XC Unadvertised Service

[miked]

Last night I was waiting at Bham New Street for the normal 22:03 service to Nottingham, stood on platform 10A next to the usual class 170, then all of a sudden everyone crosses the platform, to platform 11A and dives on a Voyager which was sitting there that made a 22:00 service to Derby stopping at Tamworth and Burton on Trent. The train manager from the 22:03 train said the other service (22:00) would leave first, so what was this 22:00 service to Derby? Nothing advertised on the departure boards, and nothing on any rail app, plus why a service 3 minutes before another?

 

[Minilad]

It was formed of 220029 as 1T77. That unit, by diagram, should have gone to CZ as 5D77 so my guess is they had available crew to enable running an additional to relieve the 2203 as New St was expected to be very busy last night

 

[Smethwickian]

That is indeed an extra service during the Christmas shopping and German Christmas Market period in Birmingham city centre - I recall seeing it advertised on a poster at Burton-on-Trent last week but can't remember exactly which dates it will operate. The poster also carried advice to people not to leave it until the last train to depart Birmingham as services are generally expected to be very busy.

 

[muug1982]

There has been an extra service on Saturday nights to Nuneaton as well, calling Coleshill Parkway only