Sign my petition!

[steve158]

can everyone sign my petition to keep the stourbridge town rail service! thanks.

http://new.petitiononline.com/SBT12345/petition.html

 

[Z12XE]

I assume were you say it'll go over to Light Rail Tram, it means those Parry Milk Floats?

Surely those 16 guards aren't solely used on that line either?


Dont take this as me being against your petition, I'm all for it. My concern is that these silly Parry things will start appearing on lines a lot longer, where they would be totally unsuitable

 

[ChrisM]

I'll sign it as i would rather a 153 then a ugly thing like the pepole mover.
Also what happens if it breaks down. :?

 

[taw valley]

yay im number 1 lol

 

[Z12XE]

Also what happens if it breaks down. :?

You have to get out and push

 

[The Snap]

Done...!

 

[matt]

Also what happens if it breaks down. :?

What happens if a 153 breaks done?


I dont know how much this service is used, it was virtually empty last time I went on it. If a People Mover is cheaper then it will save CT money which they could spend else where

 

[Z12XE]

What happens if a 153 breaks done?

Another unit with the same coupling and route clearance can go and rescue it

If a People Mover is cheaper then it will save CT money which they could spend else where

I should hope its cheaper, but is it suitable for peak periods? OK its only a short journey but can you physically fit everyone in the PPM?

 

[ChrisM]

Also what happens if it breaks down. :?

You have to get out and push

Or pick it up and carry it away.

 

[Techniquest]

I cannot sign this petition based on the fact that the PPM is able to release a 153 for use elsewhere on the CT network, adding extra capacity and therefore making many people's journey a much better one. I'd rather have the additional capacity at peak times to enable other passengers to get a seat and minimalise standing passengers. Indeed, on certain services to/from Hereford they could justify putting just that 153 on the service, as the first service of the day is hardly worth sending a 170 out for! I can't remember whether it runs straight back to Birmingham then or whether it runs all the way to Nottingham, if the latter then a 170 would have to come out I guess.

Still, that extra 60-70 seats (however many it is on a 153) could be extremely useful on the more rural parts of the CT network, especially during the summer on the Skegness services, where capacity is sought after to the same extent as cold drinks and suncream.

Hence I cannot sign this petition. I have already covered the line on a 153 years ago, so I don't have to worry about doing it myself again. Don't have a need to go up that way either, so it's an issue I cannot back.

 

[Bonnie Prince Charlie]

Hence I cannot sign this petition. I have already covered the line on a 153 years ago, so I don't have to worry about doing it myself again. Don't have a need to go up that way either, so it's an issue I cannot back.

Very selfish of yourself!

 

[yorkie]

FGWFan - you give some valid reasons why you are not backing it in the first two paragraphs, but then in your final paragraph it appears your reasons include the fact you've done the line on a 153, which is a regrettable conclusion to an otherwise good argument.

 

[Techniquest]

It was a rushed ending to the argument. Since I've posted that, I have since concluded that I should have ended the post with the following, instead of what I typed last night:

Due to the above posted reasons, I do not feel my signing of the petition would have good reason behind it. If, on the other hand, it had been a limited peak-hour commuter service from, say, Worcester to Stourbridge Town or from Birmingham to Stourbridge Junction and onto Town, using limited lines and was well used, then being threatened for withdrawal from the CT network, I would have good reason to put my name to this petition.

However, this is not the case, and is merely a line and service (which is very frequent, I would expect, if I didn't already know better, that it would be used in the peak times only to enable commuters to return from work in, say, Worcester, to the bus station by the Town station to get home.) that, off-peak, is not used much whatsoever, a 153 has far more capacity than is required for this route. The PPM is perfect for the route due to its releasing of a DMU required for use elsewhere, as well as for providing just the right amount of capacity for the route, IMO.

It is hoped this is a better conclusion than last night's conclusion, which as stated above was rushed out so as to use my connection more productively. Currently I'm in an Internet cafe where time is still limited but I have more productivity on it due to the PC and connection working in harmony with each other, unlike my home PC where I usually post from.

Regards,
FGWFan.

 

[AlexS]

Loadings don't require anything more than one of those horrible Parry things anyway. The 153 could be better used elsewhere - either attached to a 150 on the Walsall lines as occurs sometimes, or shipped over to Eastcroft for use in Lincolnshire where they need it.

To be honest, the loadings wouldn't fill a People Mover, and they are developing a larger one for this purpose. As to what happened last time the 153 failed, they got another to drag it out and dump it on Chiltern's LMD for a while till it got taken back to Tyseley at the end of the day.

Sensible move from Central Trains and Centro.

 

[Ben]

What does this people Mover thingy look like?

 

[Techniquest]

Agreed 100%.

It basically comes down to the following possible scenario (OK, as far as I'm aware it might happen every day, I'm going to try and be positive for now and say it shouldn't happen too often):

You're in Barnetby, been waiting for some time for your train back to Lincoln Central for a connecting service to Peterborough where you're getting a 170 to Norwich. As can be guessed, this journey is quite long, and you'd probably not want to return too early in the day, so one missed connection could result in huge delays en-route. Your service is booked to run at 1634 off Barnetby. However, a unit failure in Telford, all the way over the other side of the Midlands, has resulted in stock for the intended service is short. It's now 1640. There's no sign of the service. 1650, and you find that the service has been cancelled due to no stock being available for it. It's quite some time til the next service, plus your connections are out the window.

In this sort of scenario, would you not rather have even just a 153 to provide the service, it having been freed from Stourbridge Town - Junction duties due to the PPM taking over? Or would you rather get home hours later, risking a long wait in the cold for a service that may never show up, as the only stock available was stuck on a branch line which could be run by a PPM?

My answer would be the same as most people's IMO, in that I'd rather have that 153 taking me onwards to Lincoln for the connection to Peterborough and Norwich.

Point is, leave the PPM on there where it is, let the 153 go somewhere useful.

 

[Techniquest]

What does this people Mover thingy look like?

Can't remember where the pictures of it are, it's been photted in the magazines last month. Have a search on Google for it, you might just find it.

 

[The Gricer]

What does this people Mover thingy look like?

Damon assures me that it is the PPM80.
See this page for picture and info.

Frank

 

[AJP]

I signed it,Trams suck

 

[Ben]

Damon assures me that it is the PPM80.
See this page for picture and info.

Frank

Cheers Frank

 

[heart-of-wessex]

i agree with those who are not agreeing, the 153 has too much seats for such a small line, however maybe something a bit longer (half the size of a 153 maybe?) would do for seats.

a question about the PPM however, i noticed theres one cab in the pics ive seen with the 'bonnet' end first, so how does it go back? put it in reverse and look over your sholder/mirror as you do in a car? or is there another mini cab at the back?


cheers
James.

 

[Nick W]

Is the stourbridge town line really neccessary.

Can't you cycle faster than it (including waiting and change time)?

 

[Dennis]

Is the stourbridge town line really neccessary.

Can't you cycle faster than it (including waiting and change time)?

I'm sure I could cycle faster, only problem is I don't take my bike with me when I visit Stourbridge.

PPM seems like a sound idea to me on this route.

 

[Mojo]

Is the stourbridge town line really neccessary.

Can't you cycle faster than it (including waiting and change time)?

What I've heard from a former CT Senior Conductor is that it's mostly used by oldies on subsidised passes anyways , who probably wouldn't cycle

 

[Dennis]

What I've heard from a former CT Senior Conductor is that it's mostly used by oldies on subsidised passes anyways , who probably wouldn't cycle

Turn the route into a guided wheelchair way then!!

 

[ChrisM]

Turn the route into a guided wheelchair way then!!

Not a bad idea.
Only been on the route twice and it was busy but have to agree that most were old people.

 

[Nick W]

The line is tiny compared to stourbridge and it seems that the only purpose for it is to serve the bus station.

Would be it cheaper to keep running the railway or move the bus station to the junction station and divert bus services (maybe using a guideway on the old rail).

 

[Z12XE]

(maybe using a guideway on the old rail).

But then you've added unnecessary cost.

If a train is no longer an option, then something should be used which can run on the railway with no large £££, i.e a tram, plus there's the fact that Bus Sux and are totally useless when it comes to carrying additional items.

Once they see that people will accept an inferior form of transport (PPM or Bus) then they will start spreading to other lines which are perfectly fine with their current train service.

 

[Techniquest]

heart-of-wessex and I did this route yesterday. 153356 had about 300% more capacity than would ever be used on a single journey, even on a busy Sunday shopping morning and evening.

Where the PPM is kept we couldn't determine, we didn't see it anywhere. Pity it isn't running on other days, would have enjoyed the chance to do the PPM. Still, maybe one day.

 

[richa2002]

In my eyes, if the only way a branch line can be saved is to have a PPM on it then I'm all for it!