TPE Glasgow/Edinburgh additional calls.

[Philip]

Is there a case for adding Salford Crescent and Chorley to the regular stopping pattern for the TPE WCML Scotland services? We know the reason why Bolton has restrictions, but Salford and Chorley seem big enough to warrant a call from all services passing through, including in this case the TPE. There is a market for direct links between Salford and Glasgow/Edinburgh and an additional service between Chorley and Preston would be useful.
It'd add no more than 10 minutes to the journey time, so why are these stations not being served?

 

[Jamesrob637]

Is there a case for adding Salford Crescent and Chorley to the regular stopping pattern for the TPE WCML Scotland services? We know the reason why Bolton has restrictions, but Salford and Chorley seem big enough to warrant a call from all services passing through, including in this case the TPE. There is a market for direct links between Salford and Glasgow/Edinburgh and an additional service between Chorley and Preston would be useful.
It'd add no more than 10 minutes to the journey time, so why are these stations not being served?

Hmm these are only 5-car trains and can't be doubled up. With 8-car 350s I'd have seen the logic especially with SDO, but not with 5-car 397s. Is it too much hassle to change in Preston, which is a very easy station to navigate, and often involves only a same-platform change from the Hazel Grove to Blackpool service?

 

[adrock1976]

Before the ex Liverpool & Manchester and the route via Bolton was wired, I recall that when the Class 185s operated Glasgow or Edinburgh - Manchester Airport that these used to call at Chorley.

Being as the Class 350s and now the Class 397s have took over from the 185s, by not being timetabled to call at Salford Crescent or Chorley this would allow flexibility in the event of disruption or engineering works for trains to run either via Bolton, or via the ex Liverpool & Manchester and Wigan North Western as that is the only route that has wires at this moment in time.

 

[David Goddard]

I don't think so. These are express services which don't need extra calls slowing them down. It would be like making Pendolinos call at Cheadle Hulme just because there are people there who want to go to London.

Good to have ideas though

 

[4-SUB 4732]

I think the key thing here is that there’s a vast amount of capacity at places like Chorley to warrant the TPE now not calling; and Salford is a capacity pinch point so the extra 3 minutes of platform occupation and dwell may be enough to chuck a leg out of bed.

Admittedly, Salford Crescent is a great interchange out of Manchester; but the service to/from Bolton is frequent to transfer on. The same applies to Salford and Chorley going to Preston as already stated.

The other thing is you’ve only got 5 coaches so wedging it full of Manchester commuters isn’t sensible. Better to just let it go Oxford Road <> Preston (discounting Bolton as pick-up northbound and set-down southbound) and then Northern can pick up the slack with all their electrics.

 

[p.d87]

The TPE Scottish services when first introduced were inter worked with the Cumbrian/Blackpool to Man Airport TPE services. This meant that calls at Chorley/ Salford Crescent/Heald Green etc were included as some were portion worked between Preston and the Airport. The Scottish services also took the paths of Windermere-Airport reducing it to a mostly Oxenholme shuttle. I think due to not having enough stock for all services plus the ex Scotland. Hence these calls included. When the cl350 were introduced and trains diverted through Wigan, the need to stop at the smaller stations was withdrawn. When Virgin XC ran the Scotland-Manc. Bolton was the only intermediate call between Preston and Piccadilly so it has reverted back to original stopping patterns.