Engineering works between Llandudno Junction/Chester - how long?

[Rob R]

This year I took the decision to get a cheap second place to live in north Wales and work 3 days in Manchester, doing one long commute per week, arriving in Llanfairfechan on Wednesday evening and heading back to Manchester for an intense working week on Sunday evening.

I knew there was some disruption at Warrington Bank Quay over Christmas but didn't affect me as I normally change at Crewe going back to Manchester.

However trying to book advance tickets recently, no matter what time or route I try, I just keep getting "BUS SERVICE" usually between Llandudno Junction and Chester. This goes on as far into the future as the 12 weeks any website will let me look.

Some of this is explained on Arriva trains Wales's engineering works pages, which last time I looked went up to mid february. However a new search suggests the works continue into March.

I tweeted ATW to ask if there is a planned end date for this very busy line (connecting Holyhead ferry to so many other destinations) being closed EVERY SUNDAY for months and they said I'd have to ring the office during office hours as they didn't know.

I am sure I'm not the only person this has created total misery for, I can't understand why it's going on so long, or why nobody seems to know when this improvement work will end? March, April, May, June? It's a nightmare and I'm thinking of having to pack my brief dream in as I don't drive and simply have no alternative. 2 hours on a bus from Junction to Chester isn't even worth thinking about, I did this move to reduce my stress levels not add to them! So I might have to give notice on my flat and just stay in Manchester.

Does anyone know what they are doing and when these awfully inconvenient works will finally finish? I've looked on the various sites but it's as clear as mud, all I know is whatever journey I try to make from Llanfairfechan to Manchester any Sunday up to March 2017 is going to be partly by bus! I just wish I could find out when it all ends and goes back to normal as otherwise I would say it's a great and reliable service.

 

[Chester1]

I dont know about the works. I think its resignalling the whole line. Your best bet is probably taking the 5:51 train Monday morning which arrives in Manchester at 8:14.

 

[daikilo]

This year I took the decision to get a cheap second place to live in north Wales and work 3 days in Manchester, doing one long commute per week, arriving in Llanfairfechan on Wednesday evening and heading back to Manchester for an intense working week on Sunday evening.

I knew there was some disruption at Warrington Bank Quay over Christmas but didn't affect me as I normally change at Crewe going back to Manchester.

However trying to book advance tickets recently, no matter what time or route I try, I just keep getting "BUS SERVICE" usually between Llandudno Junction and Chester. This goes on as far into the future as the 12 weeks any website will let me look.

Some of this is explained on Arriva trains Wales's engineering works pages, which last time I looked went up to mid february. However a new search suggests the works continue into March.

I tweeted ATW to ask if there is a planned end date for this very busy line (connecting Holyhead ferry to so many other destinations) being closed EVERY SUNDAY for months and they said I'd have to ring the office during office hours as they didn't know.

I am sure I'm not the only person this has created total misery for, I can't understand why it's going on so long, or why nobody seems to know when this improvement work will end? March, April, May, June? It's a nightmare and I'm thinking of having to pack my brief dream in as I don't drive and simply have no alternative. 2 hours on a bus from Junction to Chester isn't even worth thinking about, I did this move to reduce my stress levels not add to them! So I might have to give notice on my flat and just stay in Manchester.

Does anyone know what they are doing and when these awfully inconvenient works will finally finish? I've looked on the various sites but it's as clear as mud, all I know is whatever journey I try to make from Llanfairfechan to Manchester any Sunday up to March 2017 is going to be partly by bus! I just wish I could find out when it all ends and goes back to normal as otherwise I would say it's a great and reliable service.

I don't know why late sunday services are showing as buses but I suggest you look at early monday.

 

[Bevan Price]

See North Wales Coast website (12 December 2016 page).

http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

New loop & trackwork at Mostyn.
Removal of down loop at Abergele and consequential rebuilding of platform.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

For some years, the North Wales main line has had its main maintenance in the winter months, closing some of the route on Sundays.
Typically it starts Crewe-Chester, then after a few weeks moves west to Chester-Llandudno Jn, and then Llandudno Jn-Holyhead.
The upshot is disruption most Sundays, but not necessarily for the whole line.

If Crewe-Chester is closed, VT try and run via Middlewich to maintain through services, but ATW just put buses on.
I don't know what is planned this winter. I can see lines are closed on certain dates but there isn't a general summary.
None of it is in the printed or online timetables.

There is one other possible reason.
The signalling between Connah's Quay and Llandudno Jn is being upgraded over the next couple of years.
It's just possible this is the start of that project.

On top of that, the work on the Ordsall Chord is likely to disrupt weekend services into Manchester (eg it's closed over Christmas/New Year) for the next year.
One would hope ATW will divert via Northwich but recently they have had a tendency to just terminate at Chester/Warrington and put on buses.

 

[Rob R]

Thanks for the replies, which are helpful if not filling me with joy, I guess I am just going to have to get an early Monday train, and try to find out when all this ends, or just give up my lease and spend the savings on driving lessons and getting a car for next time I try something like this. The biggest irony is all the fares are going up simultaneously with them removing my train service.

I noted that there were works between Chester and Manchester on the Newton-le-Willows line, so they had a direct train going to Piccadilly only via Northwich, and buses for the intermediate stops... which made sense.

Maybe it will will work out cheaper if I get the Monday service as there never, ever seemed to be cheap advance fares for the journey to Manchester on Sundays (unless I manually split ticketed on trainline etc, to Crewe then Piccadilly), but there seem to be plenty of cheap advance singles on Mondays. Plus I get a full Sunday away, looking on the bright side...

I'll have to keep playing by ear until I can find some official info for ATW or something!

I tried looking at adding via Bangor to see if I could pick up a VT going some other route but it still had the bus icon showing...

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I tried looking at adding via Bangor to see if I could pick up a VT going some other route but it still had the bus icon showing...

There are no alternative routes west of Chester.
The works mentioned at Mostyn and Abergele are indeed related to the resignalling project.
At some point they will be taking out all the other manual signal boxes on the route (but not all this year).

 

[Atishyou]

Just checked the National Rail website and there's info on there for your route until at least the 5th March, so could be useful to check other dates.

http://m.nationalrail.co.uk/pj/disruption/details/CEDE294717794CD3B5DA71361D91FFC7

 

[Groningen]

As long it is not on January 2, 2017!

 

[Rob R]

Thanks people, much appreciated. It's frustrating that, like the online ticketing, information is only provided 12 weeks in advance, as I have finally found out from Arriva that it goes on until March 25th - at first I thought it was until February 18th, but they kept adding the information piecemeal each week.

If they know works are taking place why can't they just give the info in advance for regular travellers? Or simply say that line will be closed Sundays from January until March 25th, which would have been a lot clearerrfor me?

Looks like I'll be getting the train on Mondays, fortunately being my own boss it won't have to be quite as drastic as getting the dramatically early 5:51 train, I'll just rearrange my hours and dawdle in on the 10:09 from LLan, connecting at Chester... and hope there's nothing else lurking on the other side!!!!!!!

Or maybe I'll take the replacement bus, and when they ask for my ticket, give them a post it note and say it's my replacement ticket! :roll:

 

[Welshman]

Thanks people, much appreciated. It's frustrating that, like the online ticketing, information is only provided 12 weeks in advance, as I have finally found out from Arriva that it goes on until March 25th - at first I thought it was until February 18th, but they kept adding the information piecemeal each week.

If they know works are taking place why can't they just give the info in advance for regular travellers? Or simply say that line will be closed Sundays from January until March 25th, which would have been a lot clearerrfor me?

Looks like I'll be getting the train on Mondays, fortunately being my own boss it won't have to be quite as drastic as getting the dramatically early 5:51 train, I'll just rearrange my hours and dawdle in on the 10:09 from LLan, connecting at Chester... and hope there's nothing else lurking on the other side!!!!!!!




Or maybe I'll take the replacement bus, and when they ask for my ticket, give them a post it note and say it's my replacement ticket! :roll:

ATW must have known about this disruption for some time in advance, and yet their new timetable booklet No. 4 dated 11th December 2016 to 20th May 2017 makes no mention of the fact that the stated Sunday service will not be operating for 13 Sundays out of the period, except to give the standard footnote that engineering work "often" affects Sunday services, and to check in advance.

To print a booklet where the timetable for 52% of occasions will bear no resemblance to the actual service offered adds unexpected support to another thread on here questioning the need for these booklets to be published at all.