PHILIPE
Veteran Member
The problem with getting passengers to trains after the match was purely and simply too great a number to manage.
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Trains and the Rugby World Cup
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BestWestern
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Yup, entirely feasible; entirely doable.
VisualAcid
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I'd feel sorry for them but none of the Everton fans had tickets on my train
no idea why the barriers were open at Swansea.So glad to see all the people on here busy slaughtering FGW, ATW and XC - what a surprise. And your solutions are...?
Lots of extra trains presumably - even though there were plenty laid on already - never mind where more are going to come from, whether there are paths for them, who will crew them - and pay for their use. Even if SWT, to take but one example, was even prepared to release stock for such purposes in the first place.
I especially liked the bit about XC and the four-car Voyager and three-car 170. Their fleet is at full stretch every day of the week and fails to cope with their normal traffic, so what else do you expect them to provide on days like this? Bring out an HST? Two are already diagrammed all day and the others are in Plymouth and Edinburgh, so hardly handy for offering assistance on the Manchester-Birmingham-Glos-Cardiff run...
While I was at Gloucester watching Georgia beat Tonga, the chap sat next to me got a call from a friend who had used XC to get from Cheltenham to Cardiff for the Ireland game and had a seat all the way, so those diverted Voyagers were clearly of some use.
Though by the standards of the day described below, the rail - and road - problems yesterday were rather modest:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...les-of-traffic-on-M4-ahead-of-music-gigs.html
But I suppose the Welsh Government and the Highways Agency are rather less obvious targets than the train operators, so less likely to incur the wrath of people bleating on Twitter.
Meanwhile at Gloucester all ran pretty much to plan. I was only travelling from Cheltenham and had no seating problems as I was on FGW HSTs both ways, though they were considerably busier for that leg of a journey than a normal Saturday. No queues at the station after the game, so straight on to the train.
And on October 10 there is an England rugby union game at the City of Manchester Stadium the same evening as the Rugby League Super League grand final at Old Trafford. My advice would be to avoid Manchester and trains and roads for miles around for most of the day
Each sport will do what it likes, same as the concert promoters did what they liked back on that evening in June. The people in charge couldn't give a monkey's about the consequences for the railways or roads. There have been plenty of examples when they have scheduled fixtures at places like Wembley despite there being long-planned rail closures affecting Chiltern or the WCML.
Lots of extra trains presumably - even though there were plenty laid on already - never mind where more are going to come from, whether there are paths for them, who will crew them - and pay for their use. Even if SWT, to take but one example, was even prepared to release stock for such purposes in the first place.
I especially liked the bit about XC and the four-car Voyager and three-car 170. Their fleet is at full stretch every day of the week and fails to cope with their normal traffic, so what else do you expect them to provide on days like this? Bring out an HST? Two are already diagrammed all day and the others are in Plymouth and Edinburgh, so hardly handy for offering assistance on the Manchester-Birmingham-Glos-Cardiff run...
While I was at Gloucester watching Georgia beat Tonga, the chap sat next to me got a call from a friend who had used XC to get from Cheltenham to Cardiff for the Ireland game and had a seat all the way, so those diverted Voyagers were clearly of some use.
Though by the standards of the day described below, the rail - and road - problems yesterday were rather modest:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...les-of-traffic-on-M4-ahead-of-music-gigs.html
But I suppose the Welsh Government and the Highways Agency are rather less obvious targets than the train operators, so less likely to incur the wrath of people bleating on Twitter.
Meanwhile at Gloucester all ran pretty much to plan. I was only travelling from Cheltenham and had no seating problems as I was on FGW HSTs both ways, though they were considerably busier for that leg of a journey than a normal Saturday. No queues at the station after the game, so straight on to the train.
And on October 10 there is an England rugby union game at the City of Manchester Stadium the same evening as the Rugby League Super League grand final at Old Trafford. My advice would be to avoid Manchester and trains and roads for miles around for most of the day
Each sport will do what it likes, same as the concert promoters did what they liked back on that evening in June. The people in charge couldn't give a monkey's about the consequences for the railways or roads. There have been plenty of examples when they have scheduled fixtures at places like Wembley despite there being long-planned rail closures affecting Chiltern or the WCML.
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PHILIPE
Veteran Member
The LHCS Crewe to Cardiff and return subsequently cancelled. I was surprised to see it in the first place. A new one, 11 35 Cardiff to Manchester starting back from Pencoed.
BestWestern
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How is today looking so far?
Nice queues building up on the westbound M4 at the Severn Bridge toll barrier and at Newport apparently, according to BBC travel news.
Thameslink is short of crews for Brighton services but no sign of other issues with the trains around RWC venues thus far.
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PHILIPE
Veteran Member
Reports on FGW Twitter, passengers unable to board trains at Bristol Parkway.
Re ATW, complaints at Cwmbran 10 09 Hereford to Fishguard only 3 Carriages and running 45 late (ECS delayed by Engineering overrun) and that next train cancelled (LHCS ex Crewe pre-cancelled as posted elsewhere).
1D53
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Apart from the HST that was sat on Neville Hill all say.
Actually looks as though today's main sporting event is going to be the great British public whinging on FGW's Twitter feed...
I expect the overturned car currently blocking two lanes of the M4 westbound between junctions 5 and 6 is FGW's fault as well.
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I'll ask again, who is going to pay for its use?
You? Thought not.
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
Not at all. There are only a couple of local services booked all day between Bristol TM and Cardiff on a Sunday. The hourly Portsmouths are running almost normally (I say almost because of starting/terminating Salisbury due Engineering Work). The HSTs are pre-planned specials and nothing to do with yesterdays fiasco.
There are certainly lessons to be learned and improvements to be made but for all those bleating that they've had 4 years to plan, what did you think would happen? The government would sort out the chronic shortage of rolling stock? There is only so much a TOC can do, particularly bearing in mind that it has to run services to all the places non-rugby fans want to go to too!
Unfortunately, the grief that train crew cop from the frustrated travelling public doesn't do much to inspire you to volunteer to work a rugby special when you're rest day that day.
Unfortunately, the grief that train crew cop from the frustrated travelling public doesn't do much to inspire you to volunteer to work a rugby special when you're rest day that day.
The issue with bolting an extra 158 or 159 on at Salisbury (If SWT even wanted to lend one) is that most platforms between Salisbury and Severn Tunnel Junction (Warminster, Trowbridge, Bradford-On-Avon, Oldfield Park, Filton Abbey Wood(?), Severn Tunnel Junction (?)) can only fit 5 carriages maximum, which is what some of the services were already running with. Most of these stations are busy and local door wouldn't be feasible. Bath and Westbury could probably fit up to 8 and some platforms at Temple Meads, Newport and Cardiff Central are very long and could probably fit up to 10 - And even if such a 'crowd buster' service did sound good on paper, FGW aren't going to have the stock to work it.
Looking on RTT, the valley line trains seemed to remain fairly punctual! (Not including Maesteg & Ebbw Vale) One diagram seemed to be cancelled in the afternoon/evening due to a train fault but everything else seemed to be okay!
Looking on RTT, the valley line trains seemed to remain fairly punctual! (Not including Maesteg & Ebbw Vale) One diagram seemed to be cancelled in the afternoon/evening due to a train fault but everything else seemed to be okay!
VisualAcid
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The valley lines are pretty separate though and there isn't thousands of Irish people up there, which I think was the main problem yesterday.
What route were the loco hauled trains doing yesterday? Saw an 11 carriage mixture around about 12 at Central. Some of the interiors looked quite modern!
berneyarms
Established Member
Around 16:15 or so.
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
Paddington to Cardiff. They've been mentioned several times in the thread.
Thanks, did you read the tweet exchange subsequently? Chap complains he had to take a taxi yesterday, is asked by XC where he was travelling, turns out Bristol to Cardiff.:roll:
This shews what a nonsense all these separate companies are as far as the travelling public are concerned.
berneyarms
Established Member
Frankly I actually suspect that most people travelling by train to the event wouldn't have an issue with paying a little extra if it came to it.
The vast majority of people travelling between London and Cardiff yesterday would have been Irish fans living in the London area, and most of them wouldn't be regular travellers on the route. Price really is not such a big issue for those travelling to these sort of events - people just want to get there and back speedily and efficiently and in general don't mind paying a little extra if necessary.
From a TOC perspective yesterday would have been a bad day from an image perspective.and it really would not inspire people who don't use the train to use it again. That's a shame as it was a great opportunity to demonstrate what the railway can do.
Lessons need to be learnt and fast considering it all happens again in three weeks time.
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PHILIPE
Veteran Member
I hope you don't think I'm too pedantic. One train is not a diagram It is a train/service. A diagram is the scheduled work for a resource for the day or in the case of train crew, their turn of duty.
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Is this post a joke ? Last time I checked you could catch trains for Cardiff there
I thought that only office workers would use that station, anyone else would go to Bristol parkway.
PHILIPE
Veteran Member
There's plenty of residential property in the area. There was a station there before the offices came although a little along the line. A new station was built when the offices arrived and the old one closed. I'm sure many people would avoid Parkway due parking charges.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Advances exist to sell unsold capacity at a discount price. The capacity would be sold without them, therefore they should not exist.
Well actually the customers would be paying via ticket sales... 524 seats + standing capacity vs 200 for a voyager or 166 for a 3 car 170 with first.
The problem with the current ticketing system for events like this is there is no mechanism to prevent ticketing agents and/or TOC's from selling capacity that doesn't exist. The seated capacity between CDF and BHM direct from 16:00 to 19:45 is only 1,200 even with the strengthening they've done.
Do no get me wrong this isn't just a XC problem but a TOC wide issue with major event capacity. FGW are in a little better position (approx 2,100 seats) due to their fleet being of higher capacity, even still they are also completed done for.
When a major event is on with extreme travel requirements wouldn't it make more sense to cancel anytime ticket sales and only sell AP's without allocated seats.
With all due respect, was that sarcasm, it's difficult sometimes to tell on forums.
If so would you mind explaining why else it wouldn't be workable? Presumably too much paperwork etc?
HarleyDavidson
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No they don't and they're on MBM and as of December they'll be working even harder with extra services via YPM, CLC & WSB to Waterloo.
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What's with this infernal fixation about money? Is it coming out of your pocket? No!
Let's give people a train which would otherwise be doing nothing & put the thing in service and if it loads up nicely & takes the pressure off normal services, then it's earning, whereas if it's in a siding doing nowt then it's not earning.
The only issue I can see is that you may have a problem supplying train crew.
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