Northern Rail = Fail !!!

[OwlMan]

Alnmouth booking office is only open
Mon - Sat 0640 - 1315
Sun 1040 - 1345; 1545 - 2100

 

[MidnightFlyer]

What I suspected OwlMan - any staff would be long gone and it isn't easy to reach to get staff there.

 

[142094]

Northern would have to send an area manager from Newcastle (even though their services shouldn't have been affected).

 

[Waverley125]

with regards to Edinburgh-Newcastle, I think there's demand for a better level of service along here than presently.

While an 'all shacks' service can't be accommodated, a semi-fast service calling at Musselburgh, Drem, Dunbar, Berwick upon Tweed, Chathill, Alnmouth, Morpeth & Cramlington, as wel as nwe stations at East Linton, Burnmouth (for Ayton & Eyemouth), Beal (for Holy Island) and Belford could work.

Additionally, the re-opening of the North Sunderland branch would give a reasonably-sized terminus for current stoppers (i.e. Manors, Cramlington, Morpeth, Pegswood, Widdrington, Acklington, Alnmouth, Chathill, North Sunderland) and would generate a good bit of holiday/day trip traffic over the summer. A more regular (i.e. hourly) service would also be much more use for commuting into Newcastle, taking traffic off the over-congested A1.

This should be possible with the introduction of loops at Cramlington & Acklington, both are which are eminemtly feasible. Giving a total service of:

Newcastle-Edinburgh (Scotrail): 1tph
Newcastle-North Sunderland (Northern): 1tph
Newcastle-Edinburgh (East Coast): 1tph
Newcastle-Edinburgh (XC): 1tph.

 

[spacehopper]

Staff at Alnmouth are award winning "Northern Stars". I've known it for them to stop on when there has been disruption. Remember they are dual roled thus safety critical and covered by hidden. One of the lads drove a bloke to the local airport after his shift because a train was running late once.

No spare cover- and a manager would not be around at 6pm.

Think Alnmouth is on McNulty hitlist so may even lose its staff in a few years or nearer.

 

[Greenback]

I think it is a bit unfair to expect Northern to be able to magic staff up to ensure that there is someone on hand in Alnmouth in the evening, serious disruption or not. I doubt that there are many, or any, spare staff sitting around waiting to elap into action when a situation develops, the railway is run on very little slack these days.

A lot of passengers have access to real time running information these days, via their mobile communications devices. (Not that this excuses TOC's from their responsibility to ensure that there are working facilities wherever they are installed!)

 

[Deerfold]

Surely posters were up advertising 08457 484950 which passengers could call to receive advice?

And isn't that a customer-unfriendly number for people out and about with most mobiles charging 20-40p a minute for calling it.

 

[spacehopper]

Every Northern station has a "useful information" poster with contact details for Northern / Passenger Focus / BTP and stuff about ticket buying and replacement buses etc.

Station is supposed to be staffed Monday-Saturday 0640- 1815 and 1040-2150 Sunday.

Building work taking place at moment with new lifts going in so maybe this has effected supply to CIS and help points.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Aren't both of those in the Merseytravel PTE area? If so, then Merseytravel no doubt have some influence over when the ticket offices are open and what facilities are at stations.

They are both outside the Merseyside PTE area, the last station on that line in Merseyside is Hough Green.

http://www.northernrail.org/travel/networkmap

 

[ainsworth74]

I think there's demand for a better level of service along here than presently.

Whilst I cannot find a link at present there has been a study (perhaps within the RUS for the area?) that make it clear that there is limited demand for local services between Newcastle and Edinburgh and as such there is no real reason to run those services as they'd be a waste of resources (and money if you want to start fitting extra passing loops). Extra services between Chathill and Newcastle might have a good case but extending beyond there to Edinburgh doesn't stack up.

 

[142094]

They are both outside the Merseyside PTE area, the last station on that line in Merseyside is Hough Green.

http://www.northernrail.org/travel/networkmap

Can never remember the stations in the Merseytravel area.

Whilst I cannot find a link at present there has been a study (perhaps within the RUS for the area?) that make it clear that there is limited demand for local services between Newcastle and Edinburgh and as such there is no real reason to run those services as they'd be a waste of resources (and money if you want to start fitting extra passing loops). Extra services between Chathill and Newcastle might have a good case but extending beyond there to Edinburgh doesn't stack up.

I can't see much scope for any sort of local service between Newcastle and Edinburgh at present. The stations that Northern serve between Newcastle and Chathill (apart from Morpeth, Alnmouth and Cramlington) only really merit a commutter service. They all serve rather sparsely populated areas and hardly anyone uses the services currently anyway.

 

[Butts]

And isn't that a customer-unfriendly number for people out and about with most mobiles charging 20-40p a minute for calling it.

I rang my daughter (free both on virgin) and got her to check Train Tracker and East Coasts Website.

Still one benefit as I mentioned before my first ever journey on a "proper" XC Train not a Voyager - why don't they have these on Edinburgh to Brum !!!

 

[tony_mac]

..deleted..

 

[WestCoast]

Still one benefit as I mentioned before my first ever journey on a "proper" XC Train not a Voyager - why don't they have these on Edinburgh to Brum !!!

...because Edinburgh to Birmingham via WCML is operated by Virgin? XC do have HSTs on their route via ECML.

 

[Butts]

...because Edinburgh to Birmingham via WCML is operated by Virgin? XC do have HSTs on their route via ECML.

Yes but they do go via Newcastle and use Voyagers on that route as far as I am aware.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I don't really understand what you're asking? Usually 3-4 trains a day (depending on day / time of year) are operated by HSTs from Edinburgh on XC - southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening; all others are Voyagers.

 

[Butts]

I don't really understand what you're asking? Usually 3-4 trains a day (depending on day / time of year) are operated by HSTs from Edinburgh on XC - southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening; all others are Voyagers.

I must admit I have not travelled from Birmingham to Edinburgh that often on XC (normally Fly or use quicker Virgin Service), however when I have it has always been a Voyager so I must have been unlucky.

 

[Harbon 1]

I must admit I have not travelled from Birmingham to Edinburgh that often on XC (normally Fly or use quicker Virgin Service), however when I have it has always been a Voyager so I must have been unlucky.

considering they only have a few sets, you'd be lucky to get one there (and if your luck is really going strong like mine was when i went to a exhibition at BHI from BUT (another station which is owned by a company that doesn't run a single service to it) you might get another back). If you don't plan a HST journey with XC, chances are, you won't get one

 

[Butts]

considering they only have a few sets, you'd be lucky to get one there (and if your luck is really going strong like mine was when i went to a exhibition at BHI from BUT (another station which is owned by a company that doesn't run a single service to it) you might get another back). If you don't plan a HST journey with XC, chances are, you won't get one

How can you find out which "runs" the HST's will be operating on ?

 

[Donny Dave]

How can you find out which "runs" the HST's will be operating on ?

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=54341