Northern Saturday timetables

[BrianB]

Looking at some Northern tables (current and from May), what is the logic in running the same Monday to Friday peak service on a Saturday? As just 2 examples, take table 33, the Harrogate line, https://timetables.fabdigital.uk/nrt/may2026/Table 033.pdf or equally table 34 the Ilkley line https://timetables.fabdigital.uk/nrt/may2026/Table 034.pdf

The volume of passengers is not the same, certainly not in the morning peak, so isn't this just a wasteful use of resources, time and money? I cant see any other commuter serving TOC that does this

 

[30907]

Looking at some Northern tables (current and from May), what is the logic in running the same Monday to Friday peak service on a Saturday? As just 2 examples, take table 33, the Harrogate line, https://timetables.fabdigital.uk/nrt/may2026/Table 033.pdf or equally table 34 the Ilkley line https://timetables.fabdigital.uk/nrt/may2026/Table 034.pdf

The volume of passengers is not the same, certainly not in the morning peak, so isn't this just a wasteful use of resources, time and money? I cant see any other commuter serving TOC that does this

It has been so for as long as I can remember - it was specified by WYPTE in the 80s IIRC and has stayed that way; it was presumably in every franchise spec since.

That said, only Airedale/Wharfedale/Harrogate run peak hour extras in quantity.

 

[dodecahedron67]

The TPE peak extras to/from Piccadilly run on Saturdays too, albeit it's very rare the full TPE route is open at weekends at the moment with all the TRU works

 

[308165]

It has been so for as long as I can remember - it was specified by WYPTE in the 80s IIRC and has stayed that way; it was presumably in every franchise spec since.

That said, only Airedale/Wharfedale/Harrogate run peak hour extras in quantity.

This isn't quite correct. The Skipton - Leeds Saturday morning service, certainly until mid 2000s, used to only be hourly until after the circa 0747 departure, though the Bradford service was half hourly from start of service with interchange available to Leeds at Shipley off some services.

This may have improved incrementally, but the big change came in May 2018 I think when the Saturday peak replicated the Weekday peak. I've no idea why this is and have often thought the additional peak services in a morning would be ripe for cutting in return for reinstating 2tph Skipton/Ilkley-Bradford in the off peak on a Saturday.

I've sometimes wondered if these services were some sort of error in the franchise specification, in the same way that the 1518 Leeds - Carlisle had a Cononley stop for a short period, which felt like a drag down error in a spreadsheet!

 

[30907]

This isn't quite correct. The Skipton - Leeds Saturday morning service, certainly until mid 2000s, used to only be hourly until after the circa 0747 departure, though the Bradford service was half hourly from start of service with interchange available to Leeds at Shipley off some services.

This may have improved incrementally, but the big change came in May 2018 I think when the Saturday peak replicated the Weekday peak. I've no idea why this is and have often thought the additional peak services in a morning would be ripe for cutting in return for reinstating 2tph Skipton/Ilkley-Bradford in the off peak on a Saturday.

I've sometimes wondered if these services were some sort of error in the franchise specification, in the same way that the 1518 Leeds - Carlisle had a Cononley stop for a short period, which felt like a drag down error in a spreadsheet!

Apologies, misremembered.