Extra Trains Birmingham-Nottingham

[baz2277]

Extra hourly train service to run between Birmingham and Nottingham

The new CrossCountry service is running between Birmingham and Nottingham via Derby.

www.bbc.co.uk

This also says EMR will be running some trains but I can't find any in the new timetable - what trains might these be?

 

[edwin_m]

Extra hourly train service to run between Birmingham and Nottingham

The new CrossCountry service is running between Birmingham and Nottingham via Derby.

www.bbc.co.uk

This also says EMR will be running some trains but I can't find any in the new timetable - what trains might these be?

I read that as the EMR trains only running between Nottingham and Derby. This is probably just the four Crewe trains shown on the EMR website as being added in the new timetable.

And the additional XC train is surely only the reinstatement of the one that was taken off a few months ago due to platforms at New Street being closed for repairs. A quick check of their new timetable doesn't show any more than the original two trains per hour.

 

[ChrisC]

I read that as the EMR trains only running between Nottingham and Derby. This is probably just the four Crewe trains shown on the EMR website as being added in the new timetable.

And the additional XC train is surely only the reinstatement of the one that was taken off a few months ago due to platforms at New Street being closed for repairs. A quick check of their new timetable doesn't show any more than the original two trains per hour.

That‘s about it. It’s not a new train service but just the trains being restored to the timetable that were cut for a few months during platform work at Birmingham New Street. I posted similar comments earlier today in the December 23 Timetable thread.

 

[DDB]

It is the first time (definitely in recent years, possibly ever) that there are 4 trains an hour between Derby and Nottingham. XC have been 2 an hour for ages. EMR went to 2 an hour and then COVID cutbacks hit. Just when we got nearly all the EMRs back (but still odd Crewe Newarks missing) XC cut back to 1 an hour due to Birmingham New Street concrete.

It is disingenuous at best of CrossCountry to say these are new services.

 

[duffield]

It is the first time (definitely in recent years, possibly ever) that there are 4 trains an hour between Derby and Nottingham. XC have been 2 an hour for ages. EMR went to 2 an hour and then COVID cutbacks hit. Just when we got nearly all the EMRs back (but still odd Crewe Newarks missing) XC cut back to 1 an hour due to Birmingham New Street concrete.

It is disingenuous at best of CrossCountry to say these are new services.

And of course the other issue is that for quite a while during the run up to the service being cut to hourly, many of the trains were subject to "planned cancellations" the night before (maybe as many as 25% if I remember correctly), apparently due to driver shortages (not related to overtime bans etc.). I'd be surprised if they've resolved these issues during the reduced service period, so expect we'll go back to the same erratic service, and with less doubling up of units due to the more frequent service the experience overall may not be much of an improvement; specific services may well be more overcrowded than with the hourly service.

 

[DDB]

And of course the other issue is that for quite a while during the run up to the service being cut to hourly, many of the trains were subject to "planned cancellations" the night before (maybe as many as 25% if I remember correctly), apparently due to driver shortages (not related to overtime bans etc.). I'd be surprised if they've resolved these issues during the reduced service period, so expect we'll go back to the same erratic service, and with less doubling up of units due to the more frequent service the experience overall may not be much of an improvement; specific services may well be more overcrowded than with the hourly service.

You are right I had forgotten about that. Seeing how they were still losing the odd one even with a 50% reduction in the required drivers over the last six months, it will be interesting to see how many actually run.

 

[duffield]

You are right I had forgotten about that. Seeing how they were still losing the odd one even with a 50% reduction in the required drivers over the last six months, it will be interesting to see how many actually run.

And what a surprise. 07:04, 09:07, 11:07, 13:07 for Cardiff from Nottingham all terminating at Birmingham today (reverse direction corresponding services affected as well of course), due to "a shortage of train drivers".

It's quite clear XC are still not capable of actually operating this timetable, so why did they commit to it? It wouldn't matter so much if everyone was getting an equal or slightly better service despite the cancellations, but the probable one every two hour service on the Birmingham to Cardiff leg for much of the day is likely to be a noticeable degradation from last week.

 

[Kilopylae]

It's quite clear XC are still not capable of actually operating this timetable, so why did they commit to it? It wouldn't matter so much if everyone was getting an equal or slightly better service despite the cancellations, but the probable one every two hour service on the Birmingham to Cardiff leg for much of the day is likely to be a noticeable degradation from last week.

Indeed, there seems to be a thread about it: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/xc-why-dont-you-care-about-south-wales-cancellations.259165/