God help anyone who wants to go from Crewe to Manchester Airport by train on Sunday

[Skymonster]

NRE, Crewe-Manchester Airport on Sunday showing 9 connections and a typical journey time of more than eight hours.

eg: Crewe-Manchester Sunday 14th November at 10:00




Here it is in full…

10:27 Crewe to Wigan North Western 10:54 - Avanti
11:00 Wigan North Weatern to Bolton 11:45 - Northen (rail replacement bus)
12:04 Bolton to Blackburn 12:33 - Northern
13:10 Blackburn to Hebden Bridge 14:18 - Northern (rail replacement bus)
14:25 Hebden Bridge to Halifax 14:37 - Northern
15:06 Halifax to Huddersfield 15:30 - Northern
16:25 Huddersfield to Stalybridge 16:53 - Transpennine Express
17:05 Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria 17:40 - Northern (rail replacement bus)
Cross Manchester
18:17 Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport 18:31 - Northern

Total time eight hours and four minutes (and that’s quick - later itineraries take longer) for the princely sum of £63.20 - six trains, three rail replacement buses and a cross-Manchester transfer (tram Included in ticket price?).

Never mind it’s only 26 miles by road - at four miles per hour it would be quicker to walk.
And some folks wonder why casual travellers are sometimes put off rail travel!!!

[From info first seem in another firum]

 

[py_megapixel]

Any idea why this is happening? I could understand why it might be suggesting going via Manchester, but why wouldn't it tell you to get a direct service to Piccadilly (one of the ones from either London or south Wales)?

Presumably the fastest way, considering no direct services on a Sunday, would be a direct service to Stockport then a bus to the Airport.

 

[Watershed]

NRE, Crewe-Manchester Airport on Sunday showing 9 connections and a typical journey time of more than eight hours.

eg: Crewe-Manchester Sunday 14th November at 10:00

View attachment 105477
View attachment 105479

Here it is in full…

10:27 Crewe to Wigan North Western 10:54 - Avanti
11:00 Wigan North Weatern to Bolton 11:45 - Northen (rail replacement bus)
12:04 Bolton to Blackburn 12:33 - Northern
13:10 Blackburn to Hebden Bridge 14:18 - Northern (rail replacement bus)
14:25 Hebden Bridge to Halifax 14:37 - Northern
15:06 Halifax to Huddersfield 15:30 - Northern
16:25 Huddersfield to Stalybridge 16:53 - Transpennine Express
17:05 Stalybridge to Manchester Victoria 17:40 - Northern (rail replacement bus)
Cross Manchester
18:17 Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport 18:31 - Northern

Total time eight hours and four minutes (and that’s quick - later itineraries take longer) for the princely sum of £63.20 - six trains, three rail replacement buses and a cross-Manchester transfer (tram Included in ticket price?).

Never mind it’s only 26 miles by road - at four miles per hour it would be quicker to walk.
And some folks wonder why casual travellers are sometimes put off rail travel!!!

[From info first seem in another firum]

No idea how someone got NRE to suggest that route (I can only imagine there was a spurious 'via' point in there, perhaps from a previous journey).

But it does indirectly raise a good point - search for that journey on any Sunday, even without engineering works, and on most websites you will be told there are no results.

This is because through tickets are only valid via Styal, but there are no services via Styal on a Sunday.

 

[Skymonster]

No idea how someone got NRE to suggest that route (I can only imagine there was a spurious 'via' point in there, perhaps from a previous journey).

But it does indirectly raise a good point - search for that journey on any Sunday, even without engineering works, and on most websites you will be told there are no results.

This is because through tickets are only valid via Styal, but there are no services via Styal on a Sunday.

No spurious via point - straight from the NRE app - i set from station, to station, date and time and nothing else - I’ve just done it again With the same results.

 

[Haywain]

No idea how someone got NRE to suggest that route (I can only imagine there was a spurious 'via' point in there, perhaps from a previous journey).

It's not that - I've got the same itinerary from another source without any via points.

A far more sensible itinerary is available with a via point of Manchester Piccadilly. Getting a ticket against it could be more difficult.

 

[Merseysider]

God help anyone in Crewe

Fixed that for you

In reality, anyone who buys a Crewe - Airport ticket on a Sunday and goes via Piccadilly will have precisely zero issues.

 

[ABB125]

If I had the time, I might fancy a trip to the Airport...

 

[JB_B]

Trainsplit finds sensible flexible tickets by splitting at Manchester for £15.40 (or a bit less with operator restrictions and less again on advances.)

NRE reckons that splitting at Halifax(!!) is a good idea - hence the £63.20 price quoted above ( £40.10+£23.10).

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What's going on and why is NRE offering a bizarre magical mystery tour around half of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire?

Surely Crewe -> Manchester Airport (via Manchester Piccadilly) is the sensible alternative routeing if there are no direct services to the Airport?

Via Manchester Piccadilly is what is returned by NRE for a Wilmslow -> Manchester Airport journey, travelling on the same Sunday, although the journey time is of course somewhat extended compared with normal.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

You should undertake this legendary journey, it'll be something to tell future generations.

But seriously, aren't any trains running from Wigan or Bolton to Manchester at all??

 

[JB_B]

...

Surely Crewe -> Manchester Airport (via Manchester Piccadilly) is the sensible alternative routeing if there are no direct services to the Airport?
...

That would be sensible. Unfortunately,

(1) Crewe-Manchester Airport tickets are all routed via Wilmslow and (2) Manchester Group fails the fare check.

It's absurd that there isn't an easement to cover this (given the service pattern on the day) but as it is you'd need split tickets.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

But seriously, aren't any trains running from Wigan or Bolton to Manchester at all??

Seem to be direct trains from Wigan NW to the Airport this Sunday.

 

[gingerheid]

Google reckons only 8h16m to walk, but I guess it depends if it's dark and how much luggage you have

 

[Skymonster]

You should undertake this legendary journey, it'll be something to tell future generations.

I bet if you bought the ticket(s) and did it, some guard would challenge you and tell you it wasn’t a valid route!

 

[Class800]

I will defer to senior experts, but I have checked BR FARES, and the restriction is listed there as VIA WILMSLOW. The Sunday trains I can find from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly are routed via Wilmslow on real time trains, although not Styal, which isn't listed as a restriction on BR FARES. So, I think the via Wilmslow on the ticket is unlikely to cause issues. Whether it's a mapped route or not, it is the only viable route on Sunday, and I don't think there'd be an issue

 

[deltic]

If you put Nantwich to Manchester Airport into NRE it gives you an itinerary similar to that for Crewe but put in Shrewsbury it gives you an itinerary which is Shrewsbury-Crewe-Man Picc-Man Airport!

 

[sonic2009]

That would be sensible. Unfortunately,

(1) Crewe-Manchester Airport tickets are all routed via Wilmslow and (2) Manchester Group fails the fare check.

It's absurd that there isn't an easement to cover this (given the service pattern on the day) but as it is you'd need split tickets.

Is there anyway to get an easement put in? It seems rather stupid given there is a lack of service etc.

 

[JonathanH]

Is there anyway to get an easement put in? It seems rather stupid given there is a lack of service etc.

Isn't the point that the railway simply doesn't offer a service between Crewe and Manchester Airport on Sundays? (Just like any other route that doesn't open on a Sunday.)

 

[SargeNpton]

Styal Line Sunday services being reintroduced on 12th December, starting from/terminating at Wilmslow, so this issue should disappear as from then.

 

[py_megapixel]

Styal Line Sunday services being reintroduced on 12th December, starting from/terminating at Wilmslow, so this issue should disappear as from then.

Definitely Wilmslow not Alderley Edge? I don't think there's been Wilmslow terminators for a while (though I guess in this case it would make sense)

 

[Skymonster]

Isn't the point that the railway simply doesn't offer a service between Crewe and Manchester Airport on Sundays? (Just like any other route that doesn't open on a Sunday.)

That’s clearly nonsense when it’s quite possible to travel from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly then on to Manchester Airport - most “normal” people would expect that to be offered, and it available on the dates in question Rather than an eight hour trip across a great swathe of Northen England.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Seem to be direct trains from Wigan NW to the Airport this Sunday.

So why then the suggested magical mystery tour itinerary once you've arrived in Wigan, via Bolton, Blackburn and West Yorkshire?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Fastjp offers a 1027-1211 itinerary, via Warrington BQ and Manchester Ox Rd (Avanti/Tfw/TPE).
Or a 1055-1220 via Man Pic on Northern.
A Cheshire Day Ranger at £25.90 will work with any sane itinerary from Crewe to the Airport, including via Warrington, Stoke, Chester or Liverpool.

 

[JB_B]

So why then the suggested magical mystery tour itinerary once you've arrived in Wigan, via Bolton, Blackburn and West Yorkshire?

I think the only people who know for sure are the developers of NRE's journey planner. It makes no sense. It's a bit worrying that because NRE hands this off to retailers as two separate journeys ( to and from Halifax.)

Retailers might then find and potentially sell sensible(ish) routes for those separate legs completely unaware that it makes no sense overall.

 

[Haywain]

I think the only people who know for sure are the developers of NRE's journey planner. It makes no sense. It's a bit worrying that because NRE hands this off to retailers as two separate journeys ( to and from Halifax.)

There is clearly something preventing journey planners giving sensible results for this journey that is not restricted to the journey planner used by NRE. A quick search on Red Spotted Hanky doesn't give any results so is, if anything, worse. I wonder if there is an easement somewhere that is having an adverse effect.

 

[JB_B]

There is clearly something preventing journey planners giving sensible results for this journey that is not restricted to the journey planner used by NRE. A quick search on Red Spotted Hanky doesn't give any results so is, if anything, worse. I wonder if there is an easement somewhere that is having an adverse effect.

Does RSH routinely offer splits? (I've never used it.) I wouldn't expect any non-splitting site to find journeys. The question is why the split that NRE comes up with is so ridiculous. I couldn't spot any relevant easements.

 

[ThisIsSurbiton]

There is clearly something preventing journey planners giving sensible results for this journey that is not restricted to the journey planner used by NRE.

The fare check seems to be the problem, the best journeys are via Piccadilly, and the RDG calculator says "Travel was NOT allowed at NFM64: SDS from CRE to MAN on route 00000: £6.60 is more expensive than SDS from CRE to MIA on route 00000: £5.50." No easements appear to apply, a temporary routeing point easement would have fixed this. I'm surprised that NRE doesn't offer much faster journeys with a split at Piccadilly, or in most cases, Stockport.

 

[Horizon22]

Trainline also gives "no results". There has to be a spurious restriction somewhere.

 

[Watershed]

Trainline also gives "no results". There has to be a spurious restriction somewhere.

It's not a restriction, it's just that the route via Piccadilly is not a permitted route. You would need to add a Routeing Point easement, or create a new ticket with route "via Manchester", to make it a permitted route.

 

[Horizon22]

It's not a restriction, it's just that the route via Piccadilly is not a permitted route. You would need to add a Routeing Point easement, or create a new ticket with route "via Manchester", to make it a permitted route.

Well in essence its a restriction (but yes requiring easement) because its preventing any feasible, sensible journey. It must have been overlooked surely?