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December 2019 Timetable Change

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mm333

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Just noticed this one. XC's 1C09 (0622 Plymouth - Penzance) retimed to depart Plymouth at 0600 but it will also take 1hr 55mins for the journey which is 8 minutes longer than at present. I guess this retiming is to do with the revised local stopping services.

Dave

The departure time isn’t a change. It looks like it’s still 0622 Tue-Fri but 0600 on Mondays as it runs early as the sleeper sits in Plymouth longer on a Monday than it does on any other weekday morning. For some reason.
 
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HamworthyGoods

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The departure time isn’t a change. It looks like it’s still 0622 Tue-Fri but 0600 on Mondays as it runs early as the sleeper sits in Plymouth longer on a Monday than it does on any other weekday morning. For some reason.

The sleeper is in a different path on Monday mornings to the rest of the week beyond Exeter due to a longer overnight engineering access period along the sea wall on Sunday nights.
 

SWRtrain_fan

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In the SWR September 2019 Customer Report, it states "We plan to deliver more of our planned improvements through future timetables, including this December". Does anyone know of any additional services SWR will be providing?
Edit: I just realised in the SWR new services thread there's some extra Reading to Waterloo services.
 
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swt_passenger

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In the SWR September 2019 Customer Report, it states "We plan to deliver more of our planned improvements through future timetables, including this December". Does anyone know of any additional services SWR will be providing?
Edit: I just realised in the SWR new services thread there's some extra Reading to Waterloo services.
That’s about all there is in fact, having spent some time searching.
 

HamworthyGoods

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Small amounts of change on South Western.

Monday to Friday and Saturday the xx30 Waterloo to Portsmouths are accelerated by around 5-6 minutes. Money to Friday the missing from pattern 21.15 and 22.15 Waterloo to Haslemere services run with the 21.30 and 22.30 Waterloo to Portsmouth services no longer calling at Farncombe. Worplesdon gets and hourly service on the Waterloo to Guildford stopping service.

Some extra Reading services operate on Monday to Friday’s at 15.05 and 15.35 from Waterloo and 08.24 from Reading along with a new earlier 05.39 Ascot to Waterloo service. Windsor has an additional 17.24 Waterloo to Windsor via Hounslow (similar to the 18:24) Longcross gets half-hourly calls Monday to Saturdays and hourly on Sundays.

Poole on Sundays has an additional 16.18 super-fast to Waterloo (matching the current 18.18) and a new 22.35 semi-fast back from London.

On the diesels Overton and Grateley finally get their hourly Sunday service with these stops along with Whitchurch moving into the hourly Reading service (although as now in the afternoons this goes to Waterloo) with the Exeter’s being sped up in both directions.

On the Suburban side via Wimbledon seems to be some extra services filling gaps on the evenings with trains like the Surbiton to Hampton Court shuttles running to/from Waterloo.

See this post for full details ^
 

CptCharlee

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With crosscountry I have noticed there is two Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly services within and hour of each other on Sundays...

1200 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly
1253 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly

There is a further one at 1453 I think so is nice to see 3 daily ones albeit on a Sunday only!
 

sufian123

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With crosscountry I have noticed there is two Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly services within and hour of each other on Sundays...

1200 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly
1253 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly

There is a further one at 1453 I think so is nice to see 3 daily ones albeit on a Sunday only!

It’s the same as current timetable.
1200 ply-man
1253 ply-man
1230 pnz-man (1434 off ply) nothing changed it’s still the same in December.
 

Class 170101

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With crosscountry I have noticed there is two Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly services within and hour of each other on Sundays...

1200 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly
1253 Plymouth to Manchester Piccadilly

There is a further one at 1453 I think so is nice to see 3 daily ones albeit on a Sunday only!

One on weekdays and Saturdays
 

Starmill

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One amusing one I noticed is that the new 1705 departure from Corby connecting to an express train to London at Kettering produced a shorter journey time by about 5 minutes than the through train does. Other new Corby to Kettering services don't seem to offer a London connection, unless I'm mistaken.
 

Jorge Da Silva

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https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/48.aspx

national rail website

Great Northern
Additional Great Northern Metro calls at New Southgate and Oakleigh

Additional peak AM calls at New Southgate and Oakleigh Park will be reinstated. This will mean that both stations will see an extra two trains towards Moorgate per hour, creating a six trains per hour to London service during the morning peak. The entire Great Northern Metro timetable will be optimised for the performance of the new train fleet in May 2020.

Late weekday evening and weekend closures of Moorgate

From Saturday 14 December 2019 until summer 2020, work to improve the reliability of the railway between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, will be taking place late on weeknights and on weekends.

This work will impact train services between Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage via Hertford North.

To allow this work to take place, from Saturday 14 December until summer 2020 the line from Finsbury Park to Moorgate will be closed on most weekday evenings from 21:40 and on most weekends.

On these evenings and weekends, all services to/from Moorgate will be diverted into King’s Cross.




Great Western Railway
Around three quarters of journey times will be different from how they are today as Great Western Railway add new services and change old ones as part of the improvements.

Trains will arrive and depart at different times – There will be more trains, with more seats but to allow the new timetable to work, train times will be different to today.

Trains won’t always stop at the stations they do today – Journeys will be faster, but we are introducing new services, and they won't always stop at the places frequent travellers might be used to


Northern
Significant changes to be made with December timetable

  • An additional weekday morning service (07.51) will run between Hazel Grove and Manchester Piccadilly – calling at Woodsmoor, Davenport and Heaton Chapel
  • The current Preston to Leeds service will be extended through to York calling at Church Fenton, providing new and faster journey opportunities between Leeds and York.
  • Separate services will operate between York and Leeds, and between Selby and Leeds calling at Micklefield, East Garforth, Garforth and Crossgates. Customers travelling beyond Leeds from these stations will now have to change at Leeds.
  • Services between Huddersfield and Leeds via Brighouse, and between Manchester Victoria and Leeds via Bradford, will now terminate at Leeds
  • weekday morning (8:17am) service from Southport to Manchester Piccadilly via Wigan North Western
  • The current weekday morning service (8:24am) from Southport to Leeds will now start at Wigan North Western
  • There will be an additional weekday morning service to and from Lancaster and Morecambe
  • There will be an additional Sunday morning service (09:30) from Stoke to Manchester Piccadilly
  • There will be an additional Sunday evening service (08:24) from Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke


Southern
Summary of changes:
Introduction of Saturday all-day and weekday off-peak services to Cooksbridge

Southern has worked with local rail users to increase services to Cooksbridge, who have worked closely with us over many years to identify how additional stops could be added without adversely affecting the overall performance of the network.

From Monday 16 December, we will introduce additional calls at Cooksbridge Monday-Saturday to provide an all-day service in both directions and a Saturday service for the first time.

Change of departure time of 07:16 Rye to Ashford International service
The 07:16 Rye to Ashford International service, calling at Appledore and Ham Street will depart ten minutes earlier at 07:06 to provide a connection to Southeastern high speed services at the request of local stakeholders.

Thameslink
Summary of changes:


Connection of existing Saturday Horsham to London Bridge and Peterborough to King’s Cross services

The existing two per hour in both direction Thameslink services between Horsham and London Bridge and Peterborough and King’s Cross will connect via St Pancras International, Farringdon, City Thameslink and London Blackfriars, adopting the service pattern used Monday-Friday.

This change will introduce a new direct Gatwick Airport service on Saturdays for the first time for Peterborough, Huntingdon, St Neots, Sandy, Biggleswade and Arlesey. It will provide an additional two direct services per hour through London to Gatwick for Hitchin, Stevenage and Finsbury Park, adding three trains per hour instead of one.

London St Pancras International services to London Blackfriars will now have thirteen trains per hours instead of eleven, as previously.

For stations to the south of London Bridge, the change will mean additional direct services to St Pancras International and beyond for East Croydon, Redhill, Horley and Gatwick Airport, and it will mean new direct services to the centre of London, London St Pancras International and beyond for Coulsdon South, Merstham, Crawley, Ifield, Littlehaven and Horsham for the first time.

Withdrawal of Cambridge North Thameslink service
The existing one per hour Thameslink service between Cambridge and Cambridge North will be withdrawn to release a train path for the introduction of a new direct Greater Anglia service between Cambridge North and London Liverpool Street. This Thameslink service was a temporary measure while Greater Anglia worked to introduce its new train fleets.

Passengers travelling between Cambridge North and Cambridge can continue to use Great Northern and Greater Anglia services.

TransPennine Express
South Trans-Pennine route: Services between Manchester and Sheffield, Doncaster & Cleethorpes

The delivery of new trains will mean many services between Cleethorpes, Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly will be formed of 6 carriages instead of the current 3.

  • An additional earlier service will be provided (Monday to Saturday) from Sheffield departing at 05:21 to Cleethorpes arriving at 07:14.
  • An additional later service will be provided (Monday to Friday and Sundays*) from Cleethorpes departing at 21:26* to Sheffield (*21:16 Sun).
  • All services will now call at Habrough.
  • Dore & Totley will gain a new early morning departure to Manchester Airport at 05:15.



North Trans-Pennine route: Services between Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, York and the North East

32 brand-new 5 carriage trains will be introduced on this route bringing with it a large increase in the number of seats available on each service.

  • New departure times will be every 15 minutes at XX:00, XX:15, XX:30 and XX:45 minutes past each hour at Leeds and Manchester Victoria.
  • Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle services will now start / terminate from Edinburgh calling at Morpeth and offering a direct journey to / from West Yorkshire.
  • Services between Newcastle and Edinburgh will depart at 05:53 (Monday to Saturday) and also a later journey has been added departing Newcastle at 22:14 (Monday to Friday).
  • Departures from Hull towards Leeds will begin approx. 25 minutes later than the current timetable with fewer station stops en route to Manchester during off peak times.
  • Monday to Friday peak time services will now have 6 carriages instead of 3.
  • An additional late night service will run every day from Hull departing at 23:08* to Leeds (*23:04 on Sun) with the last train from Leeds to Hull departing later at 23:33.
  • Service calling at Dewsbury will now be part of the Newcastle / Middlesbrough to Manchester Airport route. And also part of the local stopping service between Leeds and Huddersfield.
  • Liverpool Lime Street to Scarborough services will now call at Stalybridge and Garforth on an hourly basis.
  • Services from Newcastle / Durham / Darlington and Leeds, and also from, Huddersfield to Manchester will have 5 carriages instead of 3.
  • An additional late-night service will run Monday to Saturday from Newcastle departing at 00:08 to Manchester Airport calling at Durham, Darlington, York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester Piccadilly.
  • The local stopping service between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield will now call at all intermediate stations, and will no longer call at Garforth.


Manchester to Scotland route: Services between Manchester, Preston, Lancaster and Glasgow / Edinburgh

  • 12 x 5 carriage trains will be introduced on this route offering an additional 105 seats per train.
  • 6 x extra services will be introduced between Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central (3 services in each direction everyday).
  • There will also be a 05:48 Carlisle to Liverpool Lime Street service (Monday to Saturday) plus a 20:12 Liverpool Lime Street to Oxenholme service (Monday to Friday).
  • An extra early morning service will be provided (Monday to Saturday*) from Carlisle departing at 05:57 to Edinburgh arriving at 07:33 (*06:04 on Sat).
  • An extra late night service will run (Monday to Friday) from Manchester Airport to Carlisle departing at 23:10 calling at Manchester Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Preston.
  • An extra evening service will run (Monday to Friday) from Glasgow Central to Preston departing at 21:01 calling at Lockerbie, Carlisle and Penrith.
 

Starmill

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The current Preston to Leeds service will be extended through to York calling at Church Fenton, providing new and faster journey opportunities between Leeds and York.
I am struggling to follow this. Which Preston to Leeds service?
Services between Huddersfield and Leeds via Brighouse... will now terminate at Leeds
Surely they mean Bradford Interchange, not Leeds.
weekday morning (8:17am) service from Southport to Manchester Piccadilly via Wigan North Western
This is confusing.
The local stopping service between Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield will now call at all intermediate stations, and will no longer call at Garforth.
Possibly even more confusing...

Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle services will now start / terminate from Edinburgh calling at Morpeth and offering a direct journey to / from West Yorkshire.
This one is true bit a bit disingenuous. It Implies that Edinburgh and Morpeth don't already have direct trains to West Yorkshire stations, when there are already quite a few.
 
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rg177

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Yes indeed I'm glad that Huddersfield to Manchester stoppers are no longer stopping at Garforth, that must have really extended the journey times :lol:
 
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It seems a regular feature, Northern not proof reading their timetable update text. If I remember correctly, they issued a press release about a Southport to Manchester via Wigan North Western service in May, too...
 

gingerheid

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Withdrawal of Cambridge North Thameslink service

This Thameslink service was a temporary measure while Greater Anglia worked to introduce its new train fleets.

Oh really? *suspicious face*

Remember when Cambridge North was supposed to be getting 4 Thameslink trains per hour?
 

Ant158

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I am struggling to follow this. Which Preston to Leeds service?

Surely they mean Bradford Interchange, not Leeds.

There is only one Preston to Leeds service, this is the Blackpool To York Service via the Calder Valley. Thought they had already reinstated the through journeys to York?
 

markymark2000

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From what I can see, the Blackpool North to York and the Leeds to York (via Garforth) will basically no longer work together and will instead be standalone services.
 

Ianno87

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Oh really? *suspicious face*

Remember when Cambridge North was supposed to be getting 4 Thameslink trains per hour?

Given most of the Thameslink (actually Kings Cross stoppers presently) through to North have fewer passengers than I have fingers I doubt they'll be missed. Doing the GA service half-hourly is probably better overall anyway - a more useful London service (one semi-fast per hour) than the super-slow GN service.

Besides - all 4tph Thameslink was never promised - it would exceed the capacity of the bay. The original proposal from an early consultation was to send the Brightons through, but this was instead of, not in addition to, the stoppers.
 

TPlanner93

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There is only one Preston to Leeds service, this is the Blackpool To York Service via the Calder Valley. Thought they had already reinstated the through journeys to York?
Haven't the majority of the Northern changes listed on the NRE website already happened as part of the May 19 timetable change? Perhaps someone has uploaded the wrong text........
 

1D53

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From what I can see, the Blackpool North to York and the Leeds to York (via Garforth) will basically no longer work together and will instead be standalone services.
Correct to allow 195s to be used on Blackpool. The Sundays through Blackpool York is brought back which is perhaps what the original text meant.
 

gingerheid

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Given most of the Thameslink (actually Kings Cross stoppers presently) through to North have fewer passengers than I have fingers I doubt they'll be missed. Doing the GA service half-hourly is probably better overall anyway - a more useful London service (one semi-fast per hour) than the super-slow GN service.

It's not easy to see what purpose the additional GA services are suppised to meet. There'll be more off peak semi fast services, but no extra peak services into Cambridge or back from London.

They won't be helping meet a commuter need into Cambridge North or South of Cambridge.
 

bramling

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It's not easy to see what purpose the additional GA services are suppised to meet. There'll be more off peak semi fast services, but no extra peak services into Cambridge or back from London.

They won't be helping meet a commuter need into Cambridge North or South of Cambridge.

The purpose is quite simple - they are able to fit at Cambridge North but cannot fit in Cambridge platforms 2 and 3, so it was a solution to an operational headache.

I agree that I don’t think this was ever the plan originally, but it probably won’t cause that much hardship. One lot of stations lose their connectivity to Cambridge North whilst another gain. I don’t think either has a particular claim on the greater flow.
 

HamworthyGoods

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It's not easy to see what purpose the additional GA services are suppised to meet. There'll be more off peak semi fast services, but no extra peak services into Cambridge or back from London.

They won't be helping meet a commuter need into Cambridge North or South of Cambridge.

It’s purely operational - 8 car Thameslink 700s fit into the south end bays at Cambridge the new GA units don’t do so have to run through to Cambridge North
 

markymark2000

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Correct to allow 195s to be used on Blackpool. The Sundays through Blackpool York is brought back which is perhaps what the original text meant.
Blackpool to York will continue to run but the trains will run Blackpool - York - Blackpool whereas currently they run Blackpool - York - Leeds - York - Blackpool.
 

Starmill

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Blackpool to York will continue to run but the trains will run Blackpool - York - Blackpool whereas currently they run Blackpool - York - Leeds - York - Blackpool.
That isn't actually a timetable change in the general meaning of the term though, is it? It's just different rolling stock diagrams, which may be supporting the same timetable.
 

Starmill

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I suppose. That is the best that I could come up with though given the text on NationalRail.
Speaking of which, it looks like the following has been put up in its place:
Northern
The following timetable changes have been announced:

  • New hourly service between Halifax and Hull via Bradford, Leeds and Selby, extending the Leeds – Selby stopping service. The Huddersfield – Leeds via Halifax and Bradford hourly service will operate between Huddersfield and Bradford Interchange only. With other timing changes, there will be a 15 minute interval service from Leeds to Bradford and Halifax.
  • On Sundays the Blackpool North – Leeds service will be extended to operate to and from York.
  • Wigan – Alderley Edge and Wigan – Stalybridge services will be extended to operate from and to Southport, providing an all day hourly service between Southport and Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly, as well as between Southport and Manchester Victoria. The current services between Southport and Leeds via Todmorden and between Southport and Blackburn via Todmorden will instead start and terminate at Wigan.
  • An hourly all day through service will be restored between Manchester Victoria and Kirkby via Wigan.
  • Sheffield – Hull – Bridlington fast services will be extended from and to Scarborough. York – Hull and Hull – Bridlington services will be joined, to provide a through York – Bridlington service. Sheffield – Hull stopping services will be split at Doncaster into separate Sheffield – Doncaster and Doncaster – Hull services.
  • There will be two new services a day in each direction between Middlesbrough and Whitby.
  • Manchester Piccadilly – New Mills Central trains will now serve Strines and Belle Vue stations hourly, rather than the current two hourly service.
  • A new station is planned to open at Warrington West, which will be served by two trains an hour, a Liverpool – Manchester Airport service and a Liverpool – Manchester Oxford Road service.
 
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