Tight changing times.

[Prodigy]

Okay, so to make my way home from University each day I have get the train from Bolton to Manchester Victoria then get the train from Manchester Victoria to Mossley. Usually due to the time I finish I catch the 3 minutes past the hour service from Bolton to Manchester Victoria (Final stop Rochdale). The train I get to Mossley leaves Victoria at 27 minutes past the hour so you'd think there'd be plenty of time to change, however for some reason the train towards Rochdale stops outside Victoria for around 5 minutes (sometimes longer) and leaves me with a Maximum of two minutes to change arriving at Victoria at 25 past, it's very often a lot less. This change is extremely difficult to do, especially considering the train towards Rochdale always goes in on Platform 6 and the one I need to change on to is on Platform 1. It wouldn't bother me if the train towards Rochdale got into Victoria at 25 past without stopping, but the fact is it does, for a good 5 minutes... Also I don't see why it has to go in on Platform 6? I'm presuming this is the reason it's waiting around as the 22 minutes past service to Blackpool North leaves from Platform 6, why can't the Rochdale service just use another platform?

I may seem like I'm complaining here, but there's a high chance I may miss the connection, and having just had a tiring time in University I just want to get home, not wait around an hour for another train. Do Northern not take these things into account when coming up with timetables an the platform the train goes in at?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Well you don't say what hour of the day you are travelling so I picked one at random....

14:07 Wigan Wallgate (arr ????) Platform 3
14:10 Kirkby (arr 14:06) Platform 5
14:22 Blackpool North (arr 13:47) Platform 6
14:30 Rochdale (arr 14:25) platform 6
14:33 Wigan Wallgate (arr 14:25) platform 5
14:39 Liverpool Lime Street (arr 14:35) platform 3
14:46 Southport (arr 14:11) Platform 4
14:48 Selby (arr 14:33) platform 4

So you see, the platforms are quite busy.

 

[175001]

The XX.03 off BON to RCD, is timetabled to arrive in at XX.25, to allow the XX.22 Blackpool to depart Platform 6 and clear the signals I'm afraid. It is also platformed into 6 as it then gets a straight path onto the Up Fast, which means it doesn't have to affect traffic on all other lines.

Its the way it is i'm afraid, Vic's a popular station these days, if only the monstrosity on top of the place wasn't there and all platforms were still there eh.....

 

[Yew]

I think some of the folks here have managed a -1 connection in the past

 

[Prodigy]

I guess, I mean I can put up with it no problem but it's just a pain in the arse that I could have to wait another hour to get home. I may just start to get the 56 service towards Hazel Grove, get off at Deansgate and get the tram to Victoria. More messing about but the one time I did that it got me to Victoria at around 22 minutes past..

 

[dvboy]

I think some of the folks here have managed a -1 connection in the past

I often do connections at SGB off the Wolves-Birmingham line onto the Snow Hill line to Snow Hill and some of these are as short as 1 minute.

It's worth the change if the connection is less than 5 because work is closer to Snow Hill and therefore further to walk from BHM (especially if my train comes into platform 1).

 

[Cherry_Picker]

There are at least six trains per hour from Smethwick Galton Bridge high level to Snow Hill pretty much all day though. It doesnt sting quite as badly if you miss a one minute connection if the next train is only six or seven minutes away.

 

[dvboy]

There are at least six trains per hour from Smethwick Galton Bridge high level to Snow Hill pretty much all day though. It doesnt sting quite as badly if you miss a one minute connection if the next train is only six or seven minutes away.

Actually there's only 4 most hours, with a 5th in the 0700-0800 hour.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Are you sure about that? Trains from Galton Bridge to Snow Hill typically go at xx:06, xx:16, xx:26, xx:36, xx:46 and xx:56 all day. That is six trains per hour, three to Whitlocks End via Shirley, three to Dorridge via Solihull. All stop at Snow Hill and Moor Street. They run slightly less often before 07:30 and after 18:30, and drop to half hourly after 19:45, but during office hours there is a train pretty much every ten minutes between Galton Bridge and Snow Hill.
I know you said you are changing off of a New Street bound train in your example as Snow Hill is closer to your place of work so it is worth changing, but if you factor in the New Street service (typically xx:05, xx:20, xx:34 and xx:40) then Smethwick Galton Bridge has ten trains per hour into central Birmingham. If you miss your train by a minute or two there, your wait for the next train will usually be so short that you can hardly call yourself stranded.

 

[jopsuk]

timetabling, especially in busy, complex areas with mixes of long and short distance services, is rather complex. Not every connection can be easily catered for- that's just the way it is.

 

[Zoidberg]

Well, I did not expect this when I opened the thread. Going by the thread title, I expected a hosiery related discussion.

 

[dvboy]

Are you sure about that? Trains from Galton Bridge to Snow Hill typically go at xx:06, xx:16, xx:26, xx:36, xx:46 and xx:56 all day. That is six trains per hour, three to Whitlocks End via Shirley, three to Dorridge via Solihull. All stop at Snow Hill and Moor Street. They run slightly less often before 07:30 and after 18:30, and drop to half hourly after 19:45, but during office hours there is a train pretty much every ten minutes between Galton Bridge and Snow Hill.
I know you said you are changing off of a New Street bound train in your example as Snow Hill is closer to your place of work so it is worth changing, but if you factor in the New Street service (typically xx:05, xx:20, xx:34 and xx:40) then Smethwick Galton Bridge has ten trains per hour into central Birmingham. If you miss your train by a minute or two there, your wait for the next train will usually be so short that you can hardly call yourself stranded.

Sorry you are completely correct, it's 4tph to New Street!