Trans-pennine service reorganisation

[Waverley125]

if I remember rightly, one of the plans in the Northern Hub is to run all TPX services between Leeds & Manchester Vic as Hudersfield only, and to add a second slower service between Leeds & Piccadilly to serve the larger towns inbetween.

Here's my problem. If you look at the towns west of Huddersfield (Slaithwaite, Marsden, Greenfield, Mossley & Stalbyridge), the biggest at 22,000 is Stalybridge. If you look at the towns east of Huddersfield (Mirfield, Dewsbury, Batley & Morley) the SMALLEST of them (Mirfield) is 22,000 while the largest (Batley & Dewsbury) are 50,000. It seems to make little sense, to me, to slow down services to far more people for the benefit of a few.

So here's my thought.

With TP electrification, I am fully onboard with Huddersfield-only services, both because it should reduce times into Leeds to about 15 minutes, and because of the capacity of extra services it will deliver. But here's the nub. Lots of places lose their services. Would it not be better to maintain Huddersfield as the split-point for East & Westbound stoppers, e.g.

Leeds, calling

Deighton
Mirfield
Ravensthorpe
Dewsbury
Batley
Morley
White Rose Centre *
Cottingley
Low Wortley *
LEEDS

*new station

and west to Manchester, calling

Golcar*
Slaithwaite
Marsden
Diggle*
Greenfield
Mossley
Stalybridge
Guide Bridge
MANCHESTER PICCADILLY

additionally, solve the need for stoppers by running through Brighouse & Caldervale, e.g.

Morley
Batley
Dewsbury
Brighouse
Sowerby Bridge
Todmorden
Rochdale
MANCHESTER VICTORIA

 

[northwichcat]

I don't really get your point.

Stalybridge is set to gain more Manchester services than it loses and gain a second direct service to Leeds every hour but it loses a Scarborough service. Doesn't that benefit the majority of Stalybridge residents?

Dewsbury will have two Manchester-Leeds semi-fasts instead of the two North TPE services and keep all it's current stoppers. OK, no real benefits for Dewsbury but no disadvantages for the majority - Huddersfield and Leeds passengers at Dewsbury, not Newcastle and Scarborough passengers.

As for putting more stations in just outside the centre of Huddersfield and Leeds, unless the train frequency is enhanced those places will have much more frequent buses, so could finish up being white elephant stations.

 

[table38]

As someone who travels to Liverpool and York fairly frequently, I'll reserve my judgement until I see what the connection times are like

One advantage at the moment is that, travelling west, services are often wedged until Manchester, but then I'm in prime position to nab a seat all the way to Liverpool.

Travelling east, I can nearly always get a seat as the service doesn't really fill up until Huddersfield.

 

[northwichcat]

As someone who travels to Liverpool and York fairly frequently

I imagine long term the Stalybridge-Lime Street stoppers will continue but there may be a temporary truncation due to Chat Moss electrification being before Stalybridge electrification.

Travelling east, I can nearly always get a seat as the service doesn't really fill up until Huddersfield.

Some peak time Liverpool to Scarborough services are full and standing before the Manchester Piccadilly passengers board.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I imagine long term the Stalybridge-Lime Street stoppers will continue but there may be a temporary truncation due to Chat Moss electrification being before Stalybridge electrification.

RAIL mag reports that TfGM et al are currently looking at running the Stalybridge terminator from Wigan, as opposed to having 2tph to Liverpool.