Horrendous overcrowding Cross City Line Birmingham half marathon

[peteb]

Well done to West Midlands Railway: no train from Longbridge till 0916, then it is a 3 car. Full to bursting at Selly Oak, people bring unable to board who are competing in the race.

Why could they not do 6 car unit this morning of all mornings. Definitely an anti- rail sentiment on board this cross city train.

Station staff turning people away at University.

 

[dk1]

Looks like a bit of an own goal.

 

[peteb]

Looks like a bit of an own goal.

True. Mind you proves the need for longer trains. The new ones should be better.

 

[Snow1964]

Completely different approach to GWR, who added trains on Sunday morning for Bath Half Marathon

 

[peteb]

Completely different approach to GWR, who added trains on Sunday morning for Bath Half Marathon

Thumbs up to them. I can't honestly think that the WMR planners could have considered the implications of putting out 3 car units today. Something for the new WM Mayor to investigate so this isn't repeated next year. Plus earlier trains a must on Sundays. First Birmingham arrivals from Worcestershire after 1015am. It's a joke!

 

[paul1609]

Completely different approach to GWR, who added trains on Sunday morning for Bath Half Marathon

Unless your further east where they provide a 2 car DMU or No DMU at all for the first Portsmouth to Southampton service following a 20000 attendance football match at Fratton as they do every week.

 

[TheTallOne]

Are Sundays overtime shifts on WMT?

If so, I wonder if they couldn’t get anyone to agree to extra shifts (e.g. put an earlier train on) given there’s a strike and action short of strike next week.

As for 3 car trains, I wonder if they don’t have enough 323s to put a six on? E.g. some in workshop, some transferred up north, etc.

In any case, it doesn’t sound good.

Wonder if any shuttle busses were put on? I was very impressed with the shuttle busses for the cwg, although that’s a lot more people to move. Only downside was the traffic around Perry Barr.

 

[Benjwri]

Unless your further east where they provide a 2 car DMU or No DMU at all for the first Portsmouth to Southampton service following a 20000 attendance football match at Fratton as they do every week.

Although this has been discussed numerous times before, and is a totally different situation. That’s right at the end of their network, Portsmouth to Southampton should really be the responsibility of SWR.

There is obviously the matter of the lack of Turbo units meaning adding carriages or services would cut others in GWR’s other areas. The Bath Marathon services were provided by IETs, which cannot run to Portsmouth.

 

[paul1609]

Although this has been discussed numerous times before, and is a totally different situation. That’s right at the end of their network, Portsmouth to Southampton should really be the responsibility of SWR.

There is obviously the matter of the lack of Turbo units meaning adding carriages or services would cut others in GWR’s other areas. The Bath Marathon services were provided by IETs, which cannot run to Portsmouth.

You're right its been discussed before but its still happening week after week. We are not asking for extra coaches or trains we are asking for the contracted coaches.
The excuse that its at the end of the network is truly pathetic. Lets hope that with nationalisation the run down of the Wessex services is finally halted and reversed.

 

[peteb]

Are Sundays overtime shifts on WMT?

If so, I wonder if they couldn’t get anyone to agree to extra shifts (e.g. put an earlier train on) given there’s a strike and action short of strike next week.

As for 3 car trains, I wonder if they don’t have enough 323s to put a six on? E.g. some in workshop, some transferred up north, etc.

In any case, it doesn’t sound good.

Wonder if any shuttle busses were put on? I was very impressed with the shuttle busses for the cwg, although that’s a lot more people to move. Only downside was the traffic around Perry Barr.

I'm now on the 6 car 323 set forming the 1603 service from New St to Bromsgrove so yes, there are sufficient 323s left to make up a 6 car set, but not it appears when they're actually needed. 4 people in my carriage on this train!!!!

 

[Benjwri]

The excuse that its at the end of the network is truly pathetic. Lets hope that with nationalisation the run down of the Wessex services is finally halted and reversed.

I’m not saying it’s the perfect solution, but there aren’t enough trains and that’s not something that’s going to change anytime soon. SWR on the other hand has many trains that could bring into use much quicker to provide services.

 

[TheTallOne]

I'm now on the 6 car 323 set forming the 1603 service from New St to Bromsgrove so yes, there are sufficient 323s left to make up a 6 car set, but not it appears when they're actually needed. 4 people in my carriage on this train!!!!

The 3 car set will still, most likely, be out there, just somewhere else at that moment in time.

 

[Halish Railway]

St Patrick's day caused immense overcrowding on the Cross City line as well. The Cross City north is only 2tph on Sundays and on that day there were successive three car trains caused by short-forming some diagrams booked to be six carriages long. What doesn't help is that stock utilisation is quite poor on Sundays, with the hourly Bromsgrove to Birmingham New Street services having a 50 minute turnaround at New Street, so that in of itself consumes a unit or two, although the turnaround at Bromsgrove is only 5 minutes.

 

[miklcct]

Well done to West Midlands Railway: no train from Longbridge till 0916, then it is a 3 car. Full to bursting at Selly Oak, people bring unable to board who are competing in the race.

Why could they not do 6 car unit this morning of all mornings. Definitely an anti- rail sentiment on board this cross city train.

Station staff turning people away at University.

How frequent was the service?