December 2024 timetable change

[ScotGG]

Liverpool Echo is a Reach title. Garbage company who also knock out the Daily Dxpress and all manner of clickbait crap.

 

[31160]

Sorry if this has already been posted, will there be any change with the 67 diagrams with the new timetable

 

[Geeves]

Not massively exciting but the Hadfield/Glossop line will remain the sole domain of the 323. 331 will become a hot spare so I'm sure it'll find work!

 

[frodshamfella]

Agreed, about LNR increasing services to 2tph all day (Monday - Friday) rather than just in the peaks. At first I was thinking it would be about TPE bringing back the 2nd Liverpool - Manchester Victoria service again

I thought it might be an improved Liverpool - Scotland service.

 

[30907]

Not massively exciting but the Hadfield/Glossop line will remain the sole domain of the 323.

I presume you mean it will solely be worked by 323s, not that they will solely work there?

 

[GW43125]

Fishguard train no longer goes via Swansea district line

I did notice that, rather than one trip each way early afternoon on weekdays, it's a single eastbound trip at silly o'clock on a Saturday morning now. Even more annoying because the one time I went for it, we ran via Landore!

 

[Northern158170]

Here's a very minor change in the timetable

The Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber services seem to be having almost all stops going from 1 minute to 30 seconds with the time being transferred to running times. This may just be for the sample (by which I mean a single return service which has similar arrival/departure times at the terminus stations to the other services) that I have used, but it intrigued me.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Might have already been mentioned, however the 14:49 Cardiff to Manchester and 18:30 return to Caerdyd finally go over to booked Mk4 operation from Monday!

 

[D6130]

Might have already been mentioned, however the 14:49 Cardiff to Manchester and 18:30 return to Caerdyd finally go over to booked Mk4 operation from Monday!

In theory....but it remains to be seen whether there will be sufficient serviceable locos/sets to cover it next Monday.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Here's a very minor change in the timetable

The Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber services seem to be having almost all stops going from 1 minute to 30 seconds with the time being transferred to running times. This may just be for the sample (by which I mean a single return service which has similar arrival/departure times at the terminus stations to the other services) that I have used, but it intrigued me.

Not unusual, I doubt the dwell times are hard pressed by heavy loadings and sectional timings across the industry have been increasingly under pressure from defensive driving styles for years. Makes sense to rebalance I suspect, if only to improve a detail of right-time adherence.

 

[rocrat]

According to page 3 of Railfuture's Six Shires Rail October 2024 Cross Country Stansted Airport – Leicester – Birmingham, and Nottingham – Birmingham – Cardiff services will be standard class only from the start of the new timetable on 15 December. I assume this means the nine first class seats on the three car class 170 trains will become standard class seats so all 200 seats on these class 170 Cross Country trains will be standard class. This is confirmed by the following references to Cross Country services on 16 December in Real Time Trains.

Has this actually been communicated to passengers? I use this service reasonably often, and whilst I welcome it being declassified, what does this mean for 1st class passengers?

What does it mean if one has already bought a valid 1st class ticket prior to this being made publicly clear?

 

[duffield]

Has this actually been communicated to passengers? I use this service reasonably often, and whilst I welcome it being declassified, what does this mean for 1st class passengers?

What does it mean if one has already bought a valid 1st class ticket prior to this being made publicly clear?

I'm pretty sure you'd be entitled to the exactly same refund (the difference between 1st and standard fare) that you're currently entitled to when 1st is declassified temporarily by the train crew on a specific service.

 

[rocrat]

I'm pretty sure you'd be entitled to the exactly same refund (the difference between 1st and standard fare) that you're currently entitled to when 1st is declassified temporarily by the train crew on a specific service.

Extremely helpful thank you!

 

[craigybagel]

Might have already been mentioned, however the 14:49 Cardiff to Manchester and 18:30 return to Caerdyd finally go over to booked Mk4 operation from Monday!

In theory....but it remains to be seen whether there will be sufficient serviceable locos/sets to cover it next Monday.

That's been in since the September timetable - but it gets amended every week to run as a unit instead. I wouldn't assume it means it's finally going to start running on Monday.

 

[swt_passenger]

Has this actually been communicated to passengers? I use this service reasonably often, and whilst I welcome it being declassified, what does this mean for 1st class passengers?

What does it mean if one has already bought a valid 1st class ticket prior to this being made publicly clear?

I just checked their website and it isn’t on there yet. “All our trains have first class” is still the main takeaway, with 4 days left…

 

[Falcon1200]

A very minor change is that off-peak departure times from Neilston to Glasgow Central, currently xx28 and xx58, become xx26 and xx56, presumably to allow for stopping at the yet-to-be built, or even started, Balgray station.

 

[rocrat]

I just checked their website and it isn’t on there yet. “All our trains have first class” is still the main takeaway, with 4 days left…

Looks like this will be complaint generating... good luck to their customer relations team!

 

[duffield]

Looks like this will be complaint generating... good luck to their customer relations team!

I may be wrong but I get the impression that (paid for!) 1st use on the XC class 170 service from Nottingham to Cardiff has declined quite a lot; these units still use paper reservation tickets and I've seen a lot less of them in the last couple of years than previously; so maybe there won't be that many people left to complain!

The chronic unreliability of this route may have played a part in this, along with the lack of enforcement due to the rarity of ticket checks (plus of course the general decline in business travel).

 

[Lewisham2221]

I may be wrong but I get the impression that (paid for!) 1st use on the XC class 170 service from Nottingham to Cardiff has declined quite a lot; these units still use paper reservation tickets and I've seen a lot less of them in the last couple of years than previously; so maybe there won't be that many people left to complain!

The chronic unreliability of this route may have played a part in this, along with the lack of enforcement due to the rarity of ticket checks (plus of course the general decline in business travel).

According to industry retail briefs, they've already binned off seat reservations on the Turbostar routes, it's just specific train/counted place reservations now. Of course, the XC website also fails to mention that

 

[duffield]

According to industry retail briefs, they've already binned off seat reservations on the Turbostar routes, it's just specific train/counted place reservations now. Of course, the XC website also fails to mention that

That would certainly explain my recent observations!

 

[Bikeman78]

A very minor change is that off-peak departure times from Neilston to Glasgow Central, currently xx28 and xx58, become xx26 and xx56, presumably to allow for stopping at the yet-to-be built, or even started, Balgray station.

Why change the schedule if construction hasn't started? The trains will sit at Patterton for two minutes.

 

[rocrat]

That would certainly explain my recent observations!

Yep -- no Turbostar reservations at all. It's probably so that nobody can claim for a failure to provide a seat anymore or for being packed like sardines.

It's rarely been inappropriate for a train to be declassified anyway on the Birmingham (BHM) to Stansted (SSD) route too... chronically overcrowded.

I've never not had my ticket checked BHM-SSD, even if only the short hop between ELY and Peterborough... I can count on one hand how many times there's been a standard class seat though!

 

[720144]

Not much changed for greater Anglia. According to the website, most Southend Vic services will be stopping & departing stratford on the Lizzy line platform 8. Additionally a few Romford stoppers & an extra Colchester town shuttle in the morning peak.

 

[Falcon1200]

Why change the schedule if construction hasn't started? The trains will sit at Patterton for two minutes.

Good question, don't know! Another reason would be if trains were losing time on the current schedules, but in my experience the opposite is the case, they often stand at Cathcart for a minute or so.

 

[dk1]

Not much changed for greater Anglia. According to the website, most Southend Vic services will be stopping & departing stratford on the Lizzy line platform 8. Additionally a few Romford stoppers & an extra Colchester town shuttle in the morning peak.

There are only a handful of those Southends using platform 8 mainly off peak and never more than one an hour. Thought greater use of the now underused EL lines from Liverpool Street might happen but obviously not. Causes too many issues at other locations.

 

[Porty]

Yep -- no Turbostar reservations at all. It's probably so that nobody can claim for a failure to provide a seat anymore or for being packed like sardines.

It's rarely been inappropriate for a train to be declassified anyway on the Birmingham (BHM) to Stansted (SSD) route too... chronically overcrowded.

I've never not had my ticket checked BHM-SSD, even if only the short hop between ELY and Peterborough... I can count on one hand how many times there's been a standard class seat though!

Interesting that ScotRail are to take on 69 new staff to collect revenue (their news page online a few days ago) as they will pay for themselves. Why aren't other TOCs doing the same thing?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interesting that ScotRail are to take on 69 new staff to collect revenue (their news page online a few days ago) as they will pay for themselves. Why aren't other TOCs doing the same thing?

ScotRail are in a different position to the rest of the UK as aside from very serious cases of fraud (which would need to go via the Police) they effectively don't hvae the ability to prosecute, nor are Penalty Fares possible under Scottish law as things stand. Thus getting more staff out to sell tickets is the only option for them.

More here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/scotrail-recruiting-more-revenue-staff.278432/

 

[Pete_uk]

I'm just seen that extra services between Cheltenham and London will be 9 or 10 carriages. Can anyone tell me what services they will be?

 

[John C]

Northern’s recently formed 150008 is taking charge of Northern’s half of the now shared Huddersfield-Dewsbury-Leeds stopper following todays timetable change. Seen here at Huddersfield on 2J55 0859 to Leeds.

150008

Huddersfield 15/12/2024 Recently formed 150008 is seen here at Huddersfield operating 2J55, the first in a number of years Northern all stations service to Leeds via Dewsbury. Northern now share the Leeds to Huddersfield stopper with Transpennine Express following the December timetable change...

www.flickr.com

 

[37052 xb mr]

That's been in since the September timetable - but it gets amended every week to run as a unit instead. I wouldn't assume it means it's finally going to start running on Monday.

Yes that's true, but it is down for a set from Monday, the plan is 5 sets Monday - Friday.
But it wont happen due to availability, there has only been 1 in service, 67017 set HD07 since Friday morning when 67020 set HD02 was taken out of service at Crewe on 1W55,
The plan was fixed 67020 to run light to Canton to go on set HD03, 67029 Set HD05 to work today but neither have happened as yet & nothing at Holyhead for 1V91.