As well as the Tilcon stone terminal, the Bredbury refuse terminal is also served by the branch from Woodley, which is the stub of the former CLC line to Northenden Jn via Stockport Tiviot Dale. The daily binliner trains to Runcorn Folly Lane are always routed via Guide Bridge, Denton, Stockport Edgeley, Altrincham and the Mid-Cheshire to Hartford.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
What concerns me slightly is... if you needed to bin off 2 Sprinter diagrams in the Manchester area (which I think must be what Rose Hill operates with) then why not bin off a couple from the Buxton Line for example? That's presumably operationally simpler than attempting to do piecemeal cancellations across the entire network and adjusting diagrams to match, but still leaves the line in question with a usable service.
Operationally it would and does affect the Piccadilly depot which has a huge amount of training to get through. As the majority of the work is done in self contained diagrams (3 x rose hills on one job), it is easier to cancel that line of route temporarily. The drivers allocated for these diagrams can now easily take over jobs that are being done by instructors. This then frees the instructors up to continue training other drivers on new traction (195/331). Yes it's unfortunate and many don't agree but this is the quickest, easiest, and least disruptive plan for crews, planning staff and the vast majority of passengers that use the rest of the network.
I don't know that, however looking on RTT, the frequency appears to have been reduced to hourly during Covid-19
I doubt that timetable changes to give a 1h15 frequency would be feasible for September, given that the paths have to fit between the Hull, Huddersfield and Hadfield services between Piccadilly and Guide Bridge, and also between the Sheffield and New Mills services between Piccadilly and Ashburys and again between Romiley and Marple Wharf Jn. Much easier to bin off services than recast the whole timetable.
You'd end up with a 2-hourly service. There might be some justification for that, but it would still consume resources and almost nobody would use it, for obvious reasons!
It’s simply not economic to reregister everything for a small job like that, with no further work on the horizon. You can only register coaches for a calendar month. So 31st July & 1st August may only be two days work, but are two months registration. That’s two months to be paid for! Not worth it for RRB.
Presumably “Pat’s Coaches” of Wrexham. But could be any number. If RRB need to be PSVAR expect there to be less of them. Even more so now. Coach companies are going to the wall left, right & centre. Cost-cutting is inevitable. Accessible coaches are an unnecessary expense. Best not to have them and be a viable business, than have them and be bankrupt.
A six month bus contract would be well in order. In normal times it would be done too. Even if it only ran Guide Bridge to Rose Hill Marple, with train connections at Guide Bridge and Romiley.
And it does not need to be coaches. For short distances, I imagine the nearest Stagecoach bus depot could provide something suitable.
Every time I've been over the Stockport viaduct there's been loads of buses parked up, both in the bus station and the depot behind it.
It's literally just a few miles down the road.
OK thanks. Possibly that could be an option
There should be the paths for a 1h30 frequency though as the service was half hourly previously.
Difference is that the most stations on the Chester route don't have an alternative within walking distance for most people.
There are big cross-boundary pupil flows between Stockport, Altrincham, Hale and Knutsford, to the Altrincham grammar schools (from both Stockport and Knutsford) and to the (comprehensive) Knutsford Academy (from Altrincham and Hale). Risk of overcrowding once the schools go back in September. I presume that is why the 0818 extra is being restored, but not the other, commuter peak, extras between Stockport and Chester.
The 219 bus service into Manchester passes close to Fairfield down the Ashton Old Road and is(was?) very regular, every 10 minutes or so.More convenient than the tram.
According to RTT, the Mid-Cheshire will remain 2 hourly outside the peaks. And the 0808 Stockport to Chester is not really an "extra", because the preceding 0741 Piccadilly to Chester is not being restored. See
