Which is each TOC's "poor relation" route?

[Robinson]

I have a couple of suggestions...

For ScotRail - anything through Carstairs.
For Northern - Chester via Altrincham.
For London Midland - Birmingham-Hereford, oddly enough. Having done that route a couple of times, I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a timetable for the line at New St, but there were plenty available for their other routes, including those from Moor St!

 

[Southern]

Southeastern: Grove Park to Bromley North branch in addition to the Sherness branch.

Southern: Inner SLL and the London Bridge to Beckenham Junction service.

London Overground: A toss of the coin between the GOBLIN and Euston to Watford Junction service, although the line south of Harrow & Wealdstone is supplemented by 6tph on the Bakerloo line.

Grove Park - Bromley North is gettting an extra service each hour in December, made possible by reducing turnaround times. So that makes it 3TP that all have good connections to either Charing X or Cannon Street...doesn't seem that much of a poor relation to me.

 

[michael769]

I have a couple of suggestions...

For ScotRail - anything through Carstairs.

Personally I'd vote for the Shotts line. Whenever there is central belt wide disruption it is the first service to go and the last the be re-instated

 

[anthony263]

For FGW i will repeat again, it has to be the Westbury - Swindon route only 2 trains in each direction per day.

 

[Eagle]

For FGW i will repeat again, it has to be the Westbury - Swindon route only 2 trains in each direction per day.

Isn't that more to do with the fact that that's the franchise specification that was left over from Wessex Trains' days?

In fact FGW have been planning a service upgrade to something in the region of 1tp2h for a while now!

 

[Bunting14]

For C2C I would nominate Barking to Grays via Rainham. Though by comparison to most its probably luxury.

 

[Electrostar]

Southeastern: Grove Park to Bromley North branch in addition to the Sherness branch.

Southern: Inner SLL and the London Bridge to Beckenham Junction service.

London Bridge to Beckenham Junction has a much more frequent service than the Victoria to Beckenham Junction service it replaced. The trains run much later into the evening and, if memory serves, on Sunday too. With Southeastern providing frequent services to Victoria via Herne Hill the London Bridge service is a welcome relief to those in Beckenham who don't want to trudge to New Beckenham. Birkbeck passengers for Crystal Palace admittedly have to change at Crystal Palace or take the regular Tramlink back to Beckenham Junction. They have however gained the more frequent and later connections to London.

You're right about Grove Park to Bromley South. The increased frequencies are welcomed but many on this line still miss the direct connection to London which was temporarily reinstated when the 376s were introduced. The Bromley North "poppers" are often cut when there are problems on the network.

 

[Zoe]

Isn't that more to do with the fact that that's the franchise specification that was left over from Wessex Trains' days?

Wessex ran five trains per day but in 2005 the SRA specified that this be reduced to two at the start of the new franchise. The SRA also specified quite a few other cuts but First were able to prevent many of them except this one.

 

[Z12XE]

As a daily user of the Sudbury branch, I wouldn't say the hourly service makes it a poor relation at all to be honest. However, I do think there's more they could do with the line, for instance extend it to Colchester every hour, which still only needs 1 156, and makes it a hell of a lot more use, and makes it even more competitive with the buses. Saying that, the turn around times would be a bit tight, 3 minutes at each end or that's what I've worked out. Its surprised me why they haven't done it before, its pathable between Marks Tey to Sudbury or as far as I can tell it is. There's got to be an explanation as to why, I'm sure they would've thought about it.

To get a relilable service it would need two units to provide an hourly service on the branch, else it would forever run late as a simple delay would knock the service out for hours.
Have a look at the timetable from December in the journey planners, that service which currently runs to Colchester will terminate Marks Tey (and run earlier throughout).

The Felixstowe line get a much rougher deal than the Sudbury branch as any kind of unit shortage then it gets the buses.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I remember a few weeks back that the crewe stoke was being considered a poor relation of EMT with 1 coach trains well look at this http://www.therailwaycentre.com/

a one off?

 

[Eagle]

I remember a few weeks back that the crewe stoke was being considered a poor relation of EMT with 1 coach trains well look at this http://www.therailwaycentre.com/

Nice colour scheme... :roll: