Northern Rail Enquiry

[heisenberg1203]

Just an enquiry about current timetabling on the Liverpool Lime Street-Manchester line.

I live near St Helens Junction/Lea Green and from Monday-Thursday, the last train of the evening leaves Lime Street for Manchester at 20.09. Following this train, there is a rail replacement bus service that leaves Lime Street at 22.12 and 23.16.

Alternatively, the last train from Manchester (Piccadilly) leaves at 22.07. With replacements running from Victoria at 22.39 and 23.09.

I'm just wondering if anybody has any idea if there are plans for trains to run as opposed to these rail replacement services in the near future. The rail replacements that I mentioned above have been running for quite some time now. Is this a permanent thing?

 

[55018ballymoss]

I would guess that the last services are replaced by buses so that engineering possessions can be taken to enable the route to be electrified?
From what I have read it appears that enough has been completed so that Manchester Airport - Scotland services could be converted to electric operation from December 2013, if the units are available/staff trained on them.
With that much progress I would expect that the late services will not be replaced by buses for too much longer...

 

[heisenberg1203]

I would guess that the last services are replaced by buses so that engineering possessions can be taken to enable the route to be electrified?
From what I have read it appears that enough has been completed so that Manchester Airport - Scotland services could be converted to electric operation from December 2013, if the units are available/staff trained on them.
With that much progress I would expect that the late services will not be replaced by buses for too much longer...

That's great news. I often work a 2pm-10pm shift. This usually means that I'll take my bike with me on the train to work at 1.39pm but as the next service following my shift is a rail-replacement bus at 11.18pm, I'm forced to bike home. Trains running later will be a welcome return. These rail replacement services seem to have been in place for a long time now and aren't ideal, particularly when travelling from Manchester/Liverpool to home.

 

[175001]

There's still a 21.12 stopper to Victoria

The night possesion is supposed to come to an end in early September

 

[YorkshireBear]

Its mostly down to electrification works needing longer overnight possessions. From Dec 2014 you will hopefully be able to enjoy new trains... (Although who knows what will happen with rolling stock)

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Its mostly down to electrification works needing longer overnight possessions. From Dec 2014 you will hopefully be able to enjoy new trains... (Although who knows what will happen with rolling stock)

The current pattern of possessions on weeknights ends at the end of the month (if they've managed to finish the wiring by then).
So trains from Chester will go back to normal.
However, they have not started work west of Earlestown yet (currently working on the Wigan branch), so the possessions will start up again, and last another 12 months.
In fact with remodelling and resignalling at Huyton also due next year there could be more disruption than there was on the Chat Moss stretch.
Then there's the stretch into Victoria to do, but I imagine trains will be diverted into Oxford Road rather than bustituted for that.

 

[geoffk]

The latest rumour is that Northern won't have any electric trains to run on this service.

Has the plan to transfer class 319s from Thameslink been changed? If so, what trains are coming? They're not going to be new as Northern never has new trains.

Geoff

 

[91103eastcoast]

I may be wrong, but I was under the illusion that one of Southern's various EMU orders was to displace 319s from Thameslink duties, freeing them up for Northern, since the new class 700s seem to be taking forever...:roll:

 

[Bevan Price]

The latest rumour is that Northern won't have any electric trains to run on this service.

Has the plan to transfer class 319s from Thameslink been changed? If so, what trains are coming? They're not going to be new as Northern never has new trains.

Geoff

I have heard suggestions that a few 317s may come here as a temporary solution. They could probably provide a basic electric service with around 12 to 15 units for those lines due for conversion in Dec. 2014, when should the 319 replacements start to appear on Thameslink ? .