Poor late Sunday evening service for Wakefield Line

[yorksrob]

To be fair the all year Sunday service and early morning one were addressed in the latest franchise round, after that - well Whitby isn't that big a centre of population and transporting more drunks back to Teesside is hardly a rationale for a later service to Smoggyland, look how bad the late Saturday service is for trouble already.....

It's hardly what I would call a comprehensive service through the day though. Three hour gaps galore.

I've often seen trains full and standing throughout the whole length of the route (and if the rowdies could be pushed onto a later train, the rest of us could stay there later than 16:00).

 

[30907]

Looks very different to me, I have most BR National timetables from 1986-1994 and there were at times many through workings from Wakefield that I am sure were useful. Why has the Manchester service ended up non-existent? Surely people in Wakefield would have found it a useful service.

Just checked 1988, and the basic local service was hourly to Huddersfield (yes, it did have a spell of through running to Manchester, for operational convenience, which ISTR wasnt popular at Slaithwaite and Marsden as they lost their Leeds trains), hourly on the Barnsley route, hourly via Moorthorpe and to Doncaster, very similar to today. Pontefract hadn't reopened then.

The only other trains I can see were a summer Scarborough via Castleford excursion and a SO Blackpool.

 

[railfan100]

Just checked 1988, and the basic local service was hourly to Huddersfield (yes, it did have a spell of through running to Manchester, for operational convenience, which ISTR wasnt popular at Slaithwaite and Marsden as they lost their Leeds trains), hourly on the Barnsley route, hourly via Moorthorpe and to Doncaster, very similar to today. Pontefract hadn't reopened then.

The only other trains I can see were a summer Scarborough via Castleford excursion and a SO Blackpool.

Do you have later versions 1990-1992? Lots of interesting through workings.

 

[BurtonM]

Towards Yorkshire isn't great either.
I work in the centre of Manchester and one of my regular shifts is Sunday evening, finishing at 9pm - I live in Stalybridge.
After 6pm, the 2tph that serve Stalybridge leave from Victoria (xx:13) and Piccadilly (xx:11) 2 minutes apart. Handy!
This continues until 9pm - the last Northern stopper to Huddersfield on a Sunday night is at 21:13. This is the last service to all the stations between Stalybridge and Huddersfield
The next, and only service to Stalybridge after these is at 22:42. A TPE passes through having left Piccadilly at 21:42 but this one doesn't stop - in fact, if you miss the earlier trains NRE suggests you take this 21:42 fast to Huddersfield and double back on a Northern stopper (they run later Hudds-Manchester, isn't that daft), to arrive about 2 minutes before the 22:42 from Piccadilly does...

It baffles me that the railway runs to its normal timetable on bank holidays, but woe betide you want to do anything on a Sunday...

 

[AnonymousUser1]

< snip>

It baffles me that the railway runs to its normal timetable on bank holidays, but woe betide you want to do anything on a Sunday...

contractural issue combined wit the intransigence / greed of the unions ...

 

[bearhugger]

It's hardly what I would call a comprehensive service through the day though. Three hour gaps galore.

I've often seen trains full and standing throughout the whole length of the route (and if the rowdies could be pushed onto a later train, the rest of us could stay there later than 16:00).

Totally agree that the current 3 hour gap is woeful, it's not just about Whitby as a destination, all the villages would benefit too. I would love to take the missus out for a meal at Danby or elsewhere and not be clockwatching in case we missed a train. And if there was a later train service at 22:25 then the majority of the folks who go to Whitby for an all day boozing sesh would get that one rather than the 19:19 service and the families would enjoy a longer day out.

 

[yorksrob]

Totally agree that the current 3 hour gap is woeful, it's not just about Whitby as a destination, all the villages would benefit too. I would love to take the missus out for a meal at Danby or elsewhere and not be clockwatching in case we missed a train. And if there was a later train service at 22:25 then the majority of the folks who go to Whitby for an all day boozing sesh would get that one rather than the 19:19 service and the families would enjoy a longer day out.

I've often fancied exploring some of the wayside villages but as you say, the timetable just doesn't lend itself to it.