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LM Crewe - Euston now /2 operation

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Pumbaa

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Received an email from LM this evening to say that due to increased levels of patronage, all services where possible, other than 1 or 2 trips that are exclusively "off-peak" and empty-ish will be formed of 350/2, ie more seats for bums. This is for M-S, Su is meant to be all /2 already.

Not entirely happy, but a seat's a seat!
 
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SS4

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Just as well, it was rammed around TAM/LTV when I was on it (albeit a Friday S/B mid-afternoon)
 

Ibex

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Have a load of 321s doing not much off peak...

Well there are 6 unusued 321's on sundays which could probably replace the two 350's which exclusively work Euston to Tring services all afternoon / evening, whilst those released 350's could strengthen two Crewe services to 8 car operation.

The 321's don't work north of Northampton anymore due to train crew knowledge of the stock and routes. North of Northampton the Trent Valley services are worked by Crewe based traincrew who don't sign 321's, and south of Northampton they're worked by traincrew who don't sign the Trent Valley line.

What will help with the overcrowding on this route is the April timetable change which will see Euston to Crewe increased to hourly between 1200 and 2000, from the current one train every two hours. The stations with short platforms are Atherstone, Stone, Kidsgrove and Alsager, all fairly small stations for this route so SDO doesn't seem too unreasonable to me. Southern run some trains with SDO at most of the calling points! SDO and splitting trains both seem concepts that are very alien on the West Coast.
 

MK Tom

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Looking forward to many 100 minute rides to Stafford with my knees up my nose and nowhere to put my lunch :(

I honestly don't see why SDO can't be used to allow eight car running - they do it at Bletchley with 12 car sets? As for train splitting people at Northampton seem to struggle immensely with the fantastic simplicity of going ''one, two, three, four, ok get on now on the bit that doesn't have 'Birmingham' written on it." Even if SDO isn't possible putting the 321s on Tring/MK terminators might free up enough 350s to run a Rugby-Stafford service half an hour round from the Crewe services? Could even put a 323 on the St. Albans line...
 

Crossover

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SDO anyone?

Read elsewhere on here that SDO isn't so great on these units and can only be used on a per unit basis (i.e. even if they get 6 coaches on the station such as a Rugeley TV on the down, they can only open the front four coaches anyway...if you are at the back, it is going to be one heck of a walk, assuming you can get through)

What will help with the overcrowding on this route is the April timetable change which will see Euston to Crewe increased to hourly between 1200 and 2000, from the current one train every two hours. The stations with short platforms are Atherstone, Stone, Kidsgrove and Alsager, all fairly small stations for this route so SDO doesn't seem too unreasonable to me. Southern run some trains with SDO at most of the calling points! SDO and splitting trains both seem concepts that are very alien on the West Coast.

Confused by this - the service is currently hourly between Euston and Crewe isn't it?

I'm not sure either if they have ever run the 8 cars through Stone etc or run direct from Stafford to Crewe.

Finally, I don't think their usual platform at Crewe can take a double unit can it? If not, they would have to take up one of the through platforms which isn't really viable I wouldn't have thought and with a 55 minute layover usually, could cause problems.

Could even put a 323 on the St. Albans line...

Not sure they would be cleared. Besides, don't LM run nigh on capacity with those too?
 

Ibex

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Confused by this - the service is currently hourly between Euston and Crewe isn't it?

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear there - the timetable changes I've mentioned are for the sunday timetable. Departures from Euston to Crewe are currently 12:50, 14:50, 16:50 and 18:50 however after April will increase to 12:50, 13:50, 14:50, 15:50, 16:50, 17:50, 18:50, 19:50 and 20:50.

As for the St Albans Abbey line, Birmingham to Watford seems an unnecessary length to run a 323 to work a 6 mile branch which is already operated fine with a longer EMU.

I've always thought the Abbey could run on a sunday using the 150+153 coupled together that are otherwise sitting in Bletchley sidings all day doing nothing, when the 321 could be put to better use.
 
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87015

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Well there are 6 unusued 321's on sundays which could probably replace the two 350's which exclusively work Euston to Tring services all afternoon / evening, whilst those released 350's could strengthen two Crewe services to 8 car operation.

Even during the week they have buckets of spare in the 350 fleet which only has 60 SX diagrams, let alone needing to use any extra 321s. Would cost them more to run any extra units though...

Although, given their total inability to manage 350/1 and 350/2 diagrams (or anything else...!), I doubt there will actually be much change on the ground with this exercise/
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Received an email from LM this evening to say that due to increased levels of patronage, all services where possible, other than 1 or 2 trips that are exclusively "off-peak" and empty-ish will be formed of 350/2, ie more seats for bums. This is for M-S, Su is meant to be all /2 already.

Doesn't this go against the plan for 110mph operation of 350/1?
This would mean 350/1 targetted at Weedon/Trent Valley runs.
 

MK Tom

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As for the St Albans Abbey line, Birmingham to Watford seems an unnecessary length to run a 323 to work a 6 mile branch which is already operated fine with a longer EMU.

I've always thought the Abbey could run on a sunday using the 150+153 coupled together that are otherwise sitting in Bletchley sidings all day doing nothing, when the 321 could be put to better use.

The point of that suggestion was to free up a 321 to in turn free up a 350 to run TV services with eight cars. I think running diesels on electrified lines is the worst crime under the sun... (not literally obviously :p)
 

mappman1000

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Got on a Euston - Crewe /2 a few weeks ago and it was standing only at Lichfield TV, so they are still busy, and this was at around 11am on a saturday
 

Matt Taylor

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Not really sure what the problem is, SDO on the 350s is the same as it is on 450s and we have no problems down here in juice land with long trains and short platforms. frankly, if I can safely operate an 8 car 450 at Chertsey, Isleworth etc then I'm pretty sure anyone can.;)



LM have just Tweeted that they have no plans to make the Crewe services 350/2.
 
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Pumbaa

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North of Northampton the Trent Valley services are worked by Crewe based traincrew who don't sign 321's, and south of Northampton they're worked by traincrew who don't sign the Trent Valley line.

Some Northampton guards sign to Crewe although no drivers do. There are 4 trips I think done by Northampton.
 

Pumbaa

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LM have just Tweeted that they have no plans to make the Crewe services 350/2.

I don't know who is correct - this came from the same department as David so you'd assume they'd talk to each other...
 

Lampshade

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A seat in the middle of a 3 isn't a seat. LM have learned that with their new 172s which are 2+2.

No such problem with the 458s, you can easily get 6 to a seating bay on the '3' side, admittedly at the expense of aisle width.
 

MK Tom

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No such problem with the 458s, you can easily get 6 to a seating bay on the '3' side, admittedly at the expense of aisle width.

458s also have generously padded seats that are a joy to sit on. The seats on 350s might as well be made of steel. Electrostars would have made so much more sense for the WCML.
 

DarloRich

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458s also have generously padded seats that are a joy to sit on. The seats on 350s might as well be made of steel. Electrostars would have made so much more sense for the WCML.

Steel - STEEL!<( - do you think LM are made of money :lol: God knows what they are made of but they are not the most comfortbale of seats! Yet the SWT ones seems a lot nicer - why is that?
 
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