May 2018 timetable changes

[agbrs_Jack]

I've also noticed this service (on a weekday) doesn't bother with Stockport and runs non-stop to Manchester Piccadilly from Cheadle Hulme, any reason for this? On a Saturday it calls at Stockport and Heaton Chapel.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y25324/2018/05/21

 

[Starmill]

Discussed elsewhere at length. I'll try to find where. It's completely and utterly ludicrous.

 

[30907]

I've also noticed this service (on a weekday) doesn't bother with Stockport and runs non-stop to Manchester Piccadilly from Cheadle Hulme, any reason for this? On a Saturday it calls at Stockport and Heaton Chapel.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y25324/2018/05/21

AND takes exactly the same time. Inputting error?

 

[louis97]

AND takes exactly the same time. Inputting error?

Departs 2 minutes earlier from Stoke on a Saturday. 1258 SX and 1256 SO. Working Timetable it arrives the same time into Piccadilly.

 

[bluenoxid]

Has the Calder Valley lost the Manchester Oxford Road services?

 

[Chester1]

Has the Calder Valley lost the Manchester Oxford Road services?

Yes until December when they should run through to the Airport hourly. Northern are very short of DMUs and providing 6 off peak services a day is a waste when there will be a decent connection to Oxford Road, Piccadilly and the Airport by changing at Victoria onto the half hourly TPE services.

 

[323235]

AND takes exactly the same time. Inputting error?

I don't think so, it's because of the operational performance risk at Slade Lane Junction and the barmy service level agreements that Northern and DfT agreed which are operationally challenging to deliver.

It is my personal opinion that 2 extra dedicated tracks are needed to cater for all the planned Airport services between Slade Lane and Piccadilly.

 

[bunnahabhain]

I don't think so, it's because of the operational performance risk at Slade Lane Junction and the barmy service level agreements that Northern and DfT agreed which are operationally challenging to deliver.

It is my personal opinion that 2 extra dedicated tracks are needed to cater for all the planned Airport services between Slade Lane and Piccadilly.

That boat has sailed, a pair of lines going underground from Slade Lane area to Pic, and Vic would have been the best way forward. Same as with Birmingham Cross City, get the "S Bahn" services underground and out of the way of the regional and Intercity trains.

 

[cle]

Might there be any sort of capacity in the HS2 tunnel between the 'airport' and Piccadilly for some shuttles, at least? That section will only carry 5-6tph or so on HS2... unless the whole Powerhouse/HS3 plan utilizes it.

 

[Ianno87]

I don't think so, it's because of the operational performance risk at Slade Lane Junction and the barmy service level agreements that Northern and DfT agreed which are operationally challenging to deliver.

It is my personal opinion that 2 extra dedicated tracks are needed to cater for all the planned Airport services between Slade Lane and Piccadilly.

Not much point of 2 extra tracks when you're always going to be constrained anyway by 4 platforms at the Airport and capacity through Castlefield.

Anyway, the constraint at Slade Lane isn't the Airport line merging, it's the switch of the main line from Paired by Direction through Stockport to Paired by Use into Piccadilly. The former helps the various routes merge at Stockport with fast and slow services at each, whilst the latter reduces throat conflicting moves at Piccadilly.

Taken to extreme, the optimal routeing of traffic for capacity is all Airport traffic via 13/14, Stockport traffic into the Main Shed via the Fast lines (on the east side of the main line past Longsight depot).

Stuff that does cross at Slade Lane from Stockport to travel via 13/14 is effectively usimg spare Slow Line capacity that can't be used because of the limitations of Manchester Airport.

 

[MatthewRead]

I've read that the 57 and Night Riviera coaches are being used again on summer Saturdays I thought there was going to be a Castle HST set covering that diagram.

 

[PHILIPE]

I've read that the 57 and Night Riviera coaches are being used again on summer Saturdays I thought there was going to be a Castle HST set covering that diagram.

There is only 1 Castle HST available so far and that is booked for Maintenance at Laira at the weekend.

 

[Starmill]

An SO 1026 St Erth to Exeter St Davids (Plymouth last year) is indeed in the timetable between 26/05/2018 and 08/09/2018, timed for Diesel locomotive with 210 tonnes. Also 1751 Exeter St Davids to Penzance.

 

[TUC]

Northern are saying on their website that PDFs of the new timetables will be on their site on 7 May and printed versions in stations by 1 June. In the meantime they are advising customers to consult NRE, but of course NRE will only show the results of individual journey searches, not an overall timetable.

The reasons for the delays in confirming the timetable changes have been well documented but it's hard to see why it is taking them until 7 May to have versions on their website. I presume what will go up then are pdfs of the versions being printed. Surely if need be it would be better to get versions up without the design elements in the pdfs so as to at least get information available?

As for the printed versions only being available on stations on 1 June, two weeks after the timetable changes, where in this day and age does it take over a month to get printing done? That sounds the kind of print lead-in times from over 30 years ago (The fact that the pdfs won't be ready until 7 May suggests that they won't be going for printing until after then. Again, this sounds a very long lead-in time for what is basic design work).

 

[transmanche]

but of course NRE will only show the results of individual journey searches, not an overall timetable.

NRE has a 'pocket timetable' tool which produces a PDF of an overall timetable between two or more stations.

 

[janb]

As for the printed versions only being available on stations on 1 June, two weeks after the timetable changes, where in this day and age does it take over a month to get printing done? That sounds the kind of print lead-in times from over 30 years ago (The fact that the pdfs won't be ready until 7 May suggests that they won't be going for printing until after then. Again, this sounds a very long lead-in time for what is basic design work).

Knowing Northern they are probably going with the cheapest option with lead times to match, and the cynic in me says it also fits with their general campaign to discourage people from using paper timetables.

 

[Statto]

Merseyrail must have one of the stable timetable in the UK, apart from the introduction of 4ph from Chester so retiming Chester-Ellesmere Port services, times have been the mostly same on other branches since the 90s, timetable has only changed for big shutdowns like the Loop last year

 

[Bletchleyite]

Merseyrail must have one of the stable timetable in the UK, apart from the introduction of 4ph from Chester so retiming Chester-Ellesmere Port services, times have been the mostly same on other branches since the 90s, timetable has only changed for big shutdowns like the Loop last year

It's also the home of "pure clockface", though sadly now not on every line.

 

[Thomas6187]

Here an interesting development

08:44 Staly-Stockport
09:45 Stockport-Staly

 

[Class 170101]

Running both ways isn't it only a one way service right now?

 

[Batman]

Running both ways isn't it only a one way service right now?

Yes. Has been for about 25 years.

 

[Ianno87]

Yes. Has been for about 25 years.

It ran the 'wrong' way - Staly to Stockport - for a while in the mid-2000s, both yes has only ever been one direction, once per week.

 

[Phil from Mon]

In ATW land it looks like the evening “Gerald” from Cardiff arrives 14 minutes earlier in Bangor and other points along the coast, so at last we are seeing some benefit from the redoubling. The morning service to Cardiff is accelerated by 6 minutes.

Looks like several smaller accelerations on other northbound services, but not much going south.

 

[Kite159]

Locally, it now appears that Whitchurch in Hampshire gets an hourly service on Sundays, surprising because outside peak times, it seems to be the quietest of the 3 'village' stations on that line (by personal experience), even Overton gets more passengers boarding/alighting.

(Just shows that the Sunday timetable between Salisbury & Basingstoke is able to take the additional calls, with it eating into the normally 4-9 minutes festering time at Basingstoke for the clockface departure towards London)

 

[yorksrob]

Does anybody know what's become of the mooted "Network Express" fast trains between Charing Cross and Ashford Kent via Tonbridge ?

NRE isn't showing anything different at the mo.

 

[Ianno87]

Does anybody know what's become of the mooted "Network Express" fast trains between Charing Cross and Ashford Kent via Tonbridge ?

NRE isn't showing anything different at the mo.

Hold your horses! They're in the specificatiom for the next franchise, for c. 2022 implementation (the year, not the hour).

 

[yorksrob]

Hold your horses! They're in the specificatiom for the next franchise, for c. 2022 implementation (the year, not the hour).

Oh, that's a long time

I thought for some reason it was the timetable change.

 

[GW43125]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but any idea what happened to the Bromsgrove electrics? The paths appear to have disappeared from RTT.

 

[sufian123]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but any idea what happened to the Bromsgrove electrics? The paths appear to have disappeared from RTT.

Bromsgrove trains don’t start till end of next month. 29th July I hear

 

[GW43125]

Bromsgrove trains don’t start till end of next month. 29th July I hear

That’s annoying. But thanks.