LM timetable anomaly?

[BucksBones]

Hi all

This is my first post but I've been watching from a distance for a while!

Just a quick question about a timetable oddity regarding London Midland.

I got the 2244 LM service from Euston to Northampton tonight, as I often do. However, tonight it stopped at Cheddington whereas it doesn't normally; this piqued my interest as it's convenient for me to alight at Cheddington, which I would have done were if not for the fact that I'd parked at Leighton thinking the 2244 didn't stop there!

I asked the guard if there was anything going on and he said it wasn't a last minute change. Looking at the National Rail app it seems to me that it stops at Cheddington every other Monday (plus a week in August where it stops every day).

Can this really be right? If so, anyone know why?!

Thanks

BB

 

[Starmill]

According to the London Midland complete Euston lines timetable 21 May to 9 December 2017, this service does not call at Cheddington.



This suggests that where there is a Cheddington call, this is as an ammendment. You will notice the 2154, 2207, 2304, 0004 and 0034 departures from London Euston usually do call at Cheddington (lucky them eh!).

You called at Bushey today too, which that service doesn't usually. It could perhaps be something to do with today's 2304 being replaced by a bus between Milton Keynes Central and Northampton perhaps. It doesn't appear that the train on Monday 24th July makes either of these calls - and the 2304 is still running on that day.

Another thing to bear in mind is that you might occasionally have an extra call at Berkhamsted or Tring inserted to attempt to cover for cancelled Southern trains, but as Southern don't serve Cheddington that wouldn't apply here.

 

[sammyg901]

Seems like it calls when the trains are replaced by buses north of MKC. Perhaps an attempt to maintain northbound connections due to the longer journey time of the bus? Or just an unintended feature of the revised timetable

 

[86211]

Due to engineering work 2244 called at Cheddington to replace 2304 Euston to Northampton which was cancelled.

 

[causton]

Correct, this happens usually on Monday evenings only. Northampton trains stop running about 2230 and one return service is cancelled, so the train stops at Bushey and Cheddington to replace stops from the other train.

 

[BucksBones]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I never thought about northbound connections being affected by engineering works - makes sense now!

Cheers

BB