An idea for improving Cross Country

[RobShipway]

The issue about changing trains doesn't seem to be consistent; for example many services which used the Castlefield corridor and provided direct links have been truncated at Piccadilly with people now having to change; Bolton also had its Scotland service removed for many years bur people said this was alright as it suited the timetable.
However, in this case you're saying it's necessary to retain direct links between the South Coast & Birmingham which are probably no more important than some of the above examples where direct services have been removed.

I'll use the Scotland-Manchester again to make a different point. Currently there are pick up/set down restrictions at Bolton (with some services not stopping at all) to reduce overcrowding and make the journey more pleasant for longer distance passengers. Why not do the same for Wolverhampton on the CC Manchester services? A lot of passengers use the service just to make the B'ham-Wolves hop and the train gets overcrowded as a result. I bet there are some WMT services running lightly loaded between B'ham-Wolves, so why not fill these up by removing Wolverhampton from the Manchester-Bournemouth and reduce overcrowding on this at the same time?

I would if I was you actually travel on the services that you mention. Admittedly, it is prior to Covid, but I have previously travelled on the Bournemouth - Manchester service and there was quite a few people that got off at Wolverhampton. Not all the people that got off at Wolverhampton where travelling from Birmingham. Many where further where from further afield.

But let me ask you this, given the choice between travelling from Manchester to Birmingham on CC or travelling on an LNWR service if there is one from Manchester to Birmingham that stopped at every station enroute, which would you choose? I bet that it would be the CC service as it is quicker A to B. So how are the people travelling between Birmingham and Wolverhampton any different? I would also bet that there is a lot of people travelling on any Avanti West Coast service between Birmingham and Wolverhampton as well for the same reason as travelling on CC. Although, unlike CC I believe that when Avanti West Coast trains stop at Wolverhampton it is for passengers getting off only, depending on where the train is travelling too.

 

[The Planner]

The issue about changing trains doesn't seem to be consistent; for example many services which used the Castlefield corridor and provided direct links have been truncated at Piccadilly with people now having to change; Bolton also had its Scotland service removed for many years bur people said this was alright as it suited the timetable.
However, in this case you're saying it's necessary to retain direct links between the South Coast & Birmingham which are probably no more important than some of the above examples where direct services have been removed.

I'll use the Scotland-Manchester again to make a different point. Currently there are pick up/set down restrictions at Bolton (with some services not stopping at all) to reduce overcrowding and make the journey more pleasant for longer distance passengers. Why not do the same for Wolverhampton on the CC Manchester services? A lot of passengers use the service just to make the B'ham-Wolves hop and the train gets overcrowded as a result. I bet there are some WMT services running lightly loaded between B'ham-Wolves, so why not fill these up by removing Wolverhampton from the Manchester-Bournemouth and reduce overcrowding on this at the same time?

They use XC between Wolves and New St as its the fastest service out of all the TOCs. Its 16 minutes of inconvenience. The next fastest services are the WMT Liverpool, Avanti Scotland and the TfW services.

 

[6Gman]

I'll use the Scotland-Manchester again to make a different point. Currently there are pick up/set down restrictions at Bolton (with some services not stopping at all) to reduce overcrowding and make the journey more pleasant for longer distance passengers. Why not do the same for Wolverhampton on the CC Manchester services? A lot of passengers use the service just to make the B'ham-Wolves hop and the train gets overcrowded as a result. I bet there are some WMT services running lightly loaded between B'ham-Wolves, so why not fill these up by removing Wolverhampton from the Manchester-Bournemouth and reduce overcrowding on this at the same time?

Because Wolverhampton is a significant market in its own right (population 250k?) and it's also a recommended connecting point for some flows (to take pressure off New Street). How are people supposed to travel from Wolves to Stoke or Manchester? Change at Stafford or Crewe?

 

[cle]

It’s by far and away the largest city/settlement, and busiest station, between Birmingham and Manchester. And definitely has a lot of its own flows which are not all Birmingham dependent. Also an interchange too. And great football team.

If anything Stafford and Macclesfield could be served on every other.