I don't know about midweek, but on Saturday afternoon and early evening, many of the Manchester - Huddersfield stoppers can be heavily loaded. Do they really think that all these passengers are going to fit into 3 coach 185s that will also be carrying longer-distance passengers ?
(And Ashton seems to suffer, losing all through trains east of Stalybridge unless I have missed something. )
We'll just have passengers left on the platforms.
How many people actually make such journeys? And how many people are instead using parallel bus services which run closer to where they want to go and run at better frequencies than the rail service? The skip-stop pattern allows a greater number of through services to run and also imposes less of a journey time penalty. This will benefit more people than the number who may lose out through the loss of the purely local service element.
And would require them to run replacement buses or taxis at short notice and additional expense as well as risk delay-repay penalties. Far simpler (as jcollins has pointed out) to turn the train short further along where alternative onward connections exist. Or if late-running is endemic re-draw the unit diagrams.
As I suggested in another thread, and you denied, you are resistant to change. The changes have not just been dreamed up at the last minute but have been carefully considered and consulted on. The outcome will provide the best overall outcome to the greatest number of people while providing acceptable value for money. Making the trains longer needs more (expensive) rolling stock and would also require (expensive) platform lengthening at relatively lightly used stations.
I'm not resistant to improvements, but these changes don't improve anything.
The TPX services are already over-full, and you seem to think it's a good idea to ram more passengers from the also over-full local services onto them.
Lots of people go between Dewsbury and Batley for instance, and between Batley and Morley. There are more trains between the Station area in Batley and Dewsbury than Busses. (If you'd ever actually been here, you'd know that Batley Rail Station is a good distance from the Town centre, but, is close to Collage and other educational areas. The Train takes a matter of 2-3 min's, and the Bus can take well over twenty with the uphill walk at the end.
If a TOC cancels a train, it doesn't "run replacement buses or taxis at short notice" it makes people wait for the next service.
If they've a spare unit to run a 6th service, then they have a spare unit to double up an existing service.
There are no platforms where TPX currently calls that cannot accommodate a six car 185.
The current service does not work because of too many TPX delays, not because of local services. If there were fewer TPX, but longer, there may be chance of a more robust timetable.
Delays are caused at the Victoria - Liverpool end, as the so called non-stop between those two places regularly gets stuck behind the stopping service.
On the other hand, I've known the Huddersfield to Leeds stopper get left waiting for over 20 min's at Dewsbury for a cavalcade of TPXs to lumber past.
We could have a far better service with the current infrastructure and units. In fact, fewer longer TPXs would save money, as you'd need fewer expensive drivers.
What is currently being suggested is making TPX journeys longer, what's the sense in that?
But it'll be stations west of Huddersfield who get disadvantaged.
Oh, and you think that's okay then?
It's ALL local stations that get "disadvantaged".
So Stalybridge lose its fast services to Yorkshire, and Hull lose its fast service to Manchester?
Also will the semi-fasts cope with local passengers and those going to Leeds/Hull from Piccadilly? I thought the local stations, particularly east of Huddersfield had seen massive patronage growth that the current Northern services were struggling to cope with already
Have to say 4 longer fasts with 2 still calling at Stalybridge and Dewsbury would seem to work better. With 2 stoppers turning at Huddersfield from both east and west (or through and looped at Huddersfield). I would add the Hull as a portion working to one of the fasts as well
Couldn't agree more.
I would imagine that'll be down to the extra VTEC services running through Westgate rather than related to 6tph on North TPE.
In fact that's not why, it's because there will be 2 tph from Knottingley to Leeds, and one of these will be taking the path "up-hill" to Westgate.
A very (at lest by Railway standards) cheap way to solve this, is to put a bay facing Kirkgate in. Just extend the platform towards the middle line (a line that I only ever seen used once) Just like they did at Huddersfield to make the current P2.
Again, a very well used train being diverted to the detriment of local users. I've asked some of those in the know, and Huddersfield / Mirfield to Castleford, is a journey nobody has ever sold a ticket for. (Maybe there are plans to continue onto York direct).
Why we need another train taking a very convoluted route between Knottingley and Leeds, I've no idea.
At Kirkgate on an evening we had (and may still do) a Knottingley train extended up to Westgate, at exactly the same departure time as the Train to Huddersfield, meaning the two off 2 and 3 were timetabled to use the same crossover at the same time.
