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April timetable uplifts

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Jamesrob637

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Without stating the obvious that most TOCs needed to do more tomorrow, after all this stage of the roadmap to freedom and the new normal was announced 7 weeks ago and rumoured even before then, what actual changes do take place tomorrow?
 
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PHILIPE

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Peterthegreat

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Well Northern appear to have added the grand total of two trains. One in each direction between Manchester and Chester via Northwich!
 

dk1

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05:30 & 06:48 Norwich-Liv St along with 07:55/09:00 return (SX) resume tomorrow
 

tommy2215

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Hull Trains return for the third time tomorrow, and hopefully they are here to stay this time! Only two trains a day in each direction but for the time being that makes sense.
 

Jim

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GWR 2YXX / 2DXX Weston - Filton/Bristol Parkway services are reintroduced
 

83G/84D

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St Ives branch line resumes a half hourly service (from today) for most of the day having been hourly.
 

iphone76

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The Southminster line in Essex returns to a 40 minute service having been cut to a train every 2 hours for most of the day.
 

181

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Great Western's website has separate lists of pdf timetables for pre- and post-12th April; in the three that I've looked at (without doing a detailed comparison), the only major change appears to be that the North Downs line goes back to 2 tph on Saturdays (1 tph to Gatwick), while weekdays off-peak remain mostly hourly, with few to Gatwick. Reading-Basingstoke doesn't appear to have changed much, and for the Thames/Cherwell Valley stoppers you get the same pdf, with times from 25th Jan, in both lists.

However, NRE shows half-hourly stoppers between Didcot and Reading on Sat. 1st May; does anyone know whether this indicates an actual planned change, or just that someone has forgotten to take the other trains out of the system?

The pdfs on South Western's website have commencement dates ranging from 13th December to 8th March, so it appears that nothing has changed this week.
 

PHILIPE

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Great Western's website has separate lists of pdf timetables for pre- and post-12th April; in the three that I've looked at (without doing a detailed comparison), the only major change appears to be that the North Downs line goes back to 2 tph on Saturdays (1 tph to Gatwick), while weekdays off-peak remain mostly hourly, with few to Gatwick. Reading-Basingstoke doesn't appear to have changed much, and for the Thames/Cherwell Valley stoppers you get the same pdf, with times from 25th Jan, in both lists.

However, NRE shows half-hourly stoppers between Didcot and Reading on Sat. 1st May; does anyone know whether this indicates an actual planned change, or just that someone has forgotten to take the other trains out of the system?

The pdfs on South Western's website have commencement dates ranging from 13th December to 8th March, so it appears that nothing has changed this week.

Posts #11 and #12 list some more
 

HamworthyGoods

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Half-hourly Exmouth to Paigntons seem to have resumed as do the missing London to Plymouth services
 

PHILIPE

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Although there are less re-openings in Wales than England, there are still some predominantly shops. TFW seem to have done nothing additional and are being bombarded by complaints through Twitter and some individual services are even mentioned on Journey Check, referring to overcrowding with trains full and standing and formed 2 carriages instead of 4 in the Cardiff Valleys. TFW reply with a "Cut and Paste" reply or merely say will feed it back.
 

Jamesrob637

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Although there are less re-openings in Wales than England, there are still some predominantly shops. TFW seem to have done nothing additional and are being bombarded by complaints through Twitter and some individual services are even mentioned on Journey Check, referring to overcrowding with trains full and standing and formed 2 carriages instead of 4 in the Cardiff Valleys. TFW reply with a "Cut and Paste" reply or merely say will feed it back.

Standard fodder. Overall very disappointed by the way this has been handled. Nobody is expecting pre-COVID service levels but "could do better" would be how I'd write this if it were a school report. Some TOCs have redeemed themselves somewhat though.
 

northernchris

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Although there are less re-openings in Wales than England, there are still some predominantly shops. TFW seem to have done nothing additional and are being bombarded by complaints through Twitter and some individual services are even mentioned on Journey Check, referring to overcrowding with trains full and standing and formed 2 carriages instead of 4 in the Cardiff Valleys. TFW reply with a "Cut and Paste" reply or merely say will feed it back.

Northern have been suffering similar issues. No doubt not helped by the withdrawal of some of the CAF stock but with 153s sat idle it's not great
 

HamworthyGoods

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Northern have been suffering similar issues. No doubt not helped by the withdrawal of some of the CAF stock but with 153s sat idle it's not great

The 153s are sat idle surely because they are no longer fit for traffic due to non compliance’s with the law so the fact they sit idle is irrelevant.

No different to the shortage of buffet cars BR experienced in 1988 having made an agreement to remove from traffic all asbestos fitted buffet cars by the end of December 1987, yes they were technically serviceable but this was irrelevant as they were non complaint.

You have to draw the line somewhere else old stock that is no longer suitable will just drag on and on and on.
 

northernchris

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The 153s are sat idle surely because they are no longer fit for traffic due to non compliance’s with the law so the fact they sit idle is irrelevant.

No different to the shortage of buffet cars BR experienced in 1988 having made an agreement to remove from traffic all asbestos fitted buffet cars by the end of December 1987, yes they were technically serviceable but this was irrelevant as they were non complaint.

You have to draw the line somewhere else old stock that is no longer suitable will just drag on and on and on.

I'm not sure that's correct as some of the 153s I've seen parked up have since been in passenger use. If the 153s are still able to be used then Northern really ought to be making an effort to get them out in service, there's currently 56 short forms listed on Journey Check and with the current limited timetable combined with the reduced capacity it isn't the best time to be withdrawing old stock just because it's old
 

Jamesrob637

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I'm not sure that's correct as some of the 153s I've seen parked up have since been in passenger use. If the 153s are still able to be used then Northern really ought to be making an effort to get them out in service, there's currently 56 short forms listed on Journey Check and with the current limited timetable combined with the reduced capacity it isn't the best time to be withdrawing old stock just because it's old

Many short-forms this week will be 319s sub for 2x331 or 1x331 sub for 2x331.

Not something 153s need to be "involved" with and I hope the issue is resolved before the "proper" timetable change in a month.
 

Mag_seven

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I note that Avanti are still only running an hourly service to Manchester/ Birmingham. Why?
 
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HamworthyGoods

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I note that Avanti are still only running an hourly service to Manchester/ Birmingham. Why?

Because that’s what they have been asked to run until the May timetable change. With only limited overnight stays allowed long distance traffic is still pretty quiet.
 

Peregrine 4903

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Because that’s what they have been asked to run until the May timetable change. With only limited overnight stays allowed long distance traffic is still pretty quiet.
Eh, the Avanti Manchester services, particularly in the evening are getting very busy. I agree the Birmingham doesn't need a 2nd train an hour but I feel like the Manchester could do with one soon.
 

james60059

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Eh, the Avanti Manchester services, particularly in the evening are getting very busy. I agree the Birmingham doesn't need a 2nd train an hour but I feel like the Manchester could do with one soon.
I'm booked on the 20:20 departure from EUS to MAN tomorrow as far as NUN, I remember the last time I was on it, was packed train although everyone did get a seat. That was of course pre-covid so will be interesting to see what it's like. I will do a reply in the "How Busy Have Your Trains Been" thread.
 

dk1

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I'm booked on the 20:20 departure from EUS to MAN tomorrow as far as NUN, I remember the last time I was on it, was packed train although everyone did get a seat. That was of course pre-covid so will be interesting to see what it's like. I will do a reply in the "How Busy Have Your Trains Been" thread.
A Saturday May be a little different at the moment. I would suspect it to be comfortable.
 

Mag_seven

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Because that’s what they have been asked to run until the May timetable change. With only limited overnight stays allowed long distance traffic is still pretty quiet.

But yet just down the road from Euston EMR, are running a service every half hour to Sheffield and LNER every half hour to Leeds?

And what about the staff who are employed by Avanti? Are they all being paid to sit at home doing nothing?
 

seagull

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And what about the staff who are employed by Avanti? Are they all being paid to sit at home doing nothing?

Well, if they were ALL sitting at home doing nothing there'd be no trains at all running, surely?

It depends on the role: drivers and train managers have not had any significant time "paid off" as although there are fewer trains, the diagrams have been altered to contain less work content but still with similar start and finish times, so the number of daily diagrams (and therefore number of staff required at work each day) is therefore not that much different to pre-Covid. There are some spare turns now where instead of having to sit in the depot communal areas, it is possible to book on as home standby.

It's a bit different on the catering side, chefs especially have had the majority of the past year sat at home, others not so much but still a vastly reduced number of days attending work compared to normal. This because instead of teams of 5-6 per train it has largely been single personnel just in the shop (or first class on Voyagers).

There was a temporary uplift of timetable last weekend and the one before, for long-distance Easter travellers, but I believe the permanent uplift is in May now.
 
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