How busy have your trains been?

[VideozVideoz]

07:08 LTV-EUS. At least 50 people on the platform for 11-car pendolino. I’m sat in Standard Premium and there’s only 1 other person who got on at the same time as me. Train definitely not full despite it’s arrival time into EUS

 

[yorksrob]

07:08 LTV-EUS. At least 50 people on the platform for 11-car pendolino. I’m sat in Standard Premium and there’s only 1 other person who got on at the same time as me. Train definitely not full despite it’s arrival time into EUS

Are those low numbers due to covid, or the longer term plague of extortionate peak fares afflicting the railway system I wonder !

 

[VideozVideoz]

Are those low numbers due to covid, or the longer term plague of extortionate peak fares afflicting the railway system I wonder !

I’m reckoning Covid because my standard ticket was £25 (without SP upgrade) and I only booked it just over a week ago.

Correction to the above: There are 4 ppl in SP with me in total.

I’ve just walked to the onboard shop because the member of staff who does the at seat orders is not on the train (meant to be someone from Wolverhampton apparently). The train is pretty quiet. Some coaches 1/3 full, others 1/4 full. Hardly any masks - I saw less than 5

 

[yorksrob]

I’m reckoning Covid because my standard ticket was £25 (without SP upgrade) and I only booked it just over a week ago.

Correction to the above: There are 4 ppl in SP with me in total.

I’ve just walked to the onboard shop because the member of staff who does the at seat orders is not on the train (meant to be someone from Wolverhampton apparently). The train is pretty quiet. Some coaches 1/3 full, others 1/4 full. Hardly any masks - I saw less than 5

That's a good price for that time I am must admit. Can't remember the last time I saw something for that price on the East Coast off-peak.

 

[VideozVideoz]

That's a good price for that time I am must admit. Can't remember the last time I saw something for that price on the East Coast off-peak.

Yeah I know. Tbh I have always found the LTV fares to be more reasonable than other routes. For example, STP or SOT into EUS is DEAR. Even the advances are £90ish to start with on a weekday (except Fridays) and I have no idea why

 

[Jamesrob637]

I think that the week commencing the 6th of September was busy when all schools returned then things have dropped off a little since.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Yeah I know. Tbh I have always found the LTV fares to be more reasonable than other routes. For example, STP or SOT into EUS is DEAR. Even the advances are £90ish to start with on a weekday (except Fridays) and I have no idea why

Indeed: split the fare from Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent and you'll get a much better deal.

 

[VideozVideoz]

Indeed: split the fare from Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent and you'll get a much better deal.

This is not generally possible because often the trains from STP, MAC and SOT don’t stop in the Midlands so if SOT is the last stop before EUS then you are still stuck with an extortionate ~£90 fare

 

[AM9]

This is not generally possible because often the trains from STP, MAC and SOT don’t stop in the Midlands so if SOT is the last stop before EUS then you are still stuck with an extortionate ~£90 fare

STP? St Pancras International is STP if that helps you.

 

[telstarbox]

Busy at Bromley South this morning considering it's a Friday. Saw a couple of up trains with most seats taken leaving BMS - lots of school and commuter traffic.

 

[VideozVideoz]

STP? St Pancras International is STP if that helps you.

My bad, SPT, it’s a typo

 

[VideozVideoz]

07:08 LTV-EUS. At least 50 people on the platform for 11-car pendolino. I’m sat in Standard Premium and there’s only 1 other person who got on at the same time as me. Train definitely not full despite it’s arrival time into EUS

18:34 EUS-LTV much busier but train was approximately half full. My SP carriage was slightly under half full. As this train’s destination was MAN, I am assuming that’s one of the reasons it was busier. My morning train did not originate there

 

[Trackman]

I've not done this journey for about 5 years so I thought I would report.

Last Wednesday
9S70 1243 Euston - Edinburgh, 11 car Pendo (surveyed at Preston)
Standard: would go 70% full.
SP (Standard Premium): (where I was sat) Loading at about 18%.
First: About 45% full, if that.

Today:
9M54 1052 Edinburgh - Euston, 9 car Pendo (surveyed at Haymarket)
Chokka. Standard, SP and First (Where I was sat).
Standard at a guess was 95% full, including unreserved.
I'm going to go with 90% full in First and going to be being bold saying SP was 100% (I did look in).
The balance did change between SP and 1st not long after Haymarket as there was a stag party in SP going to Liverpool I think, so the TM moved some of the distressed pax in SP to empty seats in First (not many) and they received the complimentary 1st Class offerings too, much to their delight.
I sat and thought to myself 'The railways are back!'.

​

 

[Bald Rick]

I sat and thought to myself 'The railways are back!'.

For long distance leisure travel on Fridays / Weekends, yes.

The 0730 from Birmingham to Euston this morning would have been a different matter.

 

[Trackman]

For long distance leisure travel on Fridays / Weekends, yes.

The 0730 from Birmingham to Euston this morning would have been a different matter.

It's a very encouraging sign that things are returning to normal.
My usual trip, Euston-Picc the loadings are up and have increased over the last month or so, but I've never seen a train rammed like this for a couple of years with no delays or cancellations to play a part.

 

[Killingworth]

14.14 Northern from Sheffield to Edale, 4 car 150. Over 50% of seats taken with passengers, including in the usually almost empty front coach. Most unoccupied seats taken with luggage and/or feet! Luggage racks unused. However previous Northern stopping train at 13.14 had been cancelled (This service was cancelled due to a problem with the train (M8).)

Price for Northern single fare on that train next Friday, Sheffield - Piccadilly £6.30. 80 minutes. Alternative TPE at 14.11, single fare £10.90, taking 53 minutes. (EMR 14.43 is currently withdrawn until December but would probably have cost £13 or more and taken about 54 minutes.)

Return service also 4 car and similar experience although lead coach had more space. (Apparently there's a heavy metal gig on in Sheffield tonight.) Similar price differentials showing for next Friday with advance Northern single fares as little as £5.40.

3 years ago Pacers on this route had crushed passengers passing out. Today we saw the combined effects of ticket pricing, missing trains, and better rolling stock. Comparisons with loads seen 3 or 4 years need to consider many factors, but my impression is that on this route during the middle of the day, when the weather is fine, they're higher than pre-Covid. Commuting remains very low, maybe no more than 30-35% of what it was, so the net result is hard to judge.

 

[AM9]

14.14 Northern from Sheffield to Edale, 4 car 150. Over 50% of seats taken with passengers, including in the usually almost empty front coach. Most unoccupied seats taken with luggage and/or feet! Luggage racks unused. However previous Northern stopping train at 13.14 had been cancelled (This service was cancelled due to a problem with the train (M8).)

Price for Northern single fare on that train next Friday, Sheffield - Piccadilly £6.30. 80 minutes. Alternative TPE at 14.11, single fare £10.90, taking 53 minutes. (EMR 14.43 is currently withdrawn until December but would probably have cost £13 or more and taken about 54 minutes.)

Return service also 4 car and similar experience although lead coach had more space. (Apparently there's a heavy metal gig on in Sheffield tonight.) Similar price differentials showing for next Friday with advance Northern single fares as little as £5.40.

3 years ago Pacers on this route had crushed passengers passing out. Today we saw the combined effects of ticket pricing, missing trains, and better rolling stock. Comparisons with loads seen 3 or 4 years need to consider many factors, but my impression is that on this route during the middle of the day, when the weather is fine, they're higher than pre-Covid. Commuting remains very low, maybe no more than 30-35% of what it was, so the net result is hard to judge.

1A23 Holyhead to Crewe, full with some standing from Chester to Crewe. 1A25 Liverpool to Euston almost every standard seat occupied. Clearly plenty of returnees from breaks.

 

[VideozVideoz]

1A23 Holyhead to Crewe, full with some standing from Chester to Crewe. 1A25 Liverpool to Euston almost every standard seat occupied. Clearly plenty of returnees from breaks.

Chester to Crewe is on a reduced service at the moment

 

[MDB1images]

Delete

 

[AJP62]

7.15 Man Picc - Euston about 75% full from Stoke. I'd say not unusual load pre covid but reduced service at present.

Must be too early for City fans heading to lunchtime kick off at Chelsea despite higher fares later!

 

[yorksrob]

6 carriage 185 TPE between Leeds and Manchester, most seats taken along the train with many standing !

If course if Northern rail had bothered to run its direct Lancaster service, instead of waiting half a year after lockdown, I wouldn't be crammed in it, but that's another story.

 

[S&CLER]

I've been on 6 trains today, starting with the 08:07 Southport-Liverpool, which was only moderately busy; the Liverpool-Chester connection at 09:55 was busier, about half full. Then the 10:20 Chester-Shrewsbury, on which I travelled to Chirk, arrived very full at Chester and remained busy to Wrexham and Chirk. Returning, I caught a train I wasn't expecting, a Holyhead, from Chirk ( I thought I would be waiting until 16:48, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a train roll in as I arrived on the platform) and that too was busy. Both Merseyrail trains , the 16:30 from Chester and the 17:34 from Central to Southport, were very full, especially the latter with Everton fans.
Nice to see a good bus connection (Llew Jones) from Chirk to Glyn Ceiriog and Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog.

 

[CC 72100]

Evening, sorry for the delayed reply. We’ve only been told that due to the ongoing lull in airport passengers & the uplift in capacity offered on the 745s that the half-hourly frequency is likely to remain in place until at least May of next year.

Even the 737 will be an worthy of a celebration. Have a good flight & trip away.

Well Liverpool Street was a buzz of activity last night just before 7pm, which was great to see. Revenue protection at Stansted Airport somehow seemed even more disorganised with fewer passengers than it normally is!

The 745s are interesting beasts - crikey they are long and could swallow up loads of people easily (let's hope we reach that stage!).

Nice trains but a few odd interior spec choices to me; the carpet being continuous from wall to wall does it no favours in stains looking very obvious on newish trains and I do miss the cosy atmosphere of the 379s.

Liverpool Street as a station is very different from my last visit (Feb '20) with new trains everywhere in 745s and LO 710s. What a transformation in such a short time. Although the NSE sticker on the lock remains....

 

[306024]

Well Liverpool Street was a buzz of activity last night just before 7pm, which was great to see.

The 745s are interesting beasts - crikey they are long and could swallow up loads of people easily (let's hope we reach that stage!).

The 1902 Liverpool St to Norwich (12 car 745) was full and standing by Covid standards. No doubt everyone could have found a seat using the full length of the train, and actually sitting next to strangers, but many preferred to stand for 40 minutes to Colchester.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Out and about on the Brighton Main Line today, a lot of trains were very busy/well loaded with some full and standing and most having most seats taken. Trains into London Victoria were much busier than Thameslink trains into London Blackfriars, probably due to the engineering works that were sending them via Herne Hill.

 

[richw]

1747 Plymouth to Penzance this evening. Considerable standing load.

 

[VideozVideoz]

1747 Plymouth to Penzance this evening. Considerable standing load.

Did you tell that man his Virgin Trains t-shirt was out of date?? =P

 

[yorksrob]

Usual pre-covid fiasco at Leeds. Exacerbated for me because Northern without warning have chosen to curtail their Lancaster services at Skipton.

 

[richw]

Did you tell that man his Virgin Trains t-shirt was out of date?? =P

I didn’t even notice it, on a GWR too

 

[Peter Mugridge]

This morning's 10.19 from Epsom to Waterloo, an 8 car 455 that starts back from Guildford, was about 50% full from Epsom, but from Worcester Park it was full and standing with every seat taken and as many again standing. A number disembarked at Wimbledon, but it was still most seats taken until it emptied out further at Clapham Junction.