WCML closures: why no cross-ticket acceptance as previously?

[Watershed]

The issue with that is that the diversionary routes often don't have the capacity to run anything significant, and then you just end up in the same situation of people trying to cram on to a limited diverted service.

Having some extra diverted capacity is better than none.

 

[The Planner]

Having some extra diverted capacity is better than none.

Fine as long as people are happy that the journey will be grim as everyone is using it as NRES tells them to.

 

[Watershed]

Fine as long as people are happy that the journey will be grim as everyone is using it as NRES tells them to.

When all the alternatives also involve overcrowding, and as @LowLevel says effectively denying people on the affected diversionary routes travel, that doesn't sound so bad.

 

[87015]

When all the alternatives also involve overcrowding, and as @LowLevel says effectively denying people on the affected diversionary routes travel, that doesn't sound so bad.

And much better than whats coming for NRs latest access grab for the working days after Easter which seems tobe 'dont tell anyone and offer nothing'. For passengers south of MK seems to be a big 'go away' with a token all shacks bus only. The last weekday stuff for WCRM had all sorts of buses across to MML/Chiltern for relevant links, and no sign of anything even token diverted from further north - clearly only important for the north end because they can get some freebies over the S&C.

 

[The Planner]

And much better than whats coming for NRs latest access grab for the working days after Easter which seems tobe 'dont tell anyone and offer nothing'. For passengers south of MK seems to be a big 'go away' with a token all shacks bus only. The last weekday stuff for WCRM had all sorts of buses across to MML/Chiltern for relevant links, and no sign of anything even token diverted from further north - clearly only important for the north end because they can get some freebies over the S&C.

Buses to and from Bedford to Milton Keynes like any all line block south of MK over the last few years. Apart from it being the Tuesday and Wednesday of the Easter school holidays what is different? WCRM was 20 years ago and a different world.

 

[Pnerick81]

Slightly of topic but regarding the wcml closure . Have I heard correctly that they will be running a 2 hourly service via the east lancs and settle/carlisle lines?

 

[The Planner]

Slightly of topic but regarding the wcml closure . Have I heard correctly that they will be running a 2 hourly service via the east lancs and settle/carlisle lines?

Yes, its running already.

 

[Carlisle]

Yes, its running already.

True but the 2 cancellations already due to train faults suggest these 805s aren’t as dependable the previously used Voyagers .

 

[ChrisC]

Buses to and from Bedford to Milton Keynes like any all line block south of MK over the last few years. Apart from it being the Tuesday and Wednesday of the Easter school holidays what is different? WCRM was 20 years ago and a different world.

I didn’t know that part of the WCML was going to be closed during that week at Easter. I‘m not directly affected but planning to travel from Nottingham to Dundee on that Wednesday so I hope that trains on the ECML aren’t too crowded north of Doncaster with additional London to a Scotland passengers. I’m setting off quite early from Nottingham so I could travel via Manchester and the WCML instead.

 

[Travelmonkey]

there is a issue with bustitutions I know a friend of mine got refused from several in this perticular blockade as they didn't want to go through the rigamoral of loading and strapping in a wheelchair passenger, regardless it seems you'll be stranded anyway. I had the unfortunate situation of being crammed on a pendo from Preston to London during a recent ECML blockade meaning the train was full to the brim. the capacity isn't enough and displaced pax will get frustrated regardless.

 

[thedbdiboy]

Okay, but what is the excuse for this, how long does it take for the head of revenue or ticketing for the railways to stand up and say, these route specific tickets should be axed? I understand intercity vs regional ticket pricing will probably still remain like DB for example, but route specific normally implies a slower vs faster option but not always.

Because that role does not exist yet. The industry is in an interim state; it is not yet a single nationalised organisation

Well, in my view, it's because GBR and nationalisation of the franchised TOCs is nothing but a vote grabber. The creation of GBR, as well as the nationalisation of the franchised TOCs, doesn't necessarily mean anything will actually change other than who runs the services.

If the government was serious about nationalisation for example, they would nationalise the ROSCOs.

If the government was serious about fare reform, they could do that without state ownership of the TOCs already.

In fact, it's just that both political parties have clocked the fact that the general public say in surveys and opinion polls that they want the railway renationalised, and this appears to voters to do that.

While I'm sure the DfT will come out with some sort of fares reform plan, I wouldn't get hopes up about anything revolutionary.

Additionally, GBR doesn't cover all rail services. Lumo, Hull Trains, Grand Central, TfW, ScotRail, Merseyrail, Elizabeth Line, the Underground, and I suppose the Eurostar for what that's worth in the context, won't be covered. So the fares system we currently have is still going to exist regardless of GBR, because a lot of these operators have route or operator specific fares.

The 'froth' about nationalisation is indeed a lot of political posturing, but behind that there is massive change afoot from a disaggregated industry to one with a unified control structure.
It's also political posturing to conflate the nationalisation of the railways with the ROSCOs remaining independent. The TOCs were never privately owned - they were essentially on short term leases, so nationalisation is achieved by letting them lapse back into public ownership. On the other hand, the ROSCOs have spent billions of pounds to build and maintain the majority of the rolling stock in use on the network. The Marxists out there might disagree, but short of spending billions of pounds the Government hasn't got in order to buy those assets back, the ROSCOs are where they'll be staying. GBR ought to be able to get much better value from future leasing deals by having a proper long term fleet strategy and being able to guarantee whole-life use for those fleets that are procured.

 

[35B]

Because that role does not exist yet. The industry is in an interim state; it is not yet a single nationalised organisation

The 'froth' about nationalisation is indeed a lot of political posturing, but behind that there is massive change afoot from a disaggregated industry to one with a unified control structure.
It's also political posturing to conflate the nationalisation of the railways with the ROSCOs remaining independent. The TOCs were never privately owned - they were essentially on short term leases, so nationalisation is achieved by letting them lapse back into public ownership. On the other hand, the ROSCOs have spent billions of pounds to build and maintain the majority of the rolling stock in use on the network. The Marxists out there might disagree, but short of spending billions of pounds the Government hasn't got in order to buy those assets back, the ROSCOs are where they'll be staying. GBR ought to be able to get much better value from future leasing deals by having a proper long term fleet strategy and being able to guarantee whole-life use for those fleets that are procured.

That assumes that the government allow GBR to act rationally. The previous policy failures that have allowed costs to escalate don’t give confidence