Bletchley oddity

Bletchleyite · 12 Jan 2020

Pretty much all day until close of service on a Sunday there is an xx11 MKC-Euston (from various origins) which calls at Bletchley.

Except 2111, when I could have done with one today. (There is a 2211, so it's not a late-evening thinning as such). This leaves an hour-long gap, the only such gap all day (it goes back to 2tph after that until close of service).

Does anyone know why this is? There appears to be a 2117 which is most stops - except Bletchley!

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30907 · 13 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
Pretty much all day until close of service on a Sunday there is an xx11 MKC-Euston (from various origins) which calls at Bletchley.

Except 2111, when I could have done with one today. (There is a 2211, so it's not a late-evening thinning as such). This leaves an hour-long gap, the only such gap all day (it goes back to 2tph after that until close of service).

Does anyone know why this is? There appears to be a 2117 which is most stops - except Bletchley!

Looking at RTT, the WCML becomes a 2-track railway on the stroke of ~~midnight~~ 2100 on Sunday, so I suspect it is something to do with pathing. Odd though.

Bletchleyite · 13 Jan 2020

30907 said:
Looking at RTT, the WCML becomes a 2-track railway on the stroke of ~~midnight~~ 2100 on Sunday, so I suspect it is something to do with pathing. Odd though.

Yeah, I did think that, but then there's a 2211 and a 2316 (with another train roughly but not exactly 30 minutes opposite) - that is the only hour long gap in the entire day, and it really grates because it would be a good connection from the ex-Manchester around then.

I wonder if there's an extra Avanti to get through that would be scuppered if the 2117 stopped at Bletchley (as it does in most other places). The 2117 is almost all stations except Bletchley (including e.g. Cheddington, but not Apsley/Kings Langley - it does call at Bushey though!), which surely can't have been done by accident. Or is there a freight?

DarloRich · 13 Jan 2020

it is a very odd and very frustrating anomaly!

HSP 2 · 13 Jan 2020

It must work for the railway!
How often would you use the missing train in a year?

Bletchleyite · 13 Jan 2020

HSP 2 said:
It must work for the railway!
How often would you use the missing train in a year?

Surprisingly often. The 19whatever-it-is Manchester-Euston is a very common choice for me coming back from a weekend "up North". It's a useful time to have a full day away, but you don't get back too late.

However it wouldn't net the railway any actual extra money as walk-up long distance fares from Bletchley are the same as from MKC.

HSP 2 · 13 Jan 2020

I don't know what train your getting from Manchester - Euston as non stop at Bletchley.
But if your saying you get the Sunday only 1912 Man - 2110 Mkc and then get the 2145 Mkc - 2149 Bly.
Why not get the 1959 Man - 2158 Mkc and then get the 2211Mkc -2215 Bly. Approx 40 minutes more time up north for an approx 25 minutes latter arrival.

Deepgreen · 16 Jan 2020

HSP 2 said:
It must work for the railway!
How often would you use the missing train in a year?

Sadly, "it must work for the railway" is far too often the reasoning behind passenger-unfriendly oddities such as this. There may be a genuine significant reason in this specific case, but reliable clock-face timetabling is a desirable feature of public transport but is too often sacrificed for operational convenience (rather than necessity). I recall another instance, on the Cardiff - Portsmouth route where the daily clock-face timetable at Bradford on Avon was interrupted at one hour to allow a path for an MOD working which very rarely runs! So the passenger service's regularity suffered for, effectively, a 'ghost' train.

Starmill · 16 Jan 2020

There are two departures from Milton Keynes Central, at 2107 and 2117, which call at Leighton Buzzard but not Bletchley. This results in a gap in departures from 2041 to 2145. You cannot get to Bletchley more quickly by changing trains at Leighton Buzzard, either.

This is far from optimal. If I were you, I would write to my MP explaining the facts. If you ask politely they should agree to write to West Midlands Trains to ask for the matter to be reconsidered. The Company are likely to take this seriously, so they'll probably write back either having taken the point onboard and looked at a solution for this December, or at the very least reply with a detailed technical explanation.

I've had success with this method in the past. You could write to customer relations yourself with the same letter, but it's unlikely you'd get either point in response via that route.

HSP 2 · 16 Jan 2020

Or you could just get a taxi from MKC to Bletchley for the 3 or so miles and send the bill to the ToC explain why and see how you get on. But please let us know.

I'd love to have an hourly service to anywhere that didn't involve a delay of over 20 min. or where you just miss a train by 5 min. and then have to kick your feet about for 55 mins. and this is not just on a Sunday.

I think that it may have helped, if it had been not just the 19 what ever it is, had been a better TIME.

DarloRich · 17 Jan 2020

In the grand scheme of things this is a minor irritation. The solution is a cab home from MKC. It is a slightly odd timetable situation mind!

HSP 2 said:
Or you could just get a taxi from MKC to Bletchley for the 3 or so miles and send the bill to the ToC explain why and see how you get on. But please let us know.

I tried that - no joy.

HSP 2 said:
I'd love to have an hourly service to anywhere that didn't involve a delay of over 20 min. or where you just miss a train by 5 min. and then have to kick your feet about for 55 mins. and this is not just on a Sunday

welcome to my world. I would love A service on Sundays!

Starmill said:
This is far from optimal. If I were you, I would write to my MP explaining the facts. If you ask politely they should agree to write to West Midlands Trains to ask for the matter to be reconsidered. The Company are likely to take this seriously, so they'll probably write back either having taken the point onboard and looked at a solution for this December, or at the very least reply with a detailed technical explanation.

I have written to my MP about this and a couple of other railway issues. He didn't respond. Not even an acknowledgement. Bloody Tories.

Bletchleyite · 17 Jan 2020

HSP 2 said:
Or you could just get a taxi from MKC to Bletchley for the 3 or so miles and send the bill to the ToC explain why and see how you get on. But please let us know.

I took the bus which was actually cheaper as I didn't have a through ticket. However, it did take about 5 times as long!

bb21 · 17 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
Yeah, I did think that, but then there's a 2211 and a 2316 (with another train roughly but not exactly 30 minutes opposite) - that is the only hour long gap in the entire day, and it really grates because it would be a good connection from the ex-Manchester around then.

Depends on the exact distribution of services. It may have been done to improve punctuality and/or robustness of timetable in that hour.

Like Starmill said, get in touch with your MP or the operator if it were such a big deal. If there were no other reasons to omit the call I am sure they will be more than happy to give people a clockface timetable with no gaps in service.

DarloRich · 17 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
I took the bus which was actually cheaper as I didn't have a through ticket. However, it did take about 5 times as long!

i wont get the bus from MK to Bletchley. It seems to go via Norwich and takes years for 4.5 miles! Also i seem to be the only one paying for a bloody ticket!

Bletchleyite · 17 Jan 2020

bb21 said:
Depends on the exact distribution of services. It may have been done to improve punctuality and/or robustness of timetable in that hour.

Like Starmill said, get in touch with your MP or the operator if it were such a big deal. If there were no other reasons to omit the call I am sure they will be more than happy to give people a clockface timetable with no gaps in service.

I suspect if I ask LNR about it I'll just get "operational reasons" or something. I thought I might get a better reason here!

bb21 · 17 Jan 2020

Bletchleyite said:
I suspect if I ask LNR about it I'll just get "operational reasons" or something. I thought I might get a better reason here!

Timetabling is full of quirks like that. Perhaps NR rejected the bid in that hour for whatever reason, which operators may not know about, and it may take a while to dig the exact reasons out. It would take even longer via MPs.

Even if you get them to agree to amending the timetable, it won't be a quick fix. Give it the best part of a year as we are now working on Dec 2020 timetables so any changes can only be bid in the LTP from there onwards.

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