All Line Rover
Established Member
- Joined
- 17 Feb 2011
- Messages
- 5,262
I mentioned a few weeks ago that, from the May 2016 timetable change, the 19:10 London Euston to Holyhead train will be calling additionally at Nuneaton and Stafford. The train is already overcrowded with its current calling pattern of Milton Keynes, then Crewe, then Chester, and stations to Holyhead.
Virgin can't remove Milton Keynes as a calling point because doing so would break the hourly service between Milton Keynes and Crewe/Chester (with connections at Crewe to Liverpool, Warrington and stations to Scotland, Shrewsbury, and Manchester Airport). On the other hand, allowing Euston to Milton Keynes passengers on this service will result in passengers travelling beyond Milton Keynes being unable to board the train at Euston (and for stations beyond Chester, the 19:10 is the final direct train of the day!).
Rather than reverse the idiotic decision to add Nuneaton and Stafford as calling points (in place of these stations as calling points on the 19:07 to Liverpool), in the last few days Virgin has made Milton Keynes 'pick up only' on the 19:10 (from May) on Thursdays and Fridays only. And that's not all, because Virgin has done the same with the 19:20 to Manchester (which is having Macclesfield added as a calling point, replacing Macclesfield as a calling point on the 19:00, with the journey time to Manchester on the 19:00 reduced by a mere five minutes, from 2h 13m to 2h 08m), resulting in a one hour gap in Virgin Trains services to Milton Keynes on Thursday and Friday evenings (between 18:43 and 19:43)!
Two concerns I have about these planned changes are:
1. How is a 'pick up only' restriction on selected weekdays going to be enforced? If the 19:10 and 19:20 can be used by Euston to Milton Keynes passengers on a Wednesday, why would they not use either on a Thursday? Many obnoxious* Milton Keynes commuters can't even comply with the 'pick up only' restriction that applies, every weekday, to the 17:10, 17:20, 17:43, 18:10 and 18:20 Virgin Trains departures from Euston, even though, for the 17:10, 17:43 and 18:10, there is a two minute (2 minute!) slower London Midland service just behind. [*Most Milton Keynes passengers are well behaved, but I don't have a high opinion of those who feel they are entitled to use a £15 Anytime ticket to travel on a train, such as the 17:20 or 18:20, where every passenger leaving Euston who is holding a valid Anytime ticket has paid, at a minimum, £140 for a ticket to Stoke-on-Trent.]
2. As the 19:10 and 19:20 are both likely to be full and standing leaving Euston because of the new calling points (Nuneaton and Stafford, and Macclesfield), and as no (legitimate) passengers will be alighting at Milton Keynes, how are passengers boarding at Milton Keynes supposed to get a seat (which is particularly essential on the 19:20 considering they will otherwise be standing for one hour to Stoke-on-Trent)? At least the present timetable allows passengers boarding at Milton Keynes to displace passengers alighting at Milton Keynes, and because Nuneaton and Stafford, and Macclesfield, respectively, are not calling points, the 19:10 and 19:20 aren't so overcrowded as to leave long distance passengers behind at Euston.
Virgin can't remove Milton Keynes as a calling point because doing so would break the hourly service between Milton Keynes and Crewe/Chester (with connections at Crewe to Liverpool, Warrington and stations to Scotland, Shrewsbury, and Manchester Airport). On the other hand, allowing Euston to Milton Keynes passengers on this service will result in passengers travelling beyond Milton Keynes being unable to board the train at Euston (and for stations beyond Chester, the 19:10 is the final direct train of the day!).
Rather than reverse the idiotic decision to add Nuneaton and Stafford as calling points (in place of these stations as calling points on the 19:07 to Liverpool), in the last few days Virgin has made Milton Keynes 'pick up only' on the 19:10 (from May) on Thursdays and Fridays only. And that's not all, because Virgin has done the same with the 19:20 to Manchester (which is having Macclesfield added as a calling point, replacing Macclesfield as a calling point on the 19:00, with the journey time to Manchester on the 19:00 reduced by a mere five minutes, from 2h 13m to 2h 08m), resulting in a one hour gap in Virgin Trains services to Milton Keynes on Thursday and Friday evenings (between 18:43 and 19:43)!
Two concerns I have about these planned changes are:
1. How is a 'pick up only' restriction on selected weekdays going to be enforced? If the 19:10 and 19:20 can be used by Euston to Milton Keynes passengers on a Wednesday, why would they not use either on a Thursday? Many obnoxious* Milton Keynes commuters can't even comply with the 'pick up only' restriction that applies, every weekday, to the 17:10, 17:20, 17:43, 18:10 and 18:20 Virgin Trains departures from Euston, even though, for the 17:10, 17:43 and 18:10, there is a two minute (2 minute!) slower London Midland service just behind. [*Most Milton Keynes passengers are well behaved, but I don't have a high opinion of those who feel they are entitled to use a £15 Anytime ticket to travel on a train, such as the 17:20 or 18:20, where every passenger leaving Euston who is holding a valid Anytime ticket has paid, at a minimum, £140 for a ticket to Stoke-on-Trent.]
2. As the 19:10 and 19:20 are both likely to be full and standing leaving Euston because of the new calling points (Nuneaton and Stafford, and Macclesfield), and as no (legitimate) passengers will be alighting at Milton Keynes, how are passengers boarding at Milton Keynes supposed to get a seat (which is particularly essential on the 19:20 considering they will otherwise be standing for one hour to Stoke-on-Trent)? At least the present timetable allows passengers boarding at Milton Keynes to displace passengers alighting at Milton Keynes, and because Nuneaton and Stafford, and Macclesfield, respectively, are not calling points, the 19:10 and 19:20 aren't so overcrowded as to leave long distance passengers behind at Euston.
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