# Parliamentary train

A parliamentary train was a passenger service operated in the United Kingdom to comply with the Railway Regulation Act 1844 that required train companies to provide inexpensive and basic rail transport for less affluent passengers. The act required that at least one such service per day be run on every railway route in the UK.
Such trains are no longer a legal requirement (although most franchise agreements require some less expensive trains). The term's meaning has completely changed, to describe train services that continue to be run with reduced frequency, often to the minimum required one train per week, and without specially low prices, to avoid the cost of formal closure of a route or station, retain access rights, or maintain crew training/familiarity requirements on short sections of track. Such services are sometimes called "ghost trains". Sometimes even the train is omitted, with a bus operating as a cheaper-to-operate "rail replacement service" instead.

## Nineteenth-century usage

In the earliest days of passenger railways in the United Kingdom the poor were encouraged to travel in order to find employment in the growing industrial centres, but trains were generally unaffordable to them except in the most basic of open wagons, in many cases attached to goods trains. Political pressure caused the Board of Trade to investigate, and Sir Robert Peel's Conservative government enacted the Railway Regulation Act 1844, which took effect on 1 November 1844. It compelled "the provision of at least one train a day each way at a speed of not less than 12 miles an hour including stops, which were to be made at all stations, and of carriages protected from the weather and provided with seats; for all which luxuries not more than a penny a mile might be charged".
Railway companies reluctantly complied with the law. They scheduled parliamentary trains at inconvenient times and used uncomfortable carriages. One account stated that when passengers complained about a delay, they were told "ye are only the nigger train". James Allport of Midland Railway was proud of providing comfortable third-class service passenger service, but stated that his company needed 25 years to do so.

### In popular culture

The basic comfort and slow progress of Victorian parliamentary trains led to a humorous reference in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera The Mikado. The Mikado is explaining how he will match punishments to the crimes committed:
   The idiot who, in railway carriages, Scribbles on window-panes We only suffer To ride on a buffer In Parliamentary trains.

## Legacy of the Beeching cuts

In 1963 under its chairman Richard Beeching, British Railways produced The Reshaping of British Railways report, designed to stem the huge losses being incurred as patronage declined. It proposed very substantial cuts to the network and to train services, with many lines closed under a programme that came to be known as the Beeching cuts. The Transport Act 1962 included a formal closure process allowing for objections to closures on the basis of hardship to passengers if their service was closed. As the objections gained momentum, this process became increasingly difficult to implement, and from about 1970 closures slowed to a trickle.
In certain cases, where there was exceptionally low usage, the train service was reduced to a bare minimum but the service was not formally closed, avoiding the costs associated with closure. In some cases, the service was reduced to one train a week and in one direction only.
These minimal services had resonances of the 19th-century parliamentary services and, among rail enthusiasts, they came to be referred to as "parliamentary trains", "ghost trains", or, more colloquially, "parly" trains (following the abbreviation used in Victorian timetables). However, this terminology has no official standing. So-called parliamentary services are also typically run at inconvenient times, often very early in the morning, very late at night or in the middle of the day at the weekend. In extreme instances, rail services have actually been "temporarily" withdrawn and replaced by substitute bus services, to maintain the pretence that the service has not been withdrawn.

### Speller Act

When the closures brought about by the Beeching Report had reached equilibrium, it was recognised that some incremental services or station reopenings were desirable. However, if a service was started and proved unsuccessful, it could not be closed again without going through the formal process, with the possibility that it might not be terminated. It was recognised that this discouraged possible desirable developments and the Transport Act 1962 (Amendment) Act 1981 permitted the immediate closure of such experimental reopenings. The bill that led to the act of 1981 was sponsored by a pro-railways Member of Parliament, Tony Speller, and it is usually referred to as the Speller Act. The process is still in effect, although the legislation has been subsumed into other enactments.

## Services
### As of 2024

Examples of lines in the current timetable served only by a parliamentary train are:
| Origin | Destination | Days operated | Outbound departure | Return departure | Operator | Comments |
| Battersea Park | Dalston Junction | Monday – Friday | 06:3323:03 | 22:04 | London Overground | Commenced 9 December 2012 after Southern service between London Victoria and London Bridge via the South London line ceased. Common diversionary route when the line to Clapham Junction is closed. |
| Battersea Park | Dalston Junction | Saturday | 07:3007:4508:0008:1508:33 | 06:3406:4907:0407:1907:34 | London Overground | Commenced 9 December 2012 after Southern service between London Victoria and London Bridge via the South London line ceased. Common diversionary route when the line to Clapham Junction is closed. |
| Battersea Park | Highbury & Islington | Sunday | 07:47 | N/A | London Overground | Commenced 9 December 2012 after Southern service between London Victoria and London Bridge via the South London line ceased. Common diversionary route when the line to Clapham Junction is closed. |
| Liverpool Street | Enfield Town | Saturday | 05:30 | N/A | London Overground | Runs via South Tottenham but does not call. Unreliable and is often diverted via Stoke Newington. |
| Stalybridge | Stockport | Saturday | 08:30 | 09:04 | Northern Trains | Via Stockport to Stalybridge Line. Only service that calls at Reddish South & Denton |
| Sheffield | Cleethorpes | Monday - Friday | 09:54 | 13:20 | Northern Trains | Via Kirton Lindsey & Brigg. Became a parliamentary service when weekday services were withdrawn in 1993. Regular trains have operated between Gainsborough and Sheffield for most timetable periods since. Suspended January 2022 by Northern, who cited Covid-19 and staffing issues (although they did not provide any replacement buses), but the service was reinstated in December 2022. Changed in May 2023 to be one return journey on weekdays only. |
| Liverpool Lime Street | Ellesmere Port | Monday – Saturday | | 19:06 | Northern Trains | Merseyrail trains operate west of Ellesmere Port, but there are proposals for their new stock to take over the current limited service to Helsby. The line also sees limited freight use. Stanlow & Thornton station, which would be the first stop east of Ellesmere Port, had its service suspended in 2022. These are the only services that call at Ince & Elton. |
| Helsby | Ellesmere Port | Monday – Saturday | 06:0318:50 | 06:33 | Northern Trains | Merseyrail trains operate west of Ellesmere Port, but there are proposals for their new stock to take over the current limited service to Helsby. The line also sees limited freight use. Stanlow & Thornton station, which would be the first stop east of Ellesmere Port, had its service suspended in 2022. These are the only services that call at Ince & Elton. |
| Lancaster | Morecambe (via Carnforth) | Monday – Saturday | 05:19 (Lancaster)05:30 (Carnforth) | N/A | Northern Trains | Via the Hest Bank curve. |
| Goole | Leeds | Monday – Saturday | 07:4219:43 | 17:58 | Northern Trains | Via the Pontefract line. Providing the only services to; Rawcliffe, Snaith, Hensall & Whitley Bridge |
| Swansea | Fishguard Harbour | Monday – Saturday | 10:58 | N/A | Transport for Wales | These trains use the line between Carmarthen Jn and Carmarthen Bridge Jn, so avoid Carmarthen station. |
| Swansea | Fishguard Harbour | Monday – Friday | 08:17 | N/A | Transport for Wales | These trains use the line between Carmarthen Jn and Carmarthen Bridge Jn, so avoid Carmarthen station. |
| Fishguard Harbour | Cardiff Central | Saturday | 12:41 | N/A | Transport for Wales | These trains use the Swansea avoiding curve, which runs around the rear of Landore depot. Other trains which avoid Swansea may use the Swansea District Line, which heads north from Neath towards the Heart of Wales line. |
| Fishguard Harbour | Cardiff Central | Sunday | 12:40 | N/A | Transport for Wales | These trains use the Swansea avoiding curve, which runs around the rear of Landore depot. Other trains which avoid Swansea may use the Swansea District Line, which heads north from Neath towards the Heart of Wales line. |
| Cardiff Central | Milford Haven | Sunday | 12:04 | N/A | Transport for Wales | These trains use the Swansea avoiding curve, which runs around the rear of Landore depot. Other trains which avoid Swansea may use the Swansea District Line, which heads north from Neath towards the Heart of Wales line. |
| Glenrothes with Thornton | Edinburgh Waverley | Sunday | 22:58 | N/A | ScotRail | These trains use the direct line between Dalmeny and Linlithgow, reversing at the latter. The line was last used before the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Dundee | Edinburgh Waverley | Monday – Thursday | 22:31 | N/A | ScotRail | These trains use the direct line between Dalmeny and Linlithgow, reversing at the latter. The line was last used before the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Cannon Street | Tunbridge Wells | Tuesday – Saturday | 00:20 (Tuesday / Wednesday) | N/A | Southeastern | These journeys use the curve between Beckenham Junction and New Beckenham (previously used by a weekday morning Cannon Street to Beckenham Junction via New Beckenham train, returning in the afternoon to Charing Cross). This is a common diversionary route for trains from Charing Cross to Hastings when the route through Hither Green is closed. |
| Charing Cross | Tunbridge Wells | Tuesday – Saturday | 00:15 (Thursday – Saturday) | 04:45 (Monday – Friday) | Southeastern | These journeys use the curve between Beckenham Junction and New Beckenham (previously used by a weekday morning Cannon Street to Beckenham Junction via New Beckenham train, returning in the afternoon to Charing Cross). This is a common diversionary route for trains from Charing Cross to Hastings when the route through Hither Green is closed. |
| London Victoria | Ramsgate | Monday – Friday | 06:05 | N/A | Southeastern | Via Stewarts Lane Jn. Also used on occasion by VSOE trains to Folkestone West. In previous years, an 05:50 train from London Victoria to Ashford International used the same route, but also called at Wandsworth Road and Clapham High Street. The outward service to Ramsgate is the first regular use of the eastbound line since the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| Gillingham | London Victoria | Monday – Friday | 05:00 | N/A | Southeastern | Via Stewarts Lane Jn. Also used on occasion by VSOE trains to Folkestone West. In previous years, an 05:50 train from London Victoria to Ashford International used the same route, but also called at Wandsworth Road and Clapham High Street. The outward service to Ramsgate is the first regular use of the eastbound line since the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| Glasgow Central | Edinburgh | Monday – Friday | 21:05 | N/A | CrossCountry | The only train to regularly use the Edinburgh Suburban line, which runs to the south of the main lines through Edinburgh. The line in the other direction has not seen regular use for some time. From March 2023, this train will run non-stop via Shotts, rather than calling at Motherwell. |
| Filton Abbey Wood | Bath Spa | Monday – Friday | 15:59 | N/A | Great Western Railway | Via Bristol East Curve. Only public service to regularly use the curve. The curve in the other direction towards Filton has not seen regular use in a considerable number of years. |
| Worksop | Nottingham | Monday – Friday | 23:43 | N/A | East Midlands Railway | Via Ironville Jn. Since its inception it has suffered erratic performance, with its previous journey from Nottingham frequently terminating short at Mansfield Woodhouse, meaning this service starts from there. |
| Peterborough | Lincoln | Monday – Friday | 23:11 | N/A | East Midlands Railway | Runs via the Sleaford Avoiding line. The avoiding line heading south is not in regular use, but does see use as a diversion when the East Coast Main Line is closed near Newark North Gate. |
| Doncaster | Sleaford | Saturday | 20:46 | N/A | East Midlands Railway | Only train booked to use the "Up (East) Slow Line" between Bessacarr Jn and Doncaster Black Carr Jn. Previous service from Peterborough often terminates in platform 5 at Doncaster, causing this service to not run from platform 2 as it should. |
| Norwich | Manchester Piccadilly | Sunday | 15:53 | N/A | East Midlands Railway | Only passenger service to use the Ely West Curve to avoid calling at Ely. |
| London Kings Cross | Hull | Sunday | 10:49 17:18 | N/A | Hull Trains | These trains use the line between Loversall Carr Jn and Doncaster Flyover East Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| London Kings Cross | Leeds | Monday – Friday | 08:03 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the line between Loversall Carr Jn and Doncaster Flyover East Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| London Kings Cross | Harrogate | Monday – Friday | 15:53 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the line between Loversall Carr Jn and Doncaster Flyover East Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| London Kings Cross | Newcastle | Monday – Friday | 22:00 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the line between Loversall Carr Jn and Doncaster Flyover East Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| London Kings Cross | Sunderland | Monday – Friday | 20:00 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | Only services to use the single-line curve at the southern end of King Edward VII Bridge. Northern service started in late 2019, LNER service started running in December 2021. |
| Carlisle | Nunthorpe | Sunday | 14:49 | N/A | Northern Trains | Only services to use the single-line curve at the southern end of King Edward VII Bridge. Northern service started in late 2019, LNER service started running in December 2021. |
| Skipton | London Kings Cross | Saturday | 06:56 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | This train uses the curve between Hambleton West Jn and Hambleton South Jn. |
| York | London Kings Cross | Monday – Friday | 04:40 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the spur between Doncaster Flyover East Jn and Loversall Carr Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| Harrogate | London Kings Cross | Monday – Friday | 07:37 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the spur between Doncaster Flyover East Jn and Loversall Carr Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| Leeds | London Kings Cross | Monday – Friday | 17:45 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the spur between Doncaster Flyover East Jn and Loversall Carr Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| Leeds | London Kings Cross | Sunday | 10:45 | N/A | London North Eastern Railway | These trains use the spur between Doncaster Flyover East Jn and Loversall Carr Jn, to the south of Doncaster. |
| Leeds | Plymouth | Sunday | 08:11 | N/A | CrossCountry | This train uses the line between Lichfield Trent Valley (High Level) and Wichnor Jn. Only West Midlands Trains operate services along this line, as far as Lichfield. |
| Plymouth | Leeds | Sunday | 18:27 | N/A | CrossCountry | These trains use the curve between Calder Bridge Jn and Turners Lane Jn, which avoids Wakefield Kirkgate. |
| Sheffield | Leeds | Friday | 23:15 | N/A | Northern Trains | These trains use the curve between Calder Bridge Jn and Turners Lane Jn, which avoids Wakefield Kirkgate. |
| Chesham | Watford | Monday – Saturday | 05:12 | N/A | London Underground, Metropolitan Line | These trains use the Watford curve, which runs directly from Rickmansworth to Croxley and Watford. |
| Rickmansworth | Watford | Monday – Friday | 06:08 | 00:19 (Monday – Friday)00:49 (Tuesday – Saturday) | London Underground, Metropolitan Line | These trains use the Watford curve, which runs directly from Rickmansworth to Croxley and Watford. |
| Streatham Hill | London Bridge | Monday –Friday | 07:50, 08:20 | N/A | Southern | Formerly an evening peak service ceased in March 2020, reintroduced in May 2023 as a morning peak service. Only service for a number of years to use the Leigham Spur between Streatham Hill and Tulse Hill. The line in the other direction has not seen regular use for a number of years. |
| West Ealing | West Ruislip | Wednesday | 11:17 | One way | Chiltern Railways | Operated since late 2022 by a bus replacement service. |
| Melton Mowbray | London St Pancras | Mon - Fri | 08:15 | 18:35 | East Midlands Railway | The only passenger service between Oakham and Corby, as a portion attached to a London - Nottingham service at Kettering |
| Derby | London St Pancras | Tue - Fri (outward) / Mon - Fri (return) | 04:13 | 23:35 (terminating at Nottingham) | East Midlands Railway | Run via Melton Mowbray, Oakham and Corby but do not call. Common diversionary route when the direct line between Kettering and Leicester is closed. |

### Former

Examples of lines formerly served only by a parliamentary train are:
| Origin | Destination | Days operated | Outbound departure | Return departure | Operator | Ceased | Comments |
| Watford Junction | Croxley Green | Monday – Friday | 06:46 | 06:59 | Network SouthEast | 22 March 1996 | Ceased when the branch line was temporarily closed for construction of the Ascot Road bridge near Croxley Green. The service was never reinstated as it was considered uneconomical to bridge the road, and was permanently closed on 29 September 2003. |
| Hereford | Birmingham New Street | Saturday | 10:35 | 11:30 | Regional Railways | Late 1996 | Called at Smethwick West following an administrative error that required it to be open a year further following the opening of Smethwick Galton Bridge. |
| Kensington Olympia | Wandsworth Road | Monday – Friday | 10:02 | N/A | Southern | 17 June 2013 | Ceased when London Overground began operations to Clapham Junction. The main route between Latchmere No. 1 Jn and Longhedge Jn never regained regular passenger use. |
| Chester | Runcorn | Summer Saturday | 07:53 | N/A | Arriva Rail North | 8 September 2018 | Via the one-way Halton Curve, northbound only. Last ran 2018, full-time services resumed in May 2019, operated by Transport for Wales. |
| Woodgrange Park | Willesden Junction | Monday –Friday | 07:59 | N/A | London Overground | Some time in 2018 | This service travelled via but did not call at Gospel Oak. Last operated mid to late 2018. |
| South Ruislip or Gerrards Cross | London Paddington or West Ealing | Monday –Friday | 10:57 / 11:02 from South Ruislip 10:01 / 10:44 from Gerrards Cross | 11:11 / 11:35 / 11:36 to High Wycombe / Princes Risborough / West Ruislip from Paddington 11:47 to High Wycombe from West Ealing | Chiltern Railways | 7 December 2018 | Maintained route knowledge for drivers enabling services to divert to Paddington when Marylebone was closed. Service diverted to West Ealing, via the Greenford Branch Line, from 7 December 2018 with the closure of the Acton-Northolt line services to enable High Speed 2 works. |
| Kyle of Lochalsh | Elgin | Saturday | 17:13 | N/A | Abellio ScotRail | May 2019 | This train used the Rose Street Curve on its way to Elgin, going past Inverness and then stopping, before reversing for the second time to head to Elgin. In the 2018 timetable, the train ran on weekdays as well. This line has not seen regular use since. |
| Reading | Birmingham New Street | Monday –Friday | 22:02 | N/A | CrossCountry | March 2020 | Used the Soho South Jn – Perry Bar South Jn. Occasionally used on football match days. |
| Reading | Shalford | Monday –Friday | 07:17 | N/A | Great Western Railway | May 2022 | Via the Reading Spur line. Another line from the mainline platforms at Reading is only accessible from the higher numbered platforms, which is mostly used when trains are going towards the North Downs Line from Reading TMD. Regular service ended in May 2022, however the route is maintained for diversionary use. |
| West Ealing | West Ruislip | Wednesday | 11:17 | N/A | Chiltern Railways | December 2022 | Via the Greenford line, commenced 10 December 2018 replacing previous service to London Paddington via the Acton–Northolt line. Became a weekly service after the COVID-19 pandemic. Last ran 7 December 2022, now replaced with a bus service replacement. |
| Birmingham New Street | Crewe | Saturday | 07:13 | N/A | West Midlands Railway | December 2022 | Only service to go via the Bushbury line, which runs direct from Bescot Stadium to Penkridge. Other trains which run from Bescot to Penkridge run via Wolverhampton. Common diversionary route. Last service ran 10 December. |
| Wolverhampton | Rugeley Trent Valley | Saturday | 05:42 | N/A | West Midlands Railway | December 2022 | Only service to go directly between Wolverhampton and Walsall, between Darlaston Jn and Pleck Jn. Other services use the line between Crane Street Jn (near Wolverhampton) and Portobello Jn. Last ran 10 December 2022. |

## Stations with minimal services

A station may have a parliamentary service because the operating company wishes it closed, but the line is in regular use (most trains pass straight through). Examples include:
* Barlaston and Wedgwood, which are currently only served by replacement buses.
* Teesside Airport, which serves Teesside International Airport, lost most of its services due to its relatively long distance to the terminal as well as competition from buses which offered more reliable services (which in turn were withdrawn due to the airport's sharp decrease in air passengers). Operated by Northern Trains. Service has been suspended since May 2022.
* Two Great Western Railway services stop at Pilning every week, both on a Saturday and in one direction only.Pilning, near Bristol – only two trains per week, both from Cardiff Central on Saturdays only at 08:33 (to Penzance) and 14:33 (to Taunton). Formerly one train each way per week, but the bridge to the down platform was removed in November 2016. Operated by Great Western Railway.
* Barry Links and Golf Street. From 19 May 2019, these stations are only served Monday-Saturday by the southbound 06:06 Arbroath to Dundee and 07:44 Arbroath to Edinburgh Waverley; northbound services are the 16:09 Glasgow Queen Street to Arbroath service (16:10 Saturday) and the 17:02 Edinburgh Waverley to Arbroath service (17:01 Saturday). Operated by ScotRail.
* Shippea Hill station, one of the least used stations in the entire country. Shippea Hill and Lakenheath on the Breckland line to Norwich. Shippea Hill is served at 07:26 Mondays–Fridays (07:47 Saturday) eastbound (to Norwich) and 16:13 Saturdays only westbound (to Stansted Airport). Lakenheath, however, is served by seven trains on a Sunday (4 eastbound, 3 westbound). There are no services Monday–Friday and just a single journey in each direction on Saturdays (11:13 westbound, 15:49 eastbound). Both operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.
* Polesworth has one train per day Mondays–Saturdays, northbound only at 06:50. After major works on the West Coast Main Line, contractors neglected to replace the footbridge which they had removed, leaving passengers unable to access southbound trains. Operated by West Midlands Trains.
* Lelant Saltings, in Cornwall has been served by one train in each direction daily since the Park & Ride facility at the station moved to nearby St Erth. Operated by Great Western Railway.
* Ardwick, in Manchester is served by a single train in each direction Monday to Saturday and no Sunday service. Operated by Northern Trains.
* Elton and Orston in Nottinghamshire is served by a single train in each direction Monday to Saturday and no Sunday service. Operated by East Midlands Railway.
* Clifton, in Greater Manchester is served by a single train in each direction Monday to Saturday and no Sunday service. Operated by Northern Trains.
Bordesley is served by a single train on Saturdays only, however the station remains open for use when Birmingham City Football Club are playing at home when additional services call there. Operated by West Midlands Trains.
In the mid-1990s British Rail was forced to serve Smethwick West in the West Midlands for an extra 12 months after a legal blunder meant that the station had not been closed properly. One train per week each way still called at Smethwick West, even though it was only a few hundred yards from the replacement Smethwick Galton Bridge.
Many least used stations are also served infrequently or irregularly.

## Bustitution

A variant of the parliamentary train service was the temporary replacement bus service, as employed between Watford and Croxley Green in Hertfordshire. The railway line was closed to trains in 1996, but to avoid the legal complications and costs of actual closure train services were replaced by buses, thus maintaining the legal fiction of an open railway. The branch was officially closed in 2003. Work in track clearance commenced, beginning the work to absorb most of the route into a diversion of the Watford branch of the Metropolitan line into Watford Junction, but work was stopped in 2016 after a reassessment of likely costs and lack of agreement on funding.
The temporary replacement bus tactic was used from December 2008 between Ealing Broadway and Wandsworth Road when Arriva CrossCountry withdrew its services from Brighton to Manchester, which was the only passenger service between Factory Junction, north of Wandsworth Road, and Latchmere Junction, on the West London Line. This service was later replaced by a single daily return train between Kensington Olympia and Wandsworth Road (as above) operated by Southern until formal consultation commenced and closure was completed in 2013.
The replacement bus tactic was used to service Norton Bridge, Barlaston and Wedgwood stations on the Stafford–Manchester line, which had its passenger services withdrawn in 2004 to allow more Virgin CrossCountry and Virgin Trains West Coast services to be operated. Norton Bridge station was closed in December 2017 coinciding with the transfer of the West Midlands franchise from London Midland to West Midlands Trains, with funding for the bus service to Norton Bridge continuing until March 2019.