Future of Spondon station

[thenorthern]

Looking at the timetables I have noticed that the amount of trains stopping at Spondon has dramatically decreased in recent years from the previous hourly service it was getting to just 10 trains per day with the rest being provided by the odd replacement busses during the daytime. Most of the services that do stop are are inconvenient times.

While Spondon has never really been that well used and it's always has a relatively infrequent service I was wondering why the recent drop in service levels and if it's a station that will likely become a victim to closure by stealth?

 

[Kite159]

It actually 'enjoyed' an hourly service between May & late June last year, before it was a victim of EMR cutting back the timetable due to Covid related issues (staff/unit shortages) meaning the Matlock trains were cut back to Derby instead of Nottingham.

Maybe it will carry on limping on, a bit like Peartree, with any locals using the buses rather than planning the day around using one of the infrequent trains.

 

[DDB]

The answer is EMR have ****ed it. When they took over as part of the regional timetable recast consultation enough people must have asked about Spondon that it made it into the FAQ in the response saying that although we hope to improve the service in the future we haven't be able to this time. They did keep a Spondon service going during the worst of the COVID cut backs for key workers.
Then come the May 21 timetable change it suddenly got an hourly service as part of the Matlock Nottingham service.
Then in June 21 EMR realised they didn't have trains or staff for their service and so chopped services without enough thought and no notice. In particular they chopped the stopper between Derby and Nottingham rather than the semifast therefore removing nearly all services from Spondon.
They claimed that they had got CrossCountry to put more stops in but there was never any sign of that and CrossCountry's own problems meant their peak extras were withdrawn.
They do run a bus service but it doesn't serve people going to and from the Nottingham direction which was the more popular direction but they did no journey surveys.
They have also entered the afternoon peak journeys of the Spondon rail replacement bus service in this May's timetable as passing rather than calling at Spondon. They have been told about this repeatedly and not fixed it. Also they cancelled it on strike days for no reason.

They claim they hope to bring it back in the December timetable change but given there lack of care about the service. E.g. the signs on the station don't tell you the real location of the replacement bus service which is out of sight of the station I don't trust them.

In the mean time a massive redevelopment and source of future employment is happening right next to Spondon Station.

 

[43055]

It actually 'enjoyed' an hourly service between May & late June last year, before it was a victim of EMR cutting back the timetable due to Covid related issues (staff/unit shortages) meaning the Matlock trains were cut back to Derby instead of Nottingham.

Maybe it will carry on limping on, a bit like Peartree, with any locals using the buses rather than planning the day around using one of the infrequent trains.

I think Peartree usage has increased slightly with the service now going through to Nottingham and Newark. One morning at least 5 got on on the way into Derby which was the most I have seen at Peartree.

They have also entered the afternoon peak journeys of the Spondon rail replacement bus service in this May's timetable as passing rather than calling at Spondon. They have been told about this repeatedly and not fixed it. Also they cancelled it on strike days for no reason.

It's the same with the 1645 Derby to Stoke bus on weekdays.