Packed services.

[HYPODERMIC]

you think that's busy and packed... you are kidding right?!

trying living in the south east and getting a train from charing cross or victoria in london around 6pm, TWELVE carriage trains with every carriage fuller than that one.

Agreed; more people use London commuter rail. But that said, some of the North's shorter trains can be just as busy, per-carriage. The most overcrowded train I've seen in my life was a peak-time service departing Bolton for Manchester. It really was crammed all the way down the isle to a point I would almost consider dangerous - intense cramming happens all the time in London too, but this was the first time I'd felt so uneasy at how tightly squeezed people were becoming.

I know intense overcrowding is very regular in the South East - I've seen it and experienced it myself, when I lived in the South - but while the frequency may differ, the intensity of the problem is not always so different between the North and the South. There are spots in the North where each carriage is just as rammed per square metre, but it happens there are only 2/3/4 cars to each train; 12 car units would eliminate or at least dramatically alleviate most of the North's problems (at least for a while - perhaps more car users would make the switch if so much space became available!), but unfortunately for London little much more can be done to ease the crowding of peak flows.

 

[12CSVT]

Most crowded service I've experienced was a 4 car 220 unit between Coventry and Oxford which was so wedged that there were about 12 to 15 people standing in the toilet leaving Banbury. Thankfully nobody was busting for a pee.

 

[Agent Smirnoff]

I used to hate trqains by FGW headed for Paddington because of this and the central line. Thank God that financial constraints meant I have to take the. bus now!

I see people crowding on the FGW at Ealing Broadway headed towards Reading or Slough etc..... I have seen packed trains to Oxford.

Recently I read something about a VT service and passengers were asked to sit on the floor. This is wrong! Passengers should not be forced (or allowed) to stand on medium to long distance journeys/services. I pay my money not to stand. Its also health and safety.

 

[anthony263]

Finsbury Park to Moorgate AM peak trains are MUCH worse than that!

That I agree with having seen it for myself.

Also the 08:00 Cardiff - Paignton & 16:16 Taunton - Cardiff services are packed between Cardiff & Bristol even with 3 or 4 carriages, mind you the Cardiff - Portsmouth Hbr services aare always very crowded.

Trains on the Cardiff Valley lines from Rhymney and between Pontypridd & Cardiff are always packed during the peaks, in fact i know the WG would like to run some 6 carriage trains on peak hour services to/from Treherbert & Rhymney however lack of stock is causing problems.



I have read that FGW are putting soem extra carriages on peak hour services between Gloucester & Bristol TM which should be good as those services are terrible during the peaks.

 

[WestCoast]

Recently I read something about a VT service and passengers were asked to sit on the floor. This is wrong! Passengers should not be forced (or allowed) to stand on medium to long distance journeys/services. I pay my money not to stand. Its also health and safety.

I am just a commuter and unfortunately, a ticket entitles you to travel and not to a seat, that's what reservations are for (where available). Sometimes passengers would rather travel without a seat, instead of being left behind.

The only way to guarantee seats, is to follow what they do on certain services abroad and have compulsory reservations on long-distance trains. I can't see that going down well as it limits the 'turn up and go' option of rail travel to a certain extent

 

[Martin_1981]

Plymouth to Penzance local FGW services are often packed on Saturdays when formed of a 2 coach Class 150. I have caught the 1244 Plymouth-Penzance service on the last Saturday in September for the last 3 years and each time it has been wedged between Plymouth and St Austell. This years instance was probably the worst, there were passengers lining the corridors end to end in each carriage. Most of the passengers were off a terminating FGW HST from Paddington-Plymouth, although a fair number were off an earlier XC HST service from Leeds.

 

[WatcherZero]

Worst I have ever experienced was joining a Manchester Picadilly service to Blackpool at Salford Crescent at about 17:50 on a Friday ..

On arrival to Salford Crescent the train (a 3 car 185) was already overcrowded, yet lots more wanted to join and did. Was very interesting experience till Bolton when a load of people got off.

Ive been there with three whole trains stopping and leaving, too packed to let any more onboard. A fair number of those people who got off probably changing to a Wigan train because they know they wouldnt have been able to board one before Bolton, the Blackburn train is usually slightly less crowded. Though on that day the station guards were only letting the vulnerable (elderly and people with young children) board the Blackburn service at Salford Crescent.

 

[Lampshade]

Worst I have ever experienced was joining a Manchester Picadilly service to Blackpool at Salford Crescent at about 17:50 on a Friday ..

On arrival to Salford Crescent the train (a 3 car 185) was already overcrowded, yet lots more wanted to join and did. Was very interesting experience till Bolton when a load of people got off.

The 18:46 must be the worst service in the North West for overcrowding, I avoid it like the plague.

 

[ukrob]

As others have said, that is not packed compared to some services in the North.

 

[callum112233]

More frequent during the peaks. Briefly.

Not that it really helps, the trains are still packed.

The 16:30 service from Southport to Huddersfield is always a 2 car 142. I can never get my head around this because it's such a busy service, especially when it gets to Wigan.

Are there any plans to add more cars or even change to a different type of unit in December?

 

[Tracked]

Sheffield-Doncaster all stations, caught at 17:35 from Rotherham late-1998, with a single 153 on ...

:-x

 

[Tomonthetrain]

1K39 does have a fairly busy loading between COV & BHM on Fridays when WB64 is out (Virgin loco hauled)

 

[Deerfold]

IPassengers should not be forced (or allowed) to stand on medium to long distance journeys/services.

I wish we had a lot more capacity but I think you'd have a lot more annoyed people if they were not allowed on compared with them being forced to stand.

I pay my money not to stand.

You go first class then?

Its also health and safety.

I'm sure I saw that it's actually safer in a crash to have a lot of standees as people can't be thrown as far within the carriages.

 

[pemma]

You go first class then?

A First Class ticket doesn't guarantee you a seat any more than a standard class ticket. A lot of people who buy FC tickets for Manchester-Scotland services because they think standard class will be full should take note of that.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I noticed the 20:3X Victoria - Leeds via Rochdale was a 158 on Saturday, so I wonder whether this will also be a more permanent upgrade.

Calder Vale is gaining a 2 car 158 and a 2 car 144 (freed up by using 322s) and also a 142 from the ones returned from FGW. On weekdays the 2 car 158 will be joined on to another 2 car 158 and the 2 Pacers will be joined on to 3 car 144s to give two sets of 5 car Pacers. I'm not sure about Saturdays and Sundays though.

 

[Deerfold]

A First Class ticket doesn't guarantee you a seat any more than a standard class ticket. A lot of people who buy FC tickets for Manchester-Scotland services because they think standard class will be full should take note of that.

It makes it a lot more likely though on many services and as Agent Smirnoff said they paid not to stand I couldn't think of any other way of doing that.

 

[Liam]

Busiest trains I've been on (apart from tube trains) are Friday afternoon Manchester-Edinburgh, 185 rammed full to Preston, still people standing all the way to Edinburgh, 220/221 Edinburgh-Aberdeen (the first train after the evening peak restrictions) and a Edinburgh-Inverness service, I think just after T in the Park, completely rammed solid from Perth onwards.

 

[route:oxford]

Best way to go about change is to publicly de-anonymise the ownership of the problem.

Billboards with images of overcrowding or the head of the DfT and slogans such as...

"Overcrowding Stifling our Economy - It's DaFT"

"Dangerous Trains for NORTHERNers - It's DaFT"

"Wheelchairs Won't Fit - It's DaFT"

 

[TheJRB]

Busiest times normally are on the District line Eastbound at Victoria station in the morning. Very few people get off and it's hard to get on; you normally have to let a few trains go past. Westbound trains however are normally fine.

Well my experience of Victoria is exactly this, just on the weekends, even on Sundays!

The worst I've personally experienced it was back in June on a Saturday when there was no service on the Circle and Victoria lines and so the District suffered most of the combined traffic. Needless to say, there was barely any room even standing and it got pretty uncomfortable. It seemed like nobody got off at St James's Park so we changed on to the Jubilee line at Westminster back to Stratford which east of London Bridge was quite quiet.

Another Sunday back at the beginning of October when there was an open day at Acton Depot, we travelled from Victoria. Once again it was quiet on the westbound but east of South Kensington on the eastbound, it started getting really busy.

Other than the Underground (which I do have a lot of good things to say about by the way! ) the 09:43 from Ashford to St Pancras gets reasonably busy, but then it's the first off peak train to STP. I've also seen Brighton trains leave Ashford with people standing on a Saturday, but nothing as bad as other trains that have been mentioned.

 

[lonogrol]

Well my experience of Victoria is exactly this, just on the weekends, even on Sundays!

Customers on the weekend are generally worse than during the week - they stand in the doorways and do not move down inside the cars, they obstruct the doors and often barge on before others have alighted.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Customers on the weekend are generally worse than during the week - they stand in the doorways and do not move down inside the cars, they obstruct the doors and often barge on before others have alighted.

Agreed.... i barge peope off trains if they get on while i am getting on....

 

[bb21]

Agreed.... i barge peope off trains if they get on while i am getting on....

You must be a very awkward fellow passenger

 

[Harlesden]

Customers on the weekend are generally worse than during the week - they stand in the doorways and do not move down inside the cars, they obstruct the doors and often barge on before others have alighted.

Exactly how long is one supposed to wait to board? There seem to be some people who remain firmly seated until the train has arrived at their station, come to a stop and opened its doors. If you are one of these odd folk, you cannot expect a dozen or so intending passengers to wait politely for several seconds after the main throng has alighted thereby delaying the service overall.
Then there are people - including teens - who alight as though on a Sunday afternoon stroll, too lost in their own world to realize that the quicker people get off and on, the quicker the train can be on its way.

 

[Robinson]

There have been a few, but I think the worst one I can remember was a number of years back, I was on a Virgin XC from Carlisle and at Preston the train was so badly crowded that the TM was unable to get on. Several times an announcement was made that passengers for Manchester could board another service behind us. Eventually we left 45 minutes late.

I was 12 years old at the time...

 

[crewmeal]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...r-told-passengers-sit-floor-going-faster.html

The sooner Virgin put those extra 2 coaches on the better!

 

[YorkshireBear]

Exactly how long is one supposed to wait to board? There seem to be some people who remain firmly seated until the train has arrived at their station, come to a stop and opened its doors. If you are one of these odd folk, you cannot expect a dozen or so intending passengers to wait politely for several seconds after the main throng has alighted thereby delaying the service overall.
Then there are people - including teens - who alight as though on a Sunday afternoon stroll, too lost in their own world to realize that the quicker people get off and on, the quicker the train can be on its way.

I am a teen and i am always waiting at the door ready to depart. Yet still i have to battle off trains in leeds most hours of the day with pensioners and middle aged women with shopping bags being the main culprits. And i believe it is in the by-laws that you shouldnt board a train while people are still alighting.
Yes some people arent as quick but sometimes it isnt there fault if no one lets them stand up till end then theyve got to maybe grab a suitcase too then you can see why there is a delay....

You must be a very awkward fellow passenger

I dont actually do it
I am not that bad... i was once pushed back on a train and almost into the seating area when i got off a train once at leeds and i pretty much just stood still and waited for them to let me off. I couldnt squeeze past as it was a 153 and they were piled in.

 

[davelew99]

I remembered a couple of others to add -

Services from Manchester Oxford Road at evening peak always seem to be jammed - one slight delay in one train has massive knock on effects for ages.

The best trick i've found is to go right to the front of the platform - once i caught a TPE which was absolutely rammed - i went to the front and got a seat!

More often than not have issues with Virgin between Wigan and Carlisle - in the last year or so i've only managed to sit down on one service in about 6.

I don't remember it being like that 6 years ago when i did the same journey regularly.