• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Wrexham Central timetabling?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Goofle

Member
Joined
13 Jul 2016
Messages
78
Looking at Real Time Trains the outgoing service to Bidston leaves Wrexham Central two minutes before the incoming service arrives! I’m pretty sure it’s the same train. Am I being a bit simple?
The incoming service is usually early I believe and the departing one a little late but isn’t this a weird idea?
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

T

The Planner

Veteran Member
Joined
15 Apr 2008
Messages
15,930
Goofle said:
Looking at Real Time Trains the outgoing service to Bidston leaves Wrexham Central two minutes before the incoming service arrives! I’m pretty sure it’s the same train. Am I being a bit simple?
The incoming service is usually early I believe and the departing one a little late but isn’t this a weird idea?
Click to expand...
You are confusing the public times with the working times. The train normally arrives around xx.29 and departs at xx.32
 
E

Eccles1983

On Moderation
Joined
4 Sep 2016
Messages
841
The op is correct.

A few anomalies exist on that line if you look further down it.
 
B

Bovverboy

Established Member
Joined
1 Dec 2013
Messages
1,933
The Planner said:
You are confusing the public times with the working times. The train normally arrives around xx.29 and departs at xx.32
Click to expand...

tony_mac said:
Are you maybe thinking of Wrexham General?

Public timetables show arrival at Central at :32, with departure at :30. (Yes, it's the same train, it's a single-track line with one platform).
https://tfwrail.wales/sites/tfwrail.wales/files/2019-04/TfW Timetable 4 19May 14Dec 2019_1.pdf
Click to expand...

Working timetables generally show an arrival at Wrexham Central of xx.29 and a departure of xx.32. The publicly advertised times are, respectively, xx.32 and xx.30. Confusing, but that's how it is!

This is a far from unique situation. The 1658 Carmarthen to Manchester Piccadilly, for instance, arrives Picc at 2215 and departs for Chester at 2212! Luckily, it's usually in early.
 
P

PHILIPE

Veteran Member
Joined
14 Nov 2011
Messages
13,472
Location
Caerphilly
Bovverboy said:
Working timetables generally show an arrival at Wrexham Central of xx.29 and a departure of xx.32. The publicly advertised times are, respectively, xx.32 and xx.30. Confusing, but that's how it is!

This is a far from unique situation. The 1658 Carmarthen to Manchester Piccadilly, for instance, arrives Picc at 2215 and departs for Chester at 2212! Luckily, it's usually in early.
Click to expand...

The 1658 ex Carmarthen is more or less a through train but not advertised as such and travels through Platform 14
 
G

Goofle

Member
Joined
13 Jul 2016
Messages
78
Thanks for the replies, in particular the link to the timetables. To me even on there it says Wrexham Central (d) at xx30, when the incoming service service is Wrexham Central (a) at xx32. That’s pretty impressive!
It’s obviously easy to figure out as there’s only the one line and indeed one platform anyhow, I was just curious if I was losing my marbles!
 
D

Djgr

Established Member
Joined
30 Jul 2018
Messages
1,654
It's due to minutes added in the public timetable to make it easier to meet punctuality targets. Very common scam I believe.
 
Y

yorkie

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
6 Jun 2005
Messages
67,749
Location
Yorkshire
Goofle said:
Looking at Real Time Trains the outgoing service to Bidston leaves Wrexham Central two minutes before the incoming service arrives! I’m pretty sure it’s the same train. Am I being a bit simple?
The incoming service is usually early I believe and the departing one a little late but isn’t this a weird idea?
Click to expand...
It's to ensure the on time statistics are better than if the actual booked arrival time was used, as the train is able to be counted as 'on time' more often than if the booked arrival time was used.
 
D

Djgr

Established Member
Joined
30 Jul 2018
Messages
1,654
According to the public timetable Bidston to Upton takes 3 minutes, whilst Upton to Bidston takes 8 minutes.

I think this is (yet) another benefit from privatisation that many on the forum are so keen on.
 
E

edwin_m

Veteran Member
Joined
21 Apr 2013
Messages
24,880
Location
Nottingham
The journey time on this route means that an hourly service with two trains has uncomfortably short turnarounds times each end. I think the depart-before-arrive times may be in part an attempt to make sure people are there for the train in good time and avoid extending the turnaround any further. The better acceleration of the intended class 230 replacements, and possibly skipping of lesser-used stops by some services, may ease this problem in future.
 
D

Djgr

Established Member
Joined
30 Jul 2018
Messages
1,654
edwin_m said:
The journey time on this route means that an hourly service with two trains has uncomfortably short turnarounds times each end. I think the depart-before-arrive times may be in part an attempt to make sure people are there for the train in good time and avoid extending the turnaround any further. The better acceleration of the intended class 230 replacements, and possibly skipping of lesser-used stops by some services, may ease this problem ifuture.
Click to expand...

Not totally convinced. Pretty much every passenger at the Bidston end will be there when the Liverpool-West Kirby train drops them off. No sooner, no later.
 
Esker-pades

Esker-pades

Established Member
Joined
23 Jul 2015
Messages
3,766
Location
Beds, Bucks, or somewhere else
Djgr said:
According to the public timetable Bidston to Upton takes 3 minutes, whilst Upton to Bidston takes 8 minutes.

I think this is (yet) another benefit from privatisation that many on the forum are so keen on.
Click to expand...
The Working Timetable has it down as 4-5 minutes between the two.

Here's how I see it:
1/2 minutes will be added on to make up for deliberately tight timings on the rest of the route. The timetable is only accurate to the nearest half minute, so it makes sense that one would round it down at the start of the journey (so the theoretical 3m15s becomes 3m), and then add the residual timings back on at the end.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top