Southport to Manchester Piccadilly services to be reinstated

[Bletchleyite]

I also forgot that if you're going south or west on Metrolink, Oxford Road and the short walk to St Peter's Square will be much, much quicker than going via Picc (and twice as many trams to Altrincham, too).

 

[faltskog36abba]

I would have thought that with Victoria having two trans Pennine services that avoid oxford road, An extra Blackburn train and Chester trains would bump up the passenger numbers. You are right though and lets see what happens in December.

 

[Statto]

There will be 3 key reasons for that. First of all P13/14 is miles away from the rest of it. Secondly P13/14 is a nasty experience. Oxford Road, while not having a dedicated facility, also has excellent interchange onto Oxford Road buses.

Also More importantly Oxford Road is within walking distance down the same road, to the University,

 

[6Gman]

How hard can it be?! Walk for 3 minutes through Cathedral Gardens and you'll be in the Arndale Centre.

Which is an even more depressing place than Victoria!



Seriously, I'm not surprised that Southport would prefer Piccadilly to Victoria for a range of reasons.

 

[Dunc108]

I also forgot that if you're going south or west on Metrolink, Oxford Road and the short walk to St Peter's Square will be much, much quicker than going via Picc (and twice as many trams to Altrincham, too).

Victoria is pretty much the TPE hub with the bulk of Newcastle & Scarborough services calling (although 2 come off the Chord) From December it gets an hourly service to Edinburgh via the ECML. I'm sure that'll bump up station usage numbers even higher.

Southport might get services back to Piccadilly but it will be still served by the same dated units - don't bank on getting 195s anytime soon. Even when it had Airport services they were regularly doubled up Pacers. I don't think Southport is important enough as a destination to warrant long distance services beyond Manchester. It will always pale in comparison to Blackpool's rail services with through trains to London, York etc and overhead electrification.

 

[Statto]

I find it far easier to connect to Metrolink at Victoria than from P13/14 at Piccadilly, going to P13/14 at Piccadilly always feels a pain in the backside.

 

[Mogster]

Southport might get services back to Piccadilly but it will be still served by the same dated units - don't bank on getting 195s anytime soon. Even when it had Airport services they were regularly doubled up Pacers. I don't think Southport is important enough as a destination to warrant long distance services beyond Manchester. It will always pale in comparison to Blackpool's rail services with through trains to London, York etc and overhead electrification.

The Southport Line (and Atherton) has always been treated as the arse end of Northern’s network.

 

[Whisky Papa]

I am slightly surprised nobody has pointed out that Piccadilly is much more convenient for Northern's own offices on Travis Street, although I'm sure that is entirely coincidental.

 

[Geeves]

What amuses me is that there was potential that Southport to Leeds could well have seen 195s, the Wigan section that remains might well do, it currently has 158s on the diagrams now. The moaners of Southport have cut themselves off from the higher quality Calder Valley diagrams are now going to be lumbered with slow as hell 769s (one day) or more likely death by 150 while the Wiganers and the Atherton line will have more space (now its not full of Southport line passengers), a more reliable services and higher quality trains calling.

Should be the best thing to happen to the Atherton line for a good while.