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Probably just coincidence in timing, most of the time I pass through Moor Street they're open! Fairly common for Platform 1 to be open when the main entrance is in. Were there similar breaks when they use to have human manned podium/gate checks back in London Midland days?

If you look at the diagrams on Tracksy today, it suggests the lines around Tyseley depot are shut (although I think generally the idea is less routes are running to consolidate available signalling staff on fewer lines?). Pretty sure Soho is in house too, however the Cross City line is still...

I can't see that staff can be sensibly redeployed to other front-line duties at many suburban rail stations, would they mainly be standing next to the single TVM ready to help? Many ticket offices have unusual part-time opening hours, like Jewellery Quarter: 4pm-6pm Fridays and 11am-1pm &...

2019 timetable shows it as 3 coaches although running at the slightly later 0757 time. I wonder if anything could/could've been done to get passenger numbers up on the Whitlock's branch. The (relatively) sparse 30's semi-ds suburbs probably don't help.

Historically, in 2012, one service made the top 10 most overcrowded services statistics (https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/dec/19/crunch-time-most-overcrowded-train). (Not sure if the 150s were still in operation then?) Certainly pre-covid, all 5pm hour Birmingham - Whitlocks trains were...

Just for the takes of comparison, taking a look at the oldest and newest historic timetables in my collection... Shirley (since Whitlocks wasn't the terminus then) had the following departure times into Birmingham: May 1992: 0700, 0723, 0738, 0753, 0808, 0819, 0835, 0903, 0930, 0953...

Would that not be expected on most commuter/urban lines?

Generally, the Snow Hill Lines weren't too unreliable. I think the thing which effects reliability the most, is being staffed/serviced from 3 depots, which often limits Worcester trains from turning back trains to make up time, meaning more often Whitlock's/Dorridge services face the brunt of...

The important of frequency is a subjective matter, to which each individual will come to their own decisions about. For me, if using the train is a choice, 20 minute frequency is the minimum I need to be content with the service (the maximum extended-wait for cancelled services plays factor...

West Midlands Railway have posted quite detailed and insightful responses to frequently asked questions in their latest Snow Hill Line updates. However in response to "Why can’t we timetable more services and longer trains?", we learn the intention is not to return to the pre-covid 6 trains per...

Might be worth noting here as a partial sigh of relief, according to Chiltern, the engineering works around Tyseley will still be going ahead. https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/strike Having asked earlier via Twitter, it seems the rail replacement buses which were going to be running on the...

Breakdown of results has been given: https://twitter.com/andy4wm/status/1536739866482028545

Maybe the locals will start calling the area "Pineapple Village" and the station name will later better reflect the area. It's certainly more intuitive when someone you're going to visit says they live in "xyzTown" if the station is "xyzTown" or "xyzTown {Suffix}", obviously another station to...

Ah thank you! Last I heard was that it was meant to open as a incomplete space for use as a holding-pen the day before the games (think that was said on BBC Midlands Today in an interview with Andy Street near the start of the year)! I can't bear to imagine what it will be like for games-goers...

What are your thoughts on it being complete in time for the games? I've stopped commuting daily to University daily now, but my layman's feelings weren't feeling too positive towards the end.

All the 172s have been retrofitted with DOO cameras too. Bletchleyite's recall of the franchise commitments are correct.

Are engineers due to strike? Two of the strike dates coincide with closures around Tyseley so wonder if these are likely go ahead/take longer etc.?

Wolverhampton/Rugeley - Birmingham International/Coventry (avoiding New Street) via Bescot/Aston South Junction (to Stechford) is often used for WCML diversions if there's an issue on the Trent Valley. (Wrexham and Shropshire use to regularly use that route.)

Birmingham New Street has a Red, Green & Blue Zone to help identify where to go, to get to the correct platform segment to catch your train. This has been in place since the refurbished station opened, but has more recently been enhanced with departure boards gaining appropriately coloured LEDs...

As someone who is very pro "light themes" (as I find "dark themes" harder to read - get eye strain) - I can somewhat assure that they still stand out clearly - the absent of normal light reflections is surprisingly very noticeable - they stand out much better than the previous blue signage...