Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Mothball the Ordsall Chord. I've heard it all now. Jesus wept.
Only until the essential additional work, namely P15/16, are done. It should not have opened until that was completed.
Mothball the Ordsall Chord. I've heard it all now. Jesus wept.
And reintroduce conflicting moves out of Man Piccadilly? Exactly how does that benefit the Castlefield corridor when you just screw up the line further down by going back to how it was?
As I said, terminate those trains in P1/2, thus freeing up a Class 185 for doubling up, replacing each with a Class 319/323 Airport train run from platform 11 or 12.
Only short term - as soon as the new stock is available and 15/16 built the Chord could be used much more heavily - indeed potentially even more than the present 2tph (?)
This will be a 319, no 331's will enter service in May.0644 retimed to 0642 and extended to Blackpool North (I believe this service is intended to be worked by a new class 331 unit)
Two problems exist though, one that to dedicate & presumably refurbish some 323s would lock them into those diagrams & of course Northern might want to make it a premium service and charge more to pay for them. The other problem is that currently many passengers are arriving from further afield than Greater Manchester, & might not take well to the idea of being tipped out at Piccadilly or Victoria having likely already made at least one change on their way into Manchester. And in the case of the latter, being tipped off the train, onto the tram to cross Manchester would add anything up to half an hour more along with the inconvenience of dragging suitcases, kids etc onto said tram isn't going to appeal.
There is a good reason why TPE operate the services that they do, providing what is a relatively new & growing business in getting passengers from further afield to Manchester Airport without having to change trains and/or modes. This is attracting more passengers (and of course more revenue), and as capacity increases with the 397 & 802s that will be operating the bulk of the TPE Airport services more people again will use the, especially as Manchester Airport is expanding & expecting even more passengers.
Some people continue to blame the Airport services for the timetable woes that beset the Castlefield Corridor last May, but just some small tweaks have already vastly improved reliability & once 5 car units become the norm hopefully reduced dwell times through the corridor will lead to further improvements still. Now if only the Minister for Transport could be persuaded to sign off on the Piccadilly / Oxford Road improvements that were meant to go hand-in-hand with the Ordsall Chord build....
If this train is from Stoke, surely it has to be a 323.This will be a 319, no 331's will enter service in May.
319's are now route cleared for the Stoke line, though this will be the only one of the day to appear there.If this train is from Stoke, surely it has to be a 323.
The 0624 from Stoke (2N61) is pathed as a 75mph Sprinter from Stoke to Cheadle Hulme, then as a 100mph 319 from Cheadle Hulme to Blackpool North. It is early enough in the morning not to get in the way of an express on the Stoke line.If this train is from Stoke, surely it has to be a 323.
The 0624 from Stoke (2N61) is pathed as a 75mph Sprinter from Stoke to Cheadle Hulme, then as a 100mph 319 from Cheadle Hulme to Blackpool North. It is early enough in the morning not to get in the way of an express on the Stoke line.
Thanks. I thought the bay platform at Stoke was too short. Real Time Trains states platform 3.319's are now route cleared for the Stoke line, though this will be the only one of the day to appear there.
From May, the TPE WCML services will stop at Oxford Road as well as Picadilly, which will reduce dwell times at Picadilly.Will the 5 carriage trains actually reduce dwell times as the current 185's have doors evenly spaced along the carriage but all the new TPE stock will have doors at the ends of the carriages so it may take longer for people to alight and board each service.
From May, the TPE WCML services will stop at Oxford Road as well as Picadilly, which will reduce dwell times at Picadilly.
It will probably use platform 2 at Stoke which doesn't see much traffic at that time of day. Timings on a 319 not really an issue as won't have an express behind it at that time of morning.Thanks. I thought the bay platform at Stoke was too short. Real Time Trains states platform 3.
Yes, I was just talking about the Scotland-Manchester services.This will help the Scotland to Manchester Airport services but I thought all the TPE services from Manchester Victoria to Manchester Airport already called at Oxford Road.
It will probably use platform 2 at Stoke which doesn't see much traffic at that time of day. Timings on a 319 not really an issue as won't have an express behind it at that time of morning.
Seems unlikely to happen until Sundays become part of the working week - see posts elsewhere. All Northern's Sunday improvements for May are in Yorkshire, where T&Cs are different.I believe P3 is big enough for a 319 (approx 80m, P3 is 88m)
More importantly the lack of a Sunday service is getting ridiculous now, Sundays are near unusable and an hourly service has been a franchise commitment since Dec 2017.
Seems unlikely to happen until Sundays become part of the working week - see posts elsewhere. All Northern's Sunday improvements for May are in Yorkshire, where T&Cs are different.
Are the Blackpool North services from Leeds part of Northern Connect?Changes at Leeds:
- New semi-fast service to Harrogate departing xx15 (no corresponding xx45 service shown)
- xx36 service to Manchester Victoria now departs xx38 and extended to Chester
- Services to / from Preston extended (restored) to Blackpool North
- Apart from a couple of minor retimings, no other changes to regular departures at Leeds
- Service from Huddersfield to Wakefield Kirkgate extended to Castleford
Are the Blackpool North services from Leeds part of Northern Connect?
I'm asking as a one of the services which will be part Northern Connect is a service from York to Blackpool North. But if this isn't the Northern connect service then
it makes me wonder If this will be a temporary thing until Northern Connect starts. But in the meantime, at least there's a direct service again from Leeds to Blackpool North.
My theory is that there will either be:The York - Blackpool service is on the list of Connect services so I guess whenever they start the existing service will convert.
The other Blackpool service i'm referring to is via the Caldervale line service (not Northern Connect) that currently terminates at Preston and has been since November 2017 and until it started terminating at Preston, that service used to terminate at Blackpool North and from the Timetable change in May it will start Terminating again at Blackpool North.There has never been a plan for a Blackpool service via another route as far as I know
I think it was November 2017 when the service was truncated. It has since been restored throughout on Sundays only.The other Blackpool service i'm referring to is via the Caldervale line service (not Northern Connect) that currently terminates at Preston and has been since at least May 2018 (if not, then December 2017) and until it started terminating at Preston, that service used to terminate at Blackpool North and from the Timetable change in May it will start Terminating again at Blackpool North.
Thanks @Starmill , I've just changed the monthI think it was November 2017 when the service was truncated. It has since been restored throughout on Sundays only.
I guess but wouldn't that leave all the stations the Northern connect trains stop at with no direct service to Leeds? from those stations e.g: Burnley Manchester Road. I think the service will likely revert to terminating at Preston once again when the Northern connect service starts.Northern Connect doesn't start on any route until December so the Blackpool route will just convert
IDK where you got that Sowerby Bridge will be a Northern Connect station no Northern connect services are planned to run from there and neither will they stop at Mytholmroyd , Hebbden Bridge, Accrington and Poulton le Fylde (the last ones not really as relevant)It's the same train and definitely won't skip Burnley, Accrington or Blackburn. Sowerby Bridge is listed as a future Northern Connect station so the Blackpools may well still stop there too