One would like to thing this has been introduced based on planned passenger numbers along with future housing developments near stations. There will be a reason why it isn't calling there, be that resilience or otherwise.
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West Midlands Trains "Destination Manchester" - will it happen?
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Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
What is the future housing developments projection figure for the Alderley Edge area that will increase the current population there?
Asides from a odd few mansions here and there, not a lot. AFIK there's no plans for any development in the area. The closest is a patch of land between Wilmslow High school and the Bypass on the southern side, which would be better served by Wilmslow station anyway.
It's taking over the NT path in a quantum sense, but the path to/from Airport and Crewe is different to allow the rest of the path to work, based on how the paths are currently presented for Dec 26.
frodshamfella
Established Member
I wondered that, seems a bit odd
As has been pointed out on here many times already, it's not about connecting Birmingham to Manchester Airport (though there will be people making that journey due to more choice of flights/destinations).I wondered that, seems a bit odd
It's almost 2 services that cross over into another. It allows Stoke and Stone a direct train to Birmingham again, and allows them a connection to the airport too. It also allows the likes of Willenhall/Darlaston/Tame Bridge a quicker connection to Stafford for connections north etc.
Nobody is expecting it to be full of end-to-end travellers. But it will be busy on the whole.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Exactly. Would probably be classed as a low growth area then given it's relatively low current patronage.
Transilien
Member
Will this service do anything to help the notoriously overcrowded Manchester-Birmingham cross country services? Because if not, this service has no point in existing.
I'm sure LNWR will do their usual thing and offer 'LNWR & Northern' routed tickets via the airport as well as directly supplementing stoke-wolverhampton-birmingham
As SCDR_WMR said just before your post, this train isn't necessarily designed for end to end travellers but is two services stitched together to serve different travel patterns. A Stoke and surrounding areas service to Manchester Airport and Birmingham, and a connection for stations on the Walsall-Wolverhampton line connections northwards to Crewe and Stafford.
I'm surprised about Alderley Edge being omitted; when the paths were first defined in or before 2018 they required the service to be semi-fast to give enough turn-around time at Crewe, and indeed generally prevented Styal calls because of this. But the post-2018 timetable seems to have sorted this out, and whilst I can see why Chelford and Goostrey don't get calls I'm surprised if Alderley Edge doesn't.
If the service had existed years ago when I used to go to Birmingham frequently then, yes, I'd have used it. I avoided the dreadful overcrowded XC services even though going via Stockport is a permitted route, and I'd use connecting services into/out of the Birmingham-Liverpool services at Crewe.
As for travelling by train to airports, I can only say that my experience will hardly be unique in that I've used the train to Liverpool, Leeds/Bradford, Birmingham, Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow airports in the past from quick memory. For me I'm happy taking a train for a single hop journey in preference to flying from my very local Manchester airport and having to change. Ironically I've given up using the train to/from Manchester Airport because it became too unreliable and pay for a taxi instead nowadays.
If the service had existed years ago when I used to go to Birmingham frequently then, yes, I'd have used it. I avoided the dreadful overcrowded XC services even though going via Stockport is a permitted route, and I'd use connecting services into/out of the Birmingham-Liverpool services at Crewe.
As for travelling by train to airports, I can only say that my experience will hardly be unique in that I've used the train to Liverpool, Leeds/Bradford, Birmingham, Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow airports in the past from quick memory. For me I'm happy taking a train for a single hop journey in preference to flying from my very local Manchester airport and having to change. Ironically I've given up using the train to/from Manchester Airport because it became too unreliable and pay for a taxi instead nowadays.
People often don't realise that Transport for Wales have limited calls at Alderley Edge too, not huge numbers at the moment, but 2/3 trains most days. If Alderley Edge does need more trains from the Crewe direction (which is somewhat of a stretch, given vast majority of traffic is mainly to/from Manchester), a couple of select Class 197 services may be viable in the future. 1W01 also goes fast to Manchester via Styal.
The Planner
Veteran Member
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Of course it does, its serving entirely different markets.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
Having spoken to a few contacts who use the Styal Line, I shall note one particular comment....."How much extra time will this add to a regular working-day direct train journey from Gatley to Wilmslow and return"
Assuming the airport to Piccadilly stopper retains it's timings, and judging the timings based on the timings at Crewe for the LNR service to Birmingham via stoke, id estimate leaving gatley at the same time, arriving in Wilmslow around 10 minutes later than at present. And on the return, leaving Wilmslow about the same time northbound, getting to gatley at the same time.
Unless that 10 minutes In Wilmslow in the morning would make them late, hence having yo travel on the earlier service, the impact to working days would be almost negligible
Rail Ranger
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Train services from Alderley Edge to be reduced - alderleyedge.com
Kite159
Veteran Member
I can see the merit in extending the Crewe - Stafford shuttle back to Birmingham via Tame Bridge (maybe at the same time putting the Shrewsbury stopper back to running via Smethwick to cut journey time lol). But extending to Manchester Airport just seems a repeat of the failed 2019 (?) timetable of London - Rugeley/Liverpool via Birmingham.
At the moment the shuttle can use bay platforms 2-4 at Crewe, but extending to the Airport it will need to use P1 or P5 (P6 if they want it to cross the WCML twice). And Crewe is a busy junction station where an on time Manchester bound service can lose time waiting for a platform, especially if it is planned to run behind a fast service.
How many people are crying out for a direct train from Longport to Manchester Airport etc?
At the moment the shuttle can use bay platforms 2-4 at Crewe, but extending to the Airport it will need to use P1 or P5 (P6 if they want it to cross the WCML twice). And Crewe is a busy junction station where an on time Manchester bound service can lose time waiting for a platform, especially if it is planned to run behind a fast service.
How many people are crying out for a direct train from Longport to Manchester Airport etc?
Rail Ranger
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Also the remaining Northern service into Crewe will stand in platform 1 at Crewe from 58 to 46 from May 2027 unless it goes into a siding (which may be the plan).
OrangeJuice
Member
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This is what has happened on Sundays and the evenings before where it shunts to the siding outside platform 1 on the north side
Thanks, the first comment text:Train services from Alderley Edge to be reduced. I have sent a correction pointing out that Alderley Edge to Crewe will be reduced to one train per hour from May 2027. The first comment details remaining Northern services between Manchester Airport and Crewe from May 2027.Train services from Alderley Edge to be reduced - alderleyedge.com
www.alderleyedge.com
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frodshamfella
Established Member
Quite , it wont be full of passengers from Birmingham going to Manchester Airport, there is no point for the air passenger.