WSMR Struggling?

[Galvanize]

he said is valid

Looked like he was trying to say isn't but thanks for pointing that out.

 

[TDK]

The line has a restricted speed for locos.

The line has restricted speed for any apart for Chiltern, a good move a few years back to make the line unviable to other users, will be interesting when Chiltern start their 67 loco hauled services from Banbury to London, how long will it take the speed to be enhanced?

 

[Snapper]

The line has restricted speed for any apart for Chiltern, a good move a few years back to make the line unviable to other users, will be interesting when Chiltern start their 67 loco hauled services from Banbury to London, how long will it take the speed to be enhanced?

It's a nice conspiracy theory, but it ignores the reality, which is that NR manage the track (and therefore the line speed) - not Chiltern.

 

[Sir_Clagalot]

Someone I know has been on the WSMR, and coming out of Marylebone the TM made an announcement along the lines of "To keep the train to time and to aid Locomotive Performance Can Passengers Please turn off their Mobile phones". My reaction was 'huh?'
Cheers

 

[metrocammel]

When did you last book one then?

Because you do these days, if the train is reservable - and has done for sometime. Just observe all the reservations on FGW....that aren't taken up. And CrossCountry.

Try a saver on either TOC....

It depends which site you book thru'. Yes, on thetrainline, and systems based on that system, it will give you a reservation if they are available- which will mean anyone buying say, a SVR from Wrexham to London can click on the WSMR service, and get a seat booked on it. Whcih may well be a high proportion of pax... I don't know. (Possibly ask a WSMR employee, who may know?) If you book on the NXEC booking system, which many people prefer due to it's ease of use, that doesn't automatically reserve you a seat, and it actually states that you shouldn't click a particular train, unless you wish to reserve a seat. IMO, that is a far better system, as, in experience, there so many seats reserved on trains, and the pax never turn up- because they have randomly clicked a train on the trainline, because it's compulsory to click a train- even if you don't know when you are travelling!

 

[Proud Salopian]

I'll be travelling Shrewsbury-Marylebone and back with WSMR next Wednesday... looking forward to it!

As for the service struggling... maybe. It wouldn't surprise me if they cut down a bit from this winter, with fewer trains on Sundays? and some trains starting at Shrewsbury rather than Wrexham.

 

[TDK]

It's a nice conspiracy theory, but it ignores the reality, which is that NR manage the track (and therefore the line speed) - not Chiltern.

The railway is run on conspiricy However you are correct, has anyone any idea of the reasons why the linespeed is restricted for everything except 16x's? The speed for loco and stock in the Fenny Compton area is 75mph and I feel this is the most fragile part of the route! If this is so why do engine and stock have to travel at 70mph vice 75mph from Risborough to Northolt Jct? I think this was an old dated restriction due to the jointed track that has now been replaced with welded! NR need to pull their finger out with these restriction I feel to add benefit to the passengers and operating compaines.
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I'll be travelling Shrewsbury-Marylebone and back with WSMR next Wednesday... looking forward to it!

As for the service struggling... maybe. It wouldn't surprise me if they cut down a bit from this winter, with fewer trains on Sundays? and some trains starting at Shrewsbury rather than Wrexham.

Weekends are the busiest for WSMR especially Sundays so maybe an extra service should be added that taking one out! The train crewe depot is at Wrexham so starting at Shrewsbury would be pointless.

 

[Proud Salopian]

Maybe they should move the depot then! :-P

Is WSMR mostly used by leisure travellers? I guess if so then the weekend services would be busy and quite safe. What I hope is that the journey times to London will fall as the years go by and more business travellers use WSMR rather than Virmin.

 

[Chris B]

I believe on the Elgar style tickets you got an automatic reservation and so if you book online and get the tickets posted you would get a reservation. But if you ToD and collect at the station on a non-AP ticket you wouldn't get an automatic reservation.

Just go and try & book any saver on any train with reservable seating & you'll see that the Trainline reserves you a seat....you don't need to pay for it!

(that assumes the train you select still has reservable seats, of course!)

 

[Metroland]

The speed for loco and stock in the Fenny Compton area is 75mph and I feel this is the most fragile part of the route!

Yep, that's mostly down to a landslide that happened in the 60s, when the Blue Pullman nearly came to grief. The rest of course is 90mph, but that's been like that for a very long time.

 

[Chris B]

will be interesting when Chiltern start their 67 loco hauled services from Banbury to London

Got any more info on this? What's your source?
Being quite close to Chiltern management, I've heard nothing yet.....except that they might use a loco & coaches as far as *Bicester North*, but that was some time ago, and it's gone very quiet recently.

 

[paul1609]

The line has restricted speed for any apart for Chiltern, a good move a few years back to make the line unviable to other users, will be interesting when Chiltern start their 67 loco hauled services from Banbury to London, how long will it take the speed to be enhanced?

Bit of a slur on Chiltern I would say!
The reality is that when Chiltern took over the line had 1 DMU aan hour and had been singled between Anyho and Princess Risboro. I'd say that the Chiltern line was the top sucess of the privitisation era!

 

[The Planner]

Got any more info on this? What's your source?
Being quite close to Chiltern management, I've heard nothing yet.....except that they might use a loco & coaches as far as *Bicester North*, but that was some time ago, and it's gone very quiet recently.

Little bird told me Chiltern were looking at a Moor St - Marylebone "Pullman" service with a loco hauled set as the 168 leasing costs are more than what it would be to run a loco !!

With regards to speeds, the differentials on the down at Princes Risbrough, Bicester and at Aynho are being raised and the differential on the up between Aynho and Bicester is going to go up to 85 for locos.

 

[djw1981]

Got any more info on this? What's your source?
Being quite close to Chiltern management, I've heard nothing yet.....except that they might use a loco & coaches as far as *Bicester North*, but that was some time ago, and it's gone very quiet recently.

It was detailed as happening in a recent new blurb in either RAIL or Modern Railways. Due to start in December.
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See also http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18354&highlight=chiltern+loco

 

[glynn80]

Just go and try & book any saver on any train with reservable seating & you'll see that the Trainline reserves you a seat....you don't need to pay for it!

(that assumes the train you select still has reservable seats, of course!)

Noone is arguing with you? If you read my post I said if you book online you will get a reservation "if posted"? I know I have had ToD Savers and recieved NO reservations, this being a ticket purchased through TheTrainline!

 

[TDK]

Agreed, Chiltern is in a league of their own when comparing them with any other TOC. The staff like the company, the management is excellent and the service was at the top of the league with PPM. It still doesn't stop them protecting their monopoly into Marylebone except for WSMR who are closely connected to Chiltern anyway. It's not as bad as what Virgin are doing with their WCML monoploly.