When disruption leads to an enhanced service

[TheSel]

Northern Rail's website is presently advising the following disruption:


13:58 Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly due 14:55
Last updated 11:18:41 28/07/2019

13:58 Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly due 14:55 will call additionally at Dove Holes.
This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires earlier today.


It goes on to show the amended timetable for this service:

Calling at
Station Scheduled Expected
Buxton 13:58 13:58
Dove Holes 14:00
Chapel-En-Le-Frith 14:07 14:07
Whaley Bridge 14:14 14:14
Furness Vale 14:17 14:17
New Mills Newtown 14:20 14:20
Disley 14:24 14:24
Middlewood 14:27 14:27
Hazel Grove 14:32 14:32
Woodsmoor 14:35 14:35
Davenport 14:37 14:37
Stockport 14:45 14:45
Manchester Piccadilly 14:55 14:55


Two questions.

1 Where are there any "overhead electric wires" in the Dove Holes area which could have lead to this disruption?

2 Given that this "disruption" doesn't change any of the scheduled station calls even by a single minute, why can't this train be scheduled to call at Dove Holes even at times of non-disruption?

 

[Bletchleyite]

1 Where are there any "overhead electric wires" in the Dove Holes area which could have lead to this disruption?

The branch is electrified as far as Hazel Grove. Most likely the previous or following train which was going to call there was cancelled.

2 Given that this "disruption" doesn't change any of the scheduled station calls even by a single minute, why can't this train be scheduled to call at Dove Holes even at times of non-disruption?

It'll probably just arrive late. But I don't really know, and indeed they always used to.

 

[HotelNovember]

Previous train 1300 Buxton-Man Picc cancelled (which called at Dove Holes) - inwards stock 1149 Man Picc-Buxton also cancelled, due to crew displacement, with the root cause being earlier overhead wire issues.

Therefore 1358 called additionally and lost 2 minutes doing so.

 

[PHILIPE]

Explanations give the root cause, in other words, some other event had a knock on effect on this service.

 

[Dr_Paul]

There was a thread on this topic a few months back. One example I gave is when the Windsor Lines from Waterloo are out between Clapham Junction and Barnes, and Kingston gets a Clapham Junction and Waterloo only service, as the Reading trains are diverted from Clapham Junction through Kingston, stopping only there, and reversed at Twickenham. On normal days, all services to and from Kingston are all-stations.

 

[SoccerHQ]

Cross city line annual disruption, express service to Sutton Coldfield from New Street. I live in Sutton, brilliant stuff.

 

[TheSel]

Previous train 1300 Buxton-Man Picc cancelled (which called at Dove Holes) - inwards stock 1149 Man Picc-Buxton also cancelled, due to crew displacement, with the root cause being earlier overhead wire issues.

Therefore 1358 called additionally and lost 2 minutes doing so.

Many thanks for the explanation. It all makes sense now - although there's still the somewhat moot point that if there is the capacity for this train to call at Dove Holes in these circumstances, could it not always do so, thus enhancing the service level there?

 

[PHILIPE]

Many thanks for the explanation. It all makes sense now - although there's still the somewhat moot point that if there is the capacity for this train to call at Dove Holes in these circumstances, could it not always do so, thus enhancing the service level there?

The Timetable is prepared according to the specification laid down by the DFT and which requires only alternate ones to call there. This happens all over the system where not all services call at all stations and has only come to light because it called additionally today due to the previous service turning back at Hazel Grove and therefore not reaching Buxton.