Rail Replacements and Hire-ins

[Snow1964]

Stagecoach's Farlington depot is a difficult location sun-wise; but here are two of the resident heritage fleet.
Nearest, I think is a Park Royal Renown (lower height) bodied AEC.
Next to it, I think is an Alexander bodied Leyland Olympian.

Neither of those two will be on rail replacements as new regulations came in on 1st October 2024

However the Government has decided to make a temporary exemption change to new rules and allow buses and coaches without audio and visual destination to be used on RRBs until July 2026. It applies to any of the 546 Operators licences on this list.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/670fbc213b919067bb4832e7/exemption-psv-regulations-2024.pdf

 

[Sun Chariot]

Thanks @Snow1964 Yes I've only seen the AEC on private hire, usually with raucous hen and wedding parties around Southsea.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Oct 2024 ==

@Forbesy your Flickr shots last Thursday (10-October) of the lovely AEC and Bristol along Southsea - what were those two doing? Was it a one-off service?

 

[Sun Chariot]

I knew the sunny pictures couldn't last...

This weekend sees rail replacement buses working between Havant and Guildford, Petersfield, Rowlands Castle.
A selection of single decks today; I think the 'BR logo' Scania Omnicity is with Teulu Travel.

 

[Forbesy]

@Forbesy your Flickr shots last Thursday (10-October) of the lovely AEC and Bristol along Southsea - what were those two doing? Was it a one-off service?

Sorry, only just seen this message!

They were (I believe) on their way over to the IoW for the "Wightryder" (or something like that) weekend event involving large numbers of elderly vehicles negotiating the steep and twisty roads of the island.

That event seemed to me to be advertised very poorly (or I may have been looking the other way), as I had nothing planned for that weekend - I would have enjoyed a quick trip overseas to see what was on offer.

M.

 

[The exile]

Seems to be the way now, subcontract to lots of companies.

The Bath-Westbury bus service at weekends had at least 3 coach companies (didn't see any buses), including Chandlers of Westbury, Excelsior of Bournemouth, another one I have forgotten name of.

Been an eclectic mixture between Bristol and Bath as well. Particularly surprised to see Stagecoach buses on a “First replacement” service - they’ve previously done it “in house”

 

[Sun Chariot]

Sorry, only just seen this message!

They were (I believe) on their way over to the IoW for the "Wightryder" (or something like that) weekend event involving large numbers of elderly vehicles negotiating the steep and twisty roads of the island.

That event seemed to me to be advertised very poorly (or I may have been looking the other way), as I had nothing planned for that weekend - I would have enjoyed a quick trip overseas to see what was on offer.

M.

Thanks - yes, it certainly didn’t get advertised in my area. It would have been great to see those buses boarding a ferry.

 

[father_jack]

Been an eclectic mixture between Bristol and Bath as well. Particularly surprised to see Stagecoach buses on a “First replacement” service - they’ve previously done it “in house”

Don't think Pewsey Vale will be on the list next time..........

Rail replacement bus allegedly refused to take man in wheelchair

An investigation has been launched

www.somersetlive.co.uk

Rail replacement bus allegedly refused to take man in wheelchair
An investigation has been launched

Police are investigating after a coach began to leave Bath Bus Station with a man's arm stuck in the door (Image: David Redgewell)



A bus in Bath drove off with a man stuck in the door on Sunday — after allegedly refusing to let a different man board the bus with his wheelchair.
Police are investigating after a man’s arm was trapped in the door of the vehicle as it began to leave Bath Bus Station at about 5.45pm. No arrests have been made.

David Redgewell, who uses a wheelchair, said that the driver had refused to let him board the coach, despite it having facilities for a wheelchair. He said passengers had been insisting to the driver that they should not leave a disabled person behind when the driver drove off with one of their arms stuck in the door.

Mr Redgewell is a prominent campaigner for public transport in the area. He said: “I have travelled thousands of miles on rail replacement buses across Great Britain and Ireland and I’ve never seen this before.”
He said: “The whole incident was shocking.”

David Redgewell
The Pewsey Vale coach was acting as a rail replacement bus service running from Bath to Westbury. The coach company said they could not comment while the incident was under investigation.
A spokesperson for Great Western Railway said: "The safety and welfare of our customers and colleagues are our highest priority, and the treatment described is clearly unacceptable.
"We've asked the coach company to investigate the allegations as quickly as possible so they can take the appropriate action."


Mr Redgewell said he had no complaints with how Great Western Railway or its parent company FirstGroup had dealt with the incident.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “Police are investigating an incident at Bath Bus Station, Dorchester Street, which was reported just after 5.45pm on Sunday 27 October. Officers attended after a report that a rail replacement bus had started to leave the depot with someone's arm caught in the door.
“Enquiries are at an early stage and anyone who saw what happened but has yet to arrange to make a statement is asked to call 101 and give the reference 5224283508.”

 

[busspotter1]

I've heard that rail replacement contracts are very lucrative. Does anyone have an insight into the value of such contracts?

 

[Cesarcollie]

I've heard that rail replacement contracts are very lucrative. Does anyone have an insight into the value of such contracts?

Varies by provider, by TOC, by area.Though I wouldn’t describe many, if any, as ‘very lucrative’……

 

[RJ]

I've heard that rail replacement contracts are very lucrative. Does anyone have an insight into the value of such contracts?

Some stuff is in the public domain. There was a 9 day block on the Underground between Golders Green to Edgware, see the attached image - the operator was paid £351k.

Some parts of the country, rates are lucrative.

However elsewhere, the rates can be set at break even level, or even at a loss to the operator unless the operator prioritises other contracts over the course of the day.

 

[Cesarcollie]

Some stuff is in the public domain. There was a 9 day block on the Underground between Golders Green to Edgware, see the attached image - the operator was paid £351k.

Some parts of the country, rates are lucrative.

However elsewhere, the rates can be set at break even level, or even at a loss to the operator unless the operator prioritises other contracts over the course of the day.

£351K doesn’t really tell us anything unless we know how many buses/duties/hours/miles etc were involved……!

And of course ultimately if rates are too low, no operators will come forward to do the work!

 

[RJ]

£351K doesn’t really tell us anything unless we know how many buses/duties/hours/miles etc were involved……!

And of course ultimately if rates are too low, no operators will come forward to do the work!

The schedules are also in the public domain, where most of that can be roughly worked out - https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/bus-schedules?Query=ul55

Low rates won't deter everyone, some will simply find a way to cover the work as cheaply as possible so they still make a profit.

 

[Teds]

Recently, it looks as if the rates offered were too low and some scheduled journeys did not operate on Peterborough - Norwich for East Midlands Railway. There seems to be more cost-cutting following the re-tendering of the rail replacement contracts generally. That is my general impression - has anyone else experienced that in their areas?

On the other hand, some contracts must be lucrative enough to pay for the dead mileage. We get coaches and buses from Swansea, Manchester on CrossCountry replacement jobs in East Anglia.

 

[LUYMun]

The West of England line is set to close for 2 weeks from 9-22 November for extensive works, with rail replacement buses operating. The service pattern consists of one "express" and one "stopping" bus each per hour, along with some peak extras and two or three extensions to/from Crewkerne or Yeovil Junction.

Does anyone know which operators will be running the aforementioned replacement services?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Hello @Forbesy
This weekend's remedial work on Bedhampton's West Street level crossing, meant RRBs between Havant & Southampton / between Barnham & Portsmouth.
I didn't have opportunity to snare any of the RRBs, although I did see one leaving Havant station's approach road: a Gemini 1/2 from a Brighton & Hove based carrier; base colour white, with intricate black squiggles and (I think) a pool 8-ball on the bodysides.
Did you see that, or any other RRBs?

 

[Sun Chariot]

Network Rail's infrastructure works around the Portsmouth and Bedhampton areas, has resulted in rail replacement bus services between Havant, Portsmouth and Fareham for the past two weekends and the first two weekdays of this week.
Hire-ins span companies from Basingstoke, Brighton & Hove, Aldermaston and Romsey areas, as well as local providers.

Today's sunshine gives opportunity to snare a few examples.

 

[DanNCL]

Saw a York Pullman bus on the A1 near Durham last weekend on a rail replacement. Think it was an MCV.
Not sure which TOC it was covering, will have been one of LNER, XC or TPE.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Saw a York Pullman bus on the A1 near Durham last weekend on a rail replacement. Think it was an MCV.
Not sure which TOC it was covering, will have been one of LNER, XC or TPE.

Nice one.
Post #46 images, I was pleased to see both of Aldermaston's Volvo / MCV eVoSeti fleet in use & at Havant simultaneously.

 

[henryb]

Recently, it looks as if the rates offered were too low and some scheduled journeys did not operate on Peterborough - Norwich for East Midlands Railway. There seems to be more cost-cutting following the re-tendering of the rail replacement contracts generally. That is my general impression - has anyone else experienced that in their areas?

On the other hand, some contracts must be lucrative enough to pay for the dead mileage. We get coaches and buses from Swansea, Manchester on CrossCountry replacement jobs in East Anglia.

We get coaches from Wick in Scotland down in Devon on cross country rail replacement

 

[JD2168]

Acklams Coaches & Greyscroft were among the operators doing the Doncaster to Goole & Scunthorpe rail replacements

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Acklams Coaches & Greyscroft were among the operators doing the Doncaster to Goole & Scunthorpe rail replacements

They seem to be the main ones. I've also seen TJ's Travel (Wakefield), Star Travel (Batley), Expressway (Rotherham), Johnson's (Worksop) and a Lothian - liveried B9 that I couldn't see the operator of.
Photo shows a TJ's Travel Wright Streetlite WF at Scunthorpe station

 

[JD2168]

They seem to be the main ones. I've also seen TJ's Travel (Wakefield), Star Travel (Batley), Expressway (Rotherham), Johnson's (Worksop) and a Lothian - liveried B9 that I couldn't see the operator of.
Photo shows a TJ's Travel Wright Streetlite WF at Scunthorpe station

This I think is the B9TL Gemini you may have seen MR02 ACK run by Acklams

 

[Sun Chariot]

Haslemere and Southampton services this weekend, are rail replacements. A hired-in variety; here are a few this morning.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

A proper veteran seen in the attached picture at Cleethorpes station on Tuesday 8th April prior to operating to Barton on Humber on behalf of EMR. 2-Way Travel, Scunthorpe, Mercedes Vario KX03 HYU

 

[Sun Chariot]

A proper veteran seen in the attached picture at Cleethorpes station on Tuesday 8th April prior to operating to Barton on Humber on behalf of EMR. 2-Way Travel, Scunthorpe, Mercedes Vario KX03 HYU

Nice one. Crikey, I can remember those on services many years ago, where I lived at the time.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

An eclectic mix of operators on Sheffield to Chesterfield/Alfreton rail replacements on Sunday 27th.
An hours observation in the evening saw South Staffs (Tamworth), Johnson's (Worksop), Fourway (Gomersal- now part of Go Ahead), Andrew's (Tideswell) and Wilfreda Beehive (Adwick, Doncaster) all with coaches/minicoaches.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

First day of the Cleethorpes/Grimsby engineering blockade today 31/5. Half an hour's observation showed vehicles from PC Coaches (Lincoln), 2-Way (Scunthorpe), Acklams (Beverley) and Johnson's (Hibaldstow) plus a Van Hool Astron of an unknown operator.

 

[Sun Chariot]

First day of the Cleethorpes/Grimsby engineering blockade today 31/5. Half an hour's observation showed vehicles from PC Coaches (Lincoln), 2-Way (Scunthorpe), Acklams (Beverley) and Johnson's (Hibaldstow) plus a Van Hool Astron of an unknown operator.

Good work!

Recent RRB activity on the West Coastway, saw Brighton and Hove Eclipse Gemini and Enviro MMCs, with marvellous paint schemes (Dalmatian dog Gemini, lurid turquoise-with-orange-and-red-stripes MMC), plus B&H more usual yellow and red.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

First day of the Cleethorpes/Grimsby engineering blockade today 31/5. Half an hour's observation showed vehicles from PC Coaches (Lincoln), 2-Way (Scunthorpe), Acklams (Beverley) and Johnson's (Hibaldstow) plus a Van Hool Astron of an unknown operator.

Sunday 1st saw most of the same operators plus Grayscroft (Mablethorpe) and a couple of real curve balls; South Lakes Travel (Barrow in Furness) and J.K.T (Bloxwich). Photos of one vehicle from each of the latter two below, taken in Grant Street car park, Cleethorpes.
Both are an unusual sight in North East Lincolnshire!

 

[Sun Chariot]

Sunday 1st saw most of the same operators plus Grayscroft (Mablethorpe) and a couple of real curve balls; South Lakes Travel (Barrow in Furness) and J.K.T (Bloxwich). Photos of one vehicle from each of the latter two below, taken in Grant Street car park, Cleethorpes.
Both are an unusual sight in North East Lincolnshire!

Good catch!