Yes, I think the main W&B hourly service between Manchester and North Wales should call at Newton-Le-Willows, Warrington Bank Quay, Chester, Fflint, Rhyl, Llandudno Junction, Bangor and Holyhead only, with Northern's class 195 units taking up all the calls currently served by ATW between Chester and Manchester. In the peaks, when Northern will operate to Ellesmere Port instead of Chester and W&B will have 2tph the 'peak-extra' W&B service should make all the calls ATW currently do.
I believe at least one of the user-groups/lobby-groups/local-authorities who responded to one of the consultations also called for the W&B service to make fewer calls east of Chester.
Unless by 'cutting' you mean introducing the need to change train for some journeys I am not suggesting a cut, since I am not suggesting a reduction in services. Basically what I am saying is that the introduction of a second train each hour between Manchester and Chester should be used as an oppertunity to introduce a faster service once an hour, rather than doubling the frequency at all stations. I'm also saying that the fast one should be the one that continues into North Wales using regional express stock rather than the one that terminates at Chester.
By speeding up the service the franchise would be making it more attractive to passengers making longer journeys, so it should be strengthing this profitable service not damaging it.
That's what I'm afraid will happen and W&B will be left serving Runcorn Frodsham and Helsby, a barmy suituation where Northern's trains with doors at thirds (better able to deal with more stops) run fast and the W&B class 175s make the stops. That's a bit silly and if that's the plan I hope it gets changed (and not by downgrading the route to suburban trains on every service).
I don't see what you're getting at there; as you said above north Wales to Manchester is one of the most profitable services in the franchise, so why would you terminate them at Chester?
Right; I forgot to mention that I think the station management responsibilities for those stops should pass to Northern along with the requirement to call at them (although depending on where it goes after Chester the Halton Curve service could also call at Helsby and Frodsham).
The reason I think there should be fast trains is that I believe in trying to entice people away from driving private cars and given the advantages that mode has you need a seriously good rail offer. One area where rail can sometimes beat road is the journey time, but 55mins or more for a stopping train between Chester and Llandudno Junction doesn't cut it when the AA website tells me 52mins to drive between the two (it's 53 according to Google).
I would say however that my calling pattern above for the fast service is for my 3tph scenario; if I limited myself to 2tph then Prestatyn and Colwyn Bay would be listed too.
omething departure from there in the evening) it isn't a daft line (particularly if the bus services in the area made sense, which they don't at the moment).
