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Double voyager Bristol parkway
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sprinterguy
Veteran Member
There are a few diagrams each day that provide doubled up Voyager formations between Edinburgh and Bristol Temple Meads on Crosscountry services.
ATW Alex 101
Established Member
Was it the last carriage, or the whole of the rear train?
starrymarkb
Established Member
It'll be heading for Central Rivers. There are a few similar workings both with XC and others where a unit is taken back to the depot on the rear of a service train
ValleyLines142
Established Member
What service was this, if I may ask?
The 10:07 from Manchester Piccadilly treminating at 13:10 in Bristol Temple Meads joins up with the 11:25 from Plymouth to become 13:30 departure for Dundee.
Passengers are not usually allowed to board the front portion (ex Manchester) until both trains are coupled even though it arrives first and does not move until departure. The bit from Plymouth detrains its Bristol passengers and then is brought up to couple. So if your reservations are at the bottom end of the alphabet you can get on first.
Even though it is a big train it is still busy with bargain hunters as it usually provides a large number of 'cheap seats'.
Passengers are not usually allowed to board the front portion (ex Manchester) until both trains are coupled even though it arrives first and does not move until departure. The bit from Plymouth detrains its Bristol passengers and then is brought up to couple. So if your reservations are at the bottom end of the alphabet you can get on first.
Even though it is a big train it is still busy with bargain hunters as it usually provides a large number of 'cheap seats'.
They do this quite often. It makes sitting in a completely wedged 4 car 220 even more annoying knowing there is acres of lovely spare capacity on the back locked out of use..
Eagle
Established Member
Acres of lovely spare unstaffed capacity...
As is the case on every other part of the network when two units are joined together you mean? It's only XC who apparently won't have an unstaffed unit available for use.
That said the last double unit I was in with XC that *was* in use didn't appear to have any staff in the rear unit. The catering was in the front (and announced as such every 32 seconds) and there was no sign of a train manager for over an hour. If it wasn't unstaffed it might as well have been!
Eagle
Established Member
Well you'd need a train manager for both halves, being as they can't walk through (and it would be infeasible to have one person hopping between the two units at each station). At least that's XC's logic. Not quite sure I agree with it but it makes sense at least.
Not entirely sure why changing units at a station is unfeasible. It's certainly how every other TOC with multiple-working without gangway connections manages it.
It's less ridiculous an idea than the concept of having a wedged 4 car voyager with people stood in the vestibules with an empty 5 car one tacked on the back and locked out of use, anyway
It's less ridiculous an idea than the concept of having a wedged 4 car voyager with people stood in the vestibules with an empty 5 car one tacked on the back and locked out of use, anyway
ValleyLines142
Established Member
Another service which does exactly the same movement is the rear portion of 1V64 1306 Edinburgh to Plymouth being left at Bristol Termple Meads, which is then the front unit for 1M77 2000 Bristol to Birmingham. The rear unit is that of what worked 1V63 1607 Manchester to Bristol.
I've observed this myself. 220002 and 220030 were working 1S49 1125 Plymouth to Dundee on 20/09/2012, with 030 working the service from Plymouth and 002 working the ex-1007 from Manchester parked on platform 3. On this day, 030 arrived at Temple Meads at 1329, a minute before it is due to depart. The coupling process took ages for some reason and there were a lot of people boarding, so we ended up departing about five minutes late. In response to your post about being busy, despite being an 8-car train, it was indeed! Luckily I got a seat, even though I was going from BRI to BPW! :P
Why are passengers not allowed to board the unit already at BRI? Is it because the trains won't couple when the Plymouth portion arrives?
Zerothebrake!
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1S49 arrives at Temple Meads from Plymouth on platform 4 - the Driver then has to seek permission from the Signaller to 'pass the cross' into platform 3 in order to couple up to the front portion that has terminated from Man Picc. All of the doors need to be closed and locked on both sets in order for this coupling to take place.Considering that the rear portion didn't arrive until 13.29, it was a pretty good effort if you only departed 5 late.. and this lost time can usually be regained after Cheltenham anyway.
ValleyLines142
Established Member
That is true. However, is it not possible for people to board the ex-MAN portion, then lock the doors and then couple and alight/board the portion from Plymouth, in order to keep to time? Or is that just complicating matters? :P
No I do agree, I arrived at my lecture at UWE on time anyway! The fabulous acceleration of Voyagers certainly helps this too.
Zerothebrake!
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Any delay is usually the result of opening the doors on the Plymouth portion when it arrives on platform 4 as this causes quite a few to panic/flap when they're closed again prior to the departure time in order for the train to draw forward and couple up.If you kept the doors open on the front portion that's already stood in platform 3 until the other train is ready to couple up it would just exacerbate the problem and you'd also have the situation of having people locked on the train with the Driver's desk switched out.Hope you can see where I'm coming from?
ValleyLines142
Established Member
Oh yes, I most definitely do. Thank you. I just wondered if there was a way to ensure a timely departure.
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