Why do some trains have drop-off / pick-up only at certain stations.

[Willie Bee]

I was looking at the Caledonian Sleeper service and note there are drop-off and pickup points on this service.

I know there are other routes where this takes place

What is the reason for this ?

Surely, if it was a time thing, then just whizzing through the station without a stop would be the better option.

 

[yorkie]

There is no point having Glasgow to Carstairs/Carlisle passengers on this train, nor is there any value in having Watford Jn to Euston passengers.

It's a long distance Sleeper service; the other flows are catered for by local services.

 

[Starmill]

Trains that are set down only regularly depart early. That wouldn't be possible if they just made a normal stop. If they went through without stopping nobody would be able to get off there.

 

[Lewisham2221]

I know there are other routes where this takes place

What is the reason for this ?

It's often to prevent large numbers of short distance commuters causing overcrowding on long distance services.

Sometimes it's late night services which are often affected by engineering works - making them set down only means they can be timed for slower running times (in case they need to use slow lines or divert) with the ability to run at "normal" speed on days when they aren't affected by works. It also simplifies the rail replacement bus provision required in similar situations.

 

[Kite159]

And as for the sleeper, I think if nobody is booked to leave the train at some of the stations served it can skip them.

 

[stadler]

There is no point having Glasgow to Carstairs/Carlisle passengers on this train, nor is there any value in having Watford Jn to Euston passengers.

It's a long distance Sleeper service; the other flows are catered for by local services.

To be fair i think there would be some point in taking local passengers between Carstairs and Edinburgh/Glasgow. It would provide Carstairs with an earlier first train of the day to Edinburgh/Glasgow and also provide Carstairs with a later last train of the day from Edinburgh/Glasgow. But i agree carrying Watford Junction local passengers is pointless when they have plenty of early morning and late evening local LNWR services.

 

[A S Leib]

DB Reiseplaner thinks that buses in the system have pick-up / set-down only points (example in the screenshot showing "exit only, no entry allowed" at Wisbech, Kings Lynn and Swaffham). Are there other cases of services being shown as pick-up / set-down only in journey planners when they're (presumably) not in the timetable?