A very Quick Question, are Arriva taking the Allocation of this line down from 3 Cars to just 2 cars? I am a regular user of this Line between Newton-Le-Willows and Manchester the last 6 times i have used it i have been given a a 2 Car Train (5 times where a 2 Car 175 class and Yesterday it was a 158 Class) Its really starting to do my headin as i always find myself stood up or sat facing a Toilet.
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Arriva Trains Wales Llandudno - Manchester Line allocations
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merlodlliw
Established Member
Others will know better,The 0712 and 0740 services have been strengthened from 3 car 175s to 4 car 158s, the traffic on this line between Chester & Manchester is enormous,the results of the WG North Wales Rail quango will report in May,leaks suggest they will recommend better & new services between Chester/Liverpool/Manchester/Wrexham, but then the services have to be delivered.
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
1 circuit is booked a 158 (2 Car) but all the others are booked 3 Car 175s. What turns up on the day may not be what is diagrammed so perhaps you have just been unlucky or always travel on the 158.
It is all down to the availability of the class 175's there have been some accidents with 3-car 175's recently and they have been in for repairs so it is either a 2 car 175 or a 2 car 158 if there is not any availability for a 3 car. It is not down to ATW as they will request a 3-car but unfortunately if they are not available for traffic a 2 car is better than nothing if that is all Alstom can provide.
Gareth Marston
Established Member
You then get 2 cars running instead of 4 on the Cambrian as they are used to cover for 175's it doesn't take much to go wrong with ATW and the impacts start.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
2-car 175 this morning on 1146 Manchester Pic-Llandudno (incoming train shuffled round from P14 to P8 via Longsight because of the line closure at Warrington, to return via CLC).
Also a 150 on a South Wales service.
2-car 175 also this morning on the 0944 Llandudno-Manchester and therefore the 1246 return.
Very cosy on the run into Manchester!
ValleyLines142
Established Member
I believe only two diagrams on the Cardiff to Manchester corridor are now 2-car 175s. The rest are all 3 car 175s.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
If you were on this train you would have seen that the internal PIS showed We are now at Manchester Piccadilly. The next stop is Manchester Airport - all the way from at least Chester to Manchester... :cry:
Indeed!
The diversions via the Mid-Cheshire seemed to play havoc with the PIS!
I was particularly amused to be told when passing slowly on to Stockport Viaduct that we were "now approaching Manchester Piccadilly"
We forum members should really start to carry folded copies of "The Times" or some other such means of identification!
northwichcat
Veteran Member
They should have left the Mid-Cheshire line stopper in the system from FNW days to confuse things further. The Mid-Cheshire line was never programmed in correctly in the first place as at the time 5 stations were request stops but the PIS didn't allow for that. Also confusingly the approx 06:50 Chester-Altrincham-Manchester service which was booked as a 175 appeared in the FNW timetable as a Chester-Altrincham-Manchester Oxford Rd service with a footnote saying it continued to Llandudno via Warrington. However, the PIS told everyone that the train terminated at Piccadilly.
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Just seen a post elsewhere indicating overcrowding problems on Northern services between Altrincham and Manchester yesterday partly due to Metrolink not running (there can be overcrowding problems when Metrolink is running) and the ATW 175s were running through Altrincham with plenty of empty seats.
Is there a reason why yesterday 09:55 Oxford Road-Llandudno started from Oxford Road rather than Piccadilly, I'm pretty sure unless I could be mistaken I saw the unit for this service pass through Piccadilly on ECS about 10mins or so before it was due to leave Oxford Road
Presumably because the diverted 0816 VT from Birmingham to Carlisle stopped at platform 14 from 0948-0951, thus talking it's path.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y81862/2014/04/19/advanced
By starting the Llandudno at Oxford Rd, the diverted VT could overtake it. But then again, you would think that if the ATW service came ECS from Piccadilly, it could have been advertised to depart from thence 10 minutes or so earlier, and then be looped at Oxford Rd, so perhaps the earlier path from Mayfield siding did not allow time to stop and pick-up at platform 14.
For the rest of the day, VT had platform 14 and the 0048-0051 slot for their diverted northbound services, but this did not effect any other ATWs, as, because of the same blockade at Warrington, they themselves were diverted from 1046 via the Mid-Cheshire line, so departed from platform 8 in the Stockport direction.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y81862/2014/04/19/advanced
By starting the Llandudno at Oxford Rd, the diverted VT could overtake it. But then again, you would think that if the ATW service came ECS from Piccadilly, it could have been advertised to depart from thence 10 minutes or so earlier, and then be looped at Oxford Rd, so perhaps the earlier path from Mayfield siding did not allow time to stop and pick-up at platform 14.
For the rest of the day, VT had platform 14 and the 0048-0051 slot for their diverted northbound services, but this did not effect any other ATWs, as, because of the same blockade at Warrington, they themselves were diverted from 1046 via the Mid-Cheshire line, so departed from platform 8 in the Stockport direction.
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ATW are still having problems with their 175s. On Saturday I travelled from Neath to Manchester, was on the 0906 Neath, therefore the 0955 departure from Cardiff Central. At Cardiff there was an announcement there was a problem with the set and engineers were working on it, passengers for Newport were advised to transfer to the 1000 Taunton service which was on the next platform which indicated we could be a while. Fortunately just after 10am we were off but there was an announcement after Shrewbury that the set would get taken out of service at Crewe and replaced with a new set (I assume from Chester depot??). In fairness to ATW they had the other set ready and waiting on the next platform and everyone was kept well informed, albeit that the replacement set was a 2 car 175 not the 3 that was booked. Someone was ranting to someone else about the silliness of a 2 car on such a busy service between Crewe and Manchester and not having the seat reservations! I really felt like saying it wasnt Arriva's fault and they did well to find a replacement set at all, otherwise it could have been a cancelled train at Crewe and either use Northern Rail/Virgin Trains to get to Manchester or wait an hour for the next ATW. As it was we arrived into Manchester about 6 or 7 mins late.
As we departed Crewe I could see the out of service set going on the line towards Chester so I assume it would be worked on there. The 1330 return journey to Pembroke Dock was then obviously short formed as a 2 car 175. Not sure whether it would have had seat reservations? I also noticed another 175 on another platform at Piccadilly (ours went onto platform 3 when usually its almost always 8 or 9 when ive been there) think this other set was on Platform 8, it said out of service on the front, so did another set fail? I think it was a 3 car.
I hadnt realised all but 2 of the Milford-Carmarthen-Cardiff-Manchester diagrams were 3 car now. Which two diagrams are 2 car still? Does this mean Holyhead-Cardiff are mostly 2 cars then?
As we departed Crewe I could see the out of service set going on the line towards Chester so I assume it would be worked on there. The 1330 return journey to Pembroke Dock was then obviously short formed as a 2 car 175. Not sure whether it would have had seat reservations? I also noticed another 175 on another platform at Piccadilly (ours went onto platform 3 when usually its almost always 8 or 9 when ive been there) think this other set was on Platform 8, it said out of service on the front, so did another set fail? I think it was a 3 car.
I hadnt realised all but 2 of the Milford-Carmarthen-Cardiff-Manchester diagrams were 3 car now. Which two diagrams are 2 car still? Does this mean Holyhead-Cardiff are mostly 2 cars then?
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LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
That would have been the Llandudno service, diverted into the main station because of engineering work at Warrington.
It usually parks up at Mayfield siding for the best part of an hour before working back west, but during the weekend it would have parked in the station instead.
You were luckier than the following Cardiff service on Saturday - that was a 150.
That would have been the Llandudno service, diverted into the main station because of engineering work at Warrington.
It usually parks up at Mayfield siding for the best part of an hour before working back west, but during the weekend it would have parked in the station instead.
You were luckier than the following Cardiff service on Saturday - that was a 150.
The next train up from Cardiff was a 150 (and then down from Manchester?) I dont actually mind a 150 (but prefer a 175 or 158), ive done Manchester to Cardiff on one of them before and ive done Neath to Milford and back on one. The only ATW units I avoid at all costs are pacers and they never venture up North from Cardiff as apparently the northern ATW staff not trained on them.
Ive noticed there is almost always 175 for the North West coast parked at the Mayfield sidings whenever ive gone to Manchester. On Monday morning when I left Manchester to make the journey home it was a pair of 158s which I understand are booked for that service in the morning.
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Gareth Marston
Established Member
The pair split at Chester on way back to Wales front nit goes fast to Holyhead rear does topper to Llandundo and stays in Manchester circuit.
Interesting picture in RAIL Mag of 4 ATW owned MK3's being hauled to LNWR for refurb.
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
As well as Northern ATW staff not signing Pacers, they are authorised to work beyond Craven Arms (The Network Rail Boundary) and then OK on Northern metals further on. The Llandudno to Manchesters always stable at Mayfield until time to return.
ValleyLines142
Established Member
I believe the 0503, 0615 and 1302 Carmarthen to Manchester services are still 2 cars.
The 0910 and 1308 Milford Haven to Manchester services are now 3 car 175s, as well as the 1702 Carmarthen to Manchester.
In terms of Holyhead to Cardiff services, the 0628, 0805 and 1434 are booked for 2 cars. The 0425, 1040, 1232 and 1650 Holyhead to Cardiff services are booked for 3 cars.
The 0721, 1121 and 1721 from Cardiff are 3 cars, and the 0921, 1321, 1521 and 1934 services from Cardiff are 2 cars.
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