Planes grounded, special train requirements?

[Geezertronic]

With the UK Airspace currently closed to Air Traffic, does anyone know if the TOCs are taking advantage of this and laying any additional/special services on?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

East Coast have extended the 18.30 Newcastle service to Edinburgh.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Virgin have an additional train from London at 13:33 to Preston arr 16:10, also 16:44 from Preston arrive Glasgow at 19:15

Eurostar say don't turn up if you haven't got a ticket

 

[tbtc]

Can you imagine the criticism of rail if things were the other way round?

Everyone mocked "the wrong kind of snow" etc

 

[deltic]

Virgin Trains

Heavy demand due to air disruption
Date: Thursday 15 April

What is happening?

Our trains are very busy today, especially Anglo-Scottish services.

Alternative route:

Two additional trains have been arranged:

1333 from London Euston, calling at Crewe 1519, Warrington Bank Quay 1540, Wigan North Western 1551, Preston 1610.

1644 from Preston, calling at Lancaster 1701, Oxenholme Lake District 1717, Penrith North Lakes1743, Carlisle1801, Glasgow Central1915.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Websites for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Express are all very low key in informing passengers that there are no flights! HEX is not even upto date

 

[Capybara]

That looks to me like one additional train, with a 34 minute wait in Preston.

 

[gordonthemoron]

That looks to me like one additional train, with a 34 minute wait in Preston.

I suspect that the 16:44 from Preston is an extension of the 14:30 ex EUS

 

[merlodlliw]

It was on radio 4, out of 8 million annual trips between Scotia & England by
public transport, 7 million choose to fly, this figure was not challenged.

Without question Euston & King X will not see an empty seat today.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Can you imagine the criticism of rail if things were the other way round?

Everyone mocked "the wrong kind of snow" etc

Ah but this is the wrong type of air, wait till tomorrow.

 

[Metroland]

I think you'll find that figure is between London and Scotland, Domestic air market in the UK is tiny, around 21 million passengers per annum about the same as a small-medium TOC.

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&mode=detail&nid=1846

 

[deltic]

It was on radio 4, out of 8 million annual trips between Scotia & England by
public transport, 7 million choose to fly, this figure was not challenged.

.

It might not have been challenged but is not correct - according to CAA about 9.8m fly between Scotland and England and 5.8m travel by train

the numbers quoted sound like travel between London and Scotland where 6.9m travel by air and 1.4m by rail. Around a million of the air passengers are however only interchanging at Heathrow and are not travelling to/from a final destination in the UK

 

[Metroland]

Indeed, and in terms of the number of ECML passengers London-Edinburgh passengers make up around 5% of the total. National rail could easily accommodate the influx but running a few extra services, or extending a few between the important London-central belt area, and that's what appears to have been done.

 

[jopsuk]

As an aside, Ash has been spotted in the sky over Leeds

 

[87015]

Can you imagine the criticism of rail if things were the other way round?

Everyone mocked "the wrong kind of snow" etc

Be fair, snowfall in winter is a lot more predictable than a massive cloud of ash travelling a few thousand miles and ending up over us...

 

[Geezertronic]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8622510.stm

Virgin Trains said it was carrying an extra 2,000 passengers between Glasgow and London

An extra 2,000?

 

[silentone]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8622510.stm



An extra 2,000?

I'd say that was an under-estimate!

Trains have been leaving Kings Cross Full & Standing. I think the 1100 & 1200 services saw a huge flow of passengers as the queue to get on both was unbelievable. There's certainly been plenty of "I paid £200 for my ticket and I can't get a seat" although the amount of luggage is near nil with the baggage allowance of the planes. People really do take too much on the train!

Additional/extended services have also seen a large number of passengers, but East Coast have been doing some outstanding work to get people north/south.

The Reservation system also seems to have taken a battering.

 

[Metroland]

Apparently the volcano is getting worse, last time it went off, it poured out ash like this for over a month, then slowed down over 2 years. The one next to it blew, which was far worse, and could have the potential to raise the earth's temperature.

 

[dk1]

Virgin Trains have now added another extra service.

20.00 from Glasgow Central calling at Preston (22.14) Birmingham Intl (23.56) & London Euston (01.06).


No flights Friday just confirmed.

 

[Geezertronic]

Virgin Trains have now added another extra service.

20.00 from Glasgow Central calling at Preston (22.14) Birmingham Intl (23.56) & London Euston (01.06).

Back to the "good old days" of Glasgow to London via Birmingham

 

[royaloak]

Cant wait for people to start moaning that the railways are not doing enough :roll:, where do they think the stock and crews are coming from, pixie-land?

 

[Daniel]

Eurostar laid on two additional services both today and tomorrow. ALL services including the two extras tomorrow have now been filled. Passengers have been told unless they have a confirmed ticket tomorrow, do not travel to St. Pancras.

Overcrowding got so bad at STP today that it was backing up through the three arches into LUL

 

[Lee_Again]

People really do take too much on the train!

One of the reasons for taking the train is because you can take more luggage.

Trains are not planes; that is one of the great advantages they have.

 

[Geezertronic]

One of the reasons for taking the train is because you can take more luggage.

Trains are not planes; that is one of the great advantages they have.

What about the cargo hold on a plane that a train does not have?

 

[Fincra5]

What about the cargo hold on a plane that a train does not have?

Yea but you have to pay on cheaper airlines to use that...

 

[jopsuk]

On budget airlines, this is either near empty or carrying light freight thanks to the ruinous cost of actually checking in hold luggage- there's an airline in the US that's even started charging eye watering amounts ($45 if you pay at the gate) for hand luggage.

 

[Oracle]

We went on a day trip to France and Belgium by Eurotunnel, and heard about the news on the way back. The car transporters coming back were quite quiet. Only P&O was offering foot passengers crossings from Dover-Calais. Presumably passengers had to make their own way from Dover Priory to the harbour? Also, what trains would have been available from Calais onward?

 

[gordonthemoron]

Eurostar laid on two additional services both today and tomorrow. ALL services including the two extras tomorrow have now been filled. Passengers have been told unless they have a confirmed ticket tomorrow, do not travel to St. Pancras.

Overcrowding got so bad at STP today that it was backing up through the three arches into LUL

There is availability on all STP-Brussels trains for the rest of today (friday)

 

[deltic]

Virgin Trains

2,000 extra seats on 16 April
Date: Friday 16 April

What is happening?

Extra capacity to carry people who are unable to use air services.

Alternative routes:

Virgin Trains will offer 2,000 extra seats on Friday 16 April to carry passengers who will be unable to use air services due to the extension of restrictions on UK airspace until 1300.

The extra capacity will be offered through a combination of two extra trains and providing extra seats on eight trains compared to their normal operation. Priority has been given to Anglo - Scottish services.

The extra trains will be:
• 0855 London Euston to Glasgow Central calling Crewe 1035, Preston 1112, Carlisle 1216, arriving Glasgow Central 1327
• 1540 Glasgow Central to London Euston calling Carlisle 1647, Preston 1752, Crewe 1827, arriving London Euston 1958.

The eight trains that will have extra seats compared to their usual operation are:
• 0800 Glasgow Central - Birmingham New Street
• 0852 Edinburgh - Birmingham New Street
• 1043 London Euston - Birmingham New Street
• 1220 Birmingham New Street - Edinburgh
• 1230 Birmingham - London Euston
• 1443 London Euston - Birmingham New Street
• 1630 Birmingham – London Euston
• 1652 Edinburgh - Birmingham New Street.


EAST COAST RAILWAY PROVIDES EXTRA TRAIN SERVICES AS TRAVELLERS SWITCH FROM THE SKIES
TRAIN operator East Coast is providing additional train services as UK airspace remains closed by a volcanic ash cloud.

The company is reminding travellers that its trains are open for business as hundreds of flights from UK airports are grounded today.

East Coast has brought in an additional train on a temporary basis to operate extra services on its Anglo-Scottish route to help keep the country moving.

This evening, an additional East Coast service will operate at 16.30 from Edinburgh to London, calling en route at Newcastle and York.

East Coast will also extend its 16.30, 18.30 and 19.00 London to Newcastle services through to Edinburgh. All three trains will operate non-stop from Newcastle to Edinburgh.

Tomorrow (Friday 16 April 2010) additional East Coast train services will operate from Edinburgh to London at 07.30 and 08.30.

The 07.30 from Edinburgh will call at Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Northallerton, York, Doncaster, Peterborough, Stevenage and London King’s Cross: whilst the 08.30 will call at Newcastle, Darlington, York and London King’s Cross.

East Coast’s travel centres and trains have been busy throughout the day, with a full timetable in operation in addition to the extra trains listed.

Customers can check the latest train service information online here

 

[craig87034]

yahoo groups Virgin trains gen reports 90020 and Pretendolino out today

0703 Euston-Birmingham New Street
0850 Birmingham New Street-Euston
1043 Euston-Birmingham New Street
1230 Birmingham New Street-Euston
1443 Euston-Birmingham New Street
1630 Birmingham New Street-Euston
1846 Euston-Preston

 

[silentone]

One of the reasons for taking the train is because you can take more luggage.

Trains are not planes; that is one of the great advantages they have.

You've clearly missed the point. The train has far less space for luggage yet people take far more luggage with them.

But with the luggage limits of planes the additional luggage being brought on-board trains is managable.

 

[gordonthemoron]

EastCoast have announced yet more services to/from Edinburgh