Timetable with most slack

[43106]

For years, I have noticed that trains going INTO a big station from an adjacent station always take longer than those going in the reverse direction. The worst ones that I've seen were the last GNER trains from Kings Cross going to Newcastle and to Leeds, the latter not even stopping at Wakefield (or does it go via Hambledon Junc????)

 

[northwichcat]

Piccadilly-Knutsford on a Sunday is 39 minutes. Knutsford-Piccadilly on a weekday is 47 minutes.

I think the Llandudno-Piccadilly services get given a ridiculous amount of time to do the short distance between Oxford Rd and Piccadilly.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I think the Llandudno-Piccadilly services get given a ridiculous amount of time to do the short distance between Oxford Rd and Piccadilly.

Typically 9 minutes on the inbound service, and 3 minutes on the way back.

 

[Lampshade]

The 2131 from Preston to Manchester via Wigan North Western has a stupid amount of slack at Oxford Road. It's due to arrrive at MCO at 2226 - it arrived at 2214 last time I caught it. It would have worked out quicker to alight at MCO and change onto the Nottingham stopper, which is due in to MAN a minute earlier :?

 

[Crossover]

Now retimed to eliminate this.

Incidentally, the southbound LM Crewe-Euston service has lengthy stops at Stafford and Northampton and takes 3:16hrs. whereas the northbound take 2:52hrs..

Yeah, I have noticed that in recent (last couple of years probably) times it's now scheduled at Stafford about 15 mins earlier (and before midnight now) than before

There is also one that sits in Stafford heading to Crewe...not sure what time it is ex London but it is something like 1820 from Stafford. Arrives into Stafford at about 17:55 and waits for a good 25 mins in Platform 6
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Quite a few of the XC's have quite a bit of slack at New Street. Some though also now seem to have gained slack elsewhere. The services from Bristol TM to Manchester are given 59 mins I think it is to do Stafford to Piccadilly, calling at Stoke and Stockport. The ones from Bournemouth are given some 10 or so mins longer, with the additional stop at Macclesfield.

Was on one today and having left Stafford on time (it arrived about 3 early) we arrived at Stoke 3 early (despite getting stopped at a signal (sidenote: is this what you guys refer to as being "signal checked"?) before Stone and then stopping just after Stone Junction...not at a signal though), at Macclesfield 2 early and Stockport 5 early! Not sure about Manchester but we got stopped at another signal for a while outside Longsight as well

 

[Eagle]

London–Poole stopper waits for ages at Southampton (15 minutes) and then even longer at Brockenhurst (25 minutes). Those are ridiculously long dwell times. Also on the SWML I notice this:

but that's not slack, that's the train going via Laverstock for no apparent reason (route knowledge I assume, but why every day?).

 

[465fan]

The pax timetable has a load of padding usually for the last station as so called "charter minutes" - basically, to arrive "on time" or to make up time on the passenger timetable

 

[thewolf]

Quite a few of the XC's have quite a bit of slack at New Street. Some though also now seem to have gained slack elsewhere. The services from Bristol TM to Manchester are given 59 mins I think it is to do Stafford to Piccadilly, calling at Stoke and Stockport. The ones from Bournemouth are given some 10 or so mins longer, with the additional stop at Macclesfield.

Was on one today and having left Stafford on time (it arrived about 3 early) we arrived at Stoke 3 early (despite getting stopped at a signal (sidenote: is this what you guys refer to as being "signal checked"?) before Stone and then stopping just after Stone Junction...not at a signal though), at Macclesfield 2 early and Stockport 5 early! Not sure about Manchester but we got stopped at another signal for a while outside Longsight as well

Of the two New St - Picc trains an hour, the one which stops at Stafford takes 10 minutes longer to get to Stoke-on-Trent. There does seem a silly amount of padding on that journey, it usually involves sitting at Stafford for a good 4 or 5 minutes and then similar at Stoke.

Even it gets sent down the slow line from Stafford to Norton Bridge it'll be in Stoke with a few minutes spare.

I assume this is also a matter of padding, but trains from Walsall to New St/Wolves (the one that arrives at New St at xx28 or thereabouts) usually sits on the flyover above Curzon Street junction (I think?) for a good few minutes waiting for a Pendolino to go ahead of it. The amount of time the train sits there sometimes it could be almost in the platform by the time the Pendolino would come through.

 

[Invincibles]

The 2131 from Preston to Manchester via Wigan North Western has a stupid amount of slack at Oxford Road. It's due to arrrive at MCO at 2226 - it arrived at 2214 last time I caught it. It would have worked out quicker to alight at MCO and change onto the Nottingham stopper, which is due in to MAN a minute earlier :?

I have caught that train quite a few times, I suppose it has a lot of potential for things to go wrong. I do not know what it follows between Wigan and Salford Crescent but sometimes that leg is slow.

Usually when I caught it it would sit at Castlefield waiting for a 323 to run on through Deansgate first. It was quite good to stay sat down working while everyone got up to alight at Oxford Road only for the train to arrive closer to the 2226 time.

Never struck me as a particularly offensive bit of timetabling given the route knowledge nature of it.

 

[route:oxford]

Are some of the "rests", particularily mid-route at say Birmingham or Southampton related to a historic allowance to change traction?

 

[Crossover]

Of the two New St - Picc trains an hour, the one which stops at Stafford takes 10 minutes longer to get to Stoke-on-Trent. There does seem a silly amount of padding on that journey, it usually involves sitting at Stafford for a good 4 or 5 minutes and then similar at Stoke.

Even it gets sent down the slow line from Stafford to Norton Bridge it'll be in Stoke with a few minutes spare.

I *think* we were sent down the slows to Norton Bridge on this occasion (that being going straight down out of pl 5 rather than moving across?)

Also, the majority of XC's now call at Stafford with only the odd few that don't (Bristol services used to pass non-stop but not now it seems)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Bristol-Manchester XCs call at Stafford (since December 2009 / May 2010 I think), but the Bournemouth-Manchester XCs don't (they call at Macclesfield instead)

 

[Mojo]

Bristol-Manchester XCs call at Stafford (since December 2009 / May 2010 I think), but the Bournemouth-Manchester XCs don't (they call at Macclesfield instead)

During the day (ie. 8am - 7pm), all Birmingham to Manchester trains call at Stafford (both the Bournemouth and Bristol services), the only exception being the 15.31 from Birmingham, the 09.40 from Penzance which runs fast to Stoke on Trent.

It's the same in the Southbound direction too, 2tph except there is only a 12.25 - 13.25, then back to 2tph.

 

[willas00]

All the xx12 from Birmingham New Street to Cheltenham Spa are booked out of Cheltenham Spa at xx52.

However the 1312 from Birmingham New Street to Cheltenham Spa is booked out of Cheltenham Spa at xx56... it's done like that supposedly because it's a Booked HST. However there are also 3 other booked HST times but not at xx56 at xx52

 

[MadCommuter]

East Coast's 1500 KGX-GLC is given 34 minutes to do Motherwell-Glasgow. The return 0650 GLC-KGX is given just 14 minutes from Glsgow to Motherwell.

I saw this in GLC last week and it was in very early.

 

[Crossover]

Bristol-Manchester XCs call at Stafford (since December 2009 / May 2010 I think), but the Bournemouth-Manchester XCs don't (they call at Macclesfield instead)

I wondered when it changed, as I was away from Stafford for a year. They also now use Pl 4 rather than 1 most of the time (which is a tad annoying :P)

Bournemouth-Manchester have always called at Stafford AFAIK

 

[thewolf]

During the day (ie. 8am - 7pm), all Birmingham to Manchester trains call at Stafford (both the Bournemouth and Bristol services), the only exception being the 15.31 from Birmingham, the 09.40 from Penzance which runs fast to Stoke on Trent.

It's the same in the Southbound direction too, 2tph except there is only a 12.25 - 13.25, then back to 2tph.

I think that may have only been during the Winter timetable, it seems to be back to the 'usual' levels of one stopping and one not at Stafford since May.

Unless maybe I just happen to catch the 'occasional' train which skips Stafford.

Agree with the other poster about southbounds being on P4 rather than P1 lately though. I think the last time I was on one in P1, we ended up reversing along the wrong line back towards Stoke for a few minutes, then going back through Stafford on P4 after a points failure of some description -but that's another story...

 

[Crossover]

I think that may have only been during the Winter timetable, it seems to be back to the 'usual' levels of one stopping and one not at Stafford since May.

Unless maybe I just happen to catch the 'occasional' train which skips Stafford.

Agree with the other poster about southbounds being on P4 rather than P1 lately though. I think the last time I was on one in P1, we ended up reversing along the wrong line back towards Stoke for a few minutes, then going back through Stafford on P4 after a points failure of some description -but that's another story...

Definitely both stopping at the moment - in the past few weeks I have been on both the 14:01 and 14:30 services and the return working of the 14:30 I was on the other day was going to Bristol and calling at Stafford. Previously there was a point in the afternoon where there was a skip on the Penzance train (which was alluded to earlier) - not sure if this changed in May though.

Had the occasional (usually late night) XC go to P1 (always hopeful on the approach that we don't move across tracks as we arrive)
Makes sense (now I know the track layout) why the SB goes to P4 now as it is better placed to join the Wolves line without having to cross the fasts from a standing start.

Anyway...any other slack timetables? :P

 

[thefab444]

xx05 Waterloo - Weymouth services have at least 5-6 minutes of slack time just between Waterloo and Southampton.