FRIDAY FREIGHT PATH

The Non-Stop to Nowhere: Britain’s capacity issues bite

Express passenger train passing engineering works
Not the Seven o'clock news. An Avanti West Coast express passes works on the busy West Coast Main Line. Image: © Network Rail

Few railway stories have climbed the news agenda quite like this week’s saga of the “Manchester Millionaire” — the unofficial name for the premium 0700 Piccadilly–Euston express. Axed from the timetable as a passenger service in the name of capacity planning, yet continuing to run exactly as before, only as “empty coaching stock”. A full train, run as an empty one. If that sounds absurd, freight has been living this reality for decades, and our heavy metal UK Editor Simon Walton has played it all before.

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Author: Simon Walton

Simon Walton is RailFreight's UK correspondent.

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