Calder Valley DMUs

[Bungle965]

RTT shows the Leeds trains terminating in Littleborough Platform 1 and departing from Platform 2 six minutes later, so presumably there will be a shunt move over the crossover.

That's good.
Sam

 

[willbaforceday]

Any idea what is going to be allocated to this? Guessing it would have to be from Neville Hill rather than Newton Heath?

 

[willbaforceday]

Anyone know if any changes are coming in with the new timetable in May? Guessing that the new Northern franchise would want to have a complete overhaul of the system?

 

[northwichcat]

Anyone know if any changes are coming in with the new timetable in May? Guessing that the new Northern franchise would want to have a complete overhaul of the system?

Timetables don't usually change that much in May and changes take a long time to get implemented due to having to get approval to run extra services (and approval only being given if paths exist) and crew training being required to use different rolling stock. Don't expect any changes until December 2017 unless you've heard otherwise.

 

[edwin_m]

I imagine Northern's timetables will stay very much as they are until there is enough new stock available to do a re-cast and probably launch the Connect branding at the same time.

 

[Jamesb1974]

Deleted

 

[northwichcat]

I imagine Northern's timetables will stay very much as they are until there is enough new stock available to do a re-cast and probably launch the Connect branding at the same time.

Recasts are supposed to happen December 2017 and December 2019, Northern Connect is supposed to be launched when the new stock starts arriving in 2018. So in the case of say Chester to Leeds the service will launch in December 2017 probably using Sprinters and then get new trains in 2018. The GWR 150/1s are supposed to be joining Northern in 2017 as well as 12 x 319s for the newly electrified routes.

 

[deltic08]

Wow. What a strange post. Have you tried the other rolling stock on these routes? 158's are by far the best you can hope for!

I thought the same. They are noisy but no more so than any other Northern DMU.

Scotrail seems to prefer 158s to 170s.

 

[northwichcat]

I thought the same. They are noisy but no more so than any other Northern DMU.

Scotrail seems to prefer 158s to 170s.

Abellio won the Scotrail franchise with a bid saying they would replace all 170s with either refurbished HSTs or EMUs, that went down well with Transport Scotland and they won the bidding as TS wanted 'proper Intercity trains' on Scotrail routes. However, TS had a change of heart and decided it would be better if some of the 170s were kept to allow extra capacity and newer trains so revised the agreement (and increased the subsidy) to allow that.

 

[lejog]

Since Christmas it seems that three car 158s have been appearing on Victoria to Leeds services, as well as Blackpool-York services where they were already common.

I missed the 8.34am Blackpool-York service at Hebden Bridge on Friday, but it was a three car 158, as were the 8.42 to Victoria, the 8.49 from Victoria (which I caught) and the 8.52 to Blackpool. That's four of Northern's total of eight in 20mins.

 

[willbaforceday]

Something has gone badly wrong at Northern Rail recently. The 7.12 Manchester Victoria to Leeds always used to be a 3 car 158. Now its down to a 2 car 158. I always check the live distruptions page on Northerns website before I set off and occasionally when it used to be 2 cars instead of 3 it would say. Now it doesnt appear at all. Is this the norm for Northerns last few months of operation? Trains so full that they are leaving people behind! No more seats left at Hebden Bridge. No more space at all by Halifax!

 

[northwichcat]

Something has gone badly wrong at Northern Rail recently. The 7.12 Manchester Victoria to Leeds always used to be a 3 car 158. Now its down to a 2 car 158. I always check the live distruptions page on Northerns website before I set off and occasionally when it used to be 2 cars instead of 3 it would say. Now it doesnt appear at all. Is this the norm for Northerns last few months of operation? Trains so full that they are leaving people behind! No more seats left at Hebden Bridge. No more space at all by Halifax!