Sleepy
Established Member
I can remember that Friday nights even the Sleeper had a relief train in the summer months. Isn't privatisation great ? (ROSCO )
I know, gawd knows what the TMs would make of some of our services out of Waterloo in the evening, most are full & standing to at least Woking,Guildford or Farnborough.
This report from the BBC site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-35903343
So, how heavily loaded does a service have to be before being considered unsafe? What triggers it from being normally overcrowded to unsafe?
I know, gawd knows what the TMs would make of some of our services out of Waterloo in the evening, most are full & standing to at least Woking,Guildford or Farnborough.
This is one reason why, subject to stock, the timetable pz to ply will go every 30 mins from 2018.
Don't suppose I could ask visitors not to ram on the trains in the afternoon/evening peak? It's not pleasant for you, or us dopey lot headed home after work!
No, because those services in summer and on pre bank holiday Fridays went through to Penzance.
No it isnt, its going to two trains an hour, not half hourly!
This is one reason why, subject to stock, the timetable pz to ply will go every 30 mins from 2018.
Usually passenger number thin out by the time the train reaches Plymouth and the Cornish stations.
...
Ironduke. Have you ever travelled on services into Devon and Cornwall during bank holidays. It very likely was as the article says.
You don't know where those people got on. Some of them could have been on since Paddington, other boarding at Plymouth. Hence the 'possibly'
No. Never. I was only going by the mobile photos that were used by the BBC to justify the problem - which from what I can see, they do not.
I'm quite prepared to believe your reported experience, however.
So are you going to stand for what could possibly be a 5h 11m journey?
That's the Down Rivi, one of the busiest, most popular & yet fastest trains of the day to Penzance, the best option would be to do what it used to do and that's run non stop PAD-EXD as there's a train to Paignton just 3-4 minutes in front of it and that could then be looped at RDG for 1C77 to pass and it could then follow it.
But that's too simple.
Those photos were the actual conditions. The bbc weren't there, they were reporting what the passengers and railway said.
Worth noting that the photos were in first class. £200 single (£400 return) to sit on the floor.
GWR ran extra HSTs from Paddington to Plymouth at 08.00 and 10.40 on Friday morning - something that will no doubt continue in future with Class 800/802 operations, given the thinned-out peak services on other routes, such as the Cotswold Line, on bank holidays.
And on Thursday, HSTs were rustled up from somewhere to operate extras to Plymouth at 14.34 and Penzance at 19.33. And even a 19.12 relief to Swansea with the first stop Bristol Parkway.
Tomorrow there are extras to Paddington at 14.48 from Plymouth and 15.30 from Penzance.
Crowding was significantly worse than this on Cardiff Central services during the Rugby World Cup last year, but there were no attempts to reduce loading screen for safety reasons then. Indeed, GWR was happy to keep cramming people on.
Crowding was significantly worse than this on Cardiff Central services during the Rugby World Cup last year, but there were no attempts to reduce loading screen for safety reasons then. Indeed, GWR was happy to keep cramming people on.
Plymouth - Penzance
6.28, 7.02, 8.14, 9.21, 10.39, 11.25, 12.39, 13.11, 13.49, 15.12, 15.57
17.23, 17.55, 18.42, 19.01, 19.31, 19.49, 20.26, 20.50, 21.20, 22.29
The gaps in the afternoon and many trains in the evening.
That's because the service is only geared towards passengers from London/Reading and, in the evening, the two (not the six of a previous posting) XC services of the day that go to the far west. In practice, you can get 90 to 120 minute gaps from Plymouth just at the times that commuters/shoppers/schoolkids wish to go home, and there is no alternative public transport.
That's because the service is only geared towards passengers from London/Reading and, in the evening, the two (not the six of a previous posting) XC services of the day that go to the far west. In practice, you can get 90 to 120 minute gaps from Plymouth just at the times that commuters/shoppers/schoolkids wish to go home, and there is no alternative public transport.
Not unusual to be heavily loaded on public holidays.
And if you think it's bad now with HSTs, wait until the AT300s or IEPs start running down there in 5 car formations or whatever they're going to run down there (as it seems to change almost on a weekly basis!).
These are the Penzance - Plymouth trains.
13.03, 13.45, 14,49, 15.59, 16.44, 17.39, 19.16, 20.18, 21.45, 22.08
What is the benefit of the last train. Between arrival of the last 2 trains in Plymouth is 13 minutes.
Another point noboby has picked up on-After all, if they intend to REGULARLY run them as two 5 car units attached, why not order most of fleet as full length units ? with only a minority of half length DMUs for off peak or secondary services.
Yes, and there were relief trains to Plymouth on Friday, but the problem was at Plymouth with people going into Cornwall. Hopefully though many of the long distance people will be staying down there longer and won't all be returning on the same day.I have seen that GWR have put an extra service on from Plymouth at 14:48 today to London Paddington, hopefully this will help but you will guess people will still moan over them being cramped on the train...
Another point noboby has picked up on-
If they run them as double sets how are the passengers in the rear unit going to get out at the shorter stations?
SDO will be front 4 or 5 only so the whole unit will be off the end so they wont have any way of getting off the train!