Cross Country Cancellations - Emergency Timetable

[Iskra]

It’s a real shame that the problem has been allowed to get this far with what seems like no intervention, the reliability of services has been dire for sometime but nothing seems to be done about it, and their answer is to cut more services during one of the busiest times of the year for rail travel, Management/DfT/someone should really have been looking at this to prevent it happening.

Totally agree, but it's been like this for years now. Do we think this Emergency Timetable is a bit of a plea for extra resources from the DFT? All these TOC's having problems, are the same ones that have been having issues for years, it's the underlying distribution (or lack altogether) of resources that needs addressing. It's a real shame as with how packed the trains are on XC, if they actually ran longer trains and a reliable service, there seems to be a good platform for some strong growth.

 

[Alfie1014]

On weekdays from August 12th to the 16th, the Newcastle - Reading diagrams are...

08:35 Newcastle to Reading.
14:45 Reading to York.

15:33 Birmingham New Street to Reading.
17:45 Reading to Newcastle.

But the 17:15 off Reading is missing it only runs Bournemouth to Eastleigh, so that creates a 90 minute gap at Reading for departures towards Birmingham between 16:15 to 17:45!

 

[Kite159]

But the 17:15 off Reading is missing it only runs Bournemouth to Eastleigh, so that creates a 90 minute gap at Reading for departures towards Birmingham between 16:15 to 17:45!

And I wouldn't want to be at Oxford when that 17:45 from Reading rocks up. At least for Banbury there is a stopper which runs between the missing Manchester XC & the Newcastle but that doesn't help passengers for Leamington & beyond

 

[XC victim]

And I wouldn't want to be at Oxford when that 17:45 from Reading rocks up. At least for Banbury there is a stopper which runs between the missing Manchester XC & the Newcastle but that doesn't help passengers for Leamington & beyond

Doesn’t help passengers to Coventry either

 

[Kite159]

Doesn’t help passengers to Coventry either

Which was covered with the "& beyond".

No doubt that the 17:45 Reading to Newcastle will be a single 220 for extra comfort. Especially as the GWR service which would follow the 17;15 Manchester skips Reading so the 17:45 will also get extra passengers for Oxford.

 

[Towers]

If ever a train operator screamed “in the name of god please put us out of our misery”, it’s Crosscountry. Utterly unfit for purpose for a generation now, and getting worse. For heaven’s sake someone just pull the plug!

 

[The Planner]

If ever a train operator screamed “in the name of god please put us out of our misery”, it’s Crosscountry. Utterly unfit for purpose for a generation now, and getting worse. For heaven’s sake someone just pull the plug!

And do what with it? There isn't an overnight solution.

 

[BanburyBlue]

I thought things were improving, with some of the Reading/Newcastle's back, and talk of a near back to normal next spring, but obviously not.

So what will happen on the 10 November? Was the 9th November a date pulled out of the hat, or do we think there is a grand plan to get back to normal then?

 

[Senex]

And do what with it? There isn't an overnight solution.

Unfortunately not. But how has the all-interfering DfT over a decade allowed things to get to this state? Who does look out for the interests of the ultimate customers, the passengers?

 

[nw1]

Cross-Country really have fallen from grace since the good old days of the 1980s or even early Virgin.

It seems to have been one disaster after another over the past few years, and even before that, they were prone to horrendous overcrowding at certain times of the week.

Whether it's XC themselves or the (former Tory) government to blame, I'm not entirely sure.

I presume they will double-up the Bournemouth-Manchester services between Reading and Birmingham?

God help anyone trying to do this route if not. I suspect you'll get a lot of people going via London instead and using the WCML or Chiltern.

 

[The Planner]

Unfortunately not. But how has the all-interfering DfT over a decade allowed things to get to this state? Who does look out for the interests of the ultimate customers, the passengers?

Its not all a DfT issue.

 

[nw1]

But the 17:15 off Reading is missing it only runs Bournemouth to Eastleigh, so that creates a 90 minute gap at Reading for departures towards Birmingham between 16:15 to 17:45!

Why is that, engineering works?

 

[Falcon1200]

I presume they will double-up the Bournemouth-Manchester services between Reading and Birmingham?

They certainly should, but don't think they will; Cross Country in Post #1 say that sets released from cancelled services will strengthen North East/South West trains!

 

[Snow1964]

Cross-Country really have fallen from grace since the good old days of the 1980s or even early Virgin.

It seems to have been one disaster after another over the past few years, and even before that, they were prone to horrendous overcrowding at certain times of the week.

If ever a train operator screamed “in the name of god please put us out of our misery”, it’s Crosscountry. Utterly unfit for purpose for a generation now, and getting worse. For heaven’s sake someone just pull the plug!

Even ORR data shows how they have nosedived

Passenger train km 2019-20 was 32.8m
2023-24 had fallen to a mere 23.3m. Dropped 29%

On time (or within a minute) under 50% at lowly 47.2%
Cancellation 8.4% (1 in 12 trains fail to run)

Trains planned down 20% from 101,848 in 2019/20 to just 80,882 in 2023/24 (of which only about 73,000 actually ran allowing for cancellations (so about 27% less services)

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/0fqbvcab/crosscountry-2023-24.pdf

Personally I am baffled how an organisation can lose 27% of its operations in 4 years, and then claim to have shortage of trained staff when its headcount has dropped only 5% from 1983 to 1880

 

[louis97]

I thought things were improving, with some of the Reading/Newcastle's back, and talk of a near back to normal next spring, but obviously not.

If the letter to stakeholders is true this isn't removal of services because they couldn't run them (although honestly they were always the first to be cancelled when there wasn't enough crew). It is to allow training to be sped up to enable a more reliable service sooner than if the services remained in the timetable.

I suspect the timing of the reinstatement is to coincide with the Birmingham Christmas Markets getting into full swing, they start a week ish earlier.

 

[Segedunum]

The 1745 ex-Reading (1927 from New Street) is usually rammed beyond belief on departure from Birmingham so I'm glad they've at least kept that.

It is however, without fail, usually a four-car 220, so this might make for similarly cramped conditions south of Birmingham.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

If ever a train operator screamed “in the name of god please put us out of our misery”, it’s Crosscountry. Utterly unfit for purpose for a generation now, and getting worse. For heaven’s sake someone just pull the plug!

Absolutely but every MP just whinges on about Avanti being the bad boys

 

[Kite159]

Absolutely but every MP just whinges on about Avanti being the bad boys

The key different is that Avanti serve London and XC don't

Just look at the media reports from a few weeks ago with the kickball final, only got mentioned as South Eastern had cancelled some trains (which was a tiny percentage compared to Northern)

 

[The Planner]

I suspect the timing of the reinstatement is to coincide with the Birmingham Christmas Markets getting into full swing, they start a week ish earlier.

Spot on.

 

[Martin_1981]

Still no guarantee that the cancelled services will be reinstated in November. I guess it will be reviewed on a weekly, or at least monthly basis. They will save a lot of money in not having to pay out as much in compensation for cancelled trains.

 

[JonathanH]

Cross-Country really have fallen from grace since the good old days of the 1980s or even early Virgin.

It certainly wasn't top of the pile back then either.

 

[30907]

Why is that, engineering works?

Unlikely. I would assume they can't crew it North of Eastleigh.

 

[nw1]

Unlikely. I would assume they can't crew it North of Eastleigh.

Seems just about no point in running it from Bournemouth to Eastleigh at all in that case, to be quite honest.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Unfortunately not. But how has the all-interfering DfT over a decade allowed things to get to this state? Who does look out for the interests of the ultimate customers, the passengers?

The DfT argue they are looking after the tax-payer interests. It all boils down to who you think should pay for the railways? Those that use them or those that don't?

Obviously those that use the trains say everyone should pay & those that don't say only those that use them should pay.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of both sides, the railway has got to get a grip (like any business) on its costs.

 

[swt_passenger]

Seems just about no point in running it from Bournemouth to Eastleigh at all in that case, to be quite honest.

It’s going to need to run to Eastleigh even if it runs empty, as that’s the overnight depot.

 

[vicbury]

Even ORR data shows how they have nosedived

Passenger train km 2019-20 was 32.8m
2023-24 had fallen to a mere 23.3m. Dropped 29%

On time (or within a minute) under 50% at lowly 47.2%
Cancellation 8.4% (1 in 12 trains fail to run)

Trains planned down 20% from 101,848 in 2019/20 to just 80,882 in 2023/24 (of which only about 73,000 actually ran allowing for cancellations (so about 27% less services)

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/0fqbvcab/crosscountry-2023-24.pdf

Personally I am baffled how an organisation can lose 27% of its operations in 4 years, and then claim to have shortage of trained staff when its headcount has dropped only 5% from 1983 to 1880

Does that cancellation rate account for services that terminate early? I'd suggest the rate of Nottingham - Cardiff services that fail to run between Birmingham / Gloucester and Cardiff is far higher than 8%.

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

I remember being in a meeting several years ago (pre COVID) with all and sundry from the DfT, amongst other departments, where they had an idea about abolishing the XC franchise completely and improving some of the other franchised routes, given that there are almost always alternative services available. Turbostar routes would have been amalgamated into the East and West Midlands franchises.

I can't remember if this ever got as far as being mooted in public, but it all got forgotten about fairly quickly, but the resistance was around people wanting to avoid London, even if it meant a longer, slower journey.

In the new world of GBR, I don't think it makes any sense to have XC as a standalone business. Take an Aberdeen to Penzance service, ideally you'd work it with a ScotRail driver from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, LNER through to Leeds/Doncaster, GWR in Devon and Cornwall and so on. Getting rid of all of these depots which are duplicated along with the management structures would make a far more efficient and reliable railway in the long term, with no loss of front line jobs.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In the new world of GBR, I don't think it makes any sense to have XC as a standalone business.

Totally agree. The only sensible option is to return to an integrated InterCity. It's what basically every other country does, and British exceptionalism is usually wrong.

 

[WAB]

In the new world of GBR, I don't think it makes any sense to have XC as a standalone business. Take an Aberdeen to Penzance service, ideally you'd work it with a ScotRail driver from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, LNER through to Leeds/Doncaster, GWR in Devon and Cornwall and so on. Getting rid of all of these depots which are duplicated along with the management structures would make a far more efficient and reliable railway in the long term, with no loss of front line jobs.

But it still needs people to advocate for the service and promote it, rather than it being the last priority for four different TOUs going their own thing. I do think buying in traincrew and catering would be worthwhile though.

 

[nw1]

Totally agree. The only sensible option is to return to an integrated InterCity. It's what basically every other country does, and British exceptionalism is usually wrong.

Indeed, the ironic thing is that the UK is one of the few European countries to no longer use "InterCity", or translations of the same - even though the name originated in the UK!

The name was good enough for most of Europe to adopt it - but evidently not good enough for our privatised railway!