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Least improved line

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nuneatonmark

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I did a search and couldn't see anything similar so apologies if there has been one. Currently in the north yorks moors and went to Whitby on the nymr. The Northern service to m'boro seems to be terrible. With so many service improvements over the last 10 to 15 years, is this line one of the few that has seen little ir no improvement? One other I can think if is the Newquay line.
 
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PHILIPE

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I did a search and couldn't see anything similar so apologies if there has been one. Currently in the north yorks moors and went to Whitby on the nymr. The Northern service to m'boro seems to be terrible. With so many service improvements over the last 10 to 15 years, is this line one of the few that has seen little ir no improvement? One other I can think if is the Newquay line.

The Newquay line had an increase in service approx 5 years ago, including an early train (previously absent) for a year until DFT decided the Unit should be used elsewhere, Also, at about that time, an all year round Sunday service was introduced.

Blaenau Ffestiniog has been pretty static over the years.
 

driver_m

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Ellesmere Port-Helsby isn't very good even with this extra train to Manchester proposed.
 

Gareth Marston

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Wrexham to Bidston in that's it's still only hourly and still terminates under a motorway flyover next to a Traveller site instead of running into Liverpool.

Cambrian Coast had through Class 158's to BHM and the same frequency 15 years ago.
 

DarloRich

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I did a search and couldn't see anything similar so apologies if there has been one. Currently in the north yorks moors and went to Whitby on the nymr. The Northern service to m'boro seems to be terrible. With so many service improvements over the last 10 to 15 years, is this line one of the few that has seen little ir no improvement? One other I can think if is the Newquay line.

that is supposed to be changing with earlier and later trains. The infrastructure is the main limiting factor on that line.
 

kevconnor

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I would say Stockport to stalybridge weekly parliamentary service would take some beating. Think it has been that way for at least 20 years. I'm sure someone would be able to say when it last had a better than weekly service.
 
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Welshman

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I would say Stockport to stalybridge weekly parliamentary service would take some beating. Think it has been that way for at least 20 years. I'm sure someone would be able to say when it last had a better than weekly service.

I cannot remember the date, but it was when the Trans-Pennine service from Leeds and Huddersfield was diverted to Manchester Piccadilly, rather than running through Miles Platting to Manchester Exchange, and later, Victoria.

Before then, the Stalybridge-Stockport service was almost hourly, to save folks having to walk between Manchester Exchange/Victoria and London Rd/Piccadilly.

Indeed, there were even through services via Huddersfield from Leeds City, Bradford Exchange and Halifax to Stockport, to save the trek across Manchester.

I remember once catching the evening return from Stockport, about 7.30pm, to Halifax via Huddersfield. It even used the high-level line avoiding Guide Bridge. I remember looking-down on the junctions at Guide Bridge as we passed over.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The Newquay line had an increase in service approx 5 years ago, including an early train (previously absent) for a year until DFT decided the Unit should be used elsewhere, Also, at about that time, an all year round Sunday service was introduced.

Blaenau Ffestiniog has been pretty static over the years.

When first turned-over to Derby Lightweight dmus, two sets were in use on the line, passing at Llanrwst or Betws-y-coed.

The service was simplified with the introduction of ATW's running the branch on a "one-engine in steam" basis.
 
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TheBigD

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There are plenty of routes which seem to have been set in aspic for the last couple of decades...

In my local(ish) area...

Lincoln-Grimsby sees one less round trip and most services have been reduced to single carriage 153's...
Birmingham-Stansted is still hourly, though some services are now 3/4cars...
Peterborough-Lincoln is still off peak only despite the route being modernised...
Norwich-Peterborough has less Sunday trains than 15 years ago, including a 3 hour gap in through trains...
Lincoln-Nottingham Sunday trains still don't start running until 1530 most of the year...

Hopefully most of these routes will see improvements in the next direct award/new franchise...
 

Finfanero

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Goole to Knottingley

Can not see why they can not run a 2 hourly shuttle that just runs Goole to Knottingley & Return.
 

GrimsbyPacer

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Cleethorpes to Barton, Grimsby to Newark, Cleethorpes to Sheffield, Doncaster to Lincoln, Goole to Leeds, Barnsley's line, Saltburn to Aukland, Isle of Wright, etc.
They are lots of un-improved lines.
 

DynamicSpirit

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I did a search and couldn't see anything similar so apologies if there has been one. Currently in the north yorks moors and went to Whitby on the nymr. The Northern service to m'boro seems to be terrible. With so many service improvements over the last 10 to 15 years, is this line one of the few that has seen little ir no improvement?

To be very pedantic, that line has recently seen the opening of a new station - James Cook, so it arguably doesn't really count as a line that's seen 'little or no improvement'. (Although I'd accept the new station doesn't really help you on Middlesbrough-Whitby journey, and the service may well still be terrible)
 

Trainfan344

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Any line run by Abellio Manky Wanglia (West Anglia) or Abellio Wanky Manglia (Great Eastern). LOL <D

Let's see:

Ipswich to Lowestoft - Passing loop at Beccles installed and hourly service introduced.

Norwich to Lowestoft - Hourly summer sunday serviced trialled in 2015.
 

AndrewE

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I would propose Crewe to Derby for this mark of distinction. Used to be Crewe to Nottingham (or at one time Skegness,a lot further) used to be 3-car classic DMUs then 2-car, now single 153s all day unless it's Uttoxeter races on a Saturday, weekdays no spare stock available. I used to go somewhere else or take leave on those days.
 

yorksrob

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To be very pedantic, that line has recently seen the opening of a new station - James Cook, so it arguably doesn't really count as a line that's seen 'little or no improvement'. (Although I'd accept the new station doesn't really help you on Middlesbrough-Whitby journey, and the service may well still be terrible)

To be fair, the route went through a timetable decimation at around privatisation and hasn't recovered since.

The suburban area of Middlesbrough has seen an improvement with the opening of the new station, but the majority of the route still has to endure a degraded service.
 

Phil.

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I don't think that the Sheffield to Lincoln via Worksop is very clever.
 

AlanFry1

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By far the Liverpool St - Enfield Town and Cheshunt services. Regressed badly since the early 00's
 

IKB

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Bristol Temple Meads - Severn Beach branch line.

(calls Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Avonmouth & St Andrews Road)

Bristol - Avonmouth service approximately every 30-40 minutes, extended to Severn Beach every two hours. A few skeleton trains on Sundays.

Stations are very basic (bus shelter types). Traction has been 143 Pacer or 150/2 for over twenty years.

Haven't travelled on it in the last few years, but (and I stand to be corrected) I can't see that much has changed at all since privatisation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severn_Beach_Line
 
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TheEdge

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Any line run by Abellio Manky Wanglia (West Anglia) or Abellio Wanky Manglia (Great Eastern). LOL <D

As well as those listed we missed the hourly Sunday service on the Sheringham line.

And the gradual fleet refurbishments.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Bristol Temple Meads - Severn Beach branch line.

[snip]

Bristol - Avonmouth service approximately every 30-40 minutes, extended to Severn Beach every two hours. A few skeleton trains on Sundays.

Stations are very basic (bus shelter types). Traction has been 143 Pacer or 150/2 for over twenty years.

Lets be honest, that is true for countless rural branch lines, and is arguably better than many. Pacers or 15x's calling on a timetable that is an hourly (if not worse) frequency with most stations being what the old railway would have called halts but somehow now constitute a station.
 

IKB

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Lets be honest, that is true for countless rural branch lines, and is arguably better than many. Pacers or 15x's calling on a timetable that is an hourly (if not worse) frequency with most stations being what the old railway would have called halts but somehow now constitute a station.

Indeed I've no doubt that there are worse off lines, but the original poster asked for examples of lines which hadn't seen much change over the past decade or so. I reckon that line has been stuck in a time warp for over twenty years. Given that it hadn't been mentioned and I have local knowledge it seemed worth a shout.
 
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ryan125hst

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I don't think that the Sheffield to Lincoln via Worksop is very clever.

I agree. I remember travelling from Retford to Lincoln a few times and even once to Cleethorpes at the very end of Arriva Trains Northern days (I would have been about 8 I think). I can remember looking at the timetable and seeing that trains to Sheffield left at 23 minute past the hour and trains to Lincoln left at 3 minutes past the hour. It's pretty much the same today and I don't know how long this pattern was true before this.

Add this to the fact that the same trains are still used- Pacers with the occasional 153 or 158- and I don't think the line has seen much improvement in the last 20 years.

The infrastructure has improved as most of it has been resignalled with Lincoln to Retford having had new LED signals installed controlled by a VDU based system, and the mechanical signal boxes at Worksop were replaced by a Power Signal Box in the 90's. LED signals can now be also found between Retford and Sheffield in many places and new track has been installed recently on some stretches as well. The stations have seen improvement as well to be fair with PIS systems installed at a few stations only recently.

However, as far as the trains and timetable are concerned, nothing has really changed in a long time.
 

Taunton

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The Wirral electric lines from Liverpool to New Brighton and West Kirby operate at a basic 15 minute interval all day. This is the same as when the lines were electrified in 1938. There was a period when it was 20 minutes off-peak and 10 minutes peak on both routes, but then it reverted to the same interval service, over the same hours in the day, as 75 years ago. Most of the Wirral side stations look exactly the same now as then.

Trains are no longer as comfortable as those ones built in 1938, of course.
 

charley_17/7

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Manchester Piccadilly - Glossop/Hadfield, was every 20 minutes, Mon-Fri, all day (peak and off-peak) when North Western Trains started in 1996, reduced to half-hourly under First North Western, and continues as such today.
 

GRALISTAIR

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I would say Stockport to stalybridge weekly parliamentary service would take some beating. Think it has been that way for at least 20 years. I'm sure someone would be able to say when it last had a better than weekly service.

I agree with this even though it is fairly high priority for the Sparks
 

Mojo

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Bristol Temple Meads - Severn Beach branch line.

(calls Lawrence Hill, Stapleton Road, Montpelier, Redland, Clifton Down, Sea Mills, Shirehampton, Avonmouth & St Andrews Road)

Bristol - Avonmouth service approximately every 30-40 minutes, extended to Severn Beach every two hours. A few skeleton trains on Sundays.

Stations are very basic (bus shelter types). Traction has been 143 Pacer or 150/2 for over twenty years.

Haven't travelled on it in the last few years, but (and I stand to be corrected) I can't see that much has changed at all since privatisation.
Really? The service is massively improved and it is the second fastest growing line in the country.

It has gone from an irregular service pattern, then to every hour and there are now three trains per two hours, with an hourly service on Sundays which was introduced a few years ago; there have been no regular Sunday services, aside from a short trial in the early 2000s, for decades. Trains now run for much longer in the day also; the number of services operated per week has almost doubled.

Pacers don't go anywhere near the line either; it is 150s mostly.

Stations are now much improved with artwork, regular cleaning, floral displays, CCTV and realtime information thanks to work put in by the local Community Rail Partnership, Great Western and Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils.

If anything, it is a line that has probably changed beyond recognition since privatisation!
 

Tracked

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Doncaster - Leeds

Stock: same (322's = more of the same really, don't they?)
Service: same
Stations: Wakefield Westgate's changed a bit, Display screens, that's it.
 

jamesst

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The Wirral electric lines from Liverpool to New Brighton and West Kirby operate at a basic 15 minute interval all day. This is the same as when the lines were electrified in 1938. There was a period when it was 20 minutes off-peak and 10 minutes peak on both routes, but then it reverted to the same interval service, over the same hours in the day, as 75 years ago. Most of the Wirral side stations look exactly the same now as then.

Trains are no longer as comfortable as those ones built in 1938, of course.

A standard 15min service with all the stations fully staffed all day, with platform information boards and most with improved waiting,cycling,toilet and lighting facilities, I'm not sure they need any more improvement to be honest.
 
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