It's not a binary choice. They could have re-focused the train service to get crowds to the events, but used RRBs to.keep people connected
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Merseyrail and Giants event
- Thread starter Bletchleyite
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It's not a binary choice. They could have re-focused the train service to get crowds to the events, but used RRBs to.keep people connected
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It is going to bring millions of pounds in to the city. Most employers will go easy on staff if they are late. If people can't get along as normal then tough. As I said above I will be working Christmas again. I will spend the day walking in to work and trying to sort out Britain's armed forces blocked toilets etc. If people can't cope for a couple of days then it is a sad reflection on the country given the way we are currently trying to f*ck it up with Brexit.
So, because everything else is going down the pan (a point I ahree with you on), it's ok for Merseytravel to not bother with RRBs ?
nedchester
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Not sure what you working Christmas and Brexit have got to do with it. Maybe you want a medal for working with armed services??
The point is all to do with contractual obligations. Merseyrail do not have an obligation to work Christmas but do have an obligation to serve their stations next weekend. The simple provision of RRB would solve that problem.
Yeah sorry, fair point.
No , I don't want a medal, ha ha, apologies for rambling. I think the massive changes were made to the timetable to try and make best use of what is available. If a regular service was provided it would have been absolute carnage. I remember the last Giants event when Northern provided a normal service, when the train arrived at West Allerton station you couldn't get on and the station was heaving. I guess that a RRB would be preferable but based on what I just mentioned you would need a fleet of buses to replace each train.
CentralTrainer
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Information post:
The Liverpool Raptors (who are the American Football team for the uni there) don’t start their season until late October.
Indeed, if they cancelled the Ellesmere Port Service (and replaced with a RRB to Hooton calling at the intermediate stations) those units could be used to strengthen Chester services to 6 car.
Cancel the Kirkby services, RRB from Aintree, use to strengthen Ormskirk Services to 6 Car.
And possibly the same with the West Kirby Line, close, RRB and strengthen the New Brighton Line.
Southport to Hunts Cross is the hardest to work, maybe run Between South Parkway and Crosby with buses from Crosby-Southport and South Parkway-Hunts Cross as there will be less congestion away from the centre.
Looking further afield, at least from next weekend it looks like the weekend Chat Moss TPE trains will be running again, after leaving the fast Liverpool -Manchester service almost entirely to the xx52 EMT four-cars the last few weekends (which must have been ‘popular’, as BR used to say). Plus it looks like TPE are running a couple of late specials out of Liverpool next Saturday ...
Discovered earlier today that my aunt and uncle are going to be returning from a break in Milan to their home in Spital on the Saturday of the event - they're travelling via Eurostar so will presumably have CIV coverage as far as Liverpool but would normally depend on their Merseytravel concessionary passes for the last leg (I'd be surprised if it's possible to book a through CIV ticket to a Merseyrail destination in any case).
It'll be interesting to see what happens as they're 76 and 72 respectively and will have luggage from a week's holiday so probably shouldn't be expected to walk to Central and then pick a taxi up on the Wirral side, which would probably be the simplest option- and believe me, my aunt isn't the sort of person to let this sort of thing go!
It'll be interesting to see what happens as they're 76 and 72 respectively and will have luggage from a week's holiday so probably shouldn't be expected to walk to Central and then pick a taxi up on the Wirral side, which would probably be the simplest option- and believe me, my aunt isn't the sort of person to let this sort of thing go!
Kite159
Veteran Member
Some of the connections at Hooton between the Chester shuttle & the city centre loop are rubbish!
The service arrives from Chester at the same time the service towards Liverpool departs & vice versa
The service arrives from Chester at the same time the service towards Liverpool departs & vice versa
Have you seen how busy the Kirkby services get on event days?!
The fares do exist in the system for London Eurostar CIV to Spital, according to BRFares - I'm not sure whether you can get any booking engines to offer them. It would have been very amusing to do a claim under CIV regulations to Merseyrail.
If they don't want to fork out for a taxi, there is the number 1 bus from Liverpool to Chester. I don't think it goes into Spital village itself, however they could alight on Spital Road and then take the 84/85 service (if the timings work - it's a daytime-only service). BUT cross-river services will depart from Pall Mall until 1300 on the Saturday and Sir Thomas Street from 1300-1830, not serving any other stops in Liverpool, so there would still be quite a bit of walking involved. Integrated transport, eh?
I think I would suggest returning to Chester, then a taxi (costs to be met by ... well, who knows but it shouldn't be your aunt and uncle). Never been to Liverpool on Giants' Day, but judging by what happened when the 3 Queens were there ...
Liverpool best avoided.
lord rathmore
Member
Liverpool vs Manchester City also on Sunday. Major Premier League match with many fans trying to use the trains. Planning ? Glad I won't be anywhere near it.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Perhaps they need me to come out of retirement to get it sorted ...
Are you good at ringing up coach companies? That's all they need to do to render the situation acceptable.
Not personally, I'm sure they can get busy, but it's a relatively straightforward section to replace with buses.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
It's probably not a sensible one. They have I reckon chosen the right stations to close, it's just those stations need RRBs, e.g. an Ormskirk-Aughton Park-Town Green circular.
They've closed random stretches of stations halfway down lines, are still running trains through them without stopping, but are not providing RRBs. I was looking for sections where it's relatively straightforward to run a bus and you remove duplication in the core (Ellesmere Port and Kirkby are the most obvious), New Brighton would be as well if it wasn't that the Giants are also going there.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
As the A59 is reasonably fast and relatively uncongested, it might have made sense to close Ormskirk as well and just run RRBs to Maghull North (which might actually have saved enough additional time to reinstate one of the other stations not being served) - but is there a crossover there? There is at Maghull itself.
Does that include workers at the Countess of Chester hospital who have suddenly lost their commute to work over a tourist attraction?
Thanks for the advice, however given that my aunt has posted on Facebook about having a wheelchair provided at the Gare de Lyon, I think it's probably going to have to be a taxi, whether from Liverpool or Chester.
nedchester
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She'd be better advised to go via Chester. I'll be interested to know if she gets alternative transport at Chester as I'll be asking for the same thing on Saturday night.
As it is I'm affected on Friday as well as I need to go to Milton Keynes for a meeting in the morning and now have to drive to Chester which is a pain in the bum, incurring extra costs.
Look mate, I take it back, I was probably a bit insensitive. Perhaps definitely rather than probably. The difficulty is that providing a regular/normal service will be nigh on impossible.
MichaelAMW
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Can somebody help me here? Why is this parade of puppets expected to be so stupendously popular that a city's transport system has to be compromised for three days? I simply cannot see what the attraction is, at least not to the degree that seems to be expected. I'm not trying to be a miserable git but I'm failing to understand the scale of the appeal of this event.
Based on the hundreds of thousands of people the similar events have attracted in the past I would say prudent planning is in order. It's not something I am in to but I understand that many, many people will travel from more than just the local area to see it.
nedchester
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I agree that prudent planning is wise but decent planning also catering for normal and additional flows.
Merseyrail have failed in this respect by not providing RRBs to closed stations. No excuses. I do hope they get plenty of claims from passengers who are unable to get to their destinations. Having checked the conditions of travel they are duty bound to onward travel to ticket holders.
Good point. Based on previous Giants events though they may be better off paying for the small number of claims they get rather than the fleets of buses they would need to provide a regular service.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Then they need to be fined for non-provision of services required by their franchise agreement in an adequate sum that buses would be cheaper.
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