I had the misfortune to travel on the Crewe - Derby line yesterday on my way from Little Sutton, near Ellesmere Port, to Carlton, near Nottingham. In both directions, the rolling stock provided was a single car class 153.
This was seriously overcrowded as two dozen Tranmere supporters decided to travel to Notts County this way, presumably to take advantage of the Chester - Nottingham CDR which is much, much cheaper that the fare on the direct route from Liverpool. The journey was not pleasant for other passengers and the cramped conditions probably contributed to a minor kerfuffle on the way back.
Serious overcrowding happens on the Crewe - Derby line almost every weekend. It is a major cross country route, not a quiet branch line, and is totally unsuited to 153 operation. The Crewe - Stoke - Derby - Nottingham - Southwell corridor serves six major football grounds, three racecourses, two cricket grounds and a rugby union ground directly - and is useful for getting to many others. It is also used by families travelling to Alton Towers.
A few years ago, there was a very useful through service from Crewe to Skegness operated by class 158s. East Midland have now split this into three.
From a distance, East Midland strike me as the worst TOC in the country. They force people onto cramped cattle trucks with less legroom than RyanAir, when you can get a seat, just to save a few quid in leasing fees. They don't respond to letters of complaint - I'm still waiting for a reply to one I sent over a month ago. And they terminate trains on this line, and also between Norwich and Liverpool, ridiculously early in the evening, so they can get their units back to Nottingham.
The sooner they go the better.
