Atherstone & Polesworth?

[MCR247]

Does anyone know if, like Stone, these stations had any trains before the LM stopper?

 

[mindfeeder]

Don't know if it helps, but Polesworth didn't have any services for something like 2 years between 2005 and 2007. I think.

 

[MCR247]

That does help, thanks

 

[Geezertronic]

Don't know if it helps, but Polesworth didn't have any services for something like 2 years between 2005 and 2007. I think.

If memory serves, Polesworth only receives a token northbound train a day. Apparently the southbound platform cannot be accessed by passengers since the Trent Valley was upgraded and a footbridge was removed so the station is effectively useless

 

[mindfeeder]

If memory serves, Polesworth only receives a token northbound train a day. Apparently the southbound platform cannot be accessed by passengers since the Trent Valley was upgraded and a footbridge was removed so the station is effectively useless

That would be correct, think the only Northbound train is to Crewe (from Northampton) and calls at Polesworth around 7am.

Very surprised Polesworth hasn't been seriously considered for closure. Although I believe the West Midlands Strategic Rail Authority (I think that's what they call themselves) have recommended it is closed.

 

[The Planner]

Costs too much, thus the parliamentry service it gets.

 

[AlexS]

Polesworth and Norton Bridge were both victims of the WC upgrade, along with quite a lot of other local services. Provided the gleaming 9 coach dildos can get through carrying fresh air for much of the day, who cares about local trains.

 

[matt]

As there is a road bridge next to the station surely it wouldn't be too hard to reopen the southbound platform by just buying the corner of the field next to the station and making a path.

 

[tbtc]

Polesworth and Norton Bridge were both victims of the WC upgrade, along with quite a lot of other local services. Provided the gleaming 9 coach dildos can get through carrying fresh air for much of the day, who cares about local trains.

Despite the groundswell of opinion behind "Trent Valley stations should have a significant service to places further north", the reality is that "local" stations south of Stafford generally have a better service nowadays than they used to have.

The hourly LM service means everywhere on the line has a clockface hourly service to all the other local stations. Before VHF/ LM there were random stops at Nuneaton/ Tamworth/ Lichfield/ Rugeley on long distance services, but very few trains between these stations, and certainly not a regular service that would be of use to people living there.

Personally I'd rather see a half hourly LM stopper to Crewe (one via Northampton, the other via Stoke), but the 350 is still miles better than what most stations used to get. The only real exception is Nuneaton, which I thought deserved a stop in one of the hourly long distance services.

 

[AlexS]

I'm not referring to the actual service on the TV per sé which seems fairly reasonable - more these 2 stations were effectively closed by stealth to do the upgrade - before the upgrade there were 2 perfectly servicable stations, the upgrade buggered them up and they weren't put back due to 'cost effectiveness'.

Add that to the Cheshire local trains cock up, the West Midlands Wolverhampton to Coventry corridor local services mess about and so on and it's caused quite a quantity of disruption.

Certainly a lot of the Birmingham and Manchester trains seem half empty during the day - I don't ever have a problem getting bottom whack advance tickets the day before.

 

[tbtc]

a lot of the Birmingham and Manchester trains seem half empty during the day - I don't ever have a problem getting bottom whack advance tickets the day before.

Half empty Voyagers?

Rock bottom fares on Cross Country services?

Certainly not the case on the "north east" branch of the "cross"

 

[AlexS]

No, the London Euston to Birmingham New Street and London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly 27 carriages an hour (plus another 4 London Midland carriages to Birmingham) to each that run and soak up capacity?

Don't see how an XC Voyager could even be implied to affect Polesworth!

 

[tbtc]

No, the London Euston to Birmingham New Street and London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly 27 carriages an hour (plus another 4 London Midland carriages to Birmingham) to each that run and soak up capacity?

Don't see how an XC Voyager could even be implied to affect Polesworth!

Sorry, because you then went on to talk about Cheshire trains and then mentioned "Birmingham and Manchester trains" I thought you were on about the trains between Birmingham and Manchester, hence my Cross Country comments

 

[Zoe]

No, the London Euston to Birmingham New Street and London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly 27 carriages an hour (plus another 4 London Midland carriages to Birmingham) to each that run and soak up capacity?

One reason for this is that they run turn up and go frequencies but don't have any affordable turn up and go fares.

 

[thewolf]

Out of interest, does anyone have details/timetables of the sort of service that the Trent Valley stations got before the upgrade?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

From what I can remember there were 5/6 Rugby/Nuneaton-Stafford local trains serving all stations before upgrades, and there were no weekend service at all. This stopped with VHF, or in Polesworth's case when the bridge was removed, and was changed to the current LM service.

 

[Zoe]

Out of interest, does anyone have details/timetables of the sort of service that the Trent Valley stations got before the upgrade?

As I remember it, Nuneaton got an hourly Liverpool service, Tamworth got a service every 2 hours and Lichfield even fewer services.

 

[MCR247]

The upgrade or pre VHF?

This is the pre VHF service pattern:
1tph Liverpool-London Euston, 1 extra peak diagram from Liverpool to Euston in the morning of week days (calling pattern, Runcorn, Stafford, Nuneaton, Milton Keynes Central or Watford Junction, the latter two alternated every hour).
2tph Manchester-London Euston, a few peak extras (calling pattern, Stockport, Macclesfield, Stoke), some went via Birmingham giving them and Manchester 3tph.
2tph Birmingham New Street-London Euston (calling pattern, Birmingham International, Coventry, Rugby, Milton Keynes Central or Watford Junction), same as Manchester, additional workings*
1tph Wolverhampton-London Euston via Birmingham to give them the 2nd train per hour (Calling pattern, Sandwell and Dudley, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham Intl, Coventry, Rugby and Watford Junction).
1tph Preston-London Euston, a few started from Lancaster (calling pattern, Wigan, Warrington, Crewe, Milton Keynes Central). Bank holiday reliefs included*.
1 every 2 hours Glasgow Central-London Euston (calling pattern Motherwell, Lockerbie, Carlisle, Penrith, Oxenholme, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Warrington and Crewe).
1 train a day Edinburgh-London Euston via Birmingham.
5 trains per day Holyhead-London Euston (calling pattern, usual shacks along the North Wales Coast, Chester, Crewe).
1 train per day Llandudno-London Euston (calling pattern, same as the above).

 

[MidnightFlyer]

MCR 247:
Only half of Manchester services called at Macclesfield, and additional peak services went via Wilmslow.

Services to Euston, whether from Glasgow or Preston, called at Motherwell (u), Lockerbie (about twice a day), Carlisle, Penrith, Oxenholme, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan NW, Warrington BQ, Crewe, Rugby & MKC/Watford Jn (alternating)

The Euston-Edinburgh service foolowed the above, via the TV, not the West Midlands, and the Bhm-Scotland services remained the same.

 

[87015]

Out of interest, does anyone have details/timetables of the sort of service that the Trent Valley stations got before the upgrade?

Pre-Privatisation and into the early days of Central before it was relegated to a single rocket going backwards and forwards the basic pattern was a local service about every 90 minutes to all, mainly Stafford to Rugby but a fair few services were extended to Stoke/Manchester or ran to Coventry from Nuneaton.

Same for Stoke-Stafford which was equally destroyed. Both services were reasonably well used before the timetables were destroyed.

IC services roughly hourly at Nuneaton, two hourly at Tamworth and infrequent at Lichfield were on top and you had direct trains to most WCML destinations across the day.

 

[lm321412]

Around 2005 or so (can't exactly remember; got the timetable somewhere) Central Trains ran once a day a Crewe - London Euston service around midday I believe? It probably ran under Silverlink from Northampton but its definately down as a Central service to Euston in the timetable...

 

[TheBigD]

Out of interest, does anyone have details/timetables of the sort of service that the Trent Valley stations got before the upgrade?

Winter 2002/2003 SX timetable had Trent valley stoppers as follows...

Southbound:
0656 Stafford-Coventry
1031 Lichfield-Nuneaton
1210 Stafford-Nuneaton
1533 Stafford-Coventry
1928 Stafford-Coventry

Northbound:
0707 Nuneaton-Stafford
0949 Nuneaton-Lichfield
1105 Nuneaton-Stafford
1325 Nuneaton-Stafford
1715 Coventry-Stafford

All services were operated by 153's.

 

[TheWalrus]

could they put a crossover at polesworth so trains in both directions call at the one platform?

 

[Zoe]

could they put a crossover at polesworth so trains in both directions call at the one platform?

It would be pointless as you'd need to cross the busy fast lines to access it. It would be easier to just install a new footbridge at the station but this isn't justified.

 

[The Planner]

Its not bi-directional on all 4 lines so you couldnt do it anyway and as Zoe said, trying to cross against both fast lines isnt the cleverest thing to try and do.

 

[TheWalrus]

Ah right ok.

 

[Crossover]

I have a feeling that may be partly why they cut the Rugeley TV service back to there rather than running it to Stafford.

Naturally, it was partly done because of the new Euston stopper service so it wasn't really required but if my working is correct, Southbound, the service had to cross from Platform 6 of Stafford, across all the lines and then at Rugeley had to go back from the Up Slow, across both Fast Lines, across the down slow and into the branch it has. Northbound wouldn;t have been such a problem for obvious reasons.

Thats now meant that Rugeley TV gets 2 services an hour to New St now as opposed to the one it used to get

 

[Mojo]

Thats now meant that Rugeley TV gets 2 services an hour to New St now as opposed to the one it used to get

Until the December timetable change.

You are right, it was advertised that due to the Trent Valley locals the service would be cut back to Rugeley with connecting electric trains continuing towards Stafford.

 

[MCR247]

What happens after December? Where will the 170s go?

 

[87015]

What happens after December? Where will the 170s go?

Nothing, the threat to reduce the two trains per hour has been fought off again this year.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You are right, it was advertised that due to the Trent Valley locals the service would be cut back to Rugeley with connecting electric trains continuing towards Stafford.

Funny definition of connections mind!! Its a lovely place to spend an hour when they can't be bothered to hold it for the late running 350/DMU, top passenger facilities available...