Northern shortforming

[SteveM70]

So, Northern are chronically short of units, yet the number of shortforms showing on their journey check page is tiny most days.

I travel on the Calder valley route most days and there are noticeably more two carriage journeys than in the recent past. For example, I’m posting this whilst crammed into the doorway of the 1737 MCV - LDS (1654 ex Wigan I think) which is a single unrefurbished 158 whereas in the past it was normally 3 or 4 carriages. There’s no record on journey check of this trip being shortformed.

Are they deceiving the system by not declaring all the shortforms, or gaming it by amending the “normal” formation to 2 carriages?

 

[Jamesrob637]

08:00 Buxton to Piccadilly passed me as 2-car today with nothing on Journey Check so your point is fair and valid.

 

[js1000]

I personally use http://live-departures.info/rail/dppc on the mobile phone alongside Northern Journeycheck. From experience Journeycheck captures about 80% of the short-forms on my route but the remaining 20% are often not logged but are usually reflected on live-depatures.

 

[Peter Bonner]

I personally use http://live-departures.info/rail/dppc on the mobile phone alongside Northern Journeycheck. From experience Journeycheck captures about 80% of the short-forms on my route but the remaining 20% are often not logged but are usually reflected on live-depatures.

Try the Northern Fail app. That might give you some more excuses!

 

[warwickshire]

Northern should have done a lot better in 142 prm management. Ie to keep a great ideal more and have all out in service with a prm unit. Its umnbelivale they have up to 6 to 10 off them still dependent on day for these being in either warm store heaton or at NH or Blackburn no allocation. Makes sense get them out.

 

[Bikeman78]

Are they deceiving the system by not declaring all the shortforms, or gaming it by amending the “normal” formation to 2 carriages?

Short answer: yes. Until Feb 14th, the 16:37 Manchester to Rose Hill was booked 142+150. With the reduction in 142 diagrams, it's now a 150 on its own. Enjoy!