New London Midland timetable

[All Line Rover]

Not sure where the demand for Birmingham-Preston is coming from as the hourly Voyagers I get on are rarely (if ever) full.

I'm not sure which Voyagers you are travelling on! The 16:20, 17:20 and 18:20 off Birmingham are always very busy on weekdays, including in First Class.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I could never imagine them removing Crewe from the New St-Scotland trains, quite often Crewe-Preston is the busiest part of the entire journey. If anything I'd advocate the Euston-Scotland trains calling there too, even if only as uplift heading north and set down heading south, there's quite a market from Crewe up into northern Cheshire and Lancashire.

 

[All Line Rover]

I could never imagine them removing Crewe from the New St-Scotland trains, quite often Crewe-Preston is the busiest part of the entire journey. If anything I'd advocate the Euston-Scotland trains calling there too, even if only as uplift heading north and set down heading south, there's quite a market from Crewe up into northern Cheshire and Lancashire.

Yes, scrap that it was an awful suggestion!

 

[tbtc]

I'm not sure which Voyagers you are travelling on! The 16:20, 17:20 and 18:20 off Birmingham are always very busy on weekdays, including in First Class.

I\d imagine that any trains leaving New Street at that time of day ought to be fairly busy

 

[dvboy]

I\d imagine that any trains leaving New Street at that time of day ought to be fairly busy

The three trains mentioned are especially busy and well deserving of being double Voyagers, as they go the longest distances, and are also more comfortable and quicker than an LM 350/2 to Crewe (Virgin's 2nd stop).

That said, I reckon up to a third of people on them are commuters to Wolverhampton. As one of these, I would sooner catch the 1620 or 1720 than the 3-car 323 stopper 12 minutes before it or the Aberystwyth train that follows 3 minutes later.

In contrast, if I do get one of the Liverpool trains around the same time I can usually get a seat on it.

 

[Roverman]

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of these commuters have no idea what other trains exist, I've been on the 17:31 XC from New Street and its heaving, yet the 17:36 LM and 18:01 XCs are empty by comparison. Now obviously not everyone has the right ticket to travel on both, but if I did and I knew the later one was quieter I'd take advantage.

 

[dvboy]

Half an hour is a long time to wait, when there are three trains (there is also a 1738 all stops and 1750 Pendolino) in between, but I will often deliberately avoid the 1731 in favour of the 1736.

I'd say anyone commuting Birmingham-Wolverhampton has an nTrain or nNetwork ticket enabling them to board any of these services. The only TOC-specific restriction would be on advances and Virgin-only walk-up tickets, not likely to be used by commuters.

 

[Mr Spock]

I'm not sure which Voyagers you are travelling on! The 16:20, 17:20 and 18:20 off Birmingham are always very busy on weekdays, including in First Class.

At those times they might be busy but not during the day.

 

[AndyLandy]

I could never imagine them removing Crewe from the New St-Scotland trains, quite often Crewe-Preston is the busiest part of the entire journey. If anything I'd advocate the Euston-Scotland trains calling there too, even if only as uplift heading north and set down heading south, there's quite a market from Crewe up into northern Cheshire and Lancashire.

It always struck me as odd that Virgin's calling pattern in that region explicitly prevents making connections. The BHM-GLC trains omit Stafford but call at Crewe, whereas the EUS-LIV trains call at Stafford but omit Crewe. And to top it all off, the EUS-GLC trains that go via the Trent Valley don't call anywhere South of Warrington.

I can only assume that it's due to the VHF timetable and that the services are only about giving connectivity into London, rather than making Intercity journeys between WCML stations. Still, I'd have thought one or two well-planned additional calling points could add lots of journey options without slowing things down too much.

 

[NLC1072]

I wonder how well the new timetable is going for London Midland, anybody have any news?

NLC1072

 

[calc7]

I wonder how well the new timetable is going for London Midland, anybody have any news?

NLC1072

Thank you for posting this - I was thinking the same whilst on the Southern WCML the other day and had been meaning to find this thread to ask the same question!

 

[Realfish]

Thank you for posting this - I was thinking the same whilst on the Southern WCML the other day and had been meaning to find this thread to ask the same question!

I used the 'new' accelerated service to EUS this week-end, taking advantage of the SOP fare from Lichfield. Friday's journey south was OK, the 350/1 took only a few mins. longer than my usual change to VT at Rugby (which is no longer viable), so for about £15 cheaper that was ok.

I had intended to return tomorrow on the accelerated service, but came back today. The 'accelerated service' on a Sunday, takes an extra 35 mins and stops at every lamp-post. The on-train, pre-recorded announcements are incomplete, contradictory and therefore confusing. A 2.5 hour journey to LTV is unacceptable, possibly something that others had judged - this usually exceptionally rammed service was very lightly loaded.

Next time I go down it'll be out 'direct' and back via VT to Brum for a quicker Sunday journey to Lichfield City.

I think that the bearded one has an opportunity to run a few Trent Valley stoppers on a Sunday, come the next timetable. In essentially aggregating and extending a semi fast Northampton service, LM have screwed things up.

 

[Roverman]

So the Sunday service is technically misleading and could be in breach of the Trades Descriptions Act bearing in mind the very nice man who does the X Factor voiceovers is saying on TV and Radio that 'London Midland is quicker to London', although working for the X Factor he could be used to the truth being bent......

As for the announcements on the trains being out of date, are we surprised anymore?

As for VT I noticed recently that in the evenings now the XX:48 service from Liverpool Lime Street is stopping at Rugeley and Nuneaton, never spotted that before (or is it new).

 

[MidnightFlyer]

No VT services at all stop at Rugeley TV, but I'm certain the Liverpool services have had some Nuneaton calls later on in the day since VHF was introduced back in 2008.

 

[Roverman]

My mistake, its Lichfield Trent Valley. Its the 20:48 from Liverpool to Euston.

 

[Pumbaa]

I wonder how well the new timetable is going for London Midland, anybody have any news?

NLC1072

Staff are getting a lot of aggro about the lack of connection at Stafford going north; the Trent Valley arrives at xx35... as the Liverpool is drawing out of the next platform also at xx35. Usually the Trent Valley is a few mins early, which leads to mad dashes across the bridge. Cue either unhappy punters as train is dispatched in front of them (or separating a family as happened last week) or unhappy company as the xx35 is repeatedly late by a few minutes as the platform staff hold it for the rest of the punters.

Speaking to 2 friendly guards at Crewe last week, both are very unhappy about the state of the connection at Stafford. They want to do their best for customers but are getting pressured from up top to stop passengers attempting to make connection. Indeed they have been instructed to explicitly not mention the xx35 departure, instead telling all passengers on the Trent Valley service to wait for the following xy10 service.

Seems to be very popular, I have been unable to get a seat twice now until after Nuneaton (going north).

 

[Philip Elliott]

Well, both my trains yesterday were 350/2s so limited to 100mph and hence late running - we got put onto the down slow vice fast between Rugby and Brinklow.

 

[The Planner]

They should do that in my opinion anyway, you get a crap run in to Rugby otherwise without flashing yellows.

 

[Pumbaa]

They should do that in my opinion anyway, you get a crap run in to Rugby otherwise without flashing yellows.

The approaches are too slow coming from Weedon onto both platforms, it's ridiculous. They're booked to go back out onto the DF from Rugby. Presumably they'll catch the Manchester behind it at Brinklow if it went on the slows. It's not too far behind by then.

 

[bILLOO]

It's still a little more hassle for Northampton. I'm planning to visit a friend in Manchester on Friday and so have to take the more expensive via MK option rather than LM direct to Stoke and then VT/XC train to Manchester.

For a town of 200k+ people, I believe we deserve more trains to destinations that are not Birmingham (via an extremely unreliable stopping service) or London. Sucks being on a loop!

 

[calc7]

What time are you travelling? In the Friday evening peak there are some Euston - Liverpool extras that call at Rugby and Crewe. IIRC the connection time for the Northampton - Rugby train is perfect to pick up this train at Rugby; then at Crewe it's another 10-minute wait to get the ATW service to Manchester. Must be comparable to going via MKC.

 

[bILLOO]

What time are you travelling? In the Friday evening peak there are some Euston - Liverpool extras that call at Rugby and Crewe. IIRC the connection time for the Northampton - Rugby train is perfect to pick up this train at Rugby; then at Crewe it's another 10-minute wait to get the ATW service to Manchester. Must be comparable to going via MKC.

Oh fantastic! Thanks very much for the 'heads up' about this!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Just to check, is it All the CRE EUS services on weedays that run 110?

 

[Pumbaa]

All those routed via Rugby, yes.

 

[Nym]

And the early morning service off EUS that calls at WFJ on the slows runs with a /2 unit via NMP.

 

[Blindtraveler]

are many many thanks for that, worth wating a bit longer both for a /1 and not going to Northampton, no offence to anyone from there naturally!
Its co-insidense but that early train
was
of particular interest to me.

 

[bILLOO]

Well, decided to go via MKC and VT to Manchester; LM train being late meant missing the VT and then visa versa coming home...

Of course, I believe that timetable has been this way for some time (and really, the connections are fine if the trains are on time). It's just a little frustrating.

 

[sprinterguy]

Good news for the users of the 110mph services, which are presently limited to operating in 4-car formation only: London Midland have reported that they carried out more high speed tests with 12-car formations during the February half-term, in order to gain a better insight into the dynamics of operating with three pantographs at over 100mph – Apparently the first time that such an arrangement has been tried. Two different designs of pantograph are being trialled and compared, a modified Brecknell Willis type and an all-new Richard design, for eventual installation on the 350/1s.

Apparently the 110mph services have proved so popular that growth on the route since December has almost doubled from the equivalent of 30% a year that it was previously experiencing.

The second phase of Project 110 looks exciting. In combination with the introduction to service of the ten new Class 350/3s, which will be delivered over the summer of 2014 and will be fully introduced to service by the end of that year, from December 2014 Phase 2 of Project 110 is expected to deliver the following:

• 4,200 extra seats at peak times, Monday to Friday
• 2 new non-stop commuter trains from Northampton to London on weekday mornings
• 5 new, fast commuter trains from London to Northampton/Rugby on weekday evenings
• Northampton to London in as little as 46 minutes
• 10 new class 350/3 4-carriage Desiro trains

Anyone that is passing through Euston on Wednesday morning, keep your eyes peeled for signs of something special celebrating the success of Project 110.

 

[The Planner]

I take it the 110 paint job 350 will be out and about then?

 

[DarloRich]

@ Sprinterguy - the Euston-Crewe services have been very busy recently, particularly on the section north of MKC. They are picking up passengers from Virgin and offering a different commuter route form the midlands south. It seems like a very good idea.

I have been doing MKC- Tamworth and then the north east quite a bit recently and i have never had a seat from MKC. The sooner more carriages can come on stream the better. In the past it was an empty train but it is only 40-50 minutes now!

@The Planner - is there a new livery kicking about?

oh and the sooner we can get the Marston Vale line trains running to MKC the better