Bad day for Liverpool & Newcastle on TPE

[Grumpy Git]

I know someone who took a taxi from York to Manchester Airport recently as a result of TPE cancellations and late running. £100 it cost and they said in future when travelling with the family they would always do that.

It costs >£50 for a taxi from Liverpool to Manchester airport, so £100 from York is great value.

 

[Howardh]

I know someone who took a taxi from York to Manchester Airport recently as a result of TPE cancellations and late running. £100 it cost and they said in future when travelling with the family they would always do that.

Divide that by four and it's probably cheaper than the rail ticket.
is there a website where solo travellers can organise shared taxis to airports to cut costs? certainly a good way to avoid our crumbling rail companies up here.

 

[Howardh]

It costs >£50 for a taxi from Liverpool to Manchester airport, so £100 from York is great value.

Isn't there a direct bus from Liverpool, hourly or two hourly?

 

[AndrewE]

Doesn't it show just how bad the "service" has become when we are discussing practical alternatives to going by train even on a rail forum?
Until now the congestion on the M62 and alternative routes has been so bad that lots of recovery time has had to be allowed on a road journey (including travelling the evening before and staying overnight at or near the airport: now we are advocating it or doing something similar because the trains are so unreliable. Friends living less than 30 miles away from Manchester Airport drive & stay overnight and I have even stayed overnight rather than trust the early morning trains!

 

[Howardh]

Doesn't it show just how bad the "service" has become when we are discussing practical alternatives to going by train even on a rail forum?
Until now the congestion on the M62 and alternative routes has been so bad that lots of recovery time has had to be allowed on a road journey (including travelling the evening before and staying overnight at or near the airport: now we are advocating it or doing something similar because the trains are so unreliable. Friends living less than 30 miles away from Manchester Airport drive & stay overnight and I have even stayed overnight rather than trust the early morning trains!

From places like the North East where many travel to Manchester to fly, I wonder if many would consider a flight from a local airport which won't take them directly to their destination, but a change at a foreign airport would - thus avoiding our trains? Skyscannre is a huge help in that direction, and many a flight involving a change is cheaper than a direct one.

 

[30907]

From places like the North East where many travel to Manchester to fly, I wonder if many would consider a flight from a local airport which won't take them directly to their destination, but a change at a foreign airport would - thus avoiding our trains? Skyscannre is a huge help in that direction, and many a flight involving a change is cheaper than a direct one.

Indeed, but at the expense of one's carbon footprint
And apart from Amsterdam, Paris CDG and Heathrow, what are the options?

 

[jamesst]

Isn't there a direct bus from Liverpool, hourly or two hourly?

National Express and Megabus, no idea of the frequencies or prices though

 

[Howardh]

Indeed, but at the expense of one's carbon footprint
And apart from Amsterdam, Paris CDG and Heathrow, what are the options?

Carbon footprint..blame the railways!! Although to be fair there's not that many miles being added using a hub.
Barcelona. Top hub for the Balearics, done that myself, although not sure how many flights there are from Newcastle/Leeds-Bradford direct to Barcelona. Maybe Madrid? Also Dublin is a great hub always comes up on Skyscanner.
But you also get, thanks to the likes of Ryanair and Easyjet, connections a the smaller airports eg Eindhoven, Charleroi and so on.

 

[Grumpy Git]

The problem with using a hub from our regional airports (i.e. Easyjet, Ryaniar, etc.,) is that baggage is not automatically transferred. This is a nightmare if you are going on holiday, or like me have tools which can't be carried in hand luggage.

 

[Howardh]

The problem with using a hub from our regional airports (i.e. Easyjet, Ryaniar, etc.,) is that baggage is not automatically transferred. This is a nightmare if you are going on holiday, or like me have tools which can't be carried in hand luggage.

Many people like myself do take carry-on baggage only; although I do admit if I did have hold baggage it would be problematic collecting and checking-in again, especially if the connection time was tight on top of the worry of it getting lost. In some cases (ie Ryanair on to Vuelling) the pax (even with carry-on bags)may have to go through immigration and security at the hub, particularly if transfering between terminals. For example, you can't get off a Ryanair at Barcelona in the same terminal and go to the next gate as your ticket and passport won't have been swiped at that airport - although those that have gone through that procedure can correct me if I'm wrong.

Basically the easiest way is to have carry-on bags only and connect at an UK hub, or fly with one carrier for both legs (Iberia/Vuelling/BA for me!) however if you fly from the UK to a Schengen country then you only clear immigration once, at the hub airport, not twice (ie the hub and arrival).

But it IS an option to avoid a long UK train journey. And many hub airports have firssy class lounges to pass the time!!

 

[AndrewE]

But it IS an option to avoid a long UK train journey. And many hub airports have first class lounges to pass the time!!

The sad (and maybe unprecedented) thing is that we are only discussing or considering these options to avoid a UK rail journey within a region - i.e. "the North!" How bad is that?

 

[Seehof]

If we are discussing it, then what percentage of would be train passengers are using taxis, flights with changes, cars etc? The potential economic and reputational damage to the railways is enormous.

 

[AndrewE]

If we are discussing it, then what percentage of would be train passengers are using taxis, flights with changes, cars etc? The potential economic and reputational damage to the railways is enormous.

Agreed, but we might say that it is trivial compared with the damage to our carbon footprint - and (worse) to the chances of achieving a step-change reduction in energy use in transport.

 

[Grumpy Git]

The only airport train which has NEVER given me any grief is the 03.37 Liverpool to Manchester Airport.

Problem is, due to the awful flights from up here in the frozen north I have started travelling on Sundays and there is no early service.

 

[Grumpy Git]

Duplicate post, please delete.

 

[Vespa]

I know someone who took a taxi from York to Manchester Airport recently as a result of TPE cancellations and late running. £100 it cost and they said in future when travelling with the family they would always do that.

Its getting to be like the 70s, British Rail service so abysmal, anti customer friendly and surly rail staff, it was easier to use the car and more people brought cars for that reason......British Rail was dying.....

 

[Bungle965]

National Express and Megabus, no idea of the frequencies or prices though

There used to be a direct bus operated by Terravision from Manchester to Liverpool Airport but that was binned a few years ago now.
The coaches used were very ropey towards the end of their operation of the route.
Sam

 

[Howardh]

There used to be a direct bus operated by Terravision from Manchester to Liverpool Airport but that was binned a few years ago now.
The coaches used were very ropey towards the end of their operation of the route.
Sam

I think there's a good bus service from one of the stations close to Liverpool Airport? But that means using the train...so we're back to square one!!

 

[E100]

Just to add my 2p. The service yesterday was dire and advice frequently unhelpful and late from TPE themselves. The poor LNER station staff at NCL were fuming about it as it had been going on for some time but very pleasant to us poor travelers. I feel very sorry for the poor staff but am shocked at the incompetence of management.

I saw this a mile off with them not having the trains running the current timetable effectively before the new one was in place. I think the combination of new trains with a rushed training schedule, revised timetable and the extension to Edinburgh was always going to end up like this based on previous experience.

 

[Grumpy Git]

The whole job with both TPE and Northern is a complete disgrace.

To a much lesser extent Avanti seem to be going down a similar path with their train management.

 

[Bletchleyite]

To a much lesser extent Avanti seem to be going down a similar path with their train management.

A lower quality of service - more FirstGroup than Virgin glitz - might be becoming visible, but the timetable and staffing have not changed so I doubt there is anything significant there.

 

[Vespa]

Welcome to your latest franchise apparently they will do a much better job than Northern and TPE combined

 

[Deerfold]

The problem with using a hub from our regional airports (i.e. Easyjet, Ryaniar, etc.,) is that baggage is not automatically transferred. This is a nightmare if you are going on holiday, or like me have tools which can't be carried in hand luggage.

Also, if you use Ryanair or easyJet and they are delayed or cancelled they have no obligation to get you to your final destination, just the one on that leg.

 

[Grumpy Git]

I used a BlueAir flight last year from Liverpool to Catania via Rome. The leg from Rome to Catania was via Alitalia and the check in staff at Liverpool tried to tell me my baggage was NOT checked through. I had to get someone in the Blue Air ticket office to phone the check-in staff to confirm that my luggage was indeed checked through to final destination. It was a complete farce.

The check in staff were completely useless.

 

[exile]

I'd intended to board the 7.24. Information boards assured me the 7.54 was running so i passed up the chance to get to Piccadilly and get to Leeds from there. Of course, the 7.54 didn't materialise either. Eventually reached Wakefield via Sheffield 90 minutes late. Everything fine on the way back.

 

[scarby]

Its getting to be like the 70s, British Rail service so abysmal, anti customer friendly and surly rail staff, it was easier to use the car and more people brought cars for that reason......British Rail was dying.....

While the Scarborough-York timetabled service in the 1970s was (in theory) thinner than today - 10 trains in each direction on a weekday and the last service out of Scarborough at 20.00 - I don't ever recall a service being cancelled on the route, and certainly I do not recall sustained reliability and punctuality issues stretching over more than a year and a half and counting.

What's more, the line was serviced by a variety of DMU types, plus on summer Saturdays a vast array of locomotive and stock classes. There was no massive hoo-ha and reasons not to run a different class down the route, as with the recent fuss over the proposed then dropped class 37s and Mk 3s. And again on summer Saturdays I don't recall services vanishing from the timetable despite the considerable demand for extra stock.

Oh, and DMUs were readily strengthened in the number of carriages, by doubling up units at busy times.

 

[Peter Bonner]

While the Scarborough-York timetabled service in the 1970s was (in theory) thinner than today - 10 trains in each direction on a weekday and the last service out of Scarborough at 20.00 - I don't ever recall a service being cancelled on the route, and certainly I do not recall sustained reliability and punctuality issues stretching over more than a year and a half and counting.

What's more, the line was serviced by a variety of DMU types, plus on summer Saturdays a vast array of locomotive and stock classes. There was no massive hoo-ha and reasons not to run a different class down the route, as with the recent fuss over the proposed then dropped class 37s and Mk 3s. And again on summer Saturdays I don't recall services vanishing from the timetable despite the considerable demand for extra stock.

Oh, and DMUs were readily strengthened in the number of carriages, by doubling up units at busy times.

Well put. It all worked then as there always spare resources-stock,locos and staff. Now franchisees to maximise income cut resources to the bone-and we see the consequences of that all too often!

 

[urbophile]

I think there's a good bus service from one of the stations close to Liverpool Airport? But that means using the train...so we're back to square one!!

That's Liverpool South Parkway. Which is no longer served by TPE so we are back to square minus one.

 

[mike57]

While the Scarborough-York timetabled service in the 1970s was (in theory) thinner than today - 10 trains in each direction on a weekday and the last service out of Scarborough at 20.00 - I don't ever recall a service being cancelled on the route, and certainly I do not recall sustained reliability and punctuality issues stretching over more than a year and a half .

As long as those 10 trains ran you could plan a journey current timetable is a joke as there can be 3 hour gaps between services which means planning a journey is impossible. Current TPE performance must have resulted in loss of customers and I suspect as a lot of season tickets are due for renewal in the new year people will make alternative arrangements.

 

[mrmartin]

Even the TPE Twitter team don't seem to know what ticket acceptance is in place for sure: https://twitter.com/TPEassist/status/1210586001401372672?s=19