New Year’s Day services

[Intercity_225]

Becasue GTR are running a Sunday service.

Fair enough. Quite confusing though since it looks like LNER/Lumo/Grand Central/Hull Trains are running a Saturday service.

 

[Ian Hardy]

Fair enough. Quite confusing though since it looks like LNER/Lumo/Grand Central/Hull Trains are running a Saturday service.

Most of the ex Network South East TOCs run a Sunday service on NYD because the demand isn't there to operate anything more intensive. Also they can probably operate a Sunday service reliably whereas a Saturday service would require more staff not to have celebrated NYE in the way that most people do.

 

[Ellwill]

23.56 Victoria

Awful overcrowding at Victoria after the fireworks kicked out this morning. TfL had no crowd management measures in place whatsoever and were instead relying on a small handful of BTP flatfoots to control the only access point to the tube station. Only after about an hour and a half of literal thousands of people trying to cram through did they have adequate support from the Met in place to start forming some semblance of an orderly queue.

 

[RiverDon]

Awful overcrowding at Victoria after the fireworks kicked out this morning. TfL had no crowd management measures in place whatsoever and were instead relying on a small handful of BTP flatfoots to control the only access point to the tube station. Only after about an hour and a half of literal thousands of people trying to cram through did they have adequate support from the Met in place to start forming some semblance of an orderly queue.

Sounds chaotic and having been there and done that in the past I have every sympathy for the officers trying to sort things out and get people home.

I saw an article on the bbc news website saying the Edinburgh trams was running a 24 hour service every 10 minutes after the bells to get folk home : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2epl9dlegeo

I bet they were packed!

 

[londonbridge]

Fair enough. Quite confusing though since it looks like LNER/Lumo/Grand Central/Hull Trains are running a Saturday service.

Grand Central not operating any services today.

 

[dk1]

Grand Central not operating any services today.

It’s a North East thing. Good on them.

 

[snookertam]

No ScotRail service on New Years Day (obviously - it’s pretty much the same as Xmas day here in terms of shops or entertainment opening).

On 2nd January a Sunday equivalent service operates on most routes with weekday timings. First trains from Glasgow Central are around 0800/0900, first departures from Aberdeen and Inverness are around 1000. Full west highland line and Kyle line from Mid morning onwards, but only one train operates each way Inverness-Wick, and only one service will operate from Glasgow Central to Dumfries.

Always an interesting day with regards to how the service is designed. It’ll be a sad day if the reduced 2nd January service ever gets eroded, but with how important a holiday it is in Scotland that’s thankfully unlikely to be the case.

 

[InOban]

Sounds chaotic and having been there and done that in the past I have every sympathy for the officers trying to sort things out and get people home.

I saw an article on the bbc news website saying the Edinburgh trams was running a 24 hour service every 10 minutes after the bells to get folk home : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2epl9dlegeo

I bet they were packed!

Remember that Edinburgh has a wide network of bus services on both Christmas Day and New Year's Day. And many visitor attractions are open. No trams after the free night service ends.

 

[dk1]

Scenes at Cromer this afternoon with passengers unable to board and that was even with a relief service added following the annual new years fireworks display.

 

[Barnsley]

If I'm allowed to widen the subject to buses, I was surprised to find that Stagecoach in Aldershot, Farnborough and Guildford have no services running on any routes today. I was expecting at least a Sunday service, even if possibly with a late start.

There are never any buses in South, West or East Yorkshire on New Years Day, haven't ran for years!

 

[MichaelTrains]

Yes....normal weekday service in West Yorkshire and associated cross-boundary routes. Back in the day, when I was a driver at Skipton, the first train to Leeds at 06 04 would pick up a few bleary-eyed revellers....then we'd be largely carrying fresh air until about midday.

I was on that train this morning and counted 23 people boarding at Skipton, and yes, you were right, there were quite a few people who had been out in the nightclubs.

 

[TUC]

I am left open-mouthed by West Yorkshire Metro who put out a social media post claiming there were no train services on New Year’s Day when very clearly there were.

 

[Porty]

Sounds chaotic and having been there and done that in the past I have every sympathy for the officers trying to sort things out and get people home.

I saw an article on the bbc news website saying the Edinburgh trams was running a 24 hour service every 10 minutes after the bells to get folk home : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2epl9dlegeo

I bet they were packed!

And the trams were free all night. The East Lothian coastal villages and Haddington had 5 buses each between 0030 and 0330 with some continuing to North Berwick and Dunbar. These weren't free however, and tickets were £6 or £12, thought they were "free" to those with a weekly Ridacard pass.

 

[bluenoxid]

It’s a North East thing. Good on them.

Could I also suggest (assume) that it is practicality too? Sunderland is an underground station and I understand the Metro was not operating. Hartlepool would also need opening.

 

[canary fan]

If I'm allowed to widen the subject to buses, I was surprised to find that Stagecoach in Aldershot, Farnborough and Guildford have no services running on any routes today. I was expecting at least a Sunday service, even if possibly with a late start.

That has been the case for some years. They do, however, run a Sunday service on Boxing Day, which allows people to travel when there aren’t any trains.

 

[enginedin]

Very few bus operators run on New Year's Day outside the metropolitan areas.

the slight dichotomy of Scotland: as others have said, Edinburgh Trams were running most of the night at ~10 minute intervals (I got one much later than I'd intended ) and it was still busy but not packed.

I was late enough that I missed the Princes Street Gardens crowds, but then despite the 1st and 2nd being Public Holidays, trams were running a normal day weekday service yesterday (I don't know if they started a bit later than normal) and buses were running a pretty standard service from what I could tell - all of which is an interesting comparison to most of the England.

I guess this is in part to Hogmanay being classed as an important tourism draw and they want to put on a decent show to visitors from all over the World who will also want to do all the other standard tourist stuff while they're here

 

[dk1]

Could I also suggest (assume) that it is practicality too? Sunderland is an underground station and I understand the Metro was not operating. Hartlepool would also need opening.

Oh don’t mention Hartlepool and opening. They lock them in there too

 

[Ellwill]

Sounds chaotic and having been there and done that in the past I have every sympathy for the officers trying to sort things out and get people home.

Compounded by there being no National Rail services running out of the station itself, with SE diverted to Charing X & Cannon St, plus Southern's apparent refusal to run additional late night services...

 

[Crisso]

My girlfriend’s teenage niece wanted to travel on the 1st January from Warrington Bank Quay to London Euston, en route returning to her home in Essex. Unfortunately, she isn’t at all railway minded/experienced and was simply told, at the point of origin, she would have to change several times with a much extended journey time. In the end, her step father drove all the way from Essex to collect her!

I am a rail enthusiast and, if I understand correctly after subsequent investigation, the WCML is closed over the holiday period, between Rugby to Milton Keynes due to the renewal of Hanslope Junction. It appears there aren’t any direct services during this time but, the suggested routing is from Warrington Central to Sheffield via Manchester, then to St. Pancras via the MML, taking over 4-1/2 hours!

Maybe I’m naive and clutching at past era’s, but why wasn’t the original WCML service basically maintained as far South as Rugby, with a fleet of buses providing a rail replacement service, using the conveniently adjacent M1 Motorway to Milton Keynes, where rail services to Euston could continue?

 

[Ian Hardy]

My girlfriend’s teenage niece wanted to travel on the 1st January from Warrington Bank Quay to London Euston, en route returning to her home in Essex. Unfortunately, she isn’t at all railway minded/experienced and was simply told, at the point of origin, she would have to change several times with a much extended journey time. In the end, her step father drove all the way from Essex to collect her!

I am a rail enthusiast and, if I understand correctly after subsequent investigation, the WCML is closed over the holiday period, between Rugby to Milton Keynes due to the renewal of Hanslope Junction. It appears there aren’t any direct services during this time but, the suggested routing is from Warrington Central to Sheffield via Manchester, then to St. Pancras via the MML, taking over 4-1/2 hours!

Maybe I’m naive and clutching at past era’s, but why wasn’t the original WCML service basically maintained as far South as Rugby, with a fleet of buses providing a rail replacement service, using the conveniently adjacent M1 Motorway to Milton Keynes, where rail services to Euston could continue?

That is because going Warrington Central to Sheffield via Manchester, then to St. Pancras via the MML is only 5 minutes quicker than going on the train to where the replacement buses run from, therefore all the journey planners direct you that way rather than along the WCML as it is slower going that way.

For some reason, the buses are operating only between Milton Keynes Central and Northampton, and there is only ONE AWC service (Manchester via Stoke) each hour between Northampton and Rugby. There are also 3 LNWR services between Northampton and Rugby.

All the other AWC services 3 per hour (Manchester via Crewe, Liverpool via Crewe and Wigan North Western via Birmingham) are running northwards to and from Rugby.

So anyone not travelling to or from Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield or Stoke has to change 3 times:
1st at Rugby
2nd at Northampton
then a bus to Milton Keynes
3rd onto a train to Euston.

At least the waiting area at Northampton is inside, at Milton Keynes it is outside with no shelter at all.

It is as though AWC don't want you to travel.

 

[Class15]

There was a night service last year in the early hours of 1st January on the Mildmay/North London line. Not this year - I wonder why?

 

[Ian Hardy]

There was a night service last year in the early hours of 1st January on the Mildmay/North London line. Not this year - I wonder why?

This is the reason why:
MILDMAY LINE: Saturday 27 December until Sunday 4 January, no service between Gospel Oak and Richmond / Shepherds Bush.

 

[Spartacus]

There was a night service last year in the early hours of 1st January on the Mildmay/North London line. Not this year - I wonder why?

Engineering between Gospel Oak & Acton

 

[Horizon22]

Maybe I’m naive and clutching at past era’s, but why wasn’t the original WCML service basically maintained as far South as Rugby, with a fleet of buses providing a rail replacement service, using the conveniently adjacent M1 Motorway to Milton Keynes, where rail services to Euston could continue?

No doubt platform capacity at Rugby would have played a part in this. You’d have to amend the plan anyway to accommodate shorter turn arounds, so only so much can run.
Let alone all the passenger handling requirements (buses, crowd control

 

[Watershed]

No doubt platform capacity at Rugby would have played a part in this. You’d have to amend the plan anyway to accommodate shorter turn arounds, so only so much can run.
Let alone all the passenger handling requirements (buses, crowd control

I think the bigger question is why replacement buses aren't running from Milton Keynes to Rugby - only to Northampton. That itself seems to be the principal reason why people are being sent on alternative routes via Chiltern or EMR by journey planners, causing serious overcrowding.

Very few people are going to want to make a journey that involves 2 changes and a replacement bus when there's a quicker 1-change option that avoids a bus. You'd have thought that would be considered when planning the replacement bus operation.

 

[Horizon22]

I think the bigger question is why replacement buses aren't running from Milton Keynes to Rugby - only to Northampton. That itself seems to be the principal reason why people are being sent on alternative routes via Chiltern or EMR by journey planners, causing serious overcrowding.

Ah sorry I misunderstood. Still might be an issue with passenger handling and ability to handle that level of buses at Rugby - I think there's a reasonable sized forecourt, but to memory not that large but I am happy to be corrected.

It might also be that if a service is running (e.g. the 3tph LNWR) that is the implied connectivity not served and saving 40 miles (return) of bus transit.

Journey planners can sometimes be a blunt tool doing engineering works unfortunately and people prefer rail over replacement buses of course, even if indirect and even then sometimes still if overcrowded.

I note Avanti's advice is not great on the matter suggesting "from Northampton..." when many trains do not go that far.

• The railway is closed for upgrade work between Milton Keynes and Rugby.
  • Trains will run between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central.
  • Replacement buses are running between Milton Keynes Central and Northampton.
  • From Northampton, Avanti West Coast trains will run to Manchester, and to Rugby where you can continue your journey by train.
  • Find out more about Network Rail’s upgrade work here.

 

[Class83]

No ScotRail service on New Years Day (obviously - it’s pretty much the same as Xmas day here in terms of shops or entertainment opening).

On 2nd January a Sunday equivalent service operates on most routes with weekday timings. First trains from Glasgow Central are around 0800/0900, first departures from Aberdeen and Inverness are around 1000. Full west highland line and Kyle line from Mid morning onwards, but only one train operates each way Inverness-Wick, and only one service will operate from Glasgow Central to Dumfries.

Always an interesting day with regards to how the service is designed. It’ll be a sad day if the reduced 2nd January service ever gets eroded, but with how important a holiday it is in Scotland that’s thankfully unlikely to be the case.

GNER used to run through to Aberdeen on New Years Day, generally well loaded as about the only way home after Hogmanay in Edinburgh. Now the only services from Edinburgh are southbound.

A Sunday Service starting at lunchtime would mostly meet demand, while probably remaining within the bounds of what could be staffed from voluntary overtime. Plenty of entertainment places Cinemas, cafes and pubs open.

 

[onlinespotting]

GNER used to run through to Aberdeen on New Years Day, generally well loaded as about the only way home after Hogmanay in Edinburgh. Now the only services from Edinburgh are southbound.

This is probably related to my opening post and Leeds running a weekday service as there was an early morning GNER Leeds to Aberdeen