Frankly I don't understand what the problem is with these tickets. I think you are barking up the wrong tree entirely by worrying about their relationship with the schedule.
I would say most commuters don't book seats for the long-distance trains.
Would LNER not automatically book a seat for people even if they don't want it and/or use it - although admittedly a commuter is likely to book their ticket on the day (if they use singles/returns and not a season ticket) whereas long distance travellers will book in advance.
Precisely; a significant number of short-distance commuters will have season tickets and even if they book them on the day it isn't going to make a huge difference to long-distance reservations.
A cynic would say that everyone apart from KGX-NCL and KGX-EDB travellers have drawn the short straw...
I don't think that's what the post you're quoting is suggesting. I think it's suggesting that all of the intermediate station pairs should be connected, and they should all be connected on 15/30/60 minute intervals as appropriate. Each minor station would thus be connected to every other major station beyond it's own neighbours by a single short interchange. This is how the NS Sprinter network is designed.
Although from December there's trains to Kings Cross 0702, 0749, 0801, 0902, 0919 then your 5-9 minute gap every hour from 0956.
Leeds has nearly 40 departures per hour – any change you make to the times of LNER services will inevitably break some local connections but improve others, that's hardly "drawing the short straw".
The changed are purely detrimental for passengers travelling from Leeds.
I'm afraid it's rather different. There is no connectivity between the express and the stopper, which the latter is designed to boost regional connectivity and be more frequent, say 2 or 3 tph. The stopper should also remain local and not run to other regions, for what you once said, is rather inefficient to stuff local passengers onto a intercity train.
Funny considering how you once said that,
Nothing calling at Durham is really local nowadays, albeit the 1tp2h LNER that will be gone in December. Or the late Northern to Darlington.
Completely disagree here. December 2025 is the last possible date for the new ECML timetable before Cambridge South opens.
Local passengers on intercity trains can be very efficient at the country end of journeys to/from London. For example here are some journeys with the one way station to station flows data:
Chathill to Alnmouth: 07:04 - 07:15 and 19:09 - 19:20
I mean I know a bit about how ICs are used between Durham and Newcastle (as said, there ain't much local trains), and am not against the idea.
Don't you find yourself in an ironic stance where you aren't against the idea of ICs stopping at small stations, but against LNER serving NE intermediates and Newcastle when those seats would be used further downtrip?
If those trains could be terminated at North Sunderland (Seahouses) instead of Chathill they might be used a little more. As it is Chathill is a nostalgic anomaly that has survived near the turning point for Alnmouth commuter trains into NewcastleChathill to Alnmouth: 07:04 - 07:15 and 19:09 - 19:20
Alnmouth to Chathill: 06:27 - 06:40 and 18:13 - 18:25
Though of course these are much smaller places
Since the shift to remove returns and introduce Advance fares for all journeys, certainly up the ECML. A large number of passengers end up on Advances which on LNER services at least come with reservations.
Economics that fare changes are increasingly challenging.
The lack of trains calling at both Retford and Newark has already been discussed at length in this thread. To be quite honest I think passenger numbers for this journey are very small. The price of parking at both stations and locations of the stations, plus the high train fare makes this unattractive. The short drive using the A1 or the hourly bus service are more useful.
Reinstating the additional Gainsborough Central terminator, providing 2tph between Worksop and Retford, would've helped with this. However, rolling stock for this kind of service enhancement is being used on the new Sheffield-Leeds fast instead (not that it's a bad thing, it's just that once again, without ordering excess trains, many frequency increases will result in decreases/lack of provision to increase elsewhere)
It’s definitely been pretty well covered already in this thread, on and off since late December 2024, but certainly in more depth recently in late August. There’s little point in repeating the subject?
I'm not sure, it does seem incredibly bad that there is only 1 tpd Newark to Retford, at least Morpeth has the Lumo and TPE services and Durham still has the XC services. Maybe the Branch Line Society should be notified of a new Parliamentary service station?!
It is an odd one certainly. I know people DO travel north of Northallerton for commuting but isn't the key flow to York > Middlesbrough?
there are people in Thirsk ( that use the train)?
I think this is the real reason. Coupled with the investment in a new station. That or the fact Darlo is just more important and betterer
I often saw Sunak and Hauge before him either at Northallerton station or on the train. I sat opposite Hauge ( and his aide and security man) more than once on a GC train
Sunak was a weekly traveller to/from Northallerton during his time as PM.It is an odd one certainly. I know people DO travel north of Northallerton for commuting but isn't the key flow to York > Middlesbrough?
BTW - I used to live in Northallerton. You have my sympathy
there are people in Thirsk ( that use the train)?
Is the key flow from Thirsk not to York though?
I think this is the real reason. Coupled with the investment in a new station. That or the fact Darlo is just more important and betterer
I often saw Sunak and Hauge before him either at Northallerton station or on the train. I sat opposite Hauge ( and his aide and security man) more than once on a GC train
