Avanti West Coast cancellations

[MattRat]

Glasgow quite poor in the next few hours.

11:30 terminating at Preston
12:40 cancelled
13:30 starting from Preston
14:30 starting from Preston

I know they have a crew change at Preston, but wouldn't it be better to start at Crewe, or could one crew not work that far? It's just that at Crewe, you could transfer to another Avanti train to get to your destination, like Birmingham or London.

 

[duncanp]

Most of the evening service from New St to Euston canned, it appears. Oh dear. LNR are going to be busy.

Just when thousands of people are travelling to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.

It is very busy in the city today, and even the trams are full and standing, carrying people up tp Centenary Square to see the mechanical bull, and to Broad Street to get bladdered for some refreshment.

Now that the Premier League has started, whats the betting that late Saturday trains from London to Manchester are cancelled when one of the Manchester teams is playing in London, or vice versa when a London team is playing in Manchester.

Kick off 5pm on a Sunday and you expect to get home the same night?? No chance.

 

[Furrball]

This makes no sense in many ways!

18:30 London Euston to Glasgow Central due 23:12


Facilities on the 18:30 London Euston to Glasgow Central due 23:12.
Will be formed of 10 coaches instead of 11 between London Euston and Glasgow Central. First class is declassified. There are no reservations on this service throughout.
Additional Information:
This Avanti West Coast service is formed of fewer coaches today. If you have a seat reservation for coaches G, H and K, please head to coach C, which is unreserved. If you have a seat reservation for coach L, please travel in coach E. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is a double Voyager substituting for a Pendolino. Presumably declassified due to the high load due to the number of cancellations today.

Not sure where they were getting Coach L from, I suspect whoever wrote it briefly had a Voyager short forming in mind. Indeed the whole of that latter bit looks like a "short formed Voyager" copy paste.

 

[Andy Pacer]

This makes no sense in many ways!

18:30 London Euston to Glasgow Central due 23:12


Facilities on the 18:30 London Euston to Glasgow Central due 23:12.
Will be formed of 10 coaches instead of 11 between London Euston and Glasgow Central. First class is declassified. There are no reservations on this service throughout.
Additional Information:
This Avanti West Coast service is formed of fewer coaches today. If you have a seat reservation for coaches G, H and K, please head to coach C, which is unreserved. If you have a seat reservation for coach L, please travel in coach E. Sorry for the inconvenience.

What's the matter with it?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What's the matter with it?

The additional information doesn't make much sense, as Pendolinos don't have a coach L. It is probably a copy paste of the spiel for a 5 vice 10 Voyager formation.

 

[Andy Pacer]

The additional information doesn't make much sense, as Pendolinos don't have a coach L. It is probably a copy paste of the spiel for a 5 vice 10 Voyager formation.

Hardly described as "makes no sense in so many ways" though.

 

[Furrball]

Coach L would not be on a Pendolino

There are no reservations so why direct people from certain carriages to a specific one

It just needed to be

Service formed 10 carriages versus 11

First class is declassified

No reservations

 

[Jimini]

Just when thousands of people are travelling to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.

It is very busy in the city today, and even the trams are full and standing, carrying people up tp Centenary Square to see the mechanical bull, and to Broad Street to get bladdered for some refreshment.

Now that the Premier League has started, whats the betting that late Saturday trains from London to Manchester are cancelled when one of the Manchester teams is playing in London, or vice versa when a London team is playing in Manchester.

Kick off 5pm on a Sunday and you expect to get home the same night?? No chance.

I wonder what the Chelsea fans will do tonight. There were two long stoppages in their game at Everton so it finished quite late. They would have been cutting it fine to get the last train back as it is.

 

[craigybagel]

I wonder what the Chelsea fans will do tonight. There were two long stoppages in their game at Everton so it finished quite late. They would have been cutting it fine to get the last train back as it is.

I'm on the 19:48 off Liverpool right now, and lots of them seem to have made it without issues. Service is busy but not completely full.

 

[duncanp]

I wonder what the Chelsea fans will do tonight. There were two long stoppages in their game at Everton so it finished quite late. They would have been cutting it fine to get the last train back as it is.

I was just about to add that if Manchester United are playing in London, then all their fans would just use the tube to get home as usual.

(Puts on tin hat and retires to a nuclear bunker for the next six months)

 

[fgwrich]

However, according to the booking engines it is "sold out". (I got a walk up by selecting a LNR train then upping the fare to Any Permitted).

What on earth are they playing at? I do get what they are trying to do a la LNER, but a train surely isn't fully reserved until you have reserved every seat except Coaches C/U?

On this point, I too would like to know. I'm travelling back from Scotland on the 19th, everything on Avanti is showing as sold out - heck, I even looked at TPE to various points en route where I could pick up an Avanti to see the same message. Then, checking from this evening until my return date, again all showing as Sold Out. Does Avanti actually want passengers?

 

[Jimini]

I'm on the 19:48 off Liverpool right now, and lots of them seem to have made it without issues. Service is busy but not completely full.

Cheers. Must have left early I guess as it didn’t finish until gone half seven!

 

[trainophile]

At Wigan NW on Tuesday morning, waiting for the 10:26 Glasgow train, they were still doing that intensely annoying announcement about "this train is expected to be very busy. If you have a flexible ticket you might prefer to wait for another train for a more comfortable journey". I boarded coach U as my reservation in B was at a table while I prefer airline, and found it maybe a third full. Loads of free doubles and the odd table too. This was the case all the way to Glasgow. They clearly have no idea of booked loadings. If they are turning customers away on the grounds of "sold out" they need to review their systems.

 

[MattRat]

On this point, I too would like to know. I'm travelling back from Scotland on the 19th, everything on Avanti is showing as sold out - heck, I even looked at TPE to various points en route where I could pick up an Avanti to see the same message. Then, checking from this evening until my return date, again all showing as Sold Out. Does Avanti actually want passengers?

It might be a pain with all the possible changes needed, but if you can book TPE, book it to Lime Street then get on LNWR to wherever you need to get to south of Liverpool.

 

[Trainbike46]

At Wigan NW on Tuesday morning, waiting for the 10:26 Glasgow train, they were still doing that intensely annoying announcement about "this train is expected to be very busy. If you have a flexible ticket you might prefer to wait for another train for a more comfortable journey". I boarded coach U as my reservation in B was at a table while I prefer airline, and found it maybe a third full. Loads of free doubles and the odd table too. This was the case all the way to Glasgow. They clearly have no idea of booked loadings. If they are turning customers away on the grounds of "sold out" they need to review their systems.

Part of the problem is the fake mandatory reservations on avanti services, combined with them not releasing reservations on some services at all. That's how I once ended up on a service from Euston with 2 passengers in total!

 

[fgwrich]

It might be a pain with all the possible changes needed, but if you can book TPE, book it to Lime Street then get on LNWR to wherever you need to get to south of Liverpool.

I’ve binned it off unfortunately. LNER still has some reasonable fares in both Standard and First, and even if it means I’ll have to travel across from Glasgow to Edinburgh, I know I can reasonably trust LNER.

Well done Avanti, another customer lost.

 

[craigybagel]

Cheers. Must have left early I guess as it didn’t finish until gone half seven!

To be fair some of them were Everton fans who might have wanted to get away early!

Kudos to the TM by the way if anyone from Avanti is reading, he was doing a great job with his announcements.

 

[MattRat]

I’ve binned it off unfortunately. LNER still has some reasonable fares in both Standard and First, and even if it means I’ll have to travel across from Glasgow to Edinburgh, I know I can reasonably trust LNER.

Well done Avanti, another customer lost.

At least you are lucky you are going to London. Gives you more options. Some people won't be so lucky going elsewhere, especially if an alternative involves TPE.....

 

[modernrail]

On this point, I too would like to know. I'm travelling back from Scotland on the 19th, everything on Avanti is showing as sold out - heck, I even looked at TPE to various points en route where I could pick up an Avanti to see the same message. Then, checking from this evening until my return date, again all showing as Sold Out. Does Avanti actually want passengers?

‘Sold out’ basically seems to mean they have reduced capacity MASSIVELY on the UK’s most important main line, for no clear reason other than incompetence.

 

[Cowley]

I’ve moved a load of stuff into the speculative thread that’s unrelated to the day to day cancellations which is what this thread is for. Let’s try and keep this on topic and useful please everyone.

Thanks

 

[voyagerdude220]

1M13 12:32 Glasgow Central to London Euston due 17:11 will no longer call at Penrith North Lakes and Oxenholme Lake District.

It has been delayed at Carlisle and is now 25 minutes late.

This is due to an unusually large passenger flow

 

[modernrail]

Had a reasonable journey from Oxenholme to London today. Most trains seemed to be running okay if absolutely packed. Staff were really good at the station and on the train trying to make it as comfortable as possible.

Great to see so many people with back packs, children, and smiles clearly having enjoyed some great British countryside in the summer holidays.

 

[Julia]

Glasgow quite poor in the next few hours.

11:30 terminating at Preston
12:40 cancelled
13:30 starting from Preston
14:30 starting from Preston

I was on the 10.40 (1M11), which sat at Preston for quarter of an hour awaiting crew - in fact I watched on Traksy and the signaller put "DRVR" on our platform berth, presumably a reminder not to clear the road until the driver was found! 11.30 (1M12) ran half an hour late to Preston; then as above plus 15:30 and 16:30 terminating at Preston, 17:30 made it to Euston but just shy of an hour late, and 18:30 terminated at Wolverhampton. Only the 09:30 seems to have been uneventful. Utter, utter shambles.

Most annoyingly, I'd travelled up to Glasgow on the last LNER strike day, so took two Stagecoach buses (St Neots - Bedford - MK) then Avanti - and because the ticketing worked out substantially more to "return" to St Neots via the east coast, took the same route home. The above chaos meant I was 45 minutes late at MK, got to Bedford reasonably easily, then found a 90 minute gap in the last leg caused by a driver and vehicle being sent off to cover the Commonwealth Games contract. It seems a sheet of A4 with the day's thirty or so cancellations is simply glued up in the shelter at Bedford, not put on any online service.

 

[londonmidland]

Anyone travelling from Euston to Birmingham/Wolverhampton today, be aware that there are quite a few cancellations on this route today.

 

[duncanp]

Anyone travelling from Euston to Birmingham/Wolverhampton today, be aware that there are quite a few cancellations on this route today.

Yes, it's our punishment for having a "relatively decent" service during the Commonwealth Games.

What gets me is the apparent random nature of the cancellations - you never know which train is going to run on what day, just like a game of "Avanti Cancellation Roulette".

I'm supposed to be going from Birmingham to London and back tomorrow on Avanti.

I have no idea when, or indeed if, I will get there, and if Avanti do condescend to provide a train for the Southbound journey, there is no guarantee of when I will be able to return.

And what happens when the service to the final destination is relatively infrequent.

I would like to think that in the example below, passengers would be allowed to use West Midlands Trains or Transport for Wales services between Birmingham and Shrewsbury.

18:23 London Euston to Shrewsbury due 20:55 will be terminated at Birmingham New Street.
It will no longer call at Sandwell & Dudley, Wolverhampton, Telford Central, Wellington Shropshire and Shrewsbury.
This is due to a shortage of train crew.
Additional Information:
You can travel on the Avanti West Coast service immediately before or after this train with your original ticket

 

[Geezertronic]

I am really happy that my regular work-related jaunts from Birmingham to London are no longer required at the moment - it sounds like a complete hit & miss as to whether you travel or not. I've replaced the London journeys with regular trips to Manchester via XC which (strikes excluding) appear to have been uneventful bar the odd short forming (1 x 220/221 instead of 2)

 

[Bletchleyite]

I am really happy that my regular work-related jaunts from Birmingham to London are no longer required at the moment - it sounds like a complete hit & miss as to whether you travel or not. I've replaced the London journeys with regular trips to Manchester via XC which (strikes excluding) appear to have been uneventful bar the odd short forming (1 x 220/221 instead of 2)

I'd just use Chiltern. Indeed, I'd probably do that anyway because even if my employer did let me put in an Any Permitted Anytime Return for expenses it'd feel profligate in a time of economic challenges.

 

[DeparturesBeck]

Approximately 4tph throughout the week from Sunday 14th August. Timetables not released yet but supposedly the same as in January.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Approximately 4tph throughout the week from Sunday 14th August. Timetables not released yet but supposedly the same as in January.

About time. If they can't manage that, then serious questions need to be asked.