Id rather have one of EMTs 156s than those horrible green ex CT 158s which give me pins and needles in my feet and legs because basically I like Chapman seats as the posture etc is good plus 156403 is a pretty fast one too as with almost all of them as 408 is a bit loud and sluggish still they keep to the time table as 403 only turned up two minutes late at Widnes on the 20.05 to LLST but arrived about 4 Mins early.
As for services to London yes I thin there are too many but yet i would like to see EMT run a one per day in each direction from Liverpool to London St Pan Via Sheffield and Nottingham with a HST or Meridian say the 07.47From LLST.
London Midland do a 10.19am from LLST to London Euston which I think at one time was the Stanstead Airport Service so cannot see what is stopping EMT as if they want to improve there reputation on the Liverpool-Manchester-Sheffield section of the Norwich route this would be the way to do it even a Summer Service from L-Pool to Skegness would be ideal.
One thing that has made me think about this route is them stopping at LSPW which I dont really think it needs to but yet I think it would be better for the Liverpool-Norwich to swap paths with the LLST-Manchester Airport Service and go Via Newton Le Willows to Norwich and to Manchester Airport Via LSPW giving a Link Between Manchester Airport and Liverpool Airport.
Photo of 156403 in LLST
http://www.railwayphotos.fotopic.net/p55421284.html
The 10.19 used to be Virgin Trains Voyager to Reading i think? the Stansted Services were instead of the New Street Services. i.e. 1 to New St every hour, and 1 to Stansted every 2 hours. Thinking on, LLST has lost a Cardiff service, Reading, Poole, Edinburgh, Barrow, Cambridge, Stansted services to name but a few over recent years, its not good!
With regards to the LLST - St Pancreas via Sheff and Notts, cant see how this would work, as passengers from Liverpool would use the Virgin services, Warrington would use the Bank Quay Virgin services, Manchester and Stockport also have Virgin Services to London, so it would be pointless really, and only beneficial from Sheffield and beyond. Im not quite sure that Warrington Central and Widness platforms are long enough, as with LSPW, so it would be a direct service to Manchester i guess? in which case if it was an early morning service then it could be considered!
Ive heard the latest is a new service from May direct to Glasgow on a new operator called Glasgow Trains
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I am not sure that is actually completely the case.
True, the service is used by lots of people travelling short local journeys like, Liverpool-Manchester, Manchester-Sheffield, Sheffield-Nottingham, Nottingham-Grantham etc.
However, although there are very few people who travel the whole journey from Norwich to Liverpool, there are very large numbers of passengers who travel on this service for fairly long journeys of 2 hours or considerably more.
Some of the journeys (and their returns) very popular on this route are:
Norwich to both Nottingham and Sheffield
Nottingham to Manchester and Liverpool
Peterborough to Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool
Even Peterborough to Norwich and Liverpool to Sheffield are not short journeys and these are very well used.
The longer journey opportunities that this route provides also from stations not listed above like Warrington, Chesterfield, Alfreton, Grantham, Ely are also important to many people.
This is a very important route for passengers wanting to make longer journeys without the inconvenience of having to change trains. Lots of people do not want to change trains and would often rather put up with slightly longer journey times.
It is much more than a series of local routes joined together.
There would be far more people willing to use this service if it wasn't so overcrowded. I agree that perhaps sometimes there are not as many longer distance travellers as you would expect on this route but if you have had to endure a 4 or 5 hour journey in a grossly overcrowded 2 car 158 would you use it again?
With longer trains and more space to spread out and move around the train I am sure there would be a big increase in the number of longer journeys made on this service and then, yes, perhaps even a significant number of passengers travelling the whole route.
The only way to do this is for EMT to invest in Voyagers or Meridians, 5 coaches.. very very unlikely
or for EMT to simply 4 coach every train with 158 156's.. and cut out stations like LSPW, Widnes, Dore, Alfreton, etc etc and just call at the major cities. As for the smaller stations, get them to use local services to the next major station.
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ive also read lately that 172's are to replace 150's on the Snow Hill - Dorridge route, which is a real slow stopper service.
That signals to me that London Midland priorities local stopper services with better trains, that one of the longest cross country routes in the country. When does EMT's franchise on the LLST - Norwich run out? Unless XC take over, i can only ever see this service being split into a LLST - Nottingham and a Nottingham - Norwich both operated by Different operating companies
