May 2023 changes

[Techniquest]

It was, when it was running, two trains a day from Preston via Clitheroe to Hellifield and back. The publicity doesn't seem to exist any more, though it was on the Community Rail Lancashire website.

Thanks, not the most useful service then, definitely a good one to bin off!

 

[trundlewagon]

Interesting to see Lapworth getting an hourly service on the WMR Stratford via Dorridge service, rather than just the odd peak call it currently gets and Tyseley and Small Heath getting an extra train each hour (3 vs the current 2).

Out the other side of Snow Hill it looks like the Kidderminster goes semi fast with the Worcester trains picking up the stops at Langley Green, Old Hill and Lye instead. One of the Worcester traisn go straight to Foregate St with the other going to Shrub Hill first, then Foregate.

 

[anthony263]

Separate swanline service again from.tfw from May 2023. Pyle however also retains some off peak.calls on certain services to Manchester so we 2tph at certain.times of the day.

Just need the 0602 Manchester train stop reinstated as it was well used

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Feb 2023 ==

Sundays tfw got two loco hauled diagrams running to/ from Manchester to Swansea.

I just wish diagram came to swansea in service from Cardiff rather than empty stock from canton.

 

[Bikeman78]

Also a return to hourly Bournemouth to Manchester rather than 2hourly curtailments at Reading. Does mean they shall all be single sets due to interworking at Manchester. Seems mostly a return to precovid times finally. But not quite full half hourly between reading and Birmingham yet

Still mostly not stopping at Brockenhurst. Seemingly they prefer to put performance time in the schedules.

 

[Bantamzen]

Plus a Shipley - Bradford shuttle from P5.

You know I wish the bookies would take on a bet like this, because I knew that would be the answer....

 

[Bikeman78]

Didcot used to be skipped by 1tph from Bristol TM in the HST days not that long ago. It was only when the Dec 2019 timetable kicked in that this changed.

True, but more recently the Cardiff train stopped at Didcot. The spread of trains to Didcot is good in the down direction but poor in the up direction. All three fast trains depart in a 14 minute window, followed by a 46 minute gap. It would be better if the Oxford train stopped on the opposite half hour.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Feb 2023 ==

GA West Anglia changes.

As noted above the traditional 1707 / 1807 / 1907 Liv St to Kings Lynn now only run to Ely. They have also picked up calls at Broxbourne. Same on the up the 0647 / 0717 / 0747 fasts from CBG - LST start 2 mins earlier and now call also at Brox.

The 0730 / 0800 / 0830 BXB - LST start back from Herford East and 1656 / 1726 / 1756 /1826 LST - BXB run through to Herford East.

Stansted Express remains half hourly off peak Mon - Fri and Sat/Sun, 4TPH SSD-LST 0600-0915 and LST - SSD 0510-0910 (no 0825) Mon - Fri.

Interesting that Greater Anglia is adding trains whilst there is talk of cutbacks across the network. The abolition of peak time trains via Seven Sisters will save a few units and crew but the two extra Ely trains will require two extra sets of stock and the Stansteds will need another four. There are still ECS runs via Seven Sisters so the drivers will retain route knowledge.

 

[barbette165]

Interesting to see Lapworth getting an hourly service on the WMR Stratford via Dorridge service, rather than just the odd peak call it currently gets and Tyseley and Small Heath getting an extra train each hour (3 vs the current 2).

Out the other side of Snow Hill it looks like the Kidderminster goes semi fast with the Worcester trains picking up the stops at Langley Green, Old Hill and Lye instead. One of the Worcester traisn go straight to Foregate St with the other going to Shrub Hill first, then Foregate.

Lapworth had over 84 thousand passengers in 2019-20 and 51 thousand last year, so probably the additional calls are merited.

Tyseley and Small Heath gain the extra call per hour due to the recasting of service from 6 trains an hour (pre-Covid) to 4 trains an hour now. The extra call is needed to ensure that the service interval does not exceed 30 minutes and that there is a service to/from Dorridge and Whitlocks End.

 

[OliverH68]

Just SWR, c2c & Grand Central left.

These 3 are now up for viewing.

 

[Rail Ranger]

If it has not already been mentioned, the Saturday Sheffield to Cleethorpes service of three trains each way via Brigg is withdrawn and replaced by a single round trip on Monday to Friday.

 

[SeanG]

If it has not already been mentioned, the Saturday Sheffield to Cleethorpes service of three trains each way via Brigg is withdrawn and replaced by a single round trip on Monday to Friday.

An odd situation of a service level being significantly increased (ie 5 trains over 3 so a 66% increase) yet the service becoming virtually unusable.

 

[Bletchleyite]

An odd situation of a service level being significantly increased (ie 5 trains over 3 so a 66% increase) yet the service becoming virtually unusable.

I can only assume that there's a unit and crew sat around at the time of the weekday daytime service that basically means operating it costs nothing?

That was the case for Stockport-Stalybridge for a while - an ECS ran that way every day at the relevant time, they just had to add a guard and a tiny amount of extra diesel/brake pad wear to operate it in service once a week.

 

[Watershed]

I can only assume that there's a unit and crew sat around at the time of the weekday daytime service that basically means operating it costs nothing?

That was the case for Stockport-Stalybridge for a while - an ECS ran that way every day at the relevant time, they just had to add a guard and a tiny amount of extra diesel/brake pad wear to operate it in service once a week.

From the timings, it looks like a 'peak only' unit is used for this. So no additional cost in terms of units (similar to Stockport-Stalybridge in that sense) but it's a 5.5 hour round trip, so it costs most (if not all) of a crew diagram - plus obviously the diesel and wear & tear of running 143 miles.

 

[RPI]

Good to see the Bristol to Weymouth service improved to a consistent two hourly service (with a couple of extras) but the connections at Castle Cary are still pretty dire!

 

[Goldfish62]

I see the last train from Penzance to Plymouth at 2208 is withdrawn. This was put in place when local journeys on the sleeper were banned. This means the last "normal" service from Penzance will now be at 2100. Very poor.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I see the last train from Penzance to Plymouth at 2208 is withdrawn. This was put in place when local journeys on the sleeper were banned. This means the last "normal" service from Penzance will now be at 2100. Very poor.

No, it was the 21.00 ex Penzance GW service which was put in place when the sleeper was barred for local journeys, previously the last GW stopper was around 20.00. There has never been a GW local service after the sleeper on weekdays.

The XC service at 22.08 from Penzance has run for quite some years, including back when the sleeper could be used for local journeys.

The removal of the XC service would have been in consultation with the DfT.

 

[mangyiscute]

No, it was the 21.00 ex Penzance GW service which was put in place when the sleeper was barred for local journeys, previously the last GW stopper was around 20.00. There has never been a GW local service after the sleeper on weekdays.

The XC service at 22.08 from Penzance has run for quite some years, including back when the sleeper could be used for local journeys.

The removal of the XC service would have been in consultation with the DfT.

It is now stabled in Penzance overnight rather than Plymouth, allowing the cross-country services out of Penzance to be at 06:28 and 08:38 rather than 09:25 only - whether this is an improvement is debatable but that's why its changed

 

[RPI]

It is now stabled in Penzance overnight rather than Plymouth, allowing the cross-country services out of Penzance to be at 06:28 and 08:38 rather than 09:25 only - whether this is an improvement is debatable but that's why its changed

I'm assuming the crew will be taxied down from Plymouth!

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I'm assuming the crew will be taxied down from Plymouth!

Sounds entirely logical in the current world of austerity. Replace a train which get the crew home and provide the last service in Cornwall with leaving the set in Penzance overnight and taxiing the crew two hours back to Plymouth…

 

[geoffk]

No, it was the 21.00 ex Penzance GW service which was put in place when the sleeper was barred for local journeys, previously the last GW stopper was around 20.00. There has never been a GW local service after the sleeper on weekdays.

Any chance then that the sleeper will take local passengers again? Presumably there is still a seated coach for those who don't want to pay for a berth.

 

[The exile]

Good to see the Bristol to Weymouth service improved to a consistent two hourly service (with a couple of extras) but the connections at Castle Cary are still pretty dire!

And the improved Gloucester line services, but with a strange (and inconvenient) 1 hour gap out of Bristol in the morning peak. All those currently boarding the 07.50 Gloucester at Filton are going to left high and dry.

 

[Jammy Dodger]

LNWR/WMR, TfW, TPE, Greater Anglia & Merseyrail are now up also.

Where would we find these "proposed" changes? NR website still only has Dec 22 changes on it.

 

[Goldfish62]

Where would we find these "proposed" changes? NR website still only has Dec 22 changes on it.

On Realtime Trains.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[HamworthyGoods]

And the improved Gloucester line services, but with a strange (and inconvenient) 1 hour gap out of Bristol in the morning peak. All those currently boarding the 07.50 Gloucester at Filton are going to left high and dry.

It’s been pointed out several times there are several services yet to be uploaded. See earlier post about a couple of missing Anglo Scot trains at King’s Cross.

The 07.38 from Bristol to Gloucester will be uploaded in due course.

 

[Jammy Dodger]

On Realtime Trains.

Ah, thanks!

If I am reading this correctly, GA seems to be bringing back the stop at SST for the 2nd train that runs each hour to Cambridge (which has been a non-stopper since the pandemic, leaving the remaining GA and StanEx services stopping within 15mins of each other). Also looks like SST is finally getting semi-decent late night final service (2328).

Southeastern Highspeed services still seem to be the sub-par hourly commuter services via CBW and DVP. What are the chances they will still be majority only 6-car units, which don't have enough capacity (get some IET's!)?

 

[class717]

If I am reading this correctly, GA seems to be bringing back the stop at SST for the 2nd train that runs each hour to Cambridge (which has been a non-stopper since the pandemic, leaving the remaining GA and StanEx services stopping within 15mins of each other). Also looks like SST is finally getting semi-decent late night final service (2328).

Am I right in thinking SX used to stop at SST, was it energy other train that did?

 

[driverd]

That's a shame but perhaps unsurprising. Wonder if they will actually go through formal closure proceedings for Clitheroe-Hellifield or whether it will be another 'closure by stealth', like the Brigg line was for the last year, and as has happened to stations such as Redcar British Steel, Teesside Airport, Manchester United FC and Ince & Elton.

Why would there be a route closure? The line is heavily used by freight (circa 16 paths a day) over it.

There's no stations on the route either that aren't served as part of another service so I'm not entirely sure what there is to close?

As others have pointed out, this would seem like easy pickings for charter/open access to take over. How much business a pure charter operation could mop up I don't know - if LSL/WCR could operate as an open access operator and get onto the journey planners/sell walk up fares etc I would imagine this service would be relatively viable.

 

[Liverpool 507]

Rainhill etc. still only getting one train an hour it seems Really quite appalling how the service on this line has been cut, and it hardly seems lilely to be due to lack of demand. Both times I've travelled this way in the last year - in the middle of the day, not the peaks - the trains have been standing-room only.

It's very disappointing. I think Steve Rotherham should be looking at this with Northern/DfT rather than just focussing on Merseyrail and their new trains alone. Three car sets are totally unsuitable for these services in their current form, without any express or stopping cancellations either side.

I see 1V60 is now back to running all the way to Penzance, it also regains the Leuchars call but loses that at Dunbar. Despite this re-extension, the December change to the Aberdeen services remains - the service from Plymouth only runs to Aberdeen on Fridays and Saturdays.

Disappointing that calls at Cupar, Ladybank, Markinch, Kirkcaldy and Inverkeithing haven't been re-added. 1V54 and 1V60 always had good loadings from these stations.

But surely railway managers rather than civil servants should be making these decisions - whether they are the right ones is a different matter!

Spot on.

Still just the one train per hour between Liverpool and Birmingham

After several hints of this returning half hourly in May, it is frustrating that WMT have not done this.

 

[Jammy Dodger]

Am I right in thinking SX used to stop at SST, was it energy other train that did?

After spending a while looking for an archive of the timetables, thanks www.dpsimulation.org.uk ! Below is a screenshot of the example of the off-peak Cambridge --> London services from May 2019:



1ph currently serves SST, with the currently-hourly CBG around 15mins later, leaving a 45min gap with no service to a town (although others say village) with 15,000 people. Looks like the 2nd CBG will come back to stopping at SST in May (which it did pre-covid), a service which already runs

 

[Goldfish62]

Any chance then that the sleeper will take local passengers again? Presumably there is still a seated coach for those who don't want to pay for a berth.

It was banned from doing so by the ORR (I know - it seems ridiculous). RTT continues to show the sleeper as pick up only until Totnes.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Feb 2023 ==

No, it was the 21.00 ex Penzance GW service which was put in place when the sleeper was barred for local journeys, previously the last GW stopper was around 20.00. There has never been a GW local service after the sleeper on weekdays.

The XC service at 22.08 from Penzance has run for quite some years, including back when the sleeper could be used for local journeys.

The removal of the XC service would have been in consultation with the DfT.

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

The fact that the change has been in consultation with the DfT means nothing. The DfT, along with the Treasury, has more than amply demonstrated on many occasions that it has no interest in the needs of the travelling public.

 

[class717]

After spending a while looking for an archive of the timetables, thanks www.dpsimulation.org.uk ! Below is a screenshot of the example of the off-peak Cambridge --> London services from May 2019:

View attachment 128222

1ph currently serves SST, with the currently-hourly CBG around 15mins later, leaving a 45min gap with no service to a town (although others say village) with 15,000 people. Looks like the 2nd CBG will come back to stopping at SST in May (which it did pre-covid), a service which already runs

So we’re still missing the one an hour SX train that used to stop there then