TRIVIA: Replacement Bus Services calling at stations off line of route

[30907]

Is it because of the general bus deregulation that this all is possible in the UK? Over here in my area in Germany there's currently a longer bus substitution and that goes past all the major innercity interchanges and just stops close to railway stations (which are not in really useful places due to topography). Otherwise it would be considered an unlawful competition to the city buses. There are sometimes to this rule exceptions in rural areas where stations might really be way off from where people live/work/shop, but in urban areas it's quite strict.

I think it's longstanding - but the examples we've had are almost all of buses serving different NR (LUL for Hammersmith-Heathrow) stations and I doubt they abstract any significant local traffic.

One we've missed (I think) is Newbury Park LUL which is a regular terminus for Colchester line RRBs when Liverpool St is closed.

 

[SargeNpton]

Another longstanding one on the Southern is the Catford Loop RRB which IIRC runs from Herne Hill to Denmark Hill AND then from Beckenham Hill to (or via) Beckenham Jn. Both perfectly logical when you look at the road map.

Not sure what happens about Ravensbourne these days, but for a long time the road outside was unadopted (it is in Lewisham LB and no-one would pay for it!) which caused problems.

From a recent Thameslink notice when the Catford loop was closed: "Tickets will be accepted on local TFL buses to serve Ravensbourne and Nunhead;"

 

[Class 170101]

One we've missed (I think) is Newbury Park LUL which is a regular terminus for Colchester line RRBs when Liverpool St is closed.

Mentioned about three times I think

 

[urbophile]

The south end of Merseyrail Northern Line has some strange RRB routes. I used to travel from Cressington to Moorfields, and the bus took a circuitous route first to Liverpool Central, passing right by James Street station. As by this time we were already much later than the train would have been, I asked the driver to stop (it is only a short walk to Moorfields and nearer to my destination). He said 'this isn't a bus, it's a train, and we only stop at stations' to which I replied 'this is a station" and he said ' yes but not one of ours'. He let me get off, reluctantly. It would have taken at least another ten minutes to double back to Central then on to Moorfields. Normally the usual service bus (82) is quicker and more frequent but I doubt if rail tickets (as opposed to Merseytravel passes) would be accepted.

 

[Huntergreed]

If I’m correct, don’t Avanti RRB’s between Glasgow and Carlisle often stop at Lockerbie? (Hardly any avanti trains stop here)

I’m sure the old virgin RRB’s used to do that before the franchise switched.

 

[30907]

From a recent Thameslink notice when the Catford loop was closed: "Tickets will be accepted on local TFL buses to serve Ravensbourne and Nunhead;"

Thanks. Skipping Nunhead is a new one on me. Mind you, back in the day one option was to divert trains Nunhead-Lewisham-Mid Kent-Beckenham Jn, so maybe I'm conflating two different RRB routes.

Mentioned about three times I think

Only once, but I missed it, oops!

 

[EllieAquitrain]

I'm a regular driver of the Hammersmith to Heathrow T23 rail replacement route

I spent a good five minutes wondering where the numbering came from for the T23 route from Hammersmith to Heathrow, and why hadn't I heard of this RRB numbering system before?

 

[RJ]

And which bus was that?

It's a random Enviro 400 - the gearbox was reprogrammed to give more power when accelerating and it happily sits at 60mph which came in handy on those dead runs to and from Heathrow Terminal 5! There were a few of them at the depot but most were moved to West London or sold to other operators. There's only one left at the depot like this now. That particular depot likes to heavily restrict the performance of their buses - a lot of them are limited to 28mph and have fuel pumps that are programmed to only supply fuel to the engine at anything up to 45 seconds after the throttle is depressed!

 

[RJ]

I spent a good five minutes wondering where the numbering came from for the T23 route from Hammersmith to Heathrow, and why hadn't I heard of this RRB numbering system before?

Sorry about that The actual route number for the Heathrow branch replacement service is PL1.

 

[Class800]

Depends on the driver, but when a bus replacement is in operation through Cranbrook Devon, some will serve Cranbrook Tillhouse Road in addition to Cranbrook Railway Station - exactly on line of bus route - doesn't have a station - but saves a 15 minute trudge on foot - as many people live up there. But it just depends on the driver this one...

 

[C J Snarzell]

Having worked in rail replacement myself, it isn't uncommon for coach drivers to go to stations they are not required to call at.

I remember a coach driver doing a run between Rochdale & Halifax - he needed to call at Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge, but he ended up calling at all of the smaller stations (Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Walsden) which you drive past anyway between Rochdale & Tody.

As a controller you might be working in a time critical situation - you haven't necessarily got the time to go through a full station list with the driver. Depending on how busy you are, you have to just get them to refer to a timetable and a network map.

If they end up going to 'unnecessary' stations it is far better than missing stations completely and getting 'standed' passengers being put through to Customer Information Controllers who will then bend their ears, which result in them bending your ears too!!!

CJ

 

[Class800]

There is a slight difference between calling at additional stations and taking extra bus stops that aren't stations

 

[matt_world2004]

The GwR replacement buses from Slough call at Hillingdon station.

 

[4COR]

The Oxted line buses usually run to Purley. Giving a direct ‘service’ between Purley and Oxted.

I was going to add this, and thought that when I lived that way (many years back!) that further down the line at E Grinstead, the RRB ran to Three Bridges? (Thus restoring a long lost service...)

 

[Class800]

Another one: recently replacement buses on the North Kent line (Greenwich branch) ran through to Deptford as expected, but then went on to New Cross - for rail connections to London Bridge, as no trains were running from Deptford. This means buses didn't need to go to Central London - probably would have taken a lot longer.

 

[David Goddard]

There have in the past (I think it was during the Reading rebuild) been replacement buses for Cross Country between Oxford and Winchester which have called at Newbury, for connections to Reading.

 

[choochoochoo]

When the ECML is shut between Welwyn Garden City and Finsbury Park, Great Northern often run a RRB via Oakwood Tube station to allow passengers the option of faster access to London.

 

[Bungle965]

I remember a coach driver doing a run between Rochdale & Halifax - he needed to call at Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Sowerby Bridge, but he ended up calling at all of the smaller stations (Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Walsden) which you drive past anyway between Rochdale & Tody.

Serving Smithy Bridge can sometimes be difficult unless you have a vehicle that fits under the low bridge coming into Littleborough from the Hollingworth Lake direction, otherwise you have to double back on yourself. I recall that in one occasion it was simply served by a minibus which connected into the coach service.

 

[185143]

Think it's already been mentioned, but local services on the South WCML usually see RRBs to Stanmore LU.

 

[jfisher21]

Replacement buses on the East London Line south of New Cross Gate normally have an extra call at Selhurst. They have to pass the station anyway, so may as well stop I suppose!

 

[squizzler]

My experience of the area suggests that the replacement services currently operating on the Heart of Wales line would drop you off at your house, at least in the villages north of Llandovery, if you asked nicely.

 

[transmanche]

On the T&W Metro, if the route from South Gosforth towards the coast is closed, RRBs will start/terminate at Regent Centre. Similarly, if the line is closed from Benton towards the coast, RRBs will start/terminate at Four Lane Ends.

Both Regent Centre and Four Lane Ends are larger interchanges with bus stations. Much easier for handling buses (and passengers) than South Gosforth and Benton stations.

 

[Melancholia]

When the GWML was still being electrified between Maidenhead & Hayes & Harlington, I remember there were RRBs from Maidenhead to High Wycombe for connections into London.

 

[M60lad]

Not sure if its been mentioned but whenever the West Coast Mainline is shut for major works there seems to be a Rail Replacement bus that runs between Macclesfield and Wilmslow odd as Macclesfield is not normally linked to Wilmslow when the trains are running.

Also whenever the Glossop line is shut a minibus normally replaces the train services between Broadbottom and Glossop while the main Replacements stick to the main road due to the tight bridge at Broadbottom.

 

[jopsuk]

in recent times it's been common when the Cambridge-Newmarket line is closed for most of the replacement buses to call at Cambridge North

 

[Trainfan344]

During the recent Wherry Lines resignalling project on the weekends Lowestoft to Norwich buses were also calling at Beccles which then required a reverse out of the car park.

 

[Class 170101]

in recent times it's been common when the Cambridge-Newmarket line is closed for most of the replacement buses to call at Cambridge North

No bus parking at Cambridge these days due to all the flats around the station.

 

[Melancholia]

Another one I remember is when the Slough to Windsor & Eton Central branch line is shut, RRBs run from Slough to Windsor & Eton Riverside instead.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Back when it ran, the Huddersfield to Wakefield Westgate services called at Kirkgate, then reversed and around the curve to Westgate. When bustitution was in place, the buses would serve Westgate first (as the main road in from Huddersfield becomes Westgate) and then cut through the city centre to Kirkgate. It wasn't unheard of for drivers to ask if anyone needed Kirkgate, so they could have a longer break if nobody did!

 

[TB]

In the past at least, when there has been replacement buses on the Little North Western, they don't serve stations in the same sequence as trains.

You would either get the bus to Lancaster calling at all stops to Wennington then straight to Lancaster, with passengers for Bare Lane, Morecambe & Carnforth changing to a train (or another bus at Lancaster), or the bus would be advertised as going to Morecambe, but would call at all stations to Wennington, then straight to Lancaster, then Bare Lane, Morecambe and terminating at Carnforth.