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May 2021 Timetable Change

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Deerfold

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I mentioned that above - on Twitter they are saying they will be introducing more services in the May change but not how many / where, and are being short on detail for now.
Agreed though. I think a lot of the Scottish destinations are going to experience quite an uplift of people - particularly off peak - as Staycations start to explode shortly. I’ve done some work with the Cairngorms authority and they’re expecting huge numbers of visitors when able.
For many that's more of a problem than what the actual changes are. Many people are wanting to make plans for the summer. I have a mid-length trip I want to make in late May, but don't yet know if trains will be running late enough to be able to do it (there's a change of train involved, I get warnings that neither operator has finalised their timetable, but also that reservations are compulsory).

At the moment the latest possible time to do the journey (on one ticket and without going miles out of the way) is 1434. It's usually possible much later - I'm hoping to do it at 1640. It's usually a last train at 1840.
 
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peters

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As has been mentioned across the forum on various posts returning to a 100% timetable this summer for most TOCs is near on impossible.

Over the past year the steady stream of retirements have continued but there’s been very little training of replacements successfully completed due to pandemic restrictions. Training on new traction types, for example on Scotrail HSTs has been hampered too. This all affects the resource available on a daily basis to operate the train service and the timetable has to allow for this.

In another thread it refers to Northern operating 3 car 150 diagrams from the next timetable change with a link to the diagrams: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/northern-150-3.215627/

The downloadable files actually contain all the diagrams for the May 2021 to December 2021 period, including changes from September.

Looking at the Manchester to Chester via Altrincham services it looks like at present there are no plans to reinstate the missing peak time extras in September. However, I notice the following weekday services will be among those to remain booked as a pair of units (150/1s):
06:48 Chester to Manchester
07:09 Manchester to Chester
08:02 Chester to Manchester
15:02 Chester to Manchester
16:02 Chester to Manchester
16:41 Manchester to Chester
17:41 Manchester to Chester

So basically the plan is to use same number of units being used on the line as in March 2020 but the units which would be running the peak time extras, that haven't been reinstated, being used to strengthen services instead. Therefore, it fits in with the suggested notion that the reduced timetables aren't because they don't think passengers will return but because they can't source enough crews to work all the services they are supposed to run.
 

IanXC

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So basically the plan is to use same number of units being used on the line as in March 2020 but the units which would be running the peak time extras, that haven't been reinstated, being used to strengthen services instead. Therefore, it fits in with the suggested notion that the reduced timetables aren't because they don't think passengers will return but because they can't source enough crews to work all the services they are supposed to run.

I wouldn't assume that is the entire reason. It is also true to say that the various reduced timetables that have operated over this period have demonstrated the relationship between service intensity and reliability, see Andrew Haines various comments on this. There is a definite desire for services to involve longer trains, at lower frequency in some cases.
 

peters

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I wouldn't assume that is the entire reason. It is also true to say that the various reduced timetables that have operated over this period have demonstrated the relationship between service intensity and reliability, see Andrew Haines various comments on this. There is a definite desire for services to involve longer trains, at lower frequency in some cases.

The missing Mid-Cheshire peak services are ones which have run since privitisation, in fact they have been cut back to not run into Piccadilly previously.

I didn't look at Buxton diagrams but if they are remaining hourly then that may be due to reliability, as they were introduced as part of the more recent recast that didn't really work and never really got many passengers even pre-COVID.
 

IanXC

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The missing Mid-Cheshire peak services are ones which have run since privitisation, in fact they have been cut back to not run into Piccadilly previously.

I didn't look at Buxton diagrams but if they are remaining hourly then that may be due to reliability, as they were introduced as part of the more recent recast that didn't really work and never really got many passengers even pre-COVID.

Having run since privatisation doesn't make them exempt from being cut to improve reliability!
 

DDB

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Banners have appeared in Nottingham station advertising the May timetable change but the new timetables aren't on the website yet.

IMG_20210415_080043.jpg
(Image shows EMR branded banner with headline "Make a note our new timetable is live from 16 may")
 

Nicholas Lewis

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Banners have appeared in Nottingham station advertising the May timetable change but the new timetables aren't on the website yet.

View attachment 94401
(Image shows EMR branded banner with headline "Make a note our new timetable is live from 16 may")
Nice to see an operator promoting something better.

How many have a banner apologising to passengers for the reduced service currently I wonder?
 

spotify95

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Banners have appeared in Nottingham station advertising the May timetable change but the new timetables aren't on the website yet.

View attachment 94401
(Image shows EMR branded banner with headline "Make a note our new timetable is live from 16 may")
I saw these banners in Leicester Station as well; it's not just Nottingham where this has happened.
It seems like this new timetable was based around getting customers in and out of the large cities with reduced journey times, at the possible expense of other journeys.
 

LowLevel

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The link gives a 404 error at the moment, hopefully they'll put it up shortly.
 

Ianno87

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I saw these banners in Leicester Station as well; it's not just Nottingham where this has happened.
It seems like this new timetable was based around getting customers in and out of the large cities with reduced journey times, at the possible expense of other journeys.

Otherwise known as benefitting more passengers overall than those that lose out.
 

Deerfold

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Well they are in the journey planner.
But with a warning they may change.

screenshot of post-May timetable change search said:
Alterations to the East Midlands Railway timetable due to Coronavirus. Train times from Sunday 16 May onwards may not be available and current timetables are subject to change, please check back before you travel.
 

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peters

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Having run since privatisation doesn't make them exempt from being cut to improve reliability!

Agreed. However, when they run they are quite punctual but the evening peak services, in particular, seem to be among the first to be cancelled if they don't have enough drivers. At one stage the first evening Stockport to Chester service was being cancelled on average at least once a week due to a member of staff being unavailable and that was pre-COVID.

None of the Manchester Recovery Taskforce options suggested dropping the Mid-Cheshire peak time extras could improve reliability, the only option proposing their removal was to accommodate an additional hourly Manchester to Chester express service.
 

Deerfold

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That's for engineering work variations to the normal plan. Which would equally affect a printed or PDF timetable.
It comes up for any searches after 16th May. Usually any engineering work (unless in an emergency) is reflected in the times you are given after a search.

If I search for dates before that, I don't get the warning.

That suggests the new timetables have not been finalised.
 

Ianno87

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It comes up for any searches after 16th May. Usually any engineering work (unless in an emergency) is reflected in the times you are given after a search.

If I search for dates before that, I don't get the warning.

That suggests the new timetables have not been finalised.

No, the Long Term will be offered, and finalised by now. That is what will be showing in NRE (until short term changes are made and confirmed), and what printed timetables/PDFs are based upon.
 

Mitchell Hurd

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The CrossCountry train times are the same as now (InterCity services, haven't checked the Turbostar timetable yet). Unless there's been an odd tweak.
 

DDB

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The link gives a 404 error at the moment, hopefully they'll put it up shortly.
It still isn't up at the end of the day. If you use may2021 rather than may21 you get their timetable consultation results page but if you are advertising that there are changes the public will want to know exactly what the changes to their journey are more than the philosophy underpinning them.
Someone in the EMR PR department has made a big cock up and should have sorted it by now as it shouldn't take long to, at the very least, have a holding page at a URL you are advertising on massive posters!
 

172101

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The changes to the Chiltern timetable from Monday this week is the new May timetable, so a good move by them to save costs on all the timetable changes and new diagrams that have been taking place recently.
However the rolling stock is still not even at 60% of useage.
 

DDB

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It still isn't up at the end of the day. If you use may2021 rather than may21 you get their timetable consultation results page but if you are advertising that there are changes the public will want to know exactly what the changes to their journey are more than the philosophy underpinning them.
Someone in the EMR PR department has made a big cock up and should have sorted it by now as it shouldn't take long to, at the very least, have a holding page at a URL you are advertising on massive posters!
Well it appears the error must have been putting the banners/posters up too soon as they have been taken down again!
EMR must have decided they are not ready to advertise the May timetable yet.
 

Envy123

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Will there likely be more Avanti services to Stafford in the evening peak? The train service is really abysmal at the times I commute at, currently.

Edit: I checked and nope. :(
 
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Adam0984

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Well it appears the error must have been putting the banners/posters up too soon as they have been taken down again!
EMR must have decided they are not ready to advertise the May timetable yet.
Still up at Chesterfield platform 2
 

adrock1976

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What's it called? It's called Cumbernauld
A quick question here regarding the Manchester - Bristol/South West Cross-country:

I have noted that it is presently missing from the timetable, but looking at the famous Table 51 in the electronic National Rail Timetable, it would have departed Manchester Pic at xx05, Stockport xx13, Macclesfield xx26, Stoke-on-Trent xx46, Stafford xx03, Wolverhampton xx17, and arriving Birmingham New Street xx33.

Could somebody confirm this? This is because I have noticed at Soho South Jct, the missing XC would be 1 minute after the Wales train has passed.

Also, this missing train does not appear to have been reinstated looking at dates in October.
 

bunnahabhain

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They might come back in December TT change?
I would imagine it unlikely as by then the majority of crew will have lost route knowledge. There's also hardly any mention of a Leeds service in the TT, I would be surprised to see that lasting more than a few timetable periods.
 

spotify95

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EMR May 21 timetable pdfs are now online.
Thanks. Nice to see that Wellingborough now gets one fast service direct to Leicester in the morning counter peak, as well as one fast train from Leicester to Wellingborough in the evening counter peak - as well as keeping a couple of other intercity stops for commuters, like myself, going north to Leicester or Nottingham.

Also, there is only one train per day (in both directions) linking Wellingborough and Market Harborough together. Given that Mkt Harborough is easily commutable in the car from Wellingborough, anyone travelling between those two stations is MUCH better off driving themselves in a car.
 
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