Abellio wins West Midlands franchise

[Old Hill Bank]

So if Leamington to Coventry goes 172 in a few weeks time and the LO sets do not arrive until a year later we could end up with short forming on Snow Hill Line jobs.

 

[ChrisHogan]

Timing Load on RTT for the Leamington-Coventry service is DMU(S) suggesting this service will be 153 initially.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

Timing Load on RTT for the Leamington-Coventry service is DMU(S) suggesting this service will be 153 initially.

That will still take capacity off one route.

 

[ChrisHogan]

Not if the 153s are cascaded from GWR. The Coventry-Leamington services are shown as Unadvertised on RTT in December and they don't "pull" on NRES suggesting that WMT won't be introducing them until later in the December 2017 timetable.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

Based on RTT the empties for the job run from Tyseley to Leamington direct. What crews sign the route and the traction, could be interesting.

 

[ChrisHogan]

Leamington crews I would have thought. When Coventry to Nottingham was a through service, the first one started from Leamington (07.09?) for many years with Leamington crew.

 

[bussnapperwm]

Does anyone know when the new operator will be releasing timetables?

 

[Class172]

Some of the others on this thread are more informed than myself, but I would assume the first set of timetables (Dec 2017) will not be much different to current ones on the whole. If you are thinking of the recast of New St., I think that was an aspiration for late 2018, however I seem to recall @The Planner saying they haven't got much time to submit their plan (or something along those lines).

 

[HLE]

That will still take capacity off one route.

Possibly. It depends how tyseley & 102 juggle the 8 dogboxes and 3 150’s.

The original plan was for a 230 to take over the Nuneaton branch in December to release the 153 for the Leamington’s. That’s now not happening.

As for route/traction Leamington *currently* don’t sign either.

 

[DenmarkRail]

Genuinely beginning to doubt if this franchise will ever even happen... We've heard nothing from them!

 

[Mordac]

Well, I've seen more guards in LM mainline trains since the new franchise announcement than I'd seen before altogether. I'm guessing this means the RMT thinks the franchise will happen, and is gearing up for industrial action.

 

[GadgetMan]

Or it could just be that the new ticket machines are more reliable than the knackered, run down Avantix machines have been over the last couple of years making a ticket check more practical.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Well, I've seen more guards in LM mainline trains since the new franchise announcement than I'd seen before altogether. I'm guessing this means the RMT thinks the franchise will happen, and is gearing up for industrial action.

I've still seen very few, though they do seem to have been more vocal (on the PA) than they used to be.

 

[the sniper]

Or it could just be that the new ticket machines are more reliable than the knackered, run down Avantix machines have been over the last couple of years making a ticket check more practical.

If there has been a noticeable increase I'd entirely agree with you. The new equipment is seemingly far better regarded than the Avantix was in the end.

 

[centraltrains]

If there has been a noticeable increase I'd entirely agree with you. The new equipment is seemingly far better regarded than the Avantix was in the end.

Apart from on the occasion where they are not fully trained to sell Network Daytripper (Exchanges) from them...

 

[pemma]

Posts on wnxx are saying Abellio expect to make announcements about rolling stock in November.

 

[Japan0913]

Posts on wnxx are saying Abellio expect to make announcements about rolling stock in November.

Please tell me a little more detail.
Is November early?

 

[sjoh]

Please tell me a little more detail.
Is November early?

I think November is the same time as it is every year this year

 

[KashmireHawker]

Some news from last Wednesday! New services between Cov and Nuneaton to be brought in next year, which will finally see a stack of post-match trains from the Ricoh

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-news/extra-trains-coventry-nuneaton-announced-13744804

 

[HLE]

Not until the bay is built at Coventry and a set of points are put in south of arena station.

So about 2025 by railway timelines.

That doesn’t mean 172’s from LO won’t start before then. Much needed at the minute, the morning peak services see about 130 people cram onto a single 153 with people left behind almost daily. And that’s not an exaggeration.

 

[absolutelymilk]

I've created a thread about the new stock announced just now.
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/west-midlands-stock.155879/

 

[DenmarkRail]

Drove past Barlestone station today, which still has all of its original features remaining. Does anyone think it’ll reopen in the new franchise?

 

[BurtonM]

Barlestone

Do you mean Barlaston?

I don't see it as that likely.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It was part of the invitation to tender to propose a price for reopening Barlaston, Wedgwood or both (and if only one closing the other properly).

 

[nuneatonmark]

If a spare 172 was to go anywhere, it should go to the Nuneaton to Coventry line first NOT the Kenilworth service. It would be a huge improvement over the single dogbox but like most things to do with the Nuckle project, it probably won't happen when it should. As for the new services next year, I won't get excited until all the infrastructure changes are made and they new services pop up on RTT as the Nuckle project is a new definition for 'delay' in the OED 'Nuckle - a delay caused by ineffectual local government who couldn't manage a party in a brewary'.

 

[HLE]

Extra services aren’t meant to be happening until the bay is completed at Coventry. It’s a fair bit of work to get there - shall we take an educated guess at it not happening this side of 2020?

If the 172’s are cascaded from LO next December, then it would be a much needed improvement getting them out on the Nuneaton shuttles. However, you then have the issue of staff needing to be trained up on them.....which won’t happen overnight.

 

[87015]

If the 172’s are cascaded from LO next December, then it would be a much needed improvement getting them out on the Nuneaton shuttles. However, you then have the issue of staff needing to be trained up on them.....which won’t happen overnight.

Supposed to be off-lease at LO from the end of May, so plenty of time IF there is a competent training programme...

 

[HLE]

Supposed to be off-lease at LO from the end of May, so plenty of time IF there is a competent training programme...

Ah but this is LM.....they’ll be a plan alright and the programme will be signed off but it’s instructor availability that’s the key bit.

 

[87015]

Ah but this is LM.....they’ll be a plan alright and the programme will be signed off but it’s instructor availability that’s the key bit.

Well I didn't want to be the one to say it

 

[morgainelive]

I personally am worried that mire trains means more shirtages there have been enough crew shortages over theyears how they plan for the extra services is key to it not going wrong yesterday my 1319 mkc to crewe cancelled due go staff shortages and next one so rammed 4 carriages I couldn't get on! a bit of niceties with the dm got me a permit to travel and directly home faster that I'd have been it's how you talk to people is how you get a result the late shift 2pm dm was v good and got ne home he was v good and realised not his or my fault but I told him I knew they can't just magic up trains! #result!