Cross Country Route

{{About|the railway line from Bristol to York|services operated by the train operating company|CrossCountry}}

{{Infobox rail line

| box_width =

| name = Cross Country Route

| color =

| logo =

| logo_width =

| logo_alt =

| image = Bristol Temple Meads railway station MMB 71 221130.jpg

| image_alt =

| caption = A CrossCountry Class 221 Super Voyager departing from Bristol Temple Meads in 2010

| type = Suburban rail, Heavy rail, Inter-city rail

| system = National Rail

| status = Operational

| locale =

| start = {{stnlnk|York}}

| end = {{stnlnk|Bristol Temple Meads}}

| stations = 48

| routes =

| daily_ridership =

| open =

| close =

| owner = Network Rail

| operator = CrossCountry (principal operator)
East Midlands Railway
Great Western Railway
Northern Trains
TransPennine Express
West Midlands Trains

| character =

| depot =

| stock = {{brc|170}} Turbostar
{{BRC|220}} Voyager
{{BRC|221}} Super Voyager

| linelength =

| tracklength =

| tracks =

| gauge = {{RailGauge|sg|allk=on}}

| old_gauge =

| minradius =

| racksystem =

| routenumber =

| electrification = Partial 25 kV AC OHLE, from {{rws|Bromsgrove}} to Birmingham New Street, {{rws|Doncaster}} and Wakefield Westgate to Neville Hill TMD, Colton Junction to {{rws|York}}
In progress: Colton Junction to {{rws|Church Fenton}}

| speed = Up to 125 mph (200 km/h) maximum, some sections limited to 100 mph (160 km/h)

| elevation =

| website =

| map = 265px
(Click to expand)

| map_state = uncollapsed

}}

The Cross Country Route is a long-distance railway route in England, which runs from {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}} to {{rws|York}} via {{rws|Birmingham New Street}}, {{rws|Derby}}, {{rws|Sheffield}} and {{rws|Leeds}} or {{rws|Doncaster}}. Inter-city services on the route, which include some of the longest passenger journeys in the UK such as {{stnlnk|Aberdeen}} to {{stnlnk|Penzance}}, are operated by CrossCountry.

It is classed as a high-speed line because its sections from Birmingham to {{rws|Wakefield Westgate}} and from Leeds to York have a speed limit of {{convert|125|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}; however, the section from Birmingham to Bristol is limited to {{convert|100|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} because of numerous level crossings, especially half-barrier level crossings, and the section from Wakefield to Leeds has the same limit because of a number of curves.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

History

The Birmingham–Bristol section was built as the Birmingham and Gloucester and Bristol and Gloucester Railways{{refn|Briefly amalgamated as the Birmingham and Bristol Railway|group= n}} before joining the Midland Railway, the southern forerunner to the cross-country route. From Birmingham to the north-northeast, the line had three separately owned sections, namely the:

Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to Derby, thence the
North Midland Railway to Leeds, thence the
York and North Midland Railway.

From the Labour Government's nationalisation in 1948 until privatisation in 1990, the route ran through all six regions of British Rail but did not have timetabling priority in any of them. Therefore the services were poorly promoted and thus not always well-patronised.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

Most Derby–Nottingham local passenger trains were taken over by diesel units from 14 April 1958, taking about 34 minutes between the two cities.{{cite magazine |title= |magazine=The Railway Magazine |issue= |date=June 1958| page=432}}{{Full citation needed|date=May 2023}}

In the 1990s most services were operated by British Rail's InterCity business unit. As part of the privatisation of British Rail, these were taken over by Virgin CrossCountry in 1997, with the Class 47 hauled Mark 2 and High Speed Train sets replaced by Class 220 and Class 221 diesel multiple units in the early 2000s.{{cite magazine |title= Virgin says farewell to 47s with Penzance – Derby trip |magazine=Rail Magazine |issue=443 |date=4 September 2002| page=16}}{{cite magazine |title= CrossCountry HSTs bow out |magazine=The Railway Magazine |issue=1230 |date=October 2003| page=84}}

The use of the route for freight has decreased, because of the bulk of haulage switching to roads and the building of the M5, M6 and M1 motorways.

=Abortive British Rail proposals for complete electrification=

In the 1960s the route was considered for electrification.{{citation needed|date=January 2012}} In the early 1980s, electrification was again discussed at length and documentation for various proposals was produced in 1981.{{Cite web|url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoTBRB_Electrification1981.pdf|title=1981 Railway archive|date=1981}} This would have been particularly beneficial for climbing the Lickey Incline between Cheltenham and Birmingham, as many of the early diesels were under-powered. In 1977 the Parliamentary Select Committee on Nationalised Industries recommended considering electrification of more of Britain's rail network, and by 1979 BR presented a range of options that included electrifying the cross-country route by 2000.{{cite book |title=Railway Electrification |date=Winter 1979 |publisher= British Railways Board (Central Publicity Unit) |pages=0–2, 8}} Under the governments that succeeded the 1976–79 Labour government, the proposal was not implemented.

Route

File:CrossCountry route map.png

The route is well connected, and aside from its own alignment it uses parts of the South Wales Main Line, Midland Main Line, Swinton–Doncaster line, and the East Coast Main Line. Major cities and towns served along the route include:

;Nominal start-point at Derby

Milepost zero for the main predecessor Derby to Bristol route has always been Derby, hence a train travelling the whole route starts out going "up" then becomes "down". The Birmingham to Derby section of the route has a line speed of {{convert|125|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}, while Birmingham to Bristol is restricted to {{convert|100|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} because of a number of half-barrier level crossings.

= Electrification =

The line is not fully electrified, but some sections are overhead electrified at 25 kV AC such as Bromsgrove to Grand Junction,{{Cite web |url= https://www.com/news/69115/electric-train-birmingham-bromsgrove/ |title=First electric train travels between Birmingham and Bromsgrove |website=Global Railway Review |access-date=7 June 2018}} with further electrified sections around {{stnlnk|Leeds}} and the East Coast Main Line near {{stnlnk|York}}. Network Rail stated in 2014 that the line between {{stnlnk|Derby}} and {{stnlnk|Sheffield}} would be electrified as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade.{{cite web |url= http://www.networkrail.co.uk/midland-main-line-improvement-programme/ |title=Midland Mainline improvement programme |publisher=Network Rail |access-date=4 May 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161226154102/http://www.networkrail.co.uk/midland-main-line-improvement-programme/ |archive-date=26 December 2016}} However, the electrification programme was severely cut back in July 2017.{{Cite news |url= https://www.bbc.com/news/business-40669869 |title=Rail electrification plans scrapped |date=20 July 2017 |work=BBC News |access-date=31 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170825000330/http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40669869 |archive-date=25 August 2017}} {{As of|2023}}, Network Rail is working on the section between York and Church Fenton.{{Cite web |title=York to Church Fenton Improvement Scheme |url= https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/railway-upgrade-plan/key-projects/transpennine-route-upgrade/york-to-church-fenton-improvement-scheme/ |access-date=25 February 2022 |website=Network Rail}} The rest of the section between Leeds and York has electrification planned as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade, which itself is part of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands.{{cite magazine |last= Haigh |first= Philip |title= £290m to wire York-Manchester trans-Pennine route |magazine=Rail Magazine |issue=685 |date=14 December 2011| pages=8–9}}{{Cite web |date=18 November 2021 |title=Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands |url= https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1034360/integrated-rail-plan-for-the-north-and-midlands.pdf |url-status=live |website=UK Government |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211118113149/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1034360/integrated-rail-plan-for-the-north-and-midlands.pdf |archive-date=18 November 2021 }} This plan also includes full Midland Main Line electrification and upgrades.

Electrification between Westerleigh Junction (near Yate, Gloucestershire) and {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}} was planned as part of the 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line, but {{as of|2024|lc=y}} work has yet to progress beyond Filton East Curve, south-west of {{rws|Bristol Parkway}}.

Services

Most long-distance services on the route are operated by Class 220/221 Voyagers, although a few services, until recently, operated using High Speed Trains. These trains are capable of achieving {{convert|125|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}, compared to the previous Class 47s and Mk 2 coaching stock, which had a top speed of {{convert|95|mph|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}.