know who to feel more sorry for, those going to swindon or those going to birmingham."
Plans to restore a direct rail link between Swindon and Birmingham have sparked a lively debate on social media, with many residents welcoming the prospect of easier travel while others questioned ticket prices, the economic benefits and whether the project will ever become reality.
[snip]
Under the plans, Swindon would be linked to Birmingham via Stroud and Stonehouse through a new hourly service. The route could provide more than two million extra seats every year and up to 130 additional trains per week.
[snip]
"We also need a direct train to Southampton."
Gary Timmins simply described the announcement as "About time", while Sally Cole asked the question on many readers' minds: "Great!!!!! When? ?? ??"
[snip]
Several people suggested that high ticket prices remain a bigger issue than the availability of direct routes.
Adam Czop said: "Train ticket prices are unacceptable; traveling by train is completely unprofitable. If you want to reduce car use, make a cheap tickets."
Alan Wilson agreed, saying rail travel can still be prohibitively expensive despite railcard discounts.
Some residents also questioned how much demand there would be for travel between the two destinations.
Chris Wheeler joked: "you don't know who to feel more sorry for, those going to swindon or those going to birmingham."
A second hourly train up the from Swindon via Kemble and Stroud, then via Cheltenham up to Birmingham would make sense. The line is double track all the way apart from the junction north of Stonehouse, and there are significant intermediate flows. Joking apart, Birmingham is very much the jumping off point for the rest of the Midlands, north of England, North Wales and Scotland.
Swindo to Birmingham ran under operation Princess (VS0) but that was short-lived.
Direct train to Southampton? There already is one at 06:03. There isn't a direct one back at all. Seriously, the Park Report of circa 2000 make an excellent case for a Swindon - Southampton service every hour, and a very constrained one ran from 2001 to 2006.
| Re: From Swindon - East and West good, what about south and north? Posted by IndustryInsider at 21:52, 16th October 2026 | |
A second hourly train up the from Swindon via Kemble and Stroud, then via Cheltenham up to Birmingham would make sense.
Would it make sense? Swindon to Birmingham should be hourly from next may with a change at Oxford. A direct train via Cheltenham is unlikely to be much quicker.
I’m not convinced there’s any significant market for that flow, or the others it would serve, to justify an entirely new service.
Swindo to Birmingham ran under operation Princess (VS0) but that was short-lived.
Did it? I know it was talked about, but didn’t realise it actually ran?
| Re: From Swindon - East and West good, what about south and north? Posted by Richard Fairhurst at 23:38, 16th October 2026 | |
Did it? I know it was talked about, but didn’t realise it actually ran?
I remember VT running Swindon–Gloucester, and that the ambition was Paddington–Swindon–Gloucester–Birmingham. But I didn't remember them running Swindon–Gloucester–Birmingham.
However, having
| Re: From Swindon - East and West good, what about south and north? Posted by Mark A at 08:41, 17th October 2026 | |
A second hourly train up the from Swindon via Kemble and Stroud, then via Cheltenham up to Birmingham would make sense.
Would it make sense? Swindon to Birmingham should be hourly from next may with a change at Oxford. A direct train via Cheltenham is unlikely to be much quicker.
I’m not convinced there’s any significant market for that flow, or the others it would serve, to justify an entirely new service.
Swindo to Birmingham ran under operation Princess (VS0) but that was short-lived.
Did it? I know it was talked about, but didn’t realise it actually ran?
Operation Princess as was. Connections via cross-platform interchanges and an attempt made for fewer of those to be made at Birmingham and didn't it then collapse as, the intention having been to introduce the new pattern with the 4 or 5 carriage Voyagers, to then lengthen them in the future to meet demand, but Virgin then found they needed to have lengthened them beforehand? Oh, and ever since, we've been living in the aftermath.
| Re: From Swindon - East and West good, what about south and north? Posted by IndustryInsider at 12:51, 17th October 2026 | |
Did it? I know it was talked about, but didn’t realise it actually ran?
I remember VT running Swindon–Gloucester, and that the ambition was Paddington–Swindon–Gloucester–Birmingham. But I didn't remember them running Swindon–Gloucester–Birmingham.
However, having
Very good research, Richard - as you say looks like it operated with a 2-car 158 for a very short period! Presumably they took over from Wales & West, before GWR took over from them?
The WTT is a reminder that there were just the four through Paddington to Gloucester/Cheltenham services per day back then. Now there are sixteen!
| Re: From Swindon - East and West good, what about south and north? Posted by PrestburyRoad at 15:37, 17th October 2026 | |
I remember travelling on a VT class 158 from Swindon to Cheltenham Spa during that short-lived service. It was oh so comfortable compared to the Sprinters that were normally used - it was so smooth and quiet.
To be fair to the Sprinters, they got you there, and the Golden Valley line through Stroud is scenic rather than fast.
As for the Pacers that were used on the route at one time, hmm, well, they were OK on plain welded line, but otherwise I had to brace myself and hope the thing didn't bounce itself off the track.
