New Lanarkshire/Dunbartonshire timetables

[cal12]

What do you think of the new timetables?
Personally I think they're a bit hard to get my head round and more complicated than it needs to be.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

They do look hard to grasp. East Midlands Trains timetables are also silly so it must just be different companies preferences.

 

[adrock1976]

From a quick eyeball at the timetable, as the Lanark services are diverted to Glasgow Central high level, and running via Bellshill, it may appear that Motherwell and Bellshill has had its service to Partick and points west reduced.

If that is not the case regarding services being reduced at Motherwell, it appears that one Whifflet service from Dalmuir via Ballieston is extended to Motherwell, with the other service terminating at Whifflet. It is still one train per hour less at Motherwell to Partick and points west.

Until 6 years ago, Motherwell used to be a bustling station, as practically everything called there, and could also reach a wide range of destinations. Nowadays, there's hardly anything to Carlisle, Birmingham, London, and other points south since Virgin ICWC removed most of the calls at Motherwell, and now locally, it seems that the service to Partick and points west has been reduced.

In peace

Adam

 

[cal12]

Im sure it coud be simplified alot more.
E.g 2tph larkhall dalmuir via singer
2tph motherwell/ Lanark dalmuir via bellshill and yoker
2tph Lanark/Cumbernauld milngavie via Blantyre
2tph motherwell dalmuir via ballieston (non stop hyndland dalmuir) haven't thought much about extending beyond dalmuir but if you think say so.

I always thought the whifflet services would be an extra train through the low level as it could do with some extra especially at peaks as can be quite busy.

I know there's already 14 trains in each direction at Patrick but I'm sure with some timetable re jigging they could fit these 2 extra trains in.

One good thing about this odd timetable is a near enough 15 minute service all day until close at my local scotstounhill.

 

[Altnabreac]

In many ways it simplifies the situation for much of Lanarkshire.

Bellshill and Uddingston lose Partick services but go to 4tph fast for Glasgow and you know you always want High Level now.

Motherwell has a reduction in Argyle line services to 3tph but now has a regular 2tph fast service to Glasgow that will benefit more travellers as it's nearly 10 mins faster.

Shieldmuir gets a doubling of frequency to 2tph.

Lanark, Carluke, Wishaw and Shieldmuir all get much faster Glasgow services.

There are also new journey opportunities from integrating the Cumbernauld and Whifflet services like Coatbridge - Hamilton and Whifflet stations to Motherwell.

I suspect the reason why 1tph to Whifflet still terminates there rather than continuing to Motherwell is that it's planned to serve the new Ravenscraig station by extending to Wishaw once the new station opens.

If you also ran an extension of the 1tph Hamilton Circle that terminates at Motherwell to Wishaw you'd give a 2tph service to Ravenscraig and 4tph for Wishaw.

Stations which lose Partick services gain from faster journey times to Glasgow so it balances out for most places. Only really Holytown sees no improvement and hopefully a Ravenscraig service will benefit Holytown in future.

 

[me123]

It is in fact a lot simpler than it looks. Basically, Lanark services now run to the High Level, freeing up space for the Whifflets to go to the Low Level. Hamilton Circle services now run through to Whifflet in effect, so the train coming off a Hamilton Circle run at Motherwell forms the service to Whifflet and on to Glasgow.

I've already raved about the timetable on another thread, I think it really reduces journey times and increases the number of seats, and will lead to a big shift onto rail. There are going to be losers here - off the top of my head, Bellshill and Uddingston lose direct services to the low level, Holytown loses 1tph, Hamilton-Wishaw is no longer direct... but the benefits outweigh these losses that are overcome by well timed connections and good bus links.

Nice to see a Sunday service at Whifflet (going through to Motherwell). May only be hourly (I can't imagine it getting much better in the short term future), but it could take some pressure off the busy nearby North Clyde Line - since the opening of Airdrie-Bathgate, it's almost full on Sundays!

On that subject, despite the widespread recast of the Argyle timetable, North Clyde services appear to be unchanged.

As i said elsewhere, the Motherwell terminator that comes off the Hamilton Circle is going to form the next train to Glasgow via Whifflet, and the same in reverse. This in effect means that Altnabreac's suggestion of Ravenscraig being served by Hamilton Circle trains is less likely. I think, if Ravenscraig does indeed go ahead, we'll be looking at initially an hourly service terminating at Wishaw as an extention of the Whifflet terminator, which reinstates 2tph at Holytown. If there is demand for 2tph, you could do this:
2tph Cumbernauld-Motherwell-Hamilton-Glasgow
2tph Glasgow-Whifflet-Ravenscraig-Wishaw
Which would not alter the current service pattern through Glasgow Central LL or reduce any frequencies on the new timetable, give Ravenscraig 2tph, create even more direct links.

 

[edwin_m]

Anyone know if this timetable uses more or less stock than the old one? With seven 321s apparently coming to South Clyde suburbans these may fill the gaps at Ravenscraig and Holytown.