Avanti WC down the pan again

[Bletchleyite]

Stepping up is normally done at terminals/destinations though - doing it on the move is a bit of a quirky approach and the only benefit I can see is to update information screens for people north of Preston. Not seen it done really anywhere else.

I suspect it's done in this case because there's always a full crew change at Preston on Avanti (and always was).

 

[Horizon22]

I suspect it's done in this case because there's always a full crew change at Preston on Avanti (and always was).

Yes - but it is in effect two part-cancellations with a crew change that allows it.

 

[43066]

Also you'd have to prove you didn't save it all up just to try and take it and what is known to be the most popular times (Christmas, Summer holidays) at relatively short-notice. It needs evidence of repeated, multiple attempts spaced out throughout the year for AL carryover to be approved generally.

With a holiday cycle that tracks the calendar year, as ours does, it’s usually a day or two people still have left and need to use up at this time of year. The majority of traincrew leave is rostered, of course!

 

[Bletchleyite]

With a holiday cycle that tracks the calendar year, as ours does, it’s usually a day or two people still have left and need to use up at this time of year. The majority of traincrew leave is rostered, of course!

Perhaps it'd make sense to switch to a financial year holiday year? Taking big chunks of holiday in March isn't quite as attractive so people may plan better.

 

[weeklycommuter]

Another press report with a bit more detail/comment

Avanti West Coast cancellations and delays prompt calls for urgent review

Transport for the North says service is deteriorating fast, with fewer than half of trains running on time

uk.finance.yahoo.com

This is the quoted press release and letter from Transport for the North to the Transport Secretary

https://transportforthenorth.com/press-release/transport-for-the-north-calls-for-review-of-avanti-and-to-declassify-its-first-class-travel

https://transportforthenorth.com/wp-content/uploads/19.12.2023-SoS-Avanti-West-Coast-Unacceptable-Performance_Redacted.pdf

 

[danbarjon]

Avanti First Class is pathetic anyway, I was on it today and I've lodged a complaint due to the food being half hot and half cold, not receiving drinks and staff attitude problems. I would totally agree with declassifying it for a short-term until they are sorted as right now the First Class service is ridiculous.

 

[Clarence Yard]

Of course, if the first class is declassified, it will fall on the public purse - that’s just the nature of an NRC. Avanti are not on revenue risk.

Much as he (Burnham) would like it, you can’t invent new contract terms just because you want to.

 

[Carlisle]

Brand loyalty really isn’t a thing on the railway, in my experience.

I think the franchises that were fortunate enough to introduce entirely new fleets, Chiltern essentially inherited one, then C2C, Virgin XC ,Virgin WC & recently Abellio Greater Anglia did achieve a decent level of brand loyalty at least for a while.anyway.

 

[GWVillager]

I think the franchises that were fortunate enough to introduce entirely new fleets, Chiltern essentially inherited one, then C2C, Virgin XC ,Virgin WC & recently Abellio Greater Anglia did achieve a decent level of brand loyalty at least for a while.anyway.

That probably says more about the operation itself, in my view. The same can’t be said for TPE, Hull Trains, Southern, Thameslink (all of GTR now), much of London Midland/Silverlink etc.

 

[Lemmy99uk]

Perhaps it'd make sense to switch to a financial year holiday year? Taking big chunks of holiday in March isn't quite as attractive so people may plan better.

That sounds like a very sensible plan, I wonder how ASLEF would view it?

 

[peter166]

Very poor service from Liverpool this morning. Both the 0843 and 0943 services cancelled giving a 3 hour gap and then the 1043 is predictably only 9 coaches.

Looks like the 1543 and 1943 also cancelled.

 

[FManc]

It looks like it’ll be total chaos tomorrow on the Anglo-Scot route, particularly heading north. All normal up until the 13:30. Then the 14:30 terminates Preston, 15:16, 15:30 and 16:30 all cancelled. 17:30 runs. 18:30 cancelled.

 

[43066]

Perhaps it'd make sense to switch to a financial year holiday year? Taking big chunks of holiday in March isn't quite as attractive so people may plan better.

You can’t really just decide to use up extra leave at short notice, with the way railway leave works. It would need to be booked well in advance because, once the guaranteed slots are taken, people next in the book would be declined.

Most people just use it steadily throughout the year, but getting that final day or two can be tricky in December because there are always going to be a lot of requests already in (there’s also a need to keep a couple of days back for Xmas day and Boxing Day if they’re rostered working days).

 

[Merseysider]

Surprised we don’t have a “CrossCountry down the pan” thread! No trains whatsoever from Birmingham to Stansted after 1251.

Seems to me several TOCs are having a rough time of it atm.

 

[py_megapixel]

Surprised we don’t have a “CrossCountry down the pan” thread! No trains whatsoever from Birmingham to Stansted after 1251.

Seems to me several TOCs are having a rough time of it atm.

Is that perhaps because CrossCountry has already long since gone down the pan, arguably even pre-Covid...

 

[TheBigD]

Surprised we don’t have a “CrossCountry down the pan” thread! No trains whatsoever from Birmingham to Stansted after 1251.

Seems to me several TOCs are having a rough time of it atm.

Assumng you are referring to today; the 1322, 1422, 1622, 1652, 1722, and 2022 all ran between Birmingham and Cambridge.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Assumng you are referring to today; the 1322, 1422, 1622, 1652, 1722, and 2022 all ran between Birmingham and Cambridge.

But not necessarily beyond Cambridge (or even Leicester) and all the way to Stansted Airport?

 

[TheBigD]

But not necessarily beyond Cambridge (or even Leicester) and all the way to Stansted Airport?

Around half of the trains on this route do not between Cambridge and Stansted anyway.
The XC service is now generally every 2 hours between Cambridge and the Stansted Airport, with Cambridge to Birmingham being hourly except for 1 missing round trip (0922 ex Brum, and 1400 ex Cambridge).

Without checking, I think there are 8 missing or part missing services on this route compared to pre covid.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Around half of the trains on this route do not between Cambridge and Stansted anyway.

But the 1422, 1622, 1822 and 1922 normally should have continued to Stansted Airport and today didn't, which seems to suggest that there was something in what @Merseysider previously stated upthread.

 

[TheBigD]

But the 1422, 1622, 1822 and 1922 normally should have continued to Stansted Airport and today didn't, which seems to suggest that there was something in what @Merseysider previously stated upthread.

Hence why I said what ran between Birmingham and Cambridge.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Hence why I said what ran between Birmingham and Cambridge.

You did. But @Merseysider was, of course, talking about services onward to Stansted Airport.

Bit like saying Avanti are running services from Euston to Preston, when you're wanting to continue onwards to Carlisle or Glasgow / Edinburgh.

 

[Merseysider]

Hence why I said what ran between Birmingham and Cambridge.

Cambridge is not Stansted Airport last time I checked

 

[Deafdoggie]

Cambridge is not Stansted Airport last time I checked

You don't work for Easy Jet

 

[vikingdriver]

That sounds like a very sensible plan, I wonder how ASLEF would view it?

Well they are happy having it that way in our TOC so I suspect as long as the switchover from one to the other was done in a fair way I can't see what issue there would be.

 

[dk1]

Avanti First Class is pathetic anyway, I was on it today and I've lodged a complaint due to the food being half hot and half cold, not receiving drinks and staff attitude problems. I would totally agree with declassifying it for a short-term until they are sorted as right now the First Class service is ridiculous.

Isn't that the same as luke warm

Around half of the trains on this route do not between Cambridge and Stansted anyway.
The XC service is now generally every 2 hours between Cambridge and the Stansted Airport, with Cambridge to Birmingham being hourly except for 1 missing round trip (0922 ex Brum, and 1400 ex Cambridge).

Without checking, I think there are 8 missing or part missing services on this route compared to pre covid.

Should all be back in May hopefully if not December.

 

[danbarjon]

Isn't that the same as luke warm

It was not cooked properly. Other people also made the same realization.

 

[QueensCurve]

Not the first time this week that a southbound AWC Glasgow-Euston has arrived at Preston, stopped for about an hour and then taken up the path of the following Glasgow-Euston.

I can see an argument for doing that in terms of minimising reactionary delay. The delay for that service should be acknowledged.

 

[weeklycommuter]

Avanti First Class is pathetic anyway, I was on it today and I've lodged a complaint due to the food being half hot and half cold, not receiving drinks and staff attitude problems. I would totally agree with declassifying it for a short-term until they are sorted as right now the First Class service is ridiculous.

Coach G in the 11 coach Pendolinos has already been converted from 46 first class seats to 74 standard class seats.
They may as well take out the 99 first class seats and the kitchen in the three first class coaches of every Pendolino and replace them with standard class seats. They could probably add another 200 standard class seats to every train.

New Pendolino Refurbishment | Avanti West Coast

Refurbished Pendolinos return to the rails as part of UK’s biggest ever train upgrade.

www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk

https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/-/media/documents/pendolino-seating-plan-refurbed-02-22.pdf

 

[james_the_xv]

Coach G in the 11 coach Pendolinos has already been converted from 46 first class seats to 74 standard class seats.
They may as well take out the 99 first class seats and the kitchen in the three first class coaches of every Pendolino and replace them with standard class seats. They could probably add another 200 standard class seats to every train.

Long distance express services should have suitable first class provision. You'd just be pushing business users & slightly more well off leisure users to use cars instead. Personally when I use first class (albeit only occasionally), the draw is 1+1 seating, meal, and drinks included. as usually ends up being about the same price as driving anyway.

I can see an argument for doing that in terms of minimising reactionary delay. The delay for that service should be acknowledged.

I think this is true - I'd bet this is something to do with the financial penalties for causing delay to other operators (Schedule 8 I think?)

 

[glenbogle]

9M61 - 1840 Glasgow Central to Birmingham,failed at Rutherglen where it sat for 3 hours before returning to Glasgow Central.