London Midland December 2013 WCML services?

[pt_mad]

Will the 0518 from Crewe to Eus be formed of a double unit from December?

And what about the 1724 from Eus to Crewe?

Both run slow through Northampton.

 

[sonic2009]

I can't imagine anyone can answer this just yet. I would think that LM are still planning for the timetable change etc.

 

[pt_mad]

Also heard something about the 1646 Eus possibly being 8 car as it doesn't stop at Stone and Kidsgrove.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Also heard something about the 1646 Eus possibly being 8 car as it doesn't stop at Stone and Kidsgrove.

It does now. It didn't initially in May but that was altered around late July AFAIK either because the problems (fouling a LC at Stone and the junction at Kidsgrove) were rectified, or because it actually turned out to be a 4-car most of the time.

Edit - and it still does call come December, according to OTT.

 

[Boothby97]

It does now. It didn't initially in May but that was altered around late July AFAIK either because the problems (fouling a LC at Stone and the junction at Kidsgrove) were rectified, or because it actually turned out to be a 4-car most of the time.

Edit - and it still does call come December, according to OTT.

It very rarely was an 8 car.

 

[pt_mad]

So do we know yet whether any of the Eus/Crewe services will actually run 8 car? (other than the Monday morning one)???

 

[dk1]

Wish LM would reconsider trolley catering on the Crewe Express services. They seem to be growing in popularity & deserve some sort of catering provision in my opinion.

 

[calc7]

Wish LM would reconsider trolley catering on the Crewe Express services. They seem to be growing in popularity & deserve some sort of catering provision in my opinion.

They definitely deserve it, but it would be an operational nightmare. A relatively small operation with few economies of scale, and the biggest issue being that the xx49 arrivals in Euston do not form the next xx46 CRE services - very inefficient!

Edit: whether or not the xx14 @ MKC (ex-CRE) could hop over onto the next northbound 10 minutes later may improve matters...

 

[Aictos]

I can't imagine anyone can answer this just yet. I would think that LM are still planning for the timetable change etc.

I'm not sure which services are being considered but I do know that LM are looking at running 8 car 110mph services from the Dec 13 timetable - course these in the know will have a better idea then me.

Credit to LM for the source though

 

[sd0733]

We've been told that the only booked 8-car working weve got at Crewe from the new timetable is a crewe-birmingham service so the monday morning one is now 4 car like the rest of the week and there aren't any 8-car workings down the trent valley unless they're on one of the jobs that northampton cover.

 

[pt_mad]

I heard recently that some services may run 8 car Eus - Stafford and split off there with 4 cars going on further north.

However looking at TRUST the timings at Stafford seem to be near enough the same as now so can't see them doing any coupling there at all.

 

[sd0733]

Yes that's a way being explored to do the stafford splits but it will require an extra drivers diagram to be put in to take a unit to stafford and to do the shunts into the correct platforms etc and AFAIK there are no more drivers turns in this timetable.

 

[pt_mad]

Yes that's a way being explored to do the stafford splits but it will require an extra drivers diagram to be put in to take a unit to stafford and to do the shunts into the correct platforms etc and AFAIK there are no more drivers turns in this timetable.

Looks like a non goer then.

 

[Eagle]

Wish LM would reconsider trolley catering on the Crewe Express services. They seem to be growing in popularity & deserve some sort of catering provision in my opinion.

That would require the service to be completely 350/1s... :P

 

[Philip C]

That would require the service to be completely 350/1s... :P

If your observation is based on a perceived incompatibility between refreshment trolleys and 3+2 seating I must point out that neither Southern nor SouthEastern find this a problem.

 

[Lrd]

If your observation is based on a perceived incompatibility between refreshment trolleys and 3+2 seating I must point out that neither Southern nor SouthEastern find this a problem.

Nor do SWT on their 450s, which are fairly similar to the 350s

 

[martinsh]

That would require the service to be completely 350/1s... :P

Back in ye olde days when LM still had catering, I have certainly seen them on 350/2s

 

[Mojo]

Yes; catering trolleys used to make a regular appearance irrespective of whether the service was operated by a /1 or an /2. The only thing I remember is that hot drinks were not served on the services operated with an /2 because of safety issues as there are no tables or cup holders.

 

[MK Tom]

Edit: whether or not the xx14 @ MKC (ex-CRE) could hop over onto the next northbound 10 minutes later may improve matters...

Five minutes, the Crewe one goes at xx19. Hardly a guaranteed connection!

I like this idea of splitting at Stafford. Although, that said, we could get Northampton Announcements Syndrome all over again.

 

[swt_passenger]

Yes; catering trolleys used to make a regular appearance irrespective of whether the service was operated by a /1 or an /2. The only thing I remember is that hot drinks were not served on the services operated with an /2 because of safety issues as there are no tables or cup holders.

Which in hindsight was a self-inflicted limitation that probably helped justify the argument that they weren't making enough money to continue.

Obviously not a safety issue everywhere, as hot drinks are sold in other trains without tables...

 

[TEW]

And there was nothing to stop anyone buying a hot drink and bringing it on the train. If it was such a safety issue the guard would be coming round taking hot drinks off people on the 350/2s.

 

[pt_mad]

Just been thinking, rather than using some of the 350s on the BHM - Cov runs couldn't London Midland use more class 323s for this, thus freeing up some 350s in the hope of doubling up between Eus and Stafford?

Regularly see 350s on the Cov run but it seems a waste.

 

[IrishDave]

Just been thinking, rather than using some of the 350s on the BHM - Cov runs couldn't London Midland use more class 323s for this, thus freeing up some 350s in the hope of doubling up between Eus and Stafford?

Regularly see 350s on the Cov run but it seems a waste.

Except in the peaks, there aren't any Birmingham-Coventry services that don't extend to Northampton or Euston, and even the few that terminate at Coventry interwork with those extending beyond. Without completely rewriting the timetable it wouldn't work, and even if you did you'd just end up using more units for no good reason.

In any case, LM have 26 323s, and they need 23 of them on weekdays to run the Cross-City and the Walsall-Wolves stoppers. Apart from the one 323 which shuttles back and forth on the stopper between New St and International, there's a couple of late evening workings (the 2254 and 2314, I think) from New St to Coventry which are booked 323s, but that's about all that it's useful or sensible to run with 323s.

 

[pt_mad]

Fair nuff, thankyou.

 

[87015]

Except in the peaks, there aren't any Birmingham-Coventry services that don't extend to Northampton or Euston, and even the few that terminate at Coventry interwork with those extending beyond.

Which sums up the problem of the "full" WCML, its too full of short, ORCATS orientated trains rather than proper length, proper seating capacity trains almost the entire way.

 

[Bevan Price]

Dec 2013 timetable is now available as pdf downloads:


http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3828.aspx

 

[pt_mad]

There is a lot of data there. Don't fancy sifting through that to find Crewe - Eus services.

 

[gordonthemoron]

There is a lot of data there. Don't fancy sifting through that to find Crewe - Eus services.

Crewe-Euston timetable is avaliable on LM website here

 

[DarloRich]

I would be interested to see if the Marston vale line changes to allow for a better connection at Bletchley.

It seems the MK link is, if not dead, at least in a permanent vegetative state (although I think it will be, as always, the next timetable change away )

 

[IanD]

There is a lot of data there. Don't fancy sifting through that to find Crewe - Eus services.

Table 67.