50-60% of services to be cut due to impact of covid

[Goldfish62]

Maybe the team who publish the 4 January changes are different to the team who deal with the 11 January PDF timetables and with everyone being busy, changes on one didn't filter to the other.

That is pure guesswork.

That sounds highly plausible.

 

[peters]

Few passengers.

Northern is a very diverse network. Some villages served by Northern have no other public transport meaning someone without a car needs to use the train to get to the nearest supermarket or doctor's surgery. Some routes have relatively low loadings all day, others have relatively high loadings all day even in the counter-flow direction at peak times and during the middle of the off-peak period.

I've always found the London commuter network to be carting long trains with just a handful of passengers in one direction (probably some of the emptiest in the entire country) and then the same train gets a reasonable or high loading when it later works a service in the opposite direction.

 

[Jamesrob637]

There are already TOCs that have published similar timetables to those imposed on 23 March.

Yes there are but only for four weeks this time round.

 

[Watershed]

Yes there are but only for four weeks this time round.

Lockdown 1 was "only for three weeks" to begin with. I imagine that it will be on the order of months, if not years, before we see some of these services again.

 

[Goldfish62]

Lockdown 1 was "only for three weeks" to begin with. I imagine that it will be on the order of months, if not years, before we see some of these services again.

Agreed.

The Treasury wanted to make long-term cuts to services if traffic levels didn't recover sufficiently during the Summer and/or there was a second lockdown. Traffic levels didn't recover sufficiently and there was a second lockdown. It was only intense lobbying from DfT and the industry that persuaded the Treasury to continue the high level of funding. Sadly, I can't now see that continuing.

 

[thelongestroad]

Have GWR updated anything yet? The timetable next week still seems like any other..

 

[Triumph]

No 365's on the GN from next week (Mon 18th), all will be canceled until further notice.
Loads of other big cuts to the service as well.
I think this is just the start!!

 

[Carlisle]

they are on Northern,my line reduced from hourly to 2 hourly

Ok, I stand corrected, I was looking at TPE & Avanti who don’t appear to have many changes in the pipeline so far

 

[221129]

Yes there are but only for four weeks this time round.

So far, TOCs have been told to expect this to last for months, not weeks.

Ok, I stand corrected, I was looking at TPE & Avanti who don’t appear to have many changes in the pipeline so far

Avanti that have decimated their services out of London?

 

[43074]

No 365's on the GN from next week (Mon 18th), all will be canceled until further notice.
Loads of other big cuts to the service as well.
I think this is just the start!!

I don't think the hysterics of "this is just the start!!" are justified . It's another lockdown and there's hardly anyone travelling so it makes sense to reduce the service, it saves on mileage related costs for units and requires marginally fewer traincrew to operate therefore is more able to accommodate those shielding, sick or self-isolating.

 

[Southern Dvr]

I don't think the hysterics of "this is just the start!!" are justified . It's another lockdown and there's hardly anyone travelling so it makes sense to reduce the service, it saves on mileage related costs for units and requires marginally fewer traincrew to operate therefore is more able to accommodate those shielding, sick or self-isolating.

I think this is also to deter people from travelling around as much as they are.
On SN the trains and stations are busier than lockdown #1 and I was appalled to see a SWR service running 4v8 with several standees in the country end carriages as plenty of room in the others.

 

[JRT]

On Northern it looks to be similar to the Spring lockdown

For example on the Calder Valley, Manchester’s are reduced to hourly, with extensions to Chester running every 2 hours.

York to Blackpool only runs Leeds to Preston, and Halifax to Hull only runs Leeds to Hull on a reduced frequency

Elsewhere Leeds to Nottingham withdrawn north of Sheffield again

On the triangle, Skiptons stay half hourly, but Ilkleys and Bradford FS to Leeds reduces to hourly

Skiptons are half-hourly but the early journey from BRADFORD and late evening ones back are cut.
Carlisles are on a reduced timetable and Morecambes all start at Skipton.

Sheffield–Leeds fasts not running, but all stations covered by other routes.

 

[bramling]

How come they managed to hold up so well but Northern can't?

Probably because they've been able to cut out some marginal services, though it's an "interesting" state of affairs when marginal effectively means peak ones!

The more peak extras there are normally, the more drivers can be released when such services are removed from the timetable. Where your peak service is primarily the same service but perhaps with extra length then there are fewer services to delete.

Perhaps DOO is a factor too - easier to resource a train which only requires one person to run it.

 

[Bald Rick]

So far, TOCs have been told to expect this to last for months, not weeks.

No they haven’t.

 

[route101]

I do wonder if Glasgow will ever get its 2 hourly XC service back and HST of course.

 

[Southern Dvr]

No they haven’t.

we haven’t been told as drivers that anything changing at all from next week and so far have been carrying on as if Covid was a distant memory. By that I mean the December timetable with most of its pre Covid trains returned was by far the most absurd decision ever made.

 

[northernchris]

Skiptons are half-hourly but the early journey from BRADFORD and late evening ones back are cut.
Carlisles are on a reduced timetable and Morecambes all start at Skipton.

Sheffield–Leeds fasts and Knottingley via Woodlesford not running, but all stations covered by other routes.

As far as I can see Leeds - Knottingley is running?

 

[Peter0124]

I do wonder if Glasgow will ever get its 2 hourly XC service back and HST of course.

Hopefully by the time we are out of these restrictions, same for the 2 hourly via Birmingham service on Avanti

 

[JRT]

As far as I can see Leeds - Knottingley is running?

Yes, both routes are running. It's the Huddersfield – Castleford route that's not (apart from a few peak hour trains)

 

[swt_passenger]

RDG have described next weeks reductions as being from 87% currently down to 72%.

Covid-19: Passengers told to check train times as routes cut

Services in England are being cut from 87% of normal levels to 72%, the Rail Delivery Group says.

www.bbc.co.uk

So much for the 50-60% first suggested...

 

[theageofthetra]

RDG have described next weeks reductions as being from 87% currently down to 72%.

Covid-19: Passengers told to check train times as routes cut

Services in England are being cut from 87% of normal levels to 72%, the Rail Delivery Group says.

www.bbc.co.uk

So much for the 50-60% first suggested...

Note also the retention of first and last services.

 

[Goldfish62]

Note also the retention of first and last services.

What about first and last services?

The last trains on my line haven't run since last Spring.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Cutting some services will save public money, the government said.

Which must be absolute peanuts in the short term.
Apart from fuel, and maybe some temporary staff/contractor costs, hardly any costs will change.
Stock leasing costs must still be paid, all staff are retained, and NR's underlying costs will not change.
It does make the railway easier to run in a crisis.

 

[route101]

Hopefully by the time we are out of these restrictions, same for the 2 hourly via Birmingham service on Avanti

Yes, The Avanti from Glasgow to Euston will definitely return. Wouldn't be surprised if XC reduce Glasgow.

 

[infobleep]

we haven’t been told as drivers that anything changing at all from next week and so far have been carrying on as if Covid was a distant memory. By that I mean the December timetable with most of its pre Covid trains returned was by far the most absurd decision ever made.

I wonder how that got allowed by the DfT or are they not looking at timetables closely enough?

Note also the retention of first and last services.

Does that cover the non-existent 23:45 Waterloo to Portsmouth Harbour that certainly ran prior to 16 March 2019? I can't remember if it has ever returned but it isn't running at the moment.

Perhaps it only refers to last services in a limited and specific way.

 

[185143]

Note also the retention of first and last services.

Northern will be pulling the last two trains on my line, the only trains that run after my latest finish time at work. Not happy. For some local stations on my line the last train has changed from 23:28 to 21:45. Quite a difference!

 

[Philip]

Are TfW not reducing anything, or have they not got round to publishing yet?

 

[wobman]

Are TfW not reducing anything, or have they not got round to publishing yet?

Just on the TFW Twitter feed, reduction in services starts 25th Jan

 

[Markdvdman]

TFW reducing from 25th January:

Transport for Wales to reintroduce Covid-19 timetable to support lockdown

Transport for Wales will be re-introducing an essential travel Covid-19 timetable in response to the tighter restrictions in place across Wales and England.

news.tfwrail.wales

 

[Solent&Wessex]

TPE service reductions from 25th January.

South Route dropping down to a 2 hourly service.

Other routes still being worked on and details announced when agreed.