London Midland Euston-Crewe service is it needed?

[northernrail2009]

Now that the London Midland Euston to Crewe service has been going some 6 months i am thinking is it needed with so many services to and from Crewe and also from Stoke on Trent?

The Trains are nice but somehow i just dont think its needed up here in North Staffs and does anyone know what London Midland are planning to do with the Route in months and years to come?

 

[Metroland]

It's for intermediate stations, the former service was rubbish (apart from Nuneaton).

 

[Pumbaa]

Yes it is - well patronised, and good news for the Trent Valley stations. I doubt anyone does the full journey, it's aim is to cater for the smaller journeys removed by the new WCML timetable.

 

[northernrail2009]

I am due to travel from Crewe to London in June so will see whats its like then.

The Ticket was cheap at £7 so not bad at all.

 

[87015]

As a Euston-Crewe, no, but it ties together various different bits which are needed.

 

[NickM]

Yes it is - well patronised, and good news for the Trent Valley stations. I doubt anyone does the full journey, it's aim is to cater for the smaller journeys removed by the new WCML timetable.

Is it? Always seemed pretty empty when ive gone past.

 

[jp4712]

I'm a regular traveller between Lichfield Trent Valley and Euston, and I can vouch for the fact that it's well used. Passengers from places like Lichfield, Tamworth and Atherstone now have a more-or-less hourly service between each other and to London; and on my journeys I find that there are quite a few people travelling between intermediate stops, not just all the way to London.

You have the choice of changing to a VT at Rugby, or with a LM-only ticket you continue on the Desiro via Northampton but far, far cheaper than an open ticket. The service is then non-stop MK to Watford Jc then EUS, giving a useful fast service from Northampton and MK to London.

Overall, it's a massive improvement on the Stafford - Coventry 'a few times a day' dogbox that 'served' these stations before the TV4 upgrade started; and the trains are far better patronised than the old service, when I often found myself the only passenger on the odd occasion that my best option was EUS - NUN then change to the old Trent Valley local.

 

[Philip Elliott]

Yes it is very much needed, being the only service for Atherstone & Stone stations and providing a now regular service to many stops. Rugby - Stafford is now possible, previously requiring going via Brum or reverse back at Crewe! They have indeed been pretty well patronised. On one occassion, two lads got on at Tamworth and then changed at Nuneaton with me going to Narborough. Proper local travel

At least we can now avoid the farce that was Lichfield/Rugeley to Derby via Brum! Lichfield - Derby direct would be nice though.....

 

[43106]

Although I've never seen this service, let alone travelled on it, I've seen it on Table 67 of the PTT, and I think it's a damned good service. It links the major stopping places on the WCML between Euston and Crewe, along with Northampton. It also compensates for the sharp reduction in VT stopping at Nuneaton and for Rugby trains NOT going to Birmingham. The old stopping service between Stafford and Rugby/Coventry is massively improved and it's now on a clockface format. In my view, it could be further improved by extending it to Preston, calling at Hartford, Warrington, Earlestown, Newton-le-Willows and Wigan.

 

[Danielo]

I get the 18.24 which calls at H&W - and it is always packed with wuite a few reserved seats. It does divide at Northampton.

 

[43106]

I get the 18.24 which calls at H(arrow) & W(ealdstone)....... It does divide at Northampton.

Without wishing to contradict, the current PTT (and the forthcoming one as well) doesn't show a dividing train, either on Table 66 or 67. I assume that the train is (say) a 2 x 4-car EMU which splits, with one EMU carrying on to Crewe and the 2nd staying at Northampton. I have seen this before, but they show a split in the timetable, so passengers can get on the right part of the train.

 

[Daimler]

Every time I see one, it's pretty packed, even during the day. Admittedly, I see them near London, but I see quite a few people with suitcases & whatnot, and lots of reserved seats!

I'd like to go all the way on it - just for fun...

 

[northernrail2009]

Every time I see one, it's pretty packed, even during the day. Admittedly, I see them near London, but I see quite a few people with suitcases & whatnot, and lots of reserved seats!

I'd like to go all the way on it - just for fun...

I am going to do the trip soon and can get tickets for £7 each way advance tickets and if you use the FGW £5 off codes you can do it for £2 each way!!!!

PM me if you want some codes as i have lots of them!!!

 

[merlodlliw]

I have friends in the area who told me that before Stone Station was reopened
they had to get a bus to either Stoke or Stafford stations, as the local station at Barleston(Wedgewood) had been closed.This now saves an hours bus journey either
way which was useless for evening return and they now use the train again.

 

[tdg1986]

Stoke-London and back with London Midland = £13.20 (with YPRC)
Stoke-London and back with Virgin Trains = £44.00 (with YPRC)

Both flexible tickets so is an extra hour of your time on the train each way worth saving £30 for?

 

[CCF23]

I used this service from Milton Keynes to London Euston on a Saturday and it was very busy with a few people standing due to no seats. So from this perspective the service is needed, also it's a great alternative to the more expensive and busy Virgin service i got to MK earlier in the day.

 

[northernrail2009]

Thankyou to all your replys for this thread.

Would they not better starting and ending at Stoke on Trent not Crewe? as East midlands all ready have a service between Stoke and Crewe and whenever ive got the train from say Stoke or Kidsgrove on London Midland to Crewe theres been nobody on board all most.

 

[MCR247]

Thankyou to all your replys for this thread.

Would they not better starting and ending at Stoke on Trent not Crewe? as East midlands all ready have a service between Stoke and Crewe and whenever ive got the train from say Stoke or Kidsgrove on London Midland to Crewe theres been nobody on board all most.

but is their paths for a terminating train at Stoke?

 

[The Planner]

I doubt it very much, unless they go and shunt off somewhere as the middle road is being taken out at the station so nothing will be able to pass.

 

[charley_17/7]

IIRC, some of the LM traincrew working these are based at Crewe depot?

I think its a great regional service, vastly underknown, or advertised (outside of the railway). Loads of potential.

Originally, it was proposed to be a London - Liverpool service, with the West Midlands franchise also proposing a similar Manchester - Birmingham service, using the paths of the Manchester - Macclesfield/Stoke stopper.

 

[tbtc]

I think that loadings south of Northampton are no indication of the sucess of this service, as it's effectively an extension of an existing Rugby/ Northampton - London servce. The loadings in the Trent Valley are more relevant.

One big thing about this service is that it speeds up the Virgin services, since they don't need to sto 390s at some smaller stations - much more effectve to use an LM EMU.

Originally, it was proposed to be a London - Liverpool service, with the West Midlands franchise also proposing a similar Manchester - Birmingham service, using the paths of the Manchester - Macclesfield/Stoke stopper.

I'd forgotton about that plan