Massive train timetabling amendments
Discussion
Back on topic, I had an unusual day today
0618 Birm Int to Birm New St On time
0651 Birm New st to Stockport On time
0818 Stockport to Altrincham On time
The normal parts were:
Cross Country seat reservations not working
Lots of people standing between Crewe and Stockport
Ticket inspector struggled to get head around split tickets
Stockport station is still a dive fortunately the wait is short
Bread on cross country bacon rolls still appears to be made of the chewiest rubber available
0618 Birm Int to Birm New St On time
0651 Birm New st to Stockport On time
0818 Stockport to Altrincham On time
The normal parts were:
Cross Country seat reservations not working
Lots of people standing between Crewe and Stockport
Ticket inspector struggled to get head around split tickets
Stockport station is still a dive fortunately the wait is short
Bread on cross country bacon rolls still appears to be made of the chewiest rubber available
blueg33 said:
Back on topic, I had an unusual day today
0618 Birm Int to Birm New St On time
0651 Birm New st to Stockport On time
0818 Stockport to Altrincham On time
The normal parts were:
Cross Country seat reservations not working
Lots of people standing between Crewe and Stockport
Ticket inspector struggled to get head around split tickets
Stockport station is still a dive fortunately the wait is short
Bread on cross country bacon rolls still appears to be made of the chewiest rubber available
Thats only the morning. Normal service will be resumed this evening.0618 Birm Int to Birm New St On time
0651 Birm New st to Stockport On time
0818 Stockport to Altrincham On time
The normal parts were:
Cross Country seat reservations not working
Lots of people standing between Crewe and Stockport
Ticket inspector struggled to get head around split tickets
Stockport station is still a dive fortunately the wait is short
Bread on cross country bacon rolls still appears to be made of the chewiest rubber available
Apologies for the Daily Mailicious link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5826977/Go...
Thameslink drivers don't like tunnels
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5826977/Go...
Thameslink drivers don't like tunnels
V8 Fettler said:
You're confusing numbers of lorries with numbers of journeys. There's less than 500k HGVs in the UK. If the railway tracks are converted to roads then goods can be carried by automatic electric vehicles on the new roads.
Tonnes-km is a better comparison, rail carried less than 8% of total freight tonne-km in 2016-17. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/vie...
No, you're confusing fantasy land with reality.Tonnes-km is a better comparison, rail carried less than 8% of total freight tonne-km in 2016-17. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/vie...
Railways are here to stay bacause they make money for the country.
Automatic electric vehicles ?
We can, of course, only speak of our own experiences. It appears that mine might be a little different to yours
Admittedly only one of the four town bus services passes the station, but the other three stop a 5-minute downhill walk away and if you're infirm, or feeling particularly bone idle, there are at least 6 buses an hour linking the two stops.
Looking further afield, Bath bus station is a 2 minute walk from the railway station. Swindon bus station is a 4 minute walk from the railway station. There is a bus park outside Didcot station.
Seems reasonably coordinate to me.
As regards wi-fi, when I started using the railway the only things that were online was the bloody trains we were catching, so I can't see that being without an internet connection for a couple of hours or so is going to be a major life-changing event
That said, when I am in South Africa I use a dongle with a pre-loaded data package that can be used wherever there's a signal.
2. I haven't been on a 142 for years beyond count, buit I'll be going on a few during July when I do an "old times sake" trip around the north west to commemorate 50 years since the end of steam. I'll report back - can't be much worse than a 150, can they?
3. Bums on seats. If the traffic doesn't warrant any more than a 2-hourly service, why should a TOC provide it and who is going to pay for it?
I think you would be surprised how much faster trains are now than they were then, even in some of the areas you mention. I remember going to Aberystwyth from Shrewsbury in February 1965 when DMUs had just been introduced and were running to steam timings until the end of the winter timetable. We spent so much time waiting time at every wayside station that I got off at most of them and went for a look around Other examples from steam days:
Bristol to Salisbury - 2h 15m par for the course, 1h 15m these days
Bristol to Brum - 2h 15 par for the course (2h 30m if you went via Worcester as many trains did in those days) 1h 30m now
Plymouth to Penzance - fastest train in 1959 was the Cornish Riviera Express which took 2h 20m with stops only at Truro and St Erth. Most trains took north of 3 hours. The fastest train in 2018 takes 1h 51m with 7 stops and "slow" trains with many more stops do it in 2h 10m. One of the major problems down there is the curvature (the original contractors were said to have been paid by the mile ) and the line speed is 60moph for much of the way, and there is little that can realistically be done about it.
The same goes for ticket prices - if people are daft enough to pay it then the railways will keep charging it. Me - split ticketing is my friend...
anonymous said:
[redacted]
All except one of the inter-town bus services from Chippenham stop outside the station. To Bath every 20 minutes, to Swindon every 20 minutes, to Malmesbury every hour, to Devizes every 2 hours. The one that doesn't (usually - there are three or so a day that do go to the station) goes to Frome and duplicates the 2-hourly train service to Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury. The London and Bristol trains run every 30 minutes in each direction. Therefore, even if your bus arrives just in time to see the tail lamps of a train leaving, there'll be another one along within 30 minutes. Admittedly only one of the four town bus services passes the station, but the other three stop a 5-minute downhill walk away and if you're infirm, or feeling particularly bone idle, there are at least 6 buses an hour linking the two stops.
Looking further afield, Bath bus station is a 2 minute walk from the railway station. Swindon bus station is a 4 minute walk from the railway station. There is a bus park outside Didcot station.
Seems reasonably coordinate to me.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Secure cycle parking is certainly available at Chippenham and Bristol to my knowledge. Motorcycle parking is, I suppose, as secure as car parking is in an open car park which is provided at both of these stations, as it is at Swindon and Didcotanonymous said:
[redacted]
Not sure what you mean hereanonymous said:
[redacted]
Millions have been spent lately on refurbishing stations in my neck of the woods, including providing lifts at Chippenham. I also notice that they've gone in in many west London GWR stations too (eg Hayes & Harlington). But at the end of the day the station is not a destination in itself (unless you're a train spotter) - you go there with the specific intention of going somewhere else.As regards wi-fi, when I started using the railway the only things that were online was the bloody trains we were catching, so I can't see that being without an internet connection for a couple of hours or so is going to be a major life-changing event
That said, when I am in South Africa I use a dongle with a pre-loaded data package that can be used wherever there's a signal.anonymous said:
[redacted]
1. What constitutes a "decent service" can be a subjective matter. I've got not gripe with the services GWR run in my patch, or with their London commuter services (admittedly only used in the off peak)2. I haven't been on a 142 for years beyond count, buit I'll be going on a few during July when I do an "old times sake" trip around the north west to commemorate 50 years since the end of steam. I'll report back - can't be much worse than a 150, can they?
3. Bums on seats. If the traffic doesn't warrant any more than a 2-hourly service, why should a TOC provide it and who is going to pay for it?
anonymous said:
[redacted]
As someone who was around and using trains when we had coal and firemen... I think you would be surprised how much faster trains are now than they were then, even in some of the areas you mention. I remember going to Aberystwyth from Shrewsbury in February 1965 when DMUs had just been introduced and were running to steam timings until the end of the winter timetable. We spent so much time waiting time at every wayside station that I got off at most of them and went for a look around
Other examples from steam days:Bristol to Salisbury - 2h 15m par for the course, 1h 15m these days
Bristol to Brum - 2h 15 par for the course (2h 30m if you went via Worcester as many trains did in those days) 1h 30m now
Plymouth to Penzance - fastest train in 1959 was the Cornish Riviera Express which took 2h 20m with stops only at Truro and St Erth. Most trains took north of 3 hours. The fastest train in 2018 takes 1h 51m with 7 stops and "slow" trains with many more stops do it in 2h 10m. One of the major problems down there is the curvature (the original contractors were said to have been paid by the mile
) and the line speed is 60moph for much of the way, and there is little that can realistically be done about it.anonymous said:
[redacted]
The trouble is that people are willing to pay the parking charges, and that's why they are at the level they are. In Chippenham the daily parking rate is just the wrong side of £7.00 - a couple of years ago somebody opened a separate car park right next to the station car park and had a daily charge of £3.00 (its still the same now, by the way). But it still has empty spaces and the station car park is still mainly full, because lazy sods can't be arsed to walk an extra 100 yards to save £4.00 a day (that's £20 a week)... The same goes for ticket prices - if people are daft enough to pay it then the railways will keep charging it. Me - split ticketing is my friend...
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Agreed - politicians do not look beyond the next ballot box. Oddly, though, there are people around who think that re-nationalisation will cure all the railways ills. They probably believed the £350 million a week red bus as well... Nik da Greek said:
Apologies for the Daily Mailicious link
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5826977/Go...
Thameslink drivers don't like tunnels
Is that why they are shutting the Brighton Mainline over half term later this year and next Spring? Converting the tunnels to cuttings http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5826977/Go...
Thameslink drivers don't like tunnels
tight5 said:
V8 Fettler said:
You're confusing numbers of lorries with numbers of journeys. There's less than 500k HGVs in the UK. If the railway tracks are converted to roads then goods can be carried by automatic electric vehicles on the new roads.
Tonnes-km is a better comparison, rail carried less than 8% of total freight tonne-km in 2016-17. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/vie...
No, you're confusing fantasy land with reality.Tonnes-km is a better comparison, rail carried less than 8% of total freight tonne-km in 2016-17. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/vie...
Railways are here to stay bacause they make money for the country.
Automatic electric vehicles ?
tight5 said:
V8 Fettler said:
The companies that do use rail freight are being indirectly subsidised by the taxpayer.
blueg33 said:
Robertj21a said:
Don't worry, aren't they on the way out shortly ?
Can't come soon enough. I will volunteer to chop up the bloody thingshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_2...
1980 London Underground
saaby93 said:
blueg33 said:
Robertj21a said:
Don't worry, aren't they on the way out shortly ?
Can't come soon enough. I will volunteer to chop up the bloody thingshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_2...
1980 London Underground
t!blueg33 said:
saaby93 said:
blueg33 said:
Robertj21a said:
Don't worry, aren't they on the way out shortly ?
Can't come soon enough. I will volunteer to chop up the bloody thingshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_2...
1980 London Underground
t!
Long Marston PH day out?
V8 Fettler said:
Many more companies use road freight; rail freight is at less than 8% of the market and falling.
The companies that do use rail freight are being indirectly subsidised by the taxpayer.
Funny, we are busier than we've ever been (even without our coal traffic) and we have NO subsidies.The companies that do use rail freight are being indirectly subsidised by the taxpayer.
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