ScotRail December 2018 Timetable change

[Stopper]

putting up is the term we know too well . After Friday shambles to Edinburgh Monday dawns with Dunblane train rammed full by Larbert and held before polmont in a very cramped condition no passengers able to board at polmont and Linlithgow , angry faces there. Little info but train stuck at Falkirk high was mentioned. Running 15 mins late. Perhaps sofenting us up so new timetable feels like an improvement !

I agree “putting up with it” is the story of the last 10+ years. Massive improvement needed for year at my local station and we aren’t getting it. Been using trains for commuting my whole life, from uni right through to work! I’m a massive fan of the railway and will continue to use it for leisure purposes such as my semi-regular trips to Inverness. However the car is a much more attractive option for commuting now, such a shame.

 

[jopsuk]

You're also confusing the claims made by the people of Cumbernauld. When they say 'it's near absolutely nothing', what they are referring to is a lack of entertainment venues such as a cinema. The complaint is irrelevant when it comes to the transport requirements of the 25-30,000 people living in the catchment area.

A map of 15 minutes walking time from the station

 

[31160]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but what change,if any, is the Glasgow QS to Falkirk grahamston via cumbernauld lickley to have in way of motive power? Are we expecting that to go over to EMU operation, thanks

 

[snookertam]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but what change,if any, is the Glasgow QS to Falkirk grahamston via cumbernauld lickley to have in way of motive power? Are we expecting that to go over to EMU operation, thanks

Is planned to be class 385 operation. Any delays with enough units being introduced and you'll likely some DMUs/365s/380s.

 

[Kite159]

I'm waiting for the announcement that Scotrail have leased some more 365s on a temporary basis so they can be modified to use as cover for the 385s for the new timetable, just to give more breathing space.

 

[davp]

Saying Linlithgow will have 4tph to Glasgow is misleading, it effectively has 2. It’s like saying Cumbernauld has 3tph to Glasgow. Also, 4tph to Edinburgh from Linlithgow has proven for years to be insufficient, and this still won’t be improved which is disappointing. Many people have quoted population stats at me, which in truth means very little when it comes to commuter stations.

I don’t commute from Bathgate so those trains might get the better end of the stick when it comes to Newbridge Junction but I can assure you Dunblane services are held there almost every day (usually for late running Bathgate services). I don’t know about Dunblane itself, but I can understand why some of them are annoyed about the new service. I certainly cannot see in any way what putting an extra 2tph through Newbridge and into Edinburgh will do for reliability. And again I do not see why 6-car all-stops Dunblane-Edinburgh services could not have been run to solve the supposed ‘capacity problem’ on Dunblane services.

As I’ve said many times, it will be what it’ll be and we’ll just have to put up with it but I’ll be in the car along with many others in December, which saddens me as a long time rail commuter.

Hard to work out your commute. If it's Linlithgow to Edinburgh then by your own determination there will be lighter trains during the peak given that you seem to think everyone in Cumbernauld will continue to travel from Croy. If it's to Glasgow then you will generally have approx 15% more capacity on the fast service and two new slower ones (that makes 4tph). If it's to Stirling or Larbert then it'll take longer. To Falkirk no change. It's not difficult to see that most people in Linlithgow will be better off if all goes to plan.

Given the situation with rolling stock, I reckon Scotrail deserve some credit if they pull this off well for the December change.

 

[Carntyne]

I doubt anything Scotrail do would make some people happy. Cutting journey times, adding more seats at stations which see capacity issues, bringing in new routes. bad Scotrail!

 

[snookertam]

I recall that ScotRail's publicity that class 380 units were getting introduced to the Glasgow Central to Neilston route after the Dec 2018 timetable change. I'm presuming that this is a direct swap of the units that were previously working the Edinburgh to North Berwick route now that the 385s will be here in enough numbers. I'd have thought that that Inverclyde routes may have been the first to get these given the unpopularity of the 314s that way. Anyone know if this is a long term change (if there ever is such a thing with ScotRail?!) or is it just until 385s come to the Glasgow Central routes.

The Neilston line was originally advertised as going to be 385 operation after they were introduced, is there a new plan for their routes out of Glasgow Central? Is there a plan?

 

[Southsider]

I recall that ScotRail's publicity that class 380 units were getting introduced to the Glasgow Central to Neilston route after the Dec 2018 timetable change. I'm presuming that this is a direct swap of the units that were previously working the Edinburgh to North Berwick route now that the 385s will be here in enough numbers. I'd have thought that that Inverclyde routes may have been the first to get these given the unpopularity of the 314s that way. Anyone know if this is a long term change (if there ever is such a thing with ScotRail?!) or is it just until 385s come to the Glasgow Central routes.

The Neilston line was originally advertised as going to be 385 operation after they were introduced, is there a new plan for their routes out of Glasgow Central? Is there a plan?

Was it ever actually stated that the four car units for Neilston would be 380s or is that just an assumption that has been made? I thought it was meant to be 385s though, while these are in short supply, could it be 365s until the end of their lease? There are too many just to run the Dunblane service. With six car 38X too long for the Neilston turnback will the service be limited to four car or will 318/320 be used? With 314s going off-lease it’s reasonable to assume a plan is in place but hasn’t been publicised.

 

[hexagon789]

Was it ever actually stated that the four car units for Neilston would be 380s or is that just an assumption that has been made?

ScotRail said as such on Twitter. Specifically mentioning 380s.

 

[Bikeman78]

Deleted

 

[snookertam]

Notable that ScotRail have published all their timetables from December 9th, except the Glasgow/Edinburgh-Aberdeen route. Wondering if they're hedging their bets on the introduction of the Aberdeen-Montrose and the Arbroath extension of the Edinburgh-Dundee service in case they end up without enough DMUs...

 

[InOban]

Not the only missing timetable. Central Scotland isn't there either, presumably because thay are waiting for the ORR to approve the OHLE for passenger use.

 

[snookertam]

Also noticed that IBM Halt on the Wemyss Bay line, as 318266 has pointed out in his update, appears to be closing. Completely wiped from the public timetable.

 

[InOban]

There's a whole thread on that!

 

[318266]

And it is here!

 

[JohnR]

Not even a parliamentary service for IBM?

 

[kilonewton]

Interesting map/graphic if you scroll down with commuter flows from Linlithgow. Not just rail but all commutes. Bears out the figures that the Linlithgow-Stirling flows by rail are small enough that the number of passengers affected by the “Grahamston change” are minimal.
https://www.usp.scot/Town?mainTownName=Linlithgow

 

[mcmad]

To be honest, having clicked on some of the other towns and cities I'd not trust their data. e.g. twice as many people commute from Stirling to Bridge of Allan than commute Stirling to Glasgow!

 

[Altnabreac]

To be honest, having clicked on some of the other towns and cities I'd not trust their data. e.g. twice as many people commute from Stirling to Bridge of Allan than commute Stirling to Glasgow!

Given that Stirling University is in BoA that seems quite plausible. There are a lot of Stirling University employees who live in Stirling.

 

[dtaylor84]

Given that Stirling University is in BoA that seems quite plausible. There are a lot of Stirling University employees who live in Stirling.

Why on earth would they get the train to the opposite end of the town, rather than the cheaper and more frequent buses that go directly to the university?

 

[Altnabreac]

Why on earth would they get the train to the opposite end of the town, rather than the cheaper and more frequent buses that go directly to the university?

Those statistics are for all commuters not just those by rail...

 

[dtaylor84]

Ah, thanks, I missed that...

 

[Stopper]

I think it’s fair to say that the information is both outdated and inaccurate. I went to Stirling University and the majority of lecturers/sports people seemed to come from Glasgow. Obviously a lot of the students live in flats in central Stirling though. However, having spent a lot of time working in Stirling, and at the train station, the idea that anywhere other than Glasgow is the main commuting destination is 100% false.

 

[Altnabreac]

Worth remembering that only 4% of people in employment in the Stirling Council area use train as their main method of commuting to work (compared to 66% by car, 9% on foot and 5% by bus) so any attempt to determine main commuting destinations by reference to people at the train station will not reflect the wider workplace trends.

 

[InOban]

The final Scotrail timetable - Central Scotland - is now online. I presume this means that the SDA electrification is passed for public use.

 

[Stopper]

15 minute wait at Falkirk Grahamston to connect Linlithgow/Polmont passengers is disappointing.

 

[JohnR]

The final Scotrail timetable - Central Scotland - is now online. I presume this means that the SDA electrification is passed for public use.

Edinburgh/Glasgow-Aberdeen isn't up. Still worried about the HSTs?

 

[Chrism20]

Looking at it the 1718 ex Edinburgh is due into Stirling at 1805 so assuming the standard 2 minutes for Stirling calls would be an 1807 departure. RTT has it taking 13 minutes from Stirling (Departing at 1818) to reach Dunblane so that would make an 1820 arrival. The 1741 Glasgow to Aberdeen is due into Dunblane at 1816.

I know RTT is possibly still a work in progress just now but looking at it for Stirling on December 12th the 1718 is going into P6 and then also has an Alloa service leaving P6 at 1813 (I can't see an earlier arrival that would show a waiting unit). The existing direct Alloa service ex Edinburgh (1734?) also doesn't seem to be there (at the moment) after the timetable change. Could this possibly be a double unit leaving Edinburgh with it splitting at Stirling - front portion to Alloa and the rear to Dunblane? If this is the case that more than likely explains the long wait for Dunblane passengers - 1. Allow the express through first bearing in mind it has to face the single line at Usan and 2. Splitting the units.

Going back to my post from a few weeks ago it would appear the 1718 ex Edinburgh does split at Stirling and this is the cause of the long wait for Dunblane passengers.

 

[EMU303]

Does anyone know why journey times between Queen St and Croy vary between a very fast 14 and a very slow 21 mins in the new timetable? Does that reflect specific scheduling of electric and diesel trains for individual journeys?