An hour between Wolverton & Northampton?

[class303]

Can anyone tell me why tonights late arrivals at northampton from Euston are scheduled to take an hour between Wolverton and Northampton.

eg 00.04 ex Euston calls
01.09 wolverton
02.11 Northampton.

Line blockage and going long way round via rugby??

cheers

 

[Ibex]

Correct, the line between Wolverton and Northampton is blocked for an engineering possession so the Northampton terminators are running MKC - Weedon - Rugby - Long Buckby - Northampton.

One of the trains running that route has a 35 minute delay too following an earlier issue with a freight at Wembley on it's previous working 2Y24. Not good!

 

[class303]

Correct, the line between Wolverton and Northampton is blocked for an engineering possession so the Northampton terminators are running MKC - Weedon - Rugby - Long Buckby - Northampton.

One of the trains running that route has a 35 minute delay too following an earlier issue with a freight at Wembley on it's previous working 2Y24. Not good!

thanks for quick response. surprised they don't just terminate at MK then bus pax to Wolverton and Northampton. seems extreme to divert round like that.

 

[Ibex]

I'm sure it's all down to money. Much easier to run the trains via Rugby if a route is available rather than forking out for buses.

I suspect the units have to end at Northampton otherwise they'll be out of place for the start of service tomorrow. There's 5 or 6 (something like that) 12 cars from Northampton to London in the morning peak so they'll all be required to end at Northampton for that. The train crews on these services should be Northampton based too rather than Bletchley.

 

[swt_passenger]

thanks for quick response. surprised they don't just terminate at MK then bus pax to Wolverton and Northampton. seems extreme to divert round like that.

Apparently they now have survey evidence that 'most passengers' would prefer an hour extra on a train to a bus, even if it is faster. :roll:

Or is that '9 out of 10 cats...'

 

[Class377/5]

thanks for quick response. surprised they don't just terminate at MK then bus pax to Wolverton and Northampton. seems extreme to divert round like that.

Simple fact is passengers always ask to remain on a train even if it takes longer. As Siemens depot is at Northampton and the stock would be heading their anyway, isn't it better to create some money for it than paying out for the train to do the jounery and getting rail replacement as well.

 

[Whistler40145]

Most sensible, why terminate the Northampton's short of their journey, bus passengers over the blocked section when the trains have to be back at the Siemens depot for overnight servicing?