It's scheduled to stop on a Saturday, so there's no problem there.
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New Chester to Leeds service
- Thread starter absolutelymilk
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It's scheduled to stop on a Saturday, so there's no problem there.
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It's a very tight overlap, pretty sure I have been on a Lime Street - Manchester train on the Up Chat Moss and got the road ahead of something stopped in the Down Earlestown (platform 4), but I've never seen anything in that platform while I have been on the Down Chat Moss. Could be approach release from yellow to let a train into 4 with a route set on the DCM I suppose, but it would be very risky.
You'd have to have flank protection for a move like that, so to allow a train to draw into 4 would require the points to swing over to effectively send a move into pl.5. I’d be certain though that once a train has been sat in pl.4 and is at a stand. Then possibly the points could then be both altered so that a train could run into pl.3 with a timing delay to account for the train in pl.4 coming to a stand. Best person to answer that would be a signaller/s&t with knowledge of Warrington Powerbox.
faltskog36abba
Member
I travelled on this new service today from Victoria to Chester on a refurbished 3 car 158. It was as another poster has stated about 30 odd people on board leaving Victoria - But was unfortunately cancelled at bank quay due to trespass on the line. On our return from Chester after 17.00 the train filled quite nicely -and I can see it becoming popular as the service beds in, It was again the same unit on our return with full air con working throughout. Apart from the train being cancelled -Delay repay forms handed out by a very efficient member of staff, Its been a very nice journey with northern today.
Cheshire Rover
Member
Pacer today on the 1707 from Man Vic to E Port. Bus seats too. Joy. About 30 on leaving Vic.
I’m convinced they won’t put 195s on that service considering how often they put 142s and 150s at the moment.
mememachine175
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142005 was on 1E56 yesterday.
Cheshire Rover
Member
It certainly seems to enjoy Northerns random unit generator.
It feels like they really don’t value it and want it to fail so the requirement gets taken away from them or something. Not sure there’d be capacity at Chester to send it there though with it being so close to the TfW service.
Cheshire Rover
Member
Didn't catch the number but current heading past
It does seem that way though there are more using it. Time will tell.
Cheshire Rover
Member
Nice few on from Bank Quay.
darloscott
Member
I think it is down to the fact that a different depot operate it (Liverpool?) who only sign certain units... so if you don’t have a 156 available you’re limited in what you can put on - you can’t send a 144, 153, 155, 158 or 170 so you’re stuck with 142 or 150 as your only options.
HotelNovember
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Liverpool have the minority of the work, they do all the Ellesmere Port services Mon-Fri. They do a couple of Chester’s on a Saturday and the Ellesmere Port shuttle. But as rightly stated the ones Liverpool work are booked 150 or 156, so the only replacement can be a 142. But anything else is a no-go.
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Jamesrob637
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Why are there only 3 services to Ellesmere Port? I caught one of them on 24 June (the one around 18:30) and it was a 150. Very empty until Warrington, and hardly rammed even north of there!
The evening Ellesmere is booked a 150 and starts the day at Leeds
Greybeard33
Established Member
The franchise requirement is for only 2 services daily to Ellesmere Port, the ones from Liverpool and Leeds. The morning shuttle to/from Helsby is a bonus.
Thanks. I'm not fully familiar with the terminology but I'm imagining signing means "signing off" on the units to certify that they have enough drivers/guards based at Liverpool who are trained to operate them, but correct me if I'm wrong. I'm gueesing Liverpool have signed the 195s since they're already in use on the Manchester Airport services and I'd imagine Leeds will if the Chester to Leeds services are 195s so maybe there is hope for the Ellesmere Port service having one after all.
frodshamfella
Established Member
Is the new direct services to/from E Port to Leeds attracting some passengers ?
I've been getting on it at Helsby in the morning. There aren't many on it when it arrives, maybe only about 5 per carriage, but that seems to be increasing. About 10-15 get on at Helsby then quite a lot at Warrington and it's usually fairly full after Newton-le-Willows (all seated though). It empties out at Victoria where I get off but there are usually a lot waiting to get on. I couldn't say from there and I'm not sure if anyone from EP stays on beyond Manchester. If there was a shuttle from EP to Helsby I'd probably get on there as there's a massive free car park that doesn't seem to get much use but I couldn't risk that with the number of times it's been cancelled so far.
frodshamfella
Established Member
Ok...so.sounds like reliability has gone down. I used to travel on the afternoon Helsby to E Port shuttles prior to this new timetable, it was very reliable.
Cheshire Rover
Member
Me a couple of times a week
It's usually down to an "issue with the train crew".
HotelNovember
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Chester-Man Vic is all Man Vic crew Mon/Fri with a minority of Liverpool crew on a Saturday.
Wigan/Leeds don’t sign it.
Wigan/Leeds don’t sign it.
Thanks. I think Wigan used to sign Chester via BQ many years ago, and I think they still sign Bank Quay, even though they have no booked work that way. I have seen guards from Wigan going to the BQ booking office to get a stamp.
Many years ago (up until DEC 2005) Liverpool, Wigan, Man Picc and (I think) Buxton used to sign 158s, but, as has been said before, Liverpool crews on the Ellesmere Port/ Chester are now restricted to 142/150/156.
So to come back to whether there’ll be a 195 for EP-Leeds, I’m sure I’ve seen the same guard on the it that I saw on the Liverpool-Airport 195 when I was on that (though I could be imagining things). If that’s the case I guess it means (at least some of) the guards have signed both routes and units. I can’t say for the drivers though. If they sign it too are there any more hoops Northern would need to jump through to get a 195 on the EP-Leeds?
HotelNovember
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Should be no reason why it couldn’t go over to 195’s in theory. Most Lime Street drivers and all guards sign Ellesmere Port/Chester - Man Vic as well as more and more signing 195’s.
Traction Course is ongoing for Man Vic on 195’s.
Traction Course is ongoing for Man Vic on 195’s.
superkev
Established Member
Not much chance I think of Leeds Manchester 195s as theres no sign of any 195 training of Leeds crews. They are prob preoccupied with training 300 or so on the 331s which will take a while.
On the plus side the 331 to 195 conversion course should be much shorter as there very similar.
K
On the plus side the 331 to 195 conversion course should be much shorter as there very similar.
K
Eccles1983
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Cheshire Rover
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I've been using the E Port to Man Vic service both ways a couple of times a week for a while now and there does seem to be a slow and steady increase in patronage both ways. I'm not saying it's fully loaded by any means but the sorry Pacer we endured back to E Port yesterday was half full from Vic and the 150 going into Vic this morning was 2/3 full on arrival. I can't see why the morning service doesn't call at Frodsham and Runcorn East though.
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