Cross City leaf fall timetable

[YorkshireBear]

What is different about the LM Cross City timetable during leaf fall and why?

 

[Mojo]

South of Birmingham New Street there are only 4tph instead of 6tph local services off-peak. Why? The same reason that there are special leaf-fall timetables on other parts of the network.

 

[Class172]

From the website.

From 24 October to 10 December 2011, London Midland will be operating its Autumn timetable. The interim schedule is designed to minimise any disruption caused by annual leaf fall. The two services that are affected are the heavily wooded areas of the Lichfield to Redditch and St Albans to Watford services.

Leaves falling onto the tracks get compacted as trains run over them and can become as slippery as ice. London Midland, like other train companies, trains its drivers to deal with these conditions but inevitably this means more cautious driving and slightly longer journeys.

London Midland works closely with Network Rail who maintain the track across Britain and spend tens of millions of pounds each year preparing the network for autumn. This includes trimming-back trees alongside the tracks, cleaning the tracks with high pressure jets and applying a compound of sand and gel to remove leaves, which helps the trains brake and accelerate.

 

[YorkshireBear]

South of Birmingham New Street there are only 4tph instead of 6tph local services off-peak. Why? The same reason that there are special leaf-fall timetables on other parts of the network.

I had genuinley never heard of this anywhere before hence why i asked.

 

[dcmbarton]

From Lichfield TV there's no difference - still 2tph, but I think that Lichfield City only gets those two rather than 4tph as per usual. Going on last year, it's a good excuse for LM to terminate delayed services at Lichfield City. I was left stranded 10 times last winter at LTV because of this!!!

David

 

[Vectorspace]

I get that leaf fall = lower adhesion = slower trains = less trains in schedule.

But I do not get why they have also shortened some of the remaining trains from 6 coaches to 3 - if anything they should have lengthened the remaining trains to make up for the decreased frequency.

I would not expect length of a multiple unit to be a factor in adhesion, given that each coach is motorised.

The 16:19 from Five Ways towards Lichfield is now 3 coaches instead of 6, and the preceeding 16:09 has been removed from the timetable. This has left the 16:19 crushingly packed, and even if people actually respond to requests to move down the carriage (it's amazing how many people ignore those requests) there are often people left behind at the platform due to lack of space - happened to me the other week, and that time there was space down the aisle but no-one in the vestibule could be bothered to move down.

 

[dave_wm]

In the years up to now, the service has been reduced to 4tph between Four Oaks and Longbridge, with 2tph continuing to Lichfield TV and Redditch (although it increased back to 6tph in the morning and evening peaks IIRC).

Now they've improved it slightly, still with the normal 4tph between Four Oaks and Longbridge, and 2tph on to Redditch, but all 4tph now go through to Lichfield City, two of them non-stop from Four Oaks, and it increases to 6tph in the peaks. And on Saturdays the normal service is still running, at the normal (non leaf-fall) times, which seems a bit odd (still welcome all the same).

 

[Batman]

In the years up to now, the service has been reduced to 4tph between Four Oaks and Longbridge, with 2tph continuing to Lichfield TV and Redditch (although it increased back to 6tph in the morning and evening peaks IIRC).

Now they've improved it slightly, still with the normal 4tph between Four Oaks and Longbridge, and 2tph on to Redditch, but all 4tph now go through to Lichfield City, two of them non-stop from Four Oaks, and it increases to 6tph in the peaks. And on Saturdays the normal service is still running, at the normal (non leaf-fall) times, which seems a bit odd (still welcome all the same).

Does the fact that there are now 4tph to Lichfield City and a normal Saturday timetable in this year leaf fall timetable mean that LM are now more confident about being able to run a higher frequency service on the Cross City during the leaf fall period?

Does this mean that this year could be the last year a leaf fall timetable opperates?

 

[crosscity]

Everyone knows that leaves don't fall on a Saturday in Birmingham, so I won't hold my breath next year.

How annoying is it to just miss the 15:03 from New St, have to wait twenty minutes for the next one, and then find that has a 10 minute delay because the 15:12 Penzance train is late. (This has happened to me twice since October). It means there has been a gap of at least 30 minutes on what should be a ten-minutely service.

 

[Batman]

Everyone knows that leaves don't fall on a Saturday in Birmingham, so I won't hold my breath next year.

How annoying is it to just miss the 15:03 from New St, have to wait twenty minutes for the next one, and then find that has a 10 minute delay because the 15:12 Penzance train is late. (This has happened to me twice since October). It means there has been a gap of at least 30 minutes on what should be a ten-minutely service.

The 30 minute gap at Blake Street is very frustrating. That station is a rail head with a massive catchment area and idealy needs a 10 minute service.

 

[dave_wm]

I think there are plans to bring the 6tph on the Cross City through to Lichfield when stock allows - at least I remember reading it somewhere (possibly in one of the RUSs).

Along with the 3tph to Bromsgrove and 3tph to Redditch (if they do happen), there will be a bit of a change in service patterns...

 

[Batman]

I think there are plans to bring the 6tph on the Cross City through to Lichfield when stock allows - at least I remember reading it somewhere (possibly in one of the RUSs).

Along with the 3tph to Bromsgrove and 3tph to Redditch (if they do happen), there will be a bit of a change in service patterns...

I don't think the RUS ruled it out.

They ruled out extending the 08:10 Lichfield City to Redditch from 3 to 6 coaches, so I find it doubtfull that they'll reccommend Lichfield going to 6tph all day.

Plus it will need a second platform, footbridge signaling and cross-over on the higher level at Lichfield Trent Valley and line speed improvements between Blake Street and Lichfield.