Not sure Huddersfield- which has a catchment area of 200,000 people and is the 11th largest TOWN in England but has no inter city North South service- really deserves to be on this list
I agree obviously (!) but Dewsbury should be on in its place- it's a ghost town.
I'm not sure Wakefield quite deserves the level of intercity service it gets, but being on the main line from London to Leeds means it does well. The twisty and slow viaduct to the south also means there's little to be gained by not stopping, which perhaps helps explain why so few services do skip it.
Because it gets the service it does, it then gets used as a railhead for surrounding towns, which then justifies the initial overprovision!
Huddersfield is way over-served on the Manchester-Leeds axis due to railway geography. It isn’t actually the centre of the universe as all its residents believe.
200,000 if you ignore all the stations around it that serve those 200k.
Bradford is double the size, compare its service level.
...and yet Huddersfield still doesn’t have a service to London unlike Bradford. Admittedly London is probably not the primary destination from Huddersfield but it’s an indicator of the restricted service level Huddersfield receives to everywhere other than North TPE stations.Huddersfield is way over-served on the Manchester-Leeds axis due to railway geography. It isn’t actually the centre of the universe as all its residents believe.
200,000 if you ignore all the stations around it that serve those 200k.
Bradford is double the size, compare its service level.
Or for that reason the village of Alnmouth...or even the smaller village of Hisburn where the station actually is! All are overserved on their own, and the region is too really but that’s one benefit of being right on the ECML.What about Alnmouth?
Apples and Pears....
Huddersfield is more economically active, and therefore has more demand!
Population isn't everything!
Residents of Ilkley (part of ‘Bradford’) don’t catch trains from Bradford though, why would they when Leeds is a similar distance?Rubbish. Huddersfield has some of the lowest wages in the country. Bradford is twice the size, so how is Huddersfield more economically active, whatever that nonsense claim means anyway...
Rubbish. Huddersfield has some of the lowest wages in the country. Bradford is twice the size, so how is Huddersfield more economically active, whatever that nonsense claim means anyway...
Um, Bradford is a dump (like Stoke)
Huddersfield has more going for it, much better town centre etc. Therefore it is a much more attractive destination.
So that’s quite clearly just a personal opinion of yours.
Funny you should mention Stoke, it’s got a similarly depressed economy/wages to Huddersfield. When the Audi garage in Huddersfield weren’t playing ball, Stoke was the only place I could find the same car at the same appealing price. Now why are cars cheaper in Stoke and Huddersfield, than Bradford? Perhaps it’s got something to do with the affluence/economy of the local population...
Huddersfield town centre has a nice train station and a booming university. That is literally all it has going for it. Bradford city centre has been nicely redeveloped and contains some great architecture. I advise you to spend more time in the two places, as I have, and then you will change your mind.
Having been to Stoke, Huddersfield and Bradford, Huddersfield definately felt the more affluent place! I saw quite a few nice cars, had a few designer boutiques, artisan coffee shops etc.
Huddersfield station has annual usage of 5.1 million. So clearly deserves its level of service. Even if some of them are looking for the station cat.So that’s quite clearly just a personal opinion of yours.
Funny you should mention Stoke, it’s got a similarly depressed economy/wages to Huddersfield. When the Audi garage in Huddersfield weren’t playing ball, Stoke was the only place I could find the same car at the same appealing price. Now why are cars cheaper in Stoke and Huddersfield, than Bradford? Perhaps it’s got something to do with the affluence/economy of the local population...
Huddersfield town centre has a nice train station and a booming university. That is literally all it has going for it. Bradford city centre has been nicely redeveloped and contains some great architecture. I advise you to spend more time in the two places, as I have, and then you will change your mind.
Huddersfield station has annual usage of 5.1 million. So clearly deserves its level of service. Even if some of them are looking for the station cat.
Yes given that for most of the day it is standing room only on TPE services
Fair enough.Totally wrong
Stone Crossing, Swanscombe and Northfleet don't need 4tph off peak.
Sorry, can't help...don't smoke!
In South Wales, I do find it baffling that Merthyr Tydfil (with a population of 63,546) has a half hourly service all day, when Barry (54,673) has a fifteen minute service. Just along the coast then is Penarth (which only has a population of 22,083) which also has a fifteen minute service!
I agree it needs a regular service, but does it really need 6tph to Leeds and Manchester?
Same problem in reverse for the heads of the valleys - limited capacity through Queen Street so little scope to increase the frequency, given the large number of branches to serve (until you introduce light rail with faster acceleration and "line of sight" frequencies etc).
Or for that reason the village of Alnmouth...or even the smaller village of Hisburn where the station actually is! All are overserved on their own, and the region is too really but that’s one benefit of being right on the ECML.
I would also argue that Chesterield on its own doesn’t justify 2tph on the EMT London route, although as with many places on this list is manages to provide the passengers to justify the calls by acting as a railhead, so...
I agree, and my last paragraph says as much... but other than being a convenient railhead due to location, there's not all that much to write home about with Wakey itself.There's nowhere else that could provide a decent railhead for the City and surrounding area. Last time I got a taxi from Leeds, it was over £30 and Doncaster's even further.