Easter services, Leeds, York, Hull and Darlington.

[Mugby]

I'm finding the information available at present regarding Easter weekend a little confusing.

TPE says that the line between York and Leeds is closed and trains will divert via an alternative route, presumably via Castleford and Woodlesford.

Cross Country says that trains WILL operate between Leeds and York but their map shows York to Darlington as closed. The TPE Easter timetable shows trains operating between York and Darlington.

The TPE Hull service is shuttling between Hull and Selby only but why can't this continue via Milford and Castleford to Leeds?

XC havn't published the weekly summary yet, does anyone know if the information is likely to be changed between now and Easter?

 

[yorkie]

The timetable should have been confirmed weeks ago so I doubt there would be any significant planned changes.

It would not be possible to fit (anywhere near) the full service via Castleford, so something has to give! There are two lines through Castleford and only one of these has a platform, which has to cope with the hourly Leeds - Sheffield via Castleford stopper (in both directions) as well as the hourly Leeds - Kottingley service (also in both directions) as well as diverted services.

 

[30907]

The text on the XC summary is clear even if the map isn't.
XC Leeds-York on Sunday only. Otherwise only via Doncaster to York and North thereof.

 

[Tetchytyke]

On Friday, Saturday and Monday the XC trains from Reading will divert and terminate at Leeds instead of Newcastle. The XC trains from the south west to Scotland will divert via Doncaster to York. TPE will be running a diverted service from Leeds to York via Castleford, at a reduced frequency. There will be no direct services to Manchester Airport.

On Easter Sunday the normal XC routes will apply, except the south west-Scotland trains will divert via Castleford between Leeds and York, with an extended journey time.

 

[Johnny Lewis]

There are direct Liverpool Lime Street to Edinburgh TPE services in both directions on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday - a brief foretaste of things to come from 2019 onwards! Will the digital announcer at Edinburgh be able to say Liverpool South Parkway I wonder?!

 

[BMIFlyer]

There are direct Liverpool Lime Street to Edinburgh TPE services in both directions on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday - a brief foretaste of things to come from 2019 onwards! Will the digital announcer at Edinburgh be able to say Liverpool South Parkway I wonder?!

They will run on Easter Sunday only and there will be 4 services Southbound and 3 Northbound.

Plus there is one train from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh via York.

 

[Bantamzen]

I'm booked on the 09:45 Warrington C service towards Leeds on Bank Holiday Monday, and hadn't released until later that this is actually going to run as a doubled up Liverpool - Newcastle/Middlesbrough service. As I have booked from Warrington I am assuming that our reservations will be for the Middlesbrough portion, so is it likely that there will be an announcement as to which portion this will be (front or rear), as Warrington isn't quite long enough for 6 car 185s so the last car will be locked out? It would be handy to know where to position ourselves on the platform as its likely to be busy, and I don't want to risk either getting on the wrong unit and finding no available seats (we are booked on a First Advance), or have to charge down the platform at the last moment.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Real Time Trains has the Newcastle portion leaving York before the Boro portion, so I'm guessing front three for Newcastle and rear three for Boro, A-C in the front three and E-G in the rear.

 

[philjo]

Real Time Trains has the Newcastle portion leaving York before the Boro portion, so I'm guessing front three for Newcastle and rear three for Boro, A-C in the front three and E-G in the rear.

Isn't the train reversing at Leeds as it is going via Castleford? so presumably before Leeds the Newcastle unit would be at the rear.

 

[Bantamzen]

Real Time Trains has the Newcastle portion leaving York before the Boro portion, so I'm guessing front three for Newcastle and rear three for Boro, A-C in the front three and E-G in the rear.

I should have thought to look at that! However if the carriage allocations were as such that would confuse things a bit as our tickets are for Coach C! So either the allocations were made before the two services were planned to be joined, or very possibly there will be two sets both labelled A-C, unless of course our allocation is in the Newcastle portion.

Oh well, should be fun in the minute or so the service is timed to stand at WAC.....

Edit:

Isn't the train reversing at Leeds as it is going via Castleford? so presumably before Leeds the Newcastle unit would be at the rear.

Ah, this then may make more sense. So it could be that the front portion at Warrington will be A-C for Middlesbrough, and the rear E-G for Newcastle. Or something! Maybe a quick message to TPE to clarify might be in order.

 

[yorkie]

If the Newcastle portion is to depart York first, then it must be on the front on departure at Leeds, so must be on the rear on arrival into Leeds.

And vice-versa for the Boro portion.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Isn't the train reversing at Leeds as it is going via Castleford? so presumably before Leeds the Newcastle unit would be at the rear.

Oh yeah, of course it would be. D'oh!

In which case, Boro on the front and Newcastle on the back, and God knows which portion would be labelled A-C, but I suspect still the Newcastle portion as that's the "main" service.

ETA: Just did a dummy booking Warrington-Darlington and it booked me into coach A.

ETA ETA: Just did a dummy booking Warrington-Yarm and it booked me into coach E. So I think we have an answer.

 

[Frothy]

I'm booked on the 09:45 Warrington C service towards Leeds on Bank Holiday Monday, and hadn't released until later that this is actually going to run as a doubled up Liverpool - Newcastle/Middlesbrough service. As I have booked from Warrington I am assuming that our reservations will be for the Middlesbrough portion, so is it likely that there will be an announcement as to which portion this will be (front or rear), as Warrington isn't quite long enough for 6 car 185s so the last car will be locked out? It would be handy to know where to position ourselves on the platform as its likely to be busy, and I don't want to risk either getting on the wrong unit and finding no available seats (we are booked on a First Advance), or have to charge down the platform at the last moment.

From my -admittedly vague- recollection of being on a doubled up 185 at Warrington Central 6 years ago, there were no special arrangements.

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[Bantamzen]

From my -admittedly vague- recollection of being on a doubled up 185 at Warrington Central 6 years ago, there were no special arrangements.

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I've been on a couple of doubled up services from there, and usually there's enough space in 1st for it not to matter which unit you board. Ironically both times we've hung around at the western end of the platform and car C (formally A) has been at the back of the rear unit and thus overhanging the end of the platform and of course locked out. So on that basis, and judging on what other posters have suggested about coach 'C' probably being in the Newcastle portion and thus at the rear due to the reversal at Leeds, my gut feeling is that our coach will be at the very rear and locked out so we'll be boarding via coach 'B'!

Edit:

And so it turned out. The Middlebrough unit lead the way with the Newcastle at the rear. So we were able to quickly locate our coach (and yes it was at the rear), despite the boards showing the units the other way around.