Unconnected to any of the posts in this thread thus far, but can someone answer a query of mine please?
The other week, I had to get a rail replacement bus from Glasgow Central to Lockerbie whereupon I'd be able to catch my connection to Manchester.
However, the bus was late getting into Lockerbie. The train departed at 1913, my bus got in at 1916.
Now, there'd have been nothing behind that train as the service began from Lockerbie. Similarly, there'd have been nothing in front of it either.
Why did they not wait those three minutes for us and prevent me from undertaking a solo pub crawl in Lockerbie in the pissing rain for an hour and 50 minutes?
Is it because they'd have been fined for departing late, so they'd rather send out an empty train on time than a passenger-laden train three minutes late?
The pubs were dreadful, by the way, as was mobile signal as I attempted to follow a 1-0 win against Sheffield United on Twitter on one bar of 3G, but the sausage supper from the chippy was delightful.
If I want to travel from Huddersfield to London I just take the Northern Rail chugger to Wakefield Westgate (20 mins), then pick up one of the many Virgin East Coast services to London. Much simpler and quicker than getting to Brighouse to get the Grand Central, which could take an hour longer. Although from May I'll be able to get a GC direct from Wakefield Kirkgate.
I don't think anyone here is over excited about a direct service to London, we're not that isolated, Manchester is 30 mins, Leeds and Wakefield 20 mins, convenient direct trains to York and the north east (as long as you reserve a seat for the ludicrously overcrowded Leeds-Manchester bit of the TPE).
Scunthorpe is still a two change journey though, unless you've an hour or so to waste on the scenic single track Huddersfield Sheffield line to change at Meadowhell.
However, I am sure that it would be held for a three minute late start. Most likely that they had no idea how late your bus was going to be so sent the train right time.
jwdd27 wrote: If I want to travel from Huddersfield to London I just take the Northern Rail chugger to Wakefield Westgate (20 mins), then pick up one of the many Virgin East Coast services to London. Much simpler and quicker than getting to Brighouse to get the Grand Central, which could take an hour longer.
See we always try to catch Grand Central trains because they're so much more comfortable (admittedly it doesn't add an hour to the journey for us.) So I'm not that interested in Virgin condescending to give us a direct service to London either to be honest. I'd much rather a direct service to Scotland but that's obviously never going to happen.
(Also Grand Central have by far the coolest livery.)
Do we have so little rail heritage that we need to take names from the US?
The 180s are really uncomfortable for the whole trip up to Bradford. On top of which I'd rather wait at Leeds for 20 minutes than crawl through West Yorkshire.
Edit: if this is a general train thread does anyone know why the class 395 don't seem to have a seating layout to suit the train? I think it's mostly the doors (which take for fucking ever to open) but the seats near the doors don't have windows.
Levin wrote: Edit: if this is a general train thread does anyone know why the class 395 don't seem to have a seating layout to suit the train? I think it's mostly the doors (which take for fucking ever to open) but the seats near the doors don't have windows.
Most uk rolling stock has plug type doors, that sit flush with the body side, then have linkages so that they open outwards, then swing to the side.
However, plug doors have lots of mechanical parts so are prone to failure. Also, because of the double action, opening takes an age.
Because of this, the Japanese have always favoured a sliding door, which runs on rails, and slides into a pocket inside the train when it opens.
The 395s are a derivative of a Hitachi A-train, Therefore, immediately next to the doors are these solid pockets, hence the seats next to them have no window.
Because the 395s operate at high speed in tunnels, as well as a mechanical lock on the shut doors, they also have a pneumatic lock, which seal the door, to stop the flex and bang that happens when trains pass each other or enter a tunnel.
Normally this pressure seal disengages at 20 mph, but for some reason, on the Javelins, it only happens when the door is opened. So when the unlock button is pressed, there is a 10 second hiatus while the pneumatics disengage, then the clunk of the mechanical lock, then the door opens.
This thread is brilliant. If only we could attract some East Coast US equivalents to explain what Metro-North, LIRR and others are thinking I would be happy as a pig in shit.
Tubby Isaacs wrote:
Ultra light rail is a nice term. What does that involve?
Ultra light rail is intended for routes which require a high frequency but with low overall passenger flows. The trains are usually referred to as "Cars" and won't have any signaling in them and can be powered by fly-wheels, battery technology and so forth. An example of ultra light rail operates on the Stourbridge Junction - Stourbridge Town shuttle and the service is almost entirely self contained (although a connection to the mainline is kept for maintenance purposes).
John Parry developed the Parry People Mover (PPM) and a couple of years ago very nearly made it into the mainstream market when a combination of bad luck and withdrawn funding meant the prototype he had been planning fell by the wayside. The PPM would be superb for using on reopened rail routes such as March - Wisbech or Stoke - Leek.
The Govia battle with the unions over whether trains need a member of staff other than the driver on board is affecting not just Southern (see SdR's thread) but also Thameslink, though Govia won an injunction preventing strike action.
Then there's the Electrostar thing. Thameslink are getting new class 700s (Siemens, built in Germany)
The Govia franchise had acquired these Bombardier (Derby built) class 387s
which they've been using while waiting for the class 700s to be ready.
The 387s are supposed to be transferred to GWR I think(?), but it looks like GWR are after even more of them.
Does this open up the possibility that Govia might be keeping some of the 387s and cascading some of their older electric units instead? The 387s' top speed is 10mph faster than the trains Govia use on the Great Northern routes to Cambridge and Peterborough, such as the class 365 "Happy Trains", so perhaps they could use some of them for those routes.
Bit early to say really, the most tangible change I've seen so far is that the staff's name badges now only have their forename on. Punctuality seems to have been a bit shoddy on some services but a lot of that can be ascribed to problems elsewhere on the railway.
I have had one new experience courtesy of them though. Ever wondered what a class 142 with the interior lights turned off looks like going through the Totley Tunnel? Well wonder no more.
Kevchenkeau wrote: Have any northern correspondents seen a change in service since Arriva took over?
Not noticeably.
And as I'm based in Sheffield, the idea of services "run" out of either Manchester or Leeds doesn't inspire me to have a great deal of faith in the future of services here.
Northern services are:
East - stopping service to Donny (and semi-fast to Hull and Brid)
North - stopping to Leeds via Barnsley (and semi-fast from Nottingham) or via Rotherham and Dearne Valley
South - express to Nottingham (from Leeds)
West - slow line via Hope Valley and New Mills to Manchester
Of these, only the Nottingham - Leeds and Hull - Sheffield have decent coaching stock; claiming they "plan" to replace the Pacers is a nonsense - this was a condition of the franchise and/or everyone had to commit to this, or they knew they wouldn't get the gig.
Services between Leeds and Nottingham are tightly pathed with not much dwell time so are prone to picking up delays without any real difficulty. Problem applies both ways on the route, but especially southbound.
longeared wrote: Services between Leeds and Nottingham are tightly pathed with not much dwell time so are prone to picking up delays without any real difficulty. Problem applies both ways on the route, but especially southbound.
And it's shared on that stretch with a half-hour stagger with the East Midlands Norwich - Liverpool Lime Street.
(And don't get me started on parking the train half way to Radcliffe rather than at Nottingham Midland!*)
* See also the despatchers at Leeds City Station relegating the Glasgow-bound Cross Country Services to a platform almost adjacent to Neville Hill.
Bit early to say really, the most tangible change I've seen so far is that the staff's name badges now only have their forename on. Punctuality seems to have been a bit shoddy on some services but a lot of that can be ascribed to problems elsewhere on the railway.
I've noticed a lot more services around here being cancelled "due to a member of train crew being unavailable" since Arriva took over, though it could be sheer bad luck I suppose.
Bit early to say really, the most tangible change I've seen so far is that the staff's name badges now only have their forename on. Punctuality seems to have been a bit shoddy on some services but a lot of that can be ascribed to problems elsewhere on the railway.
I've noticed a lot more services around here being cancelled "due to a member of train crew being unavailable" since Arriva took over, though it could be sheer bad luck I suppose.
I follow their twitter feed, and yes, there do seem to be a lot of trains (in all areas of the franchise, but noticeably the North-East operating through Newcastle whether to/from Carlisle or Boro and beyond) and on the lines through Manchester, due to crew shortages / signalling issues.
Maybe they're being a bit more open about it than Abellio were?
Have any northern correspondents seen a change in service since Arriva took over?
Not noticeably.
And as I'm based in Sheffield, the idea of services "run" out of either Manchester or Leeds doesn't inspire me to have a great deal of faith in the future of services here.
Northern services are:
East - stopping service to Donny (and semi-fast to Hull and Brid)
North - stopping to Leeds via Barnsley (and semi-fast from Nottingham) or via Rotherham and Dearne Valley
South - express to Nottingham (from Leeds)
West - slow line via Hope Valley and New Mills to Manchester
Of these, only the Nottingham - Leeds and Hull - Sheffield have decent coaching stock; claiming they "plan" to replace the Pacers is a nonsense - this was a condition of the franchise and/or everyone had to commit to this, or they knew they wouldn't get the gig.
Don't get the last bit. They have to replace pacers, or they don't?
Have any northern correspondents seen a change in service since Arriva took over?
Not noticeably.
And as I'm based in Sheffield, the idea of services "run" out of either Manchester or Leeds doesn't inspire me to have a great deal of faith in the future of services here.
Northern services are:
East - stopping service to Donny (and semi-fast to Hull and Brid)
North - stopping to Leeds via Barnsley (and semi-fast from Nottingham) or via Rotherham and Dearne Valley
South - express to Nottingham (from Leeds)
West - slow line via Hope Valley and New Mills to Manchester
Of these, only the Nottingham - Leeds and Hull - Sheffield have decent coaching stock; claiming they "plan" to replace the Pacers is a nonsense - this was a condition of the franchise and/or everyone had to commit to this, or they knew they wouldn't get the gig.
Don't get the last bit. They have to replace pacers, or they don't?
They have to.
(Whether it was specified in the contract - and I think it was - everyone bidding for it did; as the incumbents Serco/Abelio, IIRC, had announced they were intending to replace them by 2020 anyway if they'd won again)
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