Worst Sunday Rail Service

[43167]

The WCML north of Preston is surprisingly still an afternoon only on a sunday service in the winter.

Last year in November, I went to Glasgow for a Rugby International on a sunday and found the 1st train north from Carlisle didnt get me there until the game kicked off.

When checked for the ECML from Newcastle, I found one the 1st train at 0900.

 

[RPI]

Yes, but the service is terrible and needs to be improved, as does every day of the week. If you look at what can be acheived on the Cornish branches (Falmouth / St.Ives etc.), Newquay seems to have a very poor deal.

Roy

It isn't great but did you see how bad it was before FGW took over? Weekdays Sept-June departures from NQY at 10xx, 12xx, 14xx and 20xx! same on saturdays and none on sundays! at least now there are 7 trains a day with no 6 hour gap in the afternoon.

 

[p123]

Coming out of Glasgow Central (on the GSW line), I believe, that Crossmyloof and Kennishead don't get any Sunday services either.

Crossmyloof gets a train every 30 minutes on a Sunday. Not sure about Kennishead though.

Anderston in Glasgow is a strange one (which I didn't know about). Most offices around that way are open on a Sunday morning and the whole area is still quite busy. Right next to that major hotel too.

I have heard that there is a law that requires any stations which are completely underground to be staffed at all times during opening hours. I suspect this is why Anderston is closed on Sundays. I suspect similar to Dalmarnock, which I didn't mention earlier as it's closed for refurbishment at the moment.

 

[sheff'd victoria]

First train out of Lincoln on Sundays is the 1105 to Newark Northgate, and during the summer months this forms the 1135 Northgate to Cleethorpes via Lincoln (dep. 1200). From September, return working terminates at Lincoln. The next departure is the 1300 to Newark, then 1500 to Nottingham and the 1515 to Leeds (via Sheffield). The next departure to Nottingham isn't until 1800 and then it's hourly to 2200.

Lincolnshire has a bad service full stop

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Others with no Sunday services include Ormskirk-Preston, Kirkby-Wigan and Preston-Blackpool South (winter only), as well as a lot of the stations (particularly at the eastern end) of the CLC line between Liverpool and Manchester (via Warrington Central).

I suspect similar to Dalmarnock, which I didn't mention earlier as it's closed for refurbishment at the moment.

That's more of in a cutting than underground surely?

 

[bromleyboy21]

Yesterday I went to the Paralympics and went from Bickley to Blackfriars on the 07.17 which is the 3rd train on a Sunday to depart towards London as we needed to be in the Olympic Park by 9am.

I don't normally travel on a Sunday and assumed this service was quite normal, but when we got to Blackfriars at about 07.45 I noticed there were no TL services to/from Sutton on the departure boards. I've just checked and first train to London on the Sutton loop from West Sutton is at 09.40.

Bickley and the Sutton loop aren't that different in location, service etc but I'm surprised they have to wait 2 hours longer for a train to London on Sunday. Also I'm surprised they haven't enhanced the service during the Olympics/Paralympics.

 

[cjohnson]

Y
I don't normally travel on a Sunday and assumed this service was quite normal, but when we got to Blackfriars at about 07.45 I noticed there were no TL services to/from Sutton on the departure boards. I've just checked and first train to London on the Sutton loop from West Sutton is at 09.40.

Bickley and the Sutton loop aren't that different in location, service etc but I'm surprised they have to wait 2 hours longer for a train to London on Sunday. Also I'm surprised they haven't enhanced the service during the Olympics/Paralympics.

Yup it's quite frustrating. Since May the Loop has benefited from the additional Blackfriars via Mitcham services, but it's not much use if you want to get into town before 10.

I posed the question to FCC around this time last year on their online 'meet the directors' forum; their response was:

When the Thameslink weekend engineering blockades finish in May 2012 and through services once again operate across London at weekends, we are looking the Sunday service we offer and what improvements can be made.

(There's another online forum on 14th Sept so may have to ask them again and see what's happening...)

 

[p123]

That's more of in a cutting than underground surely?

Agreed, 100%. However, I can't think of any other reason to have it closed on a Sunday.

 

[sheff'd victoria]

With most of the new timetables due in December, are their any routes where the services will get worst on a Sunday ?

 

[crosscity]

Pwllheli to Machynlleth, one each way in winter. Mind you this is the same service as the last time I used it in 1980! It means you can still get home to Birmingham.

 

[Greenback]

Pwllheli to Machynlleth, one each way in winter. Mind you this is the same service as the last time I used it in 1980! It means you can still get home to Birmingham.

I believe that before RETB signalling the Sunday service (at least in Winter) only ran as far as Barmouth in some years, where the train would use the additional platform that used to lie south of the level crossing. This meant that the signal box did not have to be opened on Sundays.

I can't remember where I read this, but it was probably a magazine in the early 1980's. There was also a photo of a DMU in said platform.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

There are a lot of lines where the service gets worse in winter (and has done for years); a lot of Westcountry branchlines see summer only Sunday trains, e.g. Looe, but there's nothing AFAIK set to be implemented from this December for the first time.

 

[Greenback]

There are a lot of lines where the service gets worse in winter (and has done for years); a lot of Westcountry branchlines see summer only Sunday trains, e.g. Looe, but there's nothing AFAIK set to be implemented from this December for the first time.

Even here in Llanelli we have later first trains in Winter on Sundays (I'm not counting the 0150 from Fishguard here, anyway, it's usually a bus!). It's quite annoying!

 

[Goatboy]

Has anyone mentioned Bromsgrove? It's a reasonably sized town only 13 miles from Birmingham. During the week it has an hourly service to Birmingham. On a Sunday the first train of the day is not until 15:10.

Comparatively speaking is there a worse Sunday service? I don't count nor or little service to hamlets as being worse.

As an aside bizarrely if you ask NRES to take you from Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street it advises you catch a Hereford to New Street train but change at University onto a Cross City train which gets you in 1 minute sooner than just remaining on the Hereford train. Eh?!

 

[Tomonthetrain]

Denton gets nothing Saturday to Thursday anyway. Friday it only gets the Flyer

 

[MidnightFlyer]

As an aside bizarrely if you ask NRES to take you from Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street it advises you catch a Hereford to New Street train but change at University onto a Cross City train which gets you in 1 minute sooner than just remaining on the Hereford train. Eh?!

The Hereford train actually arrives sooner, but it has a lot of slack in the public timetable which means that it actually looks like it arrives later than the CrossCity service behind it , which has no slack.

 

[SWT_USER]

No service at either of my local stations (Hanwell/ Drayton Green) on a Sunday. Awful state of affairs particularly at Hanwell considering the line is open anyway.

 

[duncanp]

Anywhere between Kilmarnock and Carlisle via Dumfries. Only two trains per day in each direction, with the first at about 2pm.

 

[Eeveevolve]

Penistone line 2 TPH.

Not fun at christmas with the meadowhell shoppers.

 

[ValleyLines142]

My local station, Waun-Gron Park, has no service on a Sunday, despite being two miles from the centre of Cardiff. It's an eight minute journey! What's more, some services from Cardiff to Radyr and the Valleys go via the City Line non-stop; frustrating as they could stop there! Clearly patronage isn't good.

Also, I've heard Pontefract Tanshelf has no Sunday service on Sunday, despite the fact Pontefract Races have regular Sunday meetings throughout the spring and summer.

 

[Roverman]

Has anyone mentioned Bromsgrove? It's a reasonably sized town only 13 miles from Birmingham. During the week it has an hourly service to Birmingham. On a Sunday the first train of the day is not until 15:10.

Comparatively speaking is there a worse Sunday service? I don't count nor or little service to hamlets as being worse.

As an aside bizarrely if you ask NRES to take you from Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street it advises you catch a Hereford to New Street train but change at University onto a Cross City train which gets you in 1 minute sooner than just remaining on the Hereford train. Eh?!

Thats computers for you!

This goes some way to explaining why my aunt who doesn't drive, yet resides in Bromsgrove goes everywhere by bus!

 

[telstarbox]

Outside of cities and major towns Sunday bus services are very rare. Most rural areas have no Sunday buses. Even many bus routes that enjoy a frequent service during the week lost their Sunday services about 20 years ago. Is now time to reinstate many of these Sunday services.

I was surprised to discover recently that Cranbrook (where I used to live) and Hawkhurst now have 5 buses a day to and from Maidstone on Sundays - the Sunday service had previously been 1 bus each way for many years.

 

[calc7]

Penistone line 2 TPH.

Not fun at christmas with the meadowhell shoppers.

1tp2h surely?

 

[transmanche]

As an aside bizarrely if you ask NRES to take you from Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street it advises you catch a Hereford to New Street train but change at University onto a Cross City train which gets you in 1 minute sooner than just remaining on the Hereford train. Eh?!

It often happens when a service has a bit of padding at its final stop.

I've seen it on NRES on journeys to Manchester Piccadilly; when it suggests changing and getting the following train, which departs Oxford Road after your original train, but magically overtakes your original train to arrive at Manchester Piccadilly first... :roll:

 

[calc7]

It often happens when a service has a bit of padding at its final stop.

I've seen it on NRES on journeys to Manchester Piccadilly; when it suggests changing and getting the following train, which departs Oxford Road after your original train, but magically overtakes your original train to arrive at Manchester Piccadilly first... :roll:

Even worse when it reserves you a seat on it. I wonder whether this would be strictly enforced on an Advance ticket.

 

[tsr]

In case it hasn't already been mentioned (if it has, it was probably my post anyway!), Earlswood (Surrey) and Salfords get no winter Sunday service, but Coulsdon South and Merstham, on the same line and with similar importance to local people, despite any passenger figures, do have such wonders.

Southern are really odd sometimes.

 

[Eeveevolve]

1tp2h surely?

Yeh. Thats what my brain said to my fingers, but they weren't listening.

 

[Jeni]

This goes some way to explaining why my aunt who doesn't drive, yet resides in Bromsgrove goes everywhere by bus!

As an ex Bromsgrovian, I also used to get the bus everywhere. The station is poorly located and has a poor connecting bus service. From 90% of the town, it's quicker to get the bus into Birmingham once you've taken into account the time taken to get to the Station.

Most people that use Bromsgrove station have cars and drive there, rather than those that are forced to use public transport. Though when I used to drive, I had more sense than that and drove to Barnt Green or even Northfield for the better service.

 

[Deerfold]

Yeh. Thats what my brain said to my fingers, but they weren't listening.

It is *almost* hourly on a Sunday now during shopping hours - from Penistone 0950/1046/1200/1350/1446/1550/1754/1950

Return looks worse though:

1155/1241/1345/1543/1700/1746/1945

Trains after long gaps bolded - look like you either want to come back early or get the 1746...

 

[The Ham]

No I know this is not a bad service, but compared to the weekday it's fairly poor:

Farnborough Main has one train an hour on a Sunday (which stops several times and you can't get a direct train beyond Basingstoke), compared with 4 an hour Monday to Saturday. With two an hour going to the south coast and with two an hour towards London calling at only one station before Waterloo (either Woking or Clapham Junction).