Abellio wins West Midlands franchise

[JordyWM]

While I think it remains a piece of branding we won't see used often, has anyone noticed how the three dots on "wmtrains" have been replaced with diamonds? Oddly, that tiny change (presumably having reference to the diamonds in the WM livery, which themselves refer to the jewellery heritage of Birmingham) makes the logo look a lot less like a kid's bedroom crayon job, to me at least.

Well the new TfWM is going for a diamond ‘WM’ style logo too isn’t it? along with WM Buses and Rapid Transit, and that diagram posted a while back even shows WMCA adopting something similar. Every man and his horse is adopting the diamonds. I wonder if Diamond Buses will adopt it too?

 

[sd0733]

As far as Cardiff? Was this planned to be tagged onto the Snow Hill services?

I believe so yes was extending a Snow Hill to Worcester service via Shrub Hill and Gloucester.

Both were rejected on competition grounds by Dft.

By what the new team were saying though the plans aren't necessarily totally dead, they may just need tweaking once they've got their feet under the table to meet requirements.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

No. There will be nothing different. Why waste your time?

Because I have nothing better to do during the small hours of Sunday morning...

 

[ABB125]

I believe so yes was extending a Snow Hill to Worcester service via Shrub Hill and Gloucester.

Both were rejected on competition grounds by Dft.

By what the new team were saying though the plans aren't necessarily totally dead, they may just need tweaking once they've got their feet under the table to meet requirements.

Rejected on competition grounds... With whom? Not XC, going via Worcester will add at least half an hour to the journey, an surely not GWR, as there is only a train every two hours.
I hope a service does begin though, as hopefully it will be able to call at Ashchurch, finally giving at least an hourly service. There's plenty of space in the timetable for one.

 

[sd0733]

Rejected on competition grounds... With whom? Not XC, going via Worcester will add at least half an hour to the journey, an surely not GWR, as there is only a train every two hours.
I hope a service does begin though, as hopefully it will be able to call at Ashchurch, finally giving at least an hourly service. There's plenty of space in the timetable for one.

No idea, just going on what we were told by them. Apparantly Gloucester came up a lot in the consultations as a wanted route so.presumably the issue is somewhere to Gloucester.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Wouldn't it make sense to have the snow hill services, should the franchise ever add Gloucester as an option, run as hourly to Shrub Hill and Gloucester, along with hourly to Foregate Street and Malvern, with Great Western having the Cheltenham to Worcester element of their franchise requirement replaced by the West Midlands franchise?

 

[KashmireHawker]

LM have also confirmed (and unsurprisingly) on Twitter: that there will be two Twitter feeds, for both brands upon WMT's beginning. Mean's un-following a few accounts so I can squeeze them in!

 

[Class172]

I believe so yes was extending a Snow Hill to Worcester service via Shrub Hill and Gloucester.

Both were rejected on competition grounds by Dft.

By what the new team were saying though the plans aren't necessarily totally dead, they may just need tweaking once they've got their feet under the table to meet requirements.

Let's hope they do, as it is a very good idea and shows some forward thinking from the company. Worcestershire CC would certainly be pleased with such a proposal.

Rejected on competition grounds... With whom? Not XC, going via Worcester will add at least half an hour to the journey, an surely not GWR, as there is only a train every two hours.
I hope a service does begin though, as hopefully it will be able to call at Ashchurch, finally giving at least an hourly service. There's plenty of space in the timetable for one.

I think it adds around 40 mins to a Birmingham-Cheltenham journey, as I know it's around a 20 min penalty for XC to divert via Worcester using Abbotswood Jct and Stoke Works Jct, and a further 20 mins to go via Kidderminster. If this is in supposed competition with XC, I personally find that ridiculous. The GWR service is so infrequent that one may as well ignore it in the grand scheme of things.

If one wanted to avoid diverting a train away from Foregate St., I suppose it could be possible to extend one of the current Kidderminster terminators. I don't know how many paths per hour are available between Droitwich and Tunnel Jct (nor how many are reserved for freight), but it looks to me that it could be feasible to extend the xx40 Kiddy terminators through to Shrub Hill to form the new service. Both the up and down service would pass through Droitwich at around xx50, which to me looks like a consistent clear slot in the timetable (off-peak at least) - of course I'm happy for someone to prove otherwise.

 

[SquireBev]

I noticed altered announcements and taped-over logos on the 172 home last night.

Haven't detected any change on the 170s yet.

 

[Noddy]

Wouldn't it make sense to have the snow hill services, should the franchise ever add Gloucester as an option, run as hourly to Shrub Hill and Gloucester, along with hourly to Foregate Street and Malvern, with Great Western having the Cheltenham to Worcester element of their franchise requirement replaced by the West Midlands franchise?

What’s need is a regular (hourly) Bristol-Worcester service (without breaks at Gloucester/Cheltenham) Rather than the irregular 2 hourly service.

Likewise this would make a big difference to the immediate station such as Aschchurch, Cam and Dursley and Yate. For example from Yate/Cam & Dursley it’s impossible to get to Cheltenham in time for work without heading south to Parkway and then back north on XC...

 

[XCTurbostar]

I noticed altered announcements and taped-over logos on the 172 home last night.

Haven't detected any change on the 170s yet.

On my regular commute into Birmingham, I haven’t noticed any 170s which have been de-branded yet. The 153s have though.

EDIT: Scratch that 170630 is now unbranded

 

[SquireBev]

On my regular commute into Birmingham, I haven’t noticed any 170s which have been de-branded yet. The 153s have though.

EDIT: Scratch that 170630 is now unbranded

Yeah, the one I'm on has been unbranded too. All the poster frames are empty.

 

[ABB125]

What’s need is a regular (hourly) Bristol-Worcester service (without breaks at Gloucester/Cheltenham) Rather than the irregular 2 hourly service.

Likewise this would make a big difference to the immediate station such as Aschchurch, Cam and Dursley and Yate. For example from Yate/Cam & Dursley it’s impossible to get to Cheltenham in time for work without heading south to Parkway and then back north on XC...

I agree totally... But I'm not holding my breath.

 

[oversteer]

Just spotted “London Northwestern Railway” posters on this 350
Will try to grab a photo

@LNRailway will be your first port of call for complaints

 

[Mordac]

I wasn’t wearing my specs, so it’s entirely possible my eyes have deceived me, but I think I just saw a London North Western liveried 350 approaching Rugby from the Trent Valley, just as I was heading towards Coventry...

 

[XCTurbostar]

Bit early for a re-paint isnt it?

 

[DarloRich]

LM have also confirmed (and unsurprisingly) on Twitter: that there will be two Twitter feeds, for both brands upon WMT's beginning. Mean's un-following a few accounts so I can squeeze them in!

Why. There is no limit to how many people you can follow.

Because I have nothing better to do during the small hours of Sunday morning...

Yes you do - but if being able to say you heard the first, dull, automated announcement mentioning LMNEWCO and asking you to take all your belongings with you or the guard making a slight mistake and mentioning LM before correcting himself at stupid o'clock on a dull Sunday morning floats your boat then knock yourself out.

I, like every rational person in the world, will be akip.

 

[STKKK46]

Yes you do - but if being able to say you heard the first, dull, automated announcement mentioning LMNEWCO and asking you to take all your belongings with you or the guard making a slight mistake and mentioning LM before correcting himself at stupid o'clock on a dull Sunday morning floats your boat then knock yourself out.

I, like every rational person in the world, will be akip.

You just want these trains to yourself don't you?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Why. There is no limit to how many people you can follow.



Yes you do - but if being able to say you heard the first, dull, automated announcement mentioning LMNEWCO and asking you to take all your belongings with you or the guard making a slight mistake and mentioning LM before correcting himself at stupid o'clock on a dull Sunday morning floats your boat then knock yourself out.

I, like every rational person in the world, will be akip.

Rational perhaps, but at least you can kip. Easier for some than others...

Anyway, I suspect I will not be making the journey, purely as other things have come up!

 

[Mordac]

Bit early for a re-paint isnt it?

That's what I thought too, hence my doubts. But the unit was leading a friend in the old livery, and the contrast was quite striking, even without specs on.

I was on 1Y03, anyone want to work out what I saw? :P

 

[KashmireHawker]

Why. There is no limit to how many people you can follow.

5000 is the max limit, when like me I follow most of the world and have less than a certain number who follow back basically.

In other small news, Wolves' First Class lounge to close as a result of WMT taking over the Station from VTWC

 

[Bletchleyite]

I wasn’t wearing my specs, so it’s entirely possible my eyes have deceived me, but I think I just saw a London North Western liveried 350 approaching Rugby from the Trent Valley, just as I was heading towards Coventry...

Could it have been the Project 110 unit? That has a different livery.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes you do - but if being able to say you heard the first, dull, automated announcement mentioning LMNEWCO and asking you to take all your belongings with you or the guard making a slight mistake and mentioning LM before correcting himself at stupid o'clock on a dull Sunday morning floats your boat then knock yourself out.

I, like every rational person in the world, will be akip.

It takes all sorts. Staying up all night to ride trains is a fairly harmless pursuit. It's an awful lot more rational than getting yourself tanked up and having a fight on the streets of Northampton, as I'm sure at least some people will do at the same time as he's taking his taxi or Nat Ex.

I'll be in bed[1] too, FWIW, but if people want to do that, and they pay their fare, who cares? More money for the railway if nothing else, and he won't be puking all over the 0015 off Euston as some people no doubt will in Christmas party season.

[1] For the morning one, anyway. I'm in London that evening so there is a very high chance I will actually be on the 0015 "vomit comet" as far as BLY, anyway

 

[Mordac]

Could it have been the Project 110 unit? That has a different livery.

A quick google image search shows you're probably right. Got a bit too carried away there.

I thought Trent Valley services were all 4 cars, though, that's what started me of the wrong path.

 

[DarloRich]

Rational perhaps, but at least you can kip. Easier for some than others...

Anyway, I suspect I will not be making the journey, purely as other things have come up!

I don't sleep well. I never have. But lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling would be a better use of my time than getting a cab from MK to Northampton ( best sell a kidney) at stupid o'clock in the morning. I doubt I would do that even if I was on a promise!

I simply don't understand the excitement a new franchise owner seems to generate. It really is nothing special.

 

[STKKK46]

I thought Trent Valley services were all 4 cars, though, that's what started me of the wrong path.

They do, unless they are one of the services that skip Alsager, Kidsgrove & Stone.

 

[DarloRich]

5000 is the max limit, when like me I follow most of the world and have less than a certain number who follow back basically

you learn something new everyday! I dodn't know that

It takes all sorts. Staying up all night to ride trains is a fairly harmless pursuit. It's an awful lot more rational than getting yourself tanked up and having a fight on the streets of Northampton, as I'm sure at least some people will do at the same time as he's taking his taxi or Nat Ex.

I'll be in bed[1] too, FWIW, but if people want to do that, and they pay their fare, who cares? More money for the railway if nothing else, and he won't be puking all over the 0015 off Euston as some people no doubt will in Christmas party season.

[1] For the morning one, anyway. I'm in London that evening so there is a very high chance I will actually be on the 0015 "vomit comet" as far as BLY, anyway

No issue - i just don't understand why you would want to do this or why a new franchisee causes such excitement.

 

[Deafdoggie]

They do, unless they are one of the services that skip Alsager, Kidsgrove & Stone.

Why do the 8 coach ones not call at those? Surly that is the point of selective door opening? Southbound an 8 coach will fit in Alsager (with a bit of weed clearance!) and the front 4 at Kidsgrove could be used, and rear 4 at Stone. In the down direction, The front 4 at Stone and Alsager, and rear 4 at Kidsgrove

 

[Class172]

Why do the 8 coach ones not call at those? Surly that is the point of selective door opening?

If I remember correctly I think the 350s have unit-deselect, rather than full SDO, so this may have an impact of some sort.

 

[STKKK46]

Why do the 8 coach ones not call at those? Surly that is the point of selective door opening? Southbound an 8 coach will fit in Alsager (with a bit of weed clearance!) and the front 4 at Kidsgrove could be used, and rear 4 at Stone. In the down direction, The front 4 at Stone and Alsager, and rear 4 at Kidsgrove

Alsager has a 4 car platform. Also has a junction one side and Level crossing the other. Sure signal clearances will be a problem.
Kidsgrove layout won't allow for an 8 car.
Stone you'd overhang the junction if calling the front 4 which is normal practice, don't think you can just call the rear four.

It's not an issue to not call at these stations. I believe they are skipped just 5 times a day and not at crucial times for that area. Kidsgrove and Alsager have other services as well, and all three have one call covered by a Birmingham service vice Euston in each direction at a similar sort of time to one of the calls being skipped.

If I remember correctly I think the 350s have unit-deselect, rather than full SDO, so this may have an impact of some sort.

Absolutely correct. I am led to believe that this has to be confirmed to be put in at any stations used at, Rugeley Trent Valley for example.