Xmas Period Extra Trains Opportunity?

[TOCDriver]

lol You aint doing nothing if Network Rail and their signallers don't agree with it. And they see Xmas as an ideal opportunity for a rest (signallers) and to do some work unhindered (engineers).

 

[Bevan Price]

Whilst I agree not everyone is able to take between Christmas and New Year off from work, a large majority will. Saturday 27th will be quiet for travel with most travelling back on the Sunday. Christmas Eve will be busy and I doubt East Coast have run enough trains to Scotland to cope with demand.

I disagree about Saturday 27th. I think there will be a lot of post-Christmas shopping trips into the large cities, (at least those cities which have an actual rail service rather than rail replacement buses.) A lot of "Sales" start on 27 December - some even start on 26 December, but only the roads are likely to be busy on Boxing Day.

 

[dk1]

Every year I watch the limited rail service struggle to cope on the 27th. Always been the same for some reason. So many people want to travel having been caged in for 2 whole days. I'm sure there is more behind it as so many crews sitting idle & cutting each other out.

 

[Tomnick]

lol You aint doing nothing if Network Rail and their signallers don't agree with it. And they see Xmas as an ideal opportunity for a rest (signallers) and to do some work unhindered (engineers).

Since when have we (the signalmen) had any input into the planned level of service?!

 

[TOCDriver]

Since when have we (the signalmen) had any input into the planned level of service?!

None, but your bosses have.

 

[jopsuk]

There's a pretty limited market of journies where "East Coast or West Coast" is an actual viable choice- though granted it puts pressure on the Midland Mainline

 

[rmt4ever]

All this fuss every year. Passengers know Xmas to new year trains are chaotic. If you are that desperate to travel book early as soon as tickets are released to get a guaranteed seat!

I blame westfields for everything that is wrong with England. Corporate greed! HAVING to have the shops open dead early Boxing Day. One day won't hurt for sales. Get a life everyone and have a few days off for Christmas.

Ps shut the railway from 1700hrs Xmas eve till 12noon 27th (and then run a half service till the 2nd Jan!)

Simple!

 

[Mark62]

Years ago the Xmas new year period was great fun on the ECML with many loco hauled short sets bing put on to run. I managed to sample many of these between 87 and 91. Gosh I remember a double header streaking through berwick on tweed with 2x47''s with no more than 7 MK 1's on. These trains usually ran non stop between Edinburgh and Newcastle. Newcastle to York and Doncaster to London. Some stopped at Peterborough. They were usually given way too much running time and arrived extremely early as drivers had a bit of fun. Good days and gone forever.

 

[yorksrob]

All this fuss every year. Passengers know Xmas to new year trains are chaotic. If you are that desperate to travel book early as soon as tickets are released to get a guaranteed seat!

I blame westfields for everything that is wrong with England. Corporate greed! HAVING to have the shops open dead early Boxing Day. One day won't hurt for sales. Get a life everyone and have a few days off for Christmas.

Ps shut the railway from 1700hrs Xmas eve till 12noon 27th (and then run a half service till the 2nd Jan!)

Simple!

I'm not sure I'd fancy being sat indoors for two days (possibly four if the 24'th and 27'th are write-off's due to early shut down and late starting).

 

[scarby]

I blame westfields for everything that is wrong with England. Corporate greed! HAVING to have the shops open dead early Boxing Day. One day won't hurt for sales. Get a life everyone and have a few days off for Christmas.

Simple!

That would be one thing if December 26 was just about shopping.

But there is also a huge programme of sport including major fixtures.

Also airports open with numerous flights, naturally people arriving as well as departing.

Transport, um, how?

 

[Tomnick]

None, but your bosses have.

Not really, unless it's something really unusual - if it's compliant with the planning rules and inside the box opening hours, then it goes. The planners are all powerful here!

 

[Hyphen]

I blame westfields for everything that is wrong with England.

But not Scotland/Wales/NI?

Corporate greed! HAVING to have the shops open dead early Boxing Day. One day won't hurt for sales.

I'm fairly sure the shopping centres are only reacting to demand. If the consumer didn't want them to open on Boxing Day and wouldn't leave the house to travel to these locations, I dare say the shops just wouldn't open.

Get a life everyone and have a few days off for Christmas.

I hate Christmas. With a passion.

Ps shut the railway from 1700hrs Xmas eve till 12noon 27th (and then run a half service till the 2nd Jan!)

I don't see how that would solve anything - it'd just cause even more problems with overcrowding. Remember, it's in the railway's best interest to run services to reflect what passengers want to do (a bit like the shops then), not to try and suppress demand for shopping by leaving as many people as possible on platforms.

 

[455driver]

I hate Christmas.

I love Christmas, I hate Consumerfest though!

 

[Rich McLean]

Won't be long before shops open Xmas day

 

[Class 170101]

Didn't the shops threaten that some years ago so the government passed a law to stop them?

 

[Antman]

All this fuss every year. Passengers know Xmas to new year trains are chaotic. If you are that desperate to travel book early as soon as tickets are released to get a guaranteed seat!

I blame westfields for everything that is wrong with England. Corporate greed! HAVING to have the shops open dead early Boxing Day. One day won't hurt for sales. Get a life everyone and have a few days off for Christmas.

Ps shut the railway from 1700hrs Xmas eve till 12noon 27th (and then run a half service till the 2nd Jan!)

Simple!

Not quite that simple.

I certainly wouldn't want to go shopping on Boxing day but clearly many people do and as previously mentioned there are various sporting events.

Don't most (all?) other European countries have trains running throughout the Christmas holiday?

 

[185143]

Whilst I agree not everyone is able to take between Christmas and New Year off from work, a large majority will. Saturday 27th will be quiet for travel with most travelling back on the Sunday. Christmas Eve will be busy and I doubt East Coast have run enough trains to Scotland to cope with demand.

I was on the last pendo to Scotland. Boarded at Crewe, alighted at Warrington and it was standing room only

 

[455driver]

I was on the last pendo to Scotland. Boarded at Crewe, alighted at Warrington and it was standing room only

Thats because everyone wants to catch the last trains, I would say the ones before were reasonably loaded although still busy.

 

[6Gman]

Won't be long before shops open Xmas day

Some shops already do. Corner shop near me open 10-12 and 1600-2000.

 

[30907]

Some shops already do. Corner shop near me open 10-12 and 1600-2000.

Because the Sunday Trading law doesn't apply to small shops.
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.

I certainly wouldn't want to go shopping on Boxing day but clearly many people do and as previously mentioned there are various sporting events.

Don't most (all?) other European countries have trains running throughout the Christmas holiday?

Yes, but the shops aren't generally open

 

[185143]

I was on the last pendo to Scotland. Boarded at Crewe, alighted at Warrington and it was standing room only

Thats because everyone wants to catch the last trains, I would say the ones before were reasonably loaded although still busy.

I know. I was on various trains in and out of Manchester and Liverpool all day on a Cheshire day ranger, the 11:47 from Liverpool to London for example, was relatively empty, whereas the 16:15 from Manchester to London was full and standing.

 

[Antman]

Reported on the BTP Cambridgeshire twitter feed that there were taxis dropping people at Cambridge Station even though there were no trains running

 

[infobleep]

Yes.

a) because they are predominantly commuter railways
b) because a notable portion of the other passengers are on business, and it is a quieter time for the business market. Indeed almost non existent.

South West Trains have been playing announcements saying this is a busy time of the year so stay safe on the railways. Admittedly that was before last weekend and I've not heard the period in between.

I always thought January was busier on the trains than December though.
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lol You aint doing nothing if Network Rail and their signallers don't agree with it. And they see Xmas as an ideal opportunity for a rest (signallers) and to do some work unhindered (engineers).

Surely if engineers are on site, the signals need to be working or is that not the case?
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I was on the last pendo to Scotland. Boarded at Crewe, alighted at Warrington and it was standing room only

I'd there's standing room only then that's fine. It's only a problem if not everyone could board.

Interestingly Labour are accusing the Tories of being hypocritical. Stephen Hammod, Shadow Transport Secretary in 2008 and 2009 accused Labour of not helping passengers by running enough services on Boxing day.

Now Labour are saying The Tories have done nothing since coming to power. I don't care much for labour but perhaps Stephen Hammod should have kept his mouth shut back then or done something about the situation since coming to power and being transport secretary.

The Department of Transport claim it's up to individual companies to device on which days they provide a level of service. They go on to say they have worked with some franchises to provide additional services.

My answer to that would be why not work with all franchises. I mean why do passengers on some Southern routes require a service but no passengers on South West Trains do. Do people who live on South West Trains routes not want to travel on Boxing day but passengers on Southern routes do?

I do think the rail companies could relax the off peak restrictions on the 27th, when it's a week day. So passengers who need to get to work but we're forced not to travel off peak on 26th can still do so the following morning. What would one mornings loss of peak earnings do to the railway companies, given its not everyone who works on the 27th and it's generally quieter period.

 

[Flamingo]

You mean like they are on FGW?

 

[QueensCurve]

It is the quietest time. The difference is that the people travelling over the Christmas period tend to be the people who, well, only ever travel over the Christmas period. The people who travel once or twice a year, and the people who won't be back on a train five days a week in January.

Here is a cleft stick, because those people are probably least placed to cope with the disruption and most likely to bad-mouth the railway when it doesn't deliver a stress free journey.

It is important that the railway be better able to impress these people so that they are more likley to make more frequent use.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

I agree to a point, but the leisure market are never going to be more important to the railway than commuters are. You do maintenance when people are on holiday. The same is true with roadworks.