My idea for a robust Avanti WC Timetable

[London Trains]

Honestly they should just make and run a timetable that they can pretty much guarantee won't have any cancellations.

I would take a guess that they could just about run this:

1tph Euston to Manchester (MK, Stoke, Macclesfield, Stockport)

1tph Euston to Crewe (Watford Jct, MK, Rugby, Coventry, Bham Intl, Bham New St, Sandwell & Dudley, Wolves)

1tp2h Euston to Liverpool (MK, Stafford, Crewe, Runcorn)

1tp2h Euston to Glasgow (MK, Crewe, Warrington, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle)

1tpd Euston to Chester (MK, Stafford, Crewe)

Paths out of Euston:
00 Manchester
10 Glasgow/Liverpool/Chester
20 Crewe via Birmingham

 

[NorthWestRover]

I understand why you have proposed that but suggesting only one train every two hours from Carlisle, Oxenholme, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Warrington and Liverpool shows how far expectations have fallen. Liverpool could at least do LNR to Crewe or Stafford.

 

[Falcon1200]

suggesting only one train every two hours from Carlisle, Oxenholme, Lancaster,

Not to mention Glasgow (the UK's 3rd biggest city): Which has already lost its entire Avanti service to Birmingham (UK's 2nd biggest city) two and a half years ago, and when (if) these are restored in December, it will not be the full pre-Covid timetable. Further reducing the service to only two-hourly to London (UK's biggest city) would be unacceptable.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Yeah I know. I left Glasgow out as they could in theory go to Edinburgh and then LNER easier than the other places. All told a shocking state of affairs.

 

[Falcon1200]

I left Glasgow out as they could in theory go to Edinburgh and then LNER easier than the other places.

I have occasionally travelled between Glasgow and London via Edinburgh, but in my experience the ECML trains are busy enough already without having to accommodate displaced Avanti passengers too!

All told a shocking state of affairs.

Yes indeed.

 

[MaidaVale]

As much as these have the potential to run without issues on-paper, realistically that just wouldn't be how it works, all attaining to overcrowding.

Even when Avanti were running a "full" service on the WCML (both pre and post covid representations), Most services were still pretty full and full-on overcrowding on peak services or off-peak services during special events, whereas now with their reduced service pattern, pretty much all services are very busy if not full, and the evening services out of Euston via Birmingham are absolutely rammed to the point of a declassified first class with still some people standing (yes, this goes from an experience literally two days ago).

Having this low number of services long-term, particularly between London - Birmingham and London - Manchester would essentially cause First Class to become redundant as it would never stop being declassified on busy services and we'd just have to accept permanent overcrowding.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well, that or you take a policy similar to the likes of SNCF and RENFE and implement proper compulsory reservations, and once it's full, it's full.

It is however not entirely surprising that Spain has a very large coach market, most of which is held by NatEx owned ALSA. And France only doesn't because of state control largely preventing it.

 

[Some guy]

I understand why you have proposed that but suggesting only one train every two hours from Carlisle, Oxenholme, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Warrington and Liverpool shows how far expectations have fallen. Liverpool could at least do LNR to Crewe or Stafford.

I know it’s absolutely bonkers. The northern west coast Mainline is an extremely popular route. There’s a reason Avanti are bringing back the Birmingham to Glasgow services back( well most of)
because the demand is needed