Stockport-Denton line closed

[northwichcat]

I've seen mentioned elsewhere that trains from Stockport can not go up the Denton line due to damaged infrastructure and that charter trains due to go that way are being re-routed. Does anyone have any more information on this?

 

[Whistler40145]

Yep, serious points failure & Heaton Norris Jn, they have been replaced with plain track until the new points are installed, the weekly Stockport-Stalybridge service isn't serving Stockport at present & Spitfire Railtours 'The Holy Oakes' was booked over this line to Manchester Victoria with the train continuing to Holyhead via Warrington Bank Quay. It will now reverse @ Manchester Piccadilly & go via Altrincham & Northwich.

 

[krisk]

I would hope not

Am I the only one who could see profit in this line if hooked up with other lines too?

 

[Flying Snail]

the weekly Stockport-Stalybridge service isn't serving Stockport at present

...just in case anyone had wondered how this service could be any more useless that it already was.

 

[142094]

...just in case anyone had wondered how this service could be any more useless that it already was.

What route will it take?
EDIT:

Just checked, I see it started at Reddish South! So must mean the unit had to go via Stalybridge and along to Reddish South, then back again?

Wonder if Northern would put that move as a passenger service instead of ECS?

 

[Whistler40145]

It must be running ECS from Newton Heath & starts @ Reddish South to Stalybridge.

 

[185]

They should go the whole hog and run it Picc-Ardwick-Reddish South on the outward

 

[142094]

How long until the new points are installed? Might give Northern an email and see what they say.

 

[Whistler40145]

Early April I've heard. I don't know how they were damaged though.

 

[12CSVT]

What route will it take?
EDIT:

Just checked, I see it started at Reddish South! So must mean the unit had to go via Stalybridge and along to Reddish South, then back again?

Wonder if Northern would put that move as a passenger service instead of ECS?

Does this mean they are required to run a replacement bus from Stockport to Reddish South to connect with the Stalybridge service ?

 

[GNERman]

Does this mean they are required to run a replacement bus from Stockport to Reddish South to connect with the Stalybridge service ?

Bus, for one service a week? I hope you mean taxi...

 

[northwichcat]

Does this mean they are required to run a replacement bus from Stockport to Reddish South to connect with the Stalybridge service ?

In the past when the usual Stockport-Stalybridge service couldn't be run Northern have just said "no service with no replacement bus." When FNW couldn't run the service (which was then scheduled to be on a Saturday) due to engineering works they ran a Friday afternoon Stalybridge-Stockport service instead.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Bus, for one service a week? I hope you mean taxi...

You'd need a minibus for the small group who meet at Stockport, catch the train to Stalybridge and then have drinks in the Stalybridge station bar.

 

[Saxonia]

What route will it take?
EDIT:

Just checked, I see it started at Reddish South! So must mean the unit had to go via Stalybridge and along to Reddish South, then back again?

Wonder if Northern would put that move as a passenger service instead of ECS?

The unit would have run from Man Vic, & then over the Ashton Moss-Denton line as ECS to Reddish Sth in order to pick up its truncated working - until the points are sorted out at Heaton Norris, Stockport punters are being conveyed by road transport instead.
It is also quite possible that the unit for this working sets out from Man Picc, & then reverses at Guide Bridge, in order to return to Reddish Sth to pick up the working - the guard normally travels from Man Picc to Stockport on a passenger train to pick up the 0922, whilst the unit does a bizarre circuit via Styal/Wilmslow (as ECS) in order to be at Stockport for 0922 - so looking at it now, it's most likely that driver, guard + unit set off together from Man Picc via Guide Bridge for the "ghost train".

 

[142094]

I've sent a message off to Northern to see what will be happening next Friday.

 

[Whistler40145]

By the way, Network Rail dropped a massive clanger by producing times for Spitfire Tours 'The Holy Oakes', booking it from Stockport to Manchester Victoria via Denton over the set of points that don't exist at Heaton Norris Jn! Passengers had times @ Manchester Victoria to join the mini-tour to Holyhead behind 37s.
Whoops, not going to Victoria & nobody knew it wasn't!
Second blooper, no path via Platforms 13/14 @ Piccadilly!
Only option, reverse in main platforms @ Piccadilly, back to Stockport & via Altrincham & Northwich behind 57601, bad news for those that wanted 37 haulage to Holyhead!

How incompetent can Network Rail be?

 

[Sox]

I've sent a message off to Northern to see what will be happening next Friday.

The Stockport-Stalybridge "parliamentary" train service has recently appeared on my radar.

Any luck with your e-mail to Northern?

Has anyone else any updates, were the points fixed?

 

[northwichcat]

By the way, Network Rail dropped a massive clanger by producing times for Spitfire Tours 'The Holy Oakes', booking it from Stockport to Manchester Victoria via Denton over the set of points that don't exist at Heaton Norris Jn! Passengers had times @ Manchester Victoria to join the mini-tour to Holyhead behind 37s.
Whoops, not going to Victoria & nobody knew it wasn't!
Second blooper, no path via Platforms 13/14 @ Piccadilly!
Only option, reverse in main platforms @ Piccadilly, back to Stockport & via Altrincham & Northwich behind 57601, bad news for those that wanted 37 haulage to Holyhead!

The diversion via Altrincham was announced in advance and Network Rail produced new timings for that tour. The timings that were released are here: http://www.mcrua.org.uk/chairmansbl...11/03/Weston-Super-Mare-Holyhead-26-03-11.pdf

If people turned up at Victoria expecting the train isn't that more a case of poor communication by Spitfire Tours opposed to a Network Rail failure?

 

[table38]

If people turned up at Victoria expecting the train isn't that more a case of poor communication by Spitfire Tours opposed to a Network Rail failure?

I got a text from Spitfire re the change, but I knew about it long before that thanks to Drimnagh Road posting it on here

 

[Whistler40145]

jcollins, I was under the impression that Network Rail hadn't given Spitfire the amended times.

 

[142094]

The Stockport-Stalybridge "parliamentary" train service has recently appeared on my radar.

Any luck with your e-mail to Northern?

Has anyone else any updates, were the points fixed?

Only received an automatic reply. Probably have forgotten that they run the service I expect...

 

[CompactDstrxion]

Only received an automatic reply. Probably have forgotten that they run the service I expect...

I emailed Northern ages ago with a fares enquiry and that's all I got.

 

[142094]

I emailed Northern ages ago with a fares enquiry and that's all I got.

Not exactly great. Last time I e-mailed them about a job they got back to me quite quickly.

 

[northwichcat]

I must have sent Northern around 20 emails/letters and each time they've sent back generic responses. Even when I've put in a claim for compensation for delays/cancellations they haven't changed the default template to indicate why the delay/cancellation happened. They've also ignored emails and when I followed them up they replied that they never received it but still don't respond to the original comment.

The only time I've got a proper response from Northern was when I wrote to MP regarding Northern Rail. He then wrote to the CEO of Northern and got a proper response signed by the CEO.

 

[142094]

Only proper response I've had was when a service was delayed by 1 and a half hours, and that was the letter that arrived in the post. E-mail wise they aren't very good. I still have the freepost address somewhere so might start sending questions in that way and see what happens, which isn't ideal when you want a quick answer.

 

[northwichcat]

E-mail wise they aren't very good.

When I received humorous emails that have been forwarded on to various different people, somewhere in the middle of the email trial there's always a load of Northern Rail email addresses. I think they've got some people in an office somewhere who spend more time reading and forwarding on humorous emails than doing their own work.

 

[142094]

When I received humorous emails that have been forwarded on to various different people, somewhere in the middle of the email trial there's always a load of Northern Rail email addresses. I think they've got some people in an office somewhere who spend more time reading and forwarding on humorous emails than doing their own work.

It seems a bit odd to me that they have customer services based in Leeds then other offices in York and Manchester. They even have two seperate payrolls (although that is probably left over from FNW and ATN).

 

[northwichcat]

It seems a bit odd to me that they have customer services based in Leeds then other offices in York and Manchester. They even have two seperate payrolls (although that is probably left over from FNW and ATN).

I've not paid by card at a station recently but it used to be the case that if you did at a former FNW ticket office then your statement showed the payment as being made to "Northern Rail West".

 

[142094]

I've not paid by card at a station recently but it used to be the case that if you did at a former FNW ticket office then your statement showed the payment as being made to "Northern Rail West".

I used to work for the DWP and had to get information from Northern about payments they had made to us. Bit of a faff seeing as the payment was made in one lump yet the breakdowns came either from Manchester or York, so reconceilling was a nightmare.

Looking at some of my recent statements, cash machines at some of East Coast's stations are still referred to as British Rail, GNER and Nat Ex.

 

[Sox]

Any update on above or does anyone know who to contact for info?

 

[northwichcat]

Any update on above or does anyone know who to contact for info?

Stockport-Reddish South remains inaccessible. Northern are not operating any replacement road transport and advising people from Stockport for Stalybridge or Reddish to travel via Manchester as they would on any other day of the week.