Transpennine Express December 2019 Proposals

[Nicholas Lewis]

Apparently the 6th Jan is now dead as we all expected

New date for a full service is 27th Jan although I imagine this may also be extended.

Looks like the Liverpool-Edinburghs are now scaled back to 31/1 from TPE site

https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/december-2019-timetable-changes

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

You can tell how carefully TPE has updated the text of the cancellations when there is still "Does not run on 24 December" in there.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You can tell how carefully TPE has updated the text of the cancellations when there is still "Does not run on 24 December" in there.

Might even be an advance warning of "things to come"....

 

[DanBlanchflowe]

No need to shout.
Did the 'average passenger' think to check the TPE website or ask the conductor on the TPE train?

However, RTT shows that the train did run all the way to Edinburgh, albeit arriving 29 minutes late - having been delayed at Manchester Victoria and again just south of Newcastle.

Sorry I got it wrong regarding the cancellation. I should not have shouted about my general frustration of the limited working together of TOC's to accomodate other TOC's passengers. I remember it was so different with a unified BR.

 

[transmanche]

Sorry I got it wrong regarding the cancellation. I should not have shouted about my general frustration of the limited working together of TOC's to accomodate other TOC's passengers.

(I didn't mention this specifically before, as it didn't seem relevant being as the TPE service operated all the way to Edinburgh.)

TPE has arranged for ticket acceptance on LNER services "if there is no TPE service within one hour of the booked departure time" - hence my comment about 'the average passenger' checking the website or speaking to the TPE conductor. Should the 06:24 ex-Liverpool be curtailed at Newcastle tomorrow, then 'the average passenger' with a TPE-only ticket would be accepted on the next LNER departures - the 09:47 and the 09:54 from Newcastle. That's a whole 14 minutes after the XC departure that they wouldn't be permitted to use.

Given the circumstances, that doesn't seem too bad.

 

[E100]

I've been keeping somewhat of an eye on TPE so far this year via Journey check. By and large they do appear to be making the temporary timetable work with many Nova's in service on Edinburgh to Liverpool via Newcastle and not loads of cancellations. Credit where credit is due, though on a temporary timetable...

 

[47271]

I've done a lot of travel between York and Manchester over the past two days and, whilst I've had late running caused by congestion, there's been nothing amiss as far as the scheduled services are concerned.

Have they turned a corner, or have I just been lucky?

 

[johntea]

Shapps gave them a kick up the bum basically

https://www,twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1217370002224971776

Yesterday I called in bosses from
@TPExpressTrains
@networkrail
@hitachirailEU
and CAF to explain the poor service passengers received in December & January. I have told them they must get their act together since I won't hesitate to escalate this futher. #TheYp

 

[PG]

Shapps gave them a kick up the bum basically

https://www,twitter.com/grantshapps/status/1217370002224971776

I'm not fully up to speed with this Twitter malarkey but isn't the point to provide near real-time information?
So why leave it till today to tweet about something he did yesterday...

Edit: and isn't he ultimately the boss of Network Rail?... Perhaps he just wore two hats

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I'm not fully up to speed with this Twitter malarkey but isn't the point to provide near real-time information?
So why leave it till today to tweet about something he did yesterday...
Edit: and isn't he ultimately the boss of Network Rail?... Perhaps he just wore two hats

He can't tell Network Rail what to do on a day to day basis, they have a 5-year settlement determined by ORR (for 2019-24).
TPE has a franchise contract which also puts them at arms length, and DfT has obligations too.
He doesn't have any direct contractual power over Hitachi or CAF - their contracts will be with Roscos and the TOCs.

The Shapps tweet it time-stamped at 1256 on the 15th so presumably sent in the early hours of the following day.

 

[PG]

He can't tell Network Rail what to do on a day to day basis, they have a 5-year settlement determined by ORR (for 2019-24).
TPE has a franchise contract which also puts them at arms length, and DfT has obligations too.
He doesn't have any direct contractual power over Hitachi or CAF - their contracts will be with Roscos and the TOCs.

The Shapps tweet it time-stamped at 1256 on the 15th so presumably sent in the early hours of the following day.

Fair enough, I just think its the usual hot air crowing of a government minister saying but not actually doing anything, all the northern folk who voted Tory must be delighted seeing his tweet

I doubt CAF are wetting themselves in case he stops hesitating and "escalates things further"...

 

[td97]

More delays in return of a full service - seems to be an uplift in MF services for the period 3-14 Feb, but still not a full timetable.
For SO there is again a partial reintroduction on 8 Feb
SuO is apparently the full timetabled service as of 26 Jan, which seems ambitious but time will tell. Also for Northern, who for the first time in months may be able to pull off a reasonable Sunday service.
Full details at https://tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/december-2019-timetable-changes

 

[TPlanner93]

I was awaiting this post!

Looks to be a fairly big reintroduction at least, only 4 pre-cancelled services in each direction between Liverpool & Newcastle.

Clearly still unacceptable and we await to see how many "unplanned" cancellations there will be.

 

[Staffordian]

More delays in return of a full service - seems to be an uplift in MF services for the period 3-14 Feb, but still not a full timetable.
For SO there is again a partial reintroduction on 8 Feb
SuO is apparently the full timetabled service as of 26 Jan, which seems ambitious but time will tell. Also for Northern, who for the first time in months may be able to pull off a reasonable Sunday service.
Full details at https://tpexpress.co.uk/travel-updates/december-2019-timetable-changes

Although a full timetabled service is planned for Sun 26 Jan, it is by no means a normal timetable as the Standedge Route is closed for engineering works. According to RTT, the following services on the ‘North Transpennine’ route will run (all hourly):
Liverpool - Manchester Victoria
Manchester Airport - York via Calder Valley
Manchester Victoria - Scarborough via Calder Valley
York - Redcar Central
York - Newcastle (one jny extended to Edinburgh)
Leeds - Hull

I would imagine these will require far fewer resources than a ‘standard’ Sunday, which probably explains why a ‘full’ service is planned.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I was awaiting this post!

Looks to be a fairly big reintroduction at least, only 4 pre-cancelled services in each direction between Liverpool & Newcastle.

Clearly still unacceptable and we await to see how many "unplanned" cancellations there will be.

Im not deriding the complexity of introducing the new trains alongside running the existing service but they are paid handsomely (there CEO is best paid TOC MD) to have worked this out properly, understood the impact on the services they are contractually obliged to provide so passengers know what they are doing. The same excuse is still on there from 2019 not even updated it to apologise and share with there customers what the challenges are. I bet they still had the trains in the booking systems til last week as well.

 

[Jamesrob637]

So, the end of the first week of TPE's "proper" timetable. How has it fared?

 

[PG]

So, the end of the first week of TPE's "proper" timetable. How has it fared?

The absence of postings here would point towards an improvement over previous months I'm assuming?

 

[tpjm]

It’s probably not a good idea to judge TPE performance based on last week...
3 fatalities, 4 Northern unit failures and a boat load of storm related service disruption caused by displaced trains. A bad week for TOCs in the North all round!

 

[northernchris]

It’s probably not a good idea to judge TPE performance based on last week...
3 fatalities, 4 Northern unit failures and a boat load of storm related service disruption caused by displaced trains. A bad week for TOCs in the North all round!

Don't forget the cancellations caused by lack of crew!

 

[Starmill]

The absence of postings here would point towards an improvement over previous months I'm assuming?

That is a very optimistic way to put it.

 

[PG]

That is a very optimistic way to put it.

Brings to mind the title of an 80's song "The sun always shines on tv"

 

[47271]

Well, whenever I've been passing through Waverley or Newcastle this week and I've seen the word 'Cancelled' on the screen I've thought 'that'll be Transpennine'. And it is.

 

[transmanche]

Well, whenever I've been passing through Waverley or Newcastle this week and I've seen the word 'Cancelled' on the screen I've thought 'that'll be Transpennine'. And it is.

Although comparing PPM figures for TPE North Transpennine with LNER Anglo-Scottish for the past week shows that TPE had better stats for six out of the seven days.

LNER Anglo-Scottish (excl. Aberdeen & Inverness services)

• Sat 15 Feb: 27.4%
• Sun 16 Feb: 52.3%
• Mon 17 Feb: 27%
• Tue 18 Feb: 74.6%
• Wed 19 Feb: 82.5%
• Thu 20 Feb: 69.8%
• Fri 21 Feb: 56.3%

TPE North Transpennine

• Sat 15 Feb: 72.6%
• Sun 16 Feb: 82.9%
• Mon 17 Feb: 69.1%
• Tue 18 Feb: 82.9%
• Wed 19 Feb: 69.4%
• Thu 20 Feb: 76.1%
• Fri 21 Feb: 74.4%

Source: trains.im/ppmhistorical

 

[swt_passenger]

The absence of postings here would point towards an improvement over previous months I'm assuming?

Or that most of the discussion has taken place in the threads about individual TPE traction types. EG gaps in the ECML Edinburgh service are discussed within the TPE class 802 thread.

PS

There’s another general thread running about TPE “Abysmal Performance” here:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/tpe-abysmal-performance.200288/
that also contains far more recent comments than this one.

 

[47271]

Although comparing PPM figures for TPE North Transpennine with LNER Anglo-Scottish for the past week shows that TPE had better stats for six out of the seven days.

LNER Anglo-Scottish (excl. Aberdeen & Inverness services)

• Sat 15 Feb: 27.4%
• Sun 16 Feb: 52.3%
• Mon 17 Feb: 27%
• Tue 18 Feb: 74.6%
• Wed 19 Feb: 82.5%
• Thu 20 Feb: 69.8%
• Fri 21 Feb: 56.3%

TPE North Transpennine

• Sat 15 Feb: 72.6%
• Sun 16 Feb: 82.9%
• Mon 17 Feb: 69.1%
• Tue 18 Feb: 82.9%
• Wed 19 Feb: 69.4%
• Thu 20 Feb: 76.1%
• Fri 21 Feb: 74.4%

Source: trains.im/ppmhistorical

It was Tuesday I was thinking of. I've double checked on RTT in case I was making it up in my own mind, and I wasn't. What's significant is that TPE was responsible for the only cancellations on three separate viewings of large departure boards, once at Edinburgh, and twice at Newcastle. The one at Edinburgh didn't even relate to their north of Newcastle service.

I caught the 1000 Edinburgh-King's Cross to Newcastle and the only cancellation on the board was the 1012 to Manchester Airport ('issue with train crew' says RTT). When I got to Newcastle, the only cancellation on the board was the 1221 to Edinburgh ('issue with train crew'). I went about my business in Newcastle and came back to catch the 1902 to King's Cross and noticed that the only cancellation on the board was the 1909 to Liverpool ('issue with train crew').

Do they have an issue with train crew maybe?

Joking apart, on that showing it'll be quite some time before I make them my operator of choice in situations where I have a choice.