Northern Crush

dk1 · 7 Dec 2009

Just spent a few days in South Yorkshire & did a fair bit of travelling around, most of it on Northern. I have nothing but praise for the very helpful conductors encountered on every train. Trouble is they seem to be fighting a losing battle with chronic overcrowding. Even with 3-car Pacers & a frequent service Barnsley to Meadowhall was very busy at all times of the day. Revenue protection staff where targeting certain trains at Meadowhall but gates at Barnsley would be a huge help. It seems like with national bus services, pensioners are able to use trains for free if living in this area & not sure if this is what has made the trains so busy as have not noticed it that bad before. Far & away the worst of all was last Wednesdays 17.57 Manchester Victoria to Huddersfield. After being impressed with a 180 leaving Oxford Road towards Preston i walked across the City. It was pleased that tickets were being checked at Victoria (as earlier at Piccadilly) & then saw a large crowd waiting at platform 4 around 17.50. Any hopes of another service due first soon proved fruitless as the 17.57 was shown as next service. Unfortunatly in ran a 2-car Pacer. We finally left around 18.05 after the guard was persueded to take this grossly overcrowded train after station staff ensured nobody else was permitted boarding & all doors would safely close (which then allows a tiny bit of extra breathing space as we move down onto the stairwell). Is this the norm on this service or is it worse since the closure of the Oldham loop? I must admit i did expect a double unit judging by the waiting mob.

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Ben · 7 Dec 2009

Welcome to the North, its a commuter train and by the way has nothing to do with the oldham loop closure for this service would be pretty useless for ex Oldham Loop users.

dk1 · 7 Dec 2009

Ben said:
Welcome to the North, its a commuter train and by the way has nothing to do with the oldham loop closure for this service would be pretty useless for ex Oldham Loop users.

Ha ha, I did hear that other trains where being affected by the 'loop' closure. Its just ive been on all these routes before but this time the crowding seemed excessive. I only went via Victoria so i could 'tick' the Wetherspoon at Ashton en-route to Stalybridge's excellent station bar

Lampshade · 7 Dec 2009

That sounds about right for a service up here :P

ukrob · 7 Dec 2009

It is the 16.46 from Lime Street to Huddersfield and it is equally rammed there (people left behind), emptying along to Manchester where it gets rammed again.

I have never known it not to be a single 142 on a Monday, but have seen a 150 on it on other days of the week.

Welcome to the North.

aszu · 7 Dec 2009

hm...

welcome to yorks

it`s normal with some services we can`t move and have to stay next to the doors after leaving station. that was 2-car pacer , the same happens with 4 car 333 at leeds almost every afternoon:/

142094 · 7 Dec 2009

17.28 Leeds - York is composed of two 2 car 158s, but still overloaded. You should try one of the Northern Darlington - Newcastle services in rush hour mornings, it gives a whole new meaning to sardine tin.

Lampshade · 7 Dec 2009

You lot on the East side have it easy though

hock:

Since the Blackpool - Buxton was split, Northern have been putting single 142s on the Victoria - Blackpool North services - this is a service which a 180 sometimes struggles with, imagine the fun we have there.

Oh and you haven't lived until you've braved an evening peak TPE out of Piccadilly (Blackpool/Barrow/Scotland route)

David · 8 Dec 2009

91107 said:
Oh and you haven't lived until you've braved an evening peak TPE out of Piccadilly (Blackpool/Barrow/Scotland route)

TPE services to Sheffield and beyond have been known to be wedged as well, even on the (very rare) occasions that a double set is deployed on the route

hock:

Burkitt · 8 Dec 2009

As a Londoner, I feel it is my duty to say...
Ooooh, crowded trains, how terrible.
Mind you, if you're lucky you can have some of our old Thameslinks in a few years!

Pumbaa · 8 Dec 2009

As someone who has lived in London, lived in Stoke-on-Trent and now Liverpool, the problem is the same in both poles. But it is considerably worse in the North where there is nothing that can be done to relieve it. Southern, LM, SWT etc all put on extra coaches, extra services. To an extent my commute home had been largely over-crowding free due to all peak trains being lengthened to 12 coaches. Here, you're stuck with 2... or 3.

graham125hst · 8 Dec 2009

91107 said:
Oh and you haven't lived until you've braved an evening peak TPE out of Piccadilly (Blackpool/Barrow/Scotland route)

The best thing about the TPE trains from platform 14 is that most people dont go down to where the first carriage stops, they crowd around the middle area where the two car Northern Train stop.

A bit of knowledge mixed with not standing down there until the train comes (or you drag people down with you) and you can get a seat more often than not.

ukrob · 8 Dec 2009

Burkitt said:
As a Londoner, I feel it is my duty to say...
Ooooh, crowded trains, how terrible.
Mind you, if you're lucky you can have some of our old Thameslinks in a few years!

Yes, it must be terrible having crowded trains where there is another in five minutes and not 30 minutes.

175001 · 8 Dec 2009

Yup, thats life oooop North! Huddersfield line is a problem due to the short platforms after Stalybridge, which means we have to lock the back 2 if we have a 4 car diagram, and if there is no assistance its even worse!

Last Saturday and Sunday were horrendous! I've passed out at the wrong time :oops:

royaloak · 8 Dec 2009

175001 said:
I've passed out at the wrong time

If the train is so full you wont even fall over!
and yes I know what you meant!

poshbakerloo · 8 Dec 2009

Pretty much all Northern services are jammed! even on sundays

37372 · 8 Dec 2009

I try and avoid the Meadowhall area like the plague at this time of the year, particularly on Saturdays when the trains are VERY busy!

142094 · 9 Dec 2009

poshbakerloo said:
Pretty much all Northern services are jammed! even on sundays

That's quite a sweeping statement!

Lampshade · 9 Dec 2009

142094 said:
That's quite a sweeping statement!

Sweeping, but accurate, around Manchester anyway.

aszu · 9 Dec 2009

37372 said:
I try and avoid the Meadowhall area like the plague at this time of the year, particularly on Saturdays when the trains are VERY busy!

meadow hell you mean.
one of the worst places now

142094 · 9 Dec 2009

91107 said:
Sweeping, but accurate, around Manchester anyway.

Aye, but Northern do stop at a lot of stations, and have been on plenty of trains where I was the only person. Still all the big cities have their problems, just a case of where new stock is going to come from and where the funding for it is.

ukrob · 9 Dec 2009

142094 said:
Aye, but Northern do stop at a lot of stations, and have been on plenty of trains where I was the only person. Still all the big cities have their problems, just a case of where new stock is going to come from and where the funding for it is.

Northern doesn't get new stock

poshbakerloo · 10 Dec 2009

142094 said:
That's quite a sweeping statement!

Its true around Manchester And Sheffield/Lincoln.

The other day I travelled from Prestbury to Lincoln, via Stockport and Sheffield...Prestbury-Stockport was Northern and so was Sheffield-Lincoln...I was standing the whole way...including the EMT bit

142094 · 10 Dec 2009

ukrob said:
Northern doesn't get new stock

Of course not, all 2nd hand stuff. The new stuff always goes down south

Drsatan · 10 Dec 2009

142094 said:
Of course not, all 2nd hand stuff. The new stuff always goes down south

Not necessarily. We simple Devon folk & the poor people of the Valleys have had to make do with cast-off 142s/143s.

Anyway, from what I've been reading, you wouldn't be allowed to transport cattle in the sorts of conditions being described. Am I correct in saying this?

dk1 · 10 Dec 2009

Drsatan said:
Anyway, from what I've been reading, you wouldn't be allowed to transport cattle in the sorts of conditions being described. Am I correct in saying this?

True, but there is the choice not too board but cattle are not clever enough to understand this!

MCR247 · 10 Dec 2009

Drsatan said:
Not necessarily. We simple Devon folk & the poor people of the Valleys have had to make do with cast-off 142s/143s.

Anyway, from what I've been reading, you wouldn't be allowed to transport cattle in the sorts of conditions being described. Am I correct in saying this?

All the new stuff/projects goes to London then. Better?

142094 · 11 Dec 2009

Anywhere within say 1 hour of London? Trying to think the last time the NE got anything new, must be when the ECML was electrified? Or 185s but still...

tbtc · 12 Dec 2009

It'd help if the barriers were allowed at Sheffield station, of course. Meadowhall is just horrible all year round, but this time of year is a real nightmare, with people buying their own body weight in bulky bags etc.

OMGitsDAVE · 13 Dec 2009

Its simply terrible on the Northern's from Middlesbrough to Newcastle & Hexham on weekends, nevermind near Christmas! I had to go up and see my auntie yesterday, but to my delight a 2-car 142 showed up. It was standing room only from Middlesbrough, and I was getting on at Seaton Carew - meaning I was practically jammed against the door. We then pulled into Hartlepool, where around 20 got off, and about 60-70 got on, so the train, at this stage was unbearable. One woman had calypsed, the trainee-conductor was pushing people OFF the train, and holding people back off it too, and it was just really hectic.

Eventually we got to Sunderland, where the BTP bombarded the train and forced many to get the T&W Metro from Sunderland, but those already on the 142 were left, and had to stay on until atleast Newcastle Central for "Safety reasons". We missed out Heworth station because of the overcrowding, and we were 20-minutes late anywho! We pulled into Newcastle, where a majority got off, along with me - and then a whole bunch of people crambled on before being dragged to the Metro Centre.

Very bad day, I tell you. Standing for 50 minutes isnt bad, but being pushed against a door along with small children and the likes of OAPs, was very frustrating.

I wasn't allowed on the service home, despite it being 4-car, it was simply too full. So another hour in Central Station, and i still stood the way home.

Northern Crush

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