Merseyrail 777 travel experiences & travel information updates

[chris53]

Moderator note: Split from

Merseyrail 777 introduction

Now that the introduction of all units has been completed (and introduction thread closed), it seems worthwhile to open a new thread for ongoing discussions and issues relating to the 777s. For example, I believe we still have 777004 out of service as it has been cannibalised for parts for a...

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The journey from Liverpool to Ormskirk seems to be getting longer and longer and increased dwell time at stations. It was a 40 minute journey the other day when it used to take 30 and only one additional station since then

 

[jamesst]

The journey from Liverpool to Ormskirk seems to be getting longer and longer and increased dwell time at stations. It was a 40 minute journey the other day when it used to take 30 and only one additional station since then

37mins from Ormskirk to Liverpool Central largely due to waiting time at Sandhills so it can drop into the Hunts Cross path.
A bit different over the next few weeks due to Liverpool Central turnaround times with the Hunts Cross line being shut.

 

[childwallblues]

Apart from South Parkway though (and Baltic eventually) I fail to see anything between Central and Hunts Cross that justifies 4tph over the Ormskirk line itself. It is not a super-busy part of the network.

You obviously do not travel on the line to see how many people get on at stations like Aigburth, St Michaels and Brunswick but I agree four carriage trains are sufficient

 

[urbophile]

You obviously do not travel on the line to see how many people get on at stations like Aigburth, St Michaels and Brunswick but I agree four carriage trains are sufficient

Yes I'd much rather have a frequent service of 4-cars than a less frequent one of 8.

 

[KevinTurvey]

I've passed through Liverpool Central a few times this week and have noticed how quiet it is during the southern tunnel closure works, despite 3/4 of the northern services running normally.

 

[Djgr]

I've passed through Liverpool Central a few times this week and have noticed how quiet it is during the southern tunnel closure works, despite 3/4 of the northern services running normally.

Yes. It's a bit of an urban myth that the southern stations are quiet. All pulling in 0.5m to 1m a year.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes. It's a bit of an urban myth that the southern stations are quiet. All pulling in 0.5m to 1m a year.

I don't think anyone thinks they're barely used or anything, they just don't really justify the Southport line level of service i.e. 8 car/4tph on Sundays. Southport uniquely justifies that as it's a big destination - most of the rest of Merseyrail's branch ends are just origins with the vast majority just headed into Liverpool city centre.

 

[jamesst]

I don't think anyone thinks they're barely used or anything, they just don't really justify the Southport line level of service i.e. 8 car/4tph on Sundays. Southport uniquely justifies that as it's a big destination - most of the rest of Merseyrail's branch ends are just origins with the vast majority just headed into Liverpool city centre.

If any line justifies a better evening/ Sunday frequency or 8cars its the Chester line, often standing room only of a weekend/peak time. Unique on Merseyrail for being a city to city line.
However often regarded as the troublesome line and just expected to get on with it

 

[Vinnym]

I don't think anyone thinks they're barely used or anything, they just don't really justify the Southport line level of service i.e. 8 car/4tph on Sundays. Southport uniquely justifies that as it's a big destination - most of the rest of Merseyrail's branch ends are just origins with the vast majority just headed into Liverpool city centre.

Got to agree with you, I am sure trains from Central to Hunts Cross don’t carry any more passengers in the evening when the service reduces to 2tph than the numbers carried on the Ormskirk line. I stand to be corrected. Maybe Merseyrail have realised that and are quite happy at present with the evening schedule to Hunts Cross which must give them a decent saving terminating the Southports at Central.
On another note being a regular on the Ormskirk service, we have lost double set services in the peak. However I travelled from Central a few weeks ago around 1700, first time for a long time. There were still seats available on leaving central and only light standing after departing Moorfields so maybe post covid the peaks are not as busy as they once were.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There were still seats available on leaving central and only light standing after departing Moorfields so maybe post covid the peaks are not as busy as they once were.

Even remembering back to when I was a frequent user of Merseyrail in the 90s a 6 car on a peak Ormskirk (the peak is quite narrow, probably about 1700-1800ish at most) always had loads of spare seats and a 3 car just a few standees. With the 777s being much higher density and slightly longer I can see why a 4 is just about enough to be honest.

You'll also get more standees because some people prefer to stand on short journeys than sit next to someone.

 

[Djgr]

I don't think anyone thinks they're barely used or anything, they just don't really justify the Southport line level of service i.e. 8 car/4tph on Sundays. Southport uniquely justifies that as it's a big destination - most of the rest of Merseyrail's branch ends are just origins with the vast majority just headed into Liverpool city centre.

West Kirby and (to a lesser extent) New Brighton, as places, tend to be rammed with visitors most days.

 

[Vinnym]

I was a frequent traveller in the peak evening on the Ormskirk, pre covid and the 6 cars then were rammed, me thinks more people working from home allows 4 car to suffice at present.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was a frequent traveller in the peak evening on the Ormskirk, pre covid and the 6 cars then were rammed, me thinks more people working from home allows 4 car to suffice at present.

Interesting - that probably means it's got busier since the 90s, which surprises me! I suppose the city has seen rather a resurgence.

182 seats in a 777 as against 192 in a 507, interestingly, I had expected the 777 to be higher, not lower, but perhaps the larger amount of standing space makes a highly loaded one seem less crowded.

 

[Prime586]

Interesting - that probably means it's got busier since the 90s, which surprises me! I suppose the city has seen rather a resurgence.

There have been massive housing developments built (and still under construction) on the farmland between the railway line and M58 (up to and including land that used to be part of Park Lane secure hospital) in the last 10 years, with the Maghull North station being built to serve them. A large new estate was also built on part of the former industrial estate on Orrell Lane.

 

[Ellis101]

The journey from Liverpool to Ormskirk seems to be getting longer and longer and increased dwell time at stations. It was a 40 minute journey the other day when it used to take 30 and only one additional station since then

Ignoring the engineering works, I remember the assertion that journeys like Liverpool Central to Southport would be 10–25% quicker with the new trains before they arrived; this seemed to be wishful thinking.

The last-minute retrofit of the guard system created a mess that has extended dwell times considerably.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 19:52 ==

If any line justifies a better evening/ Sunday frequency or 8cars its the Chester line, often standing room only of a weekend/peak time. Unique on Merseyrail for being a city to city line.
However often regarded as the troublesome line and just expected to get on with it

Standing is more common than you think on Merseyrail, especially during peak-time trips on the Hunts Cross Branch; in my experience, trains often pause at Brunswick for a few minutes because passengers attempt to board despite limited space (people dislike being late for work).

Example below of a normal weekday morning!
View attachment 8mb.video-84t-by2dakEi.mp4

 

[Class450/4DES]

Standing is more common than you think on Merseyrail, especially during peak-time trips on the Hunts Cross Branch; in my experience, trains often pause at Brunswick for a few minutes because passengers attempt to board despite limited space (people dislike being late for work).

Out of the 4 or 5 journeys with Merseyrail, I think I only got to sit down a fair few times. Most of the trains I think on were really busy.

 

[Djgr]

Out of the 4 or 5 journeys with Merseyrail, I think I only got to sit down a fair few times. Most of the trains I think on were really busy.

Yeah they are. Indeed so are pretty much all trains in the North West. I do wonder where all these services are that carrying fresh air?