Football trains

[backontrack]

Earlier this year I was travelling on a morning 156 (ex-Arriva Trains Northern) from Carlisle to Newcastle (the train terminated at Sunderland). Newcastle were playing at home that day and thus the train was absolutely packed with football fans. Yet the train was only two carriages long and was full up at Carlisle. Why can't Northern just put on an extra carriage? I can understand if they're all busy, but it doesn't seem that likely.

I'm just thankful we weren't burdened with a Pacer.

 

[G0ORC]

Welcome to the forum...

Erm... and where would they get the "extra carriage" from?

There are enough posts on this forum to enlighten even the most casual of observers at the plight of Northern's stock allocation. If they regularly had "spare" units hanging around the punters rightly would be asking why, some areas of Northern's operation there is severe overcrowding on a daily basis, not just a "one-off" for a football match.

Spare vehicles simply do not exist - a lot of the time you are lucky to get a train at all.

I hope you were not suggesting cancelling lightly used services to provide extra capacity - I'm not sure that would go down too well with the government's franchising department. Northern have an obligation according to their franchise and are severely financially punished if they fail.

 

[backontrack]

Welcome to the forum...

Erm... and where would they get the "extra carriage" from?

There are enough posts on this forum to enlighten even the most casual of observers at the plight of Northern's stock allocation. If they regularly had "spare" units hanging around the punters rightly would be asking why, some areas of Northern's operation there is severe overcrowding on a daily basis, not just a "one-off" for a football match.

Spare vehicles simply do not exist - a lot of the time you are lucky to get a train at all.

I hope you were not suggesting cancelling lightly used services to provide extra capacity - I'm not sure that would go down too well with the government's franchising department. Northern have an obligation according to their franchise and are severely financially punished if they fail.

That's not what I meant.. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer more services across the whole network. Especially reopenings.

I was just demonstrating Northern's plight as they need more stock.

 

[G0ORC]

That's not what I meant.. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer more services across the whole network. Especially reopenings.

I was just demonstrating Northern's plight as they need more stock.

Ok, but when you wrote :-

"Why can't Northern just put on an extra carriage? I can understand if they're all busy, but it doesn't seem that likely."

it suggests to me that you didn't seem to understand Northern's plight and, despite what you wrote, it still suggests that you consider Northern had the stock but couldn't be bothered.

Maybe you just didn't make your thoughts too clear - or maybe you didn't think it through before committing the metaphorical pen to paper....

 

[dannypye9999]

Earlier this year I was travelling on a morning 156 (ex-Arriva Trains Northern) from Carlisle to Newcastle (the train terminated at Sunderland). Newcastle were playing at home that day and thus the train was absolutely packed with football fans. Yet the train was only two carriages long and was full up at Carlisle. Why can't Northern just put on an extra carriage? I can understand if they're all busy, but it doesn't seem that likely.

I'm just thankful we weren't burdened with a Pacer.

Because Northern have a bad habit of doing nothing during major sporting events. If there are no extra carriages to couple up then they should cancel some quieter trains along other routes to cater for a train that's predicted to be heavily loaded.

 

[backontrack]

Ok, but when you wrote :-

"Why can't Northern just put on an extra carriage? I can understand if they're all busy, but it doesn't seem that likely."

it suggests to me that you didn't seem to understand Northern's plight and, despite what you wrote, it still suggests that you consider Northern had the stock but couldn't be bothered.

Maybe you just didn't make your thoughts too clear - or maybe you didn't think it through before committing the metaphorical pen to paper....

The first one.

 

[TheEdge]

Because Northern have a bad habit of doing nothing during major sporting events. If there are no extra carriages to couple up then they should cancel some quieter trains along other routes to cater for a train that's predicted to be heavily loaded.

Why? Why should normal people have their day disrupted for the sake of football? Football is not the be all and end all.

 

[G0ORC]

Because Northern have a bad habit of doing nothing during major sporting events. If there are no extra carriages to couple up then they should cancel some quieter trains along other routes to cater for a train that's predicted to be heavily loaded.

So regular passengers are inconvenienced for the sake of a one off event - that's really good customer care isn't it......and while we are on the subject, who ends up paying the penalty charges for failing to run trains which are a franchise requirement. Northern do, so they are simply not going to do that.

I wish you lot would just think it through before going off on these wild flights of fancy. Get into the real world and not some fantasy world inhabited by "bashers" and "gricers".

I give up..

 

[backontrack]

So regular passengers are inconvenienced for the sake of a one off event - that's really good customer care isn't it......and while we are on the subject, who ends up paying the penalty charges for failing to run trains which are a franchise requirement. Northern do, so they are simply not going to do that.

I wish you lot would just think it through before going off on these wild flights of fancy. Get into the real world and not some fantasy world inhabited by "bashers" and "gricers".

I give up..

Don't bite the head off the new guy. Everyone just calm down and get back on track.

 

[dannypye9999]

Why? Why should normal people have their day disrupted for the sake of football? Football is not the be all and end all.

A few people being disrupted should come to no harm especially in todays world of internet technology where you have the departure screens in the palm of your hand meaning you don't have to arrive at the station until 5 mins before the train departs.

But either way you will still be disrupting normal people. I would be more disgruntled if the train arrived and I couldn't get on because it was so crushed and with only two carriages.

 

[backontrack]

A few people being disrupted should come to no harm especially in todays world of internet technology where you have the departure screens in the palm of your hand meaning you don't have to arrive at the station until 5 mins before the train departs.

But either way you will still be disrupting normal people. I would be more disgruntled if the train arrived and I couldn't get on because it was so crushed and with only two carriages.

As I was.

Back on track, folks.

 

[Michael.Y]

Funny how no-one complains about mass ranks of shoppers deciding that a major football day is a good time to infest city centre interchanges with armfuls of boutique bags and screaming children.

 

[backontrack]

Probably because everyone is not crowded into two (not very) Super Sprinter units. At least it wasn't a Pacer.

 

[Michael.Y]

Probably because everyone is not crowded into two (not very) Super Sprinter units. At least it wasn't a Pacer.

No... they just spread their bags all over all 4 seats on a table bay.

 

[backontrack]

You should have seen this train. Bags were under seats and it was impossible to make it all the way to the toilet for the crowding.

 

[kevconnor]

Please excuse my ignorance but how do Northern manage allocate stock to run to Old Trafford on match days and does this have any noticeable impact on any other services?

 

[HSTEd]

They put Pacers on electric diagrams on match days to allow the shuttle to work.

I believe it is just one unit required though.

 

[Thomas6187]

Please excuse my ignorance but how do Northern manage allocate stock to run to Old Trafford on match days and does this have any noticeable impact on any other services?

On Saturday and Sunday there is enough slack in the 323s diagrams to allow the Shuttle service to run.

 

[12CSVT]

Funny how no-one complains about mass ranks of shoppers deciding that a major football day is a good time to infest city centre interchanges with armfuls of boutique bags and screaming children.

Are you saying families and shoppers should be banned from using public transport for the day because there might be more boozed up football fans than usual ?

 

[TheEdge]

Are you saying families and shoppers should be banned from using public transport for the day because there might be more boozed up football fans than usual ?

Should be the other way round. Boozy football fans should be banned from transport so the rest of us dont have to put up with them

 

[CC 72100]

I knew it wouldn't be long until we had the 'football fans are trouble' posts... :roll:

Think there is a brush to tar with that is being used here.

 

[backontrack]

Not the fans, but the ordinary commuters who can't get on even if the train is from Carlisle and they are boarding at Wetheral because the train is already full up with fans because the train is too short.

 

[dannypye9999]

Doesn't London Midland run extra non stop fast services between New St and Witton on match days and aswell run two 323 units coupled together along the cross city aswell as I saw one once. Well done to London Midland for thinking about ordinary passengers on match days.

 

[Hardcastle]

Sounds like a normal Saturday on the Carlisle-Newcastle line. I once spoke with the guard while alighting at Haltwhistle & he said its always like this,the train was rammed,& people boarding with wheelchairs/prams etc.

 

[fowler9]

Loving all this chat about boozed up football fans as though no one else drinks alcohol, if what some people said was true it would be frankly amazing if aggro ever happened anywhere away from a football ground. Someone else started a thread about football fans hating people who don't like railways. If anything I would like to ask certain railway fans what it is they hate about football supporters.

 

[backontrack]

Loving all this chat about boozed up football fans as though no one else drinks alcohol, if what some people said was true it would be frankly amazing if aggro ever happened anywhere away from a football ground. Someone else started a thread about football fans hating people who don't like railways. If anything I would like to ask certain railway fans what it is they hate about football supporters.

Booze? Who said booze?

In my opinion the shortcomings are from the TOCs.

 

[fowler9]

Booze? Who said booze?

In my opinion the shortcomings are from the TOCs.

Posts 19 and 20, not that far before mine.