Hey everyone, been building an OAO where the core philosophy is a "bypass strategy". Instead of trying to cram more regional services into the Castlefield Corridor or Birmingham New Street, this network uses under-utilised infrastructure (The Stockport-Stalybridge line, the Stechford-Aston freight curve, and the Chase Line) to create a new artery between the Midlands and Yorkshire.
The goal is to create (combining the 3 services) a turn-up-and-go corridor between Birmingham and Leeds that completely ignores the Manchester Piccadilly/Victoria split. It turns Stockport into the primary gateway for the North, allowing South-to-North passengers to bypass the Castlefield bottleneck entirely. It also creates a direct link between Crewe and Leeds for the first time, meaning that passengers travelling from North Wales to West Yorkshire can shift away from cars and onto the network.
Any feedback or questions are appreciated! The diagram is attached below.
