NRT: generally a welcome improvement

Table 67

One significant change is that London Midland’s peak evening service out of Euston to Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent is now at more regular intervals.

Previously after the 1746 fast (that is, avoiding Northampton), the 1849 went via Northampton, then the next was 2013, which went via Northampton but avoided Stafford (Colwich Junction to Stoke direct). A 2049 then ran via Northampton and Birmingham to Crewe, omitting Stoke.

Departures are now 1746 fast, 1849 via Northampton, 1946 fast, 2046 fast and avoiding Stafford, then, three minutes later, the 2049 via Northampton and Birmingham, omitting Stoke.

Table 78A

This table shows only the 0922 (FO) Stockport to Stalybridge – or it should do! It also adds in two ‘new’ Mon-Fri East Midlands trains, non-stop between Stockport and Stockport (sic), departing Stockport 0954 and 1054 and each taking four hours and 31 minutes!

What has it picked up? Yes, there are EMT departures and arrivals at these times (to/from Norwich) but even if a portion is detached somewhere and returns, it’s hard to see where that would result in a four-and-a-half hour round trip! Any ideas?

Tables 82 & 97

A press release from Network Rail on November 29 stated that the lines from Preston to Blackpool North would be closed every weekend for ten weeks from January 21.

Northern’s website advises that bus replacements will be used every weekend from January 21 to April 2 inclusive – which is 11 weeks. I gather the latter dates are correct. However, there is not a mention of this in either table 82 or 97, which shows the full train service throughout.

Table 98

The 1619 Morecambe to Leeds via the Bare Lane curve (that is, avoiding Lancaster) has been omitted, as has the 1446 on Sundays. They do still run.

The only other train to take the route is the 0559 to Windermere on Mon-Fri. There are no southbound workings.

Tables 106 & 107

These tables show the normal Merseyrail train service between Liverpool and the Wirral. How can the NRT team get it so wrong?

The Wirral loop under the Mersey is closed as follows throughout the period of the winter timetable and into the summer.

From January 3 to February 12 all Wirral trains will terminate at either Birkenhead North or Birkenhead Central with no trains at all to Liverpool.

From February 13 to May 29 weekend trains terminate Birkenhead as for the first blockade, above, but on Mon-Fri they use the tunnel and terminate at James Street. The exception will be for Bank Holiday weekends and for the Grand National horse race at Aintree in early April.

From May 30 to June 18 in the summer timetable all trains will again terminate at either Birkenhead North or Birkenhead Central. The whole route reopens on June 19.

It is surely not acceptable that I can find these dates well in advance, yet the NRT team apparently knows nothing whatsoever about the closure.

Table 115

The 1057 South Ruislip-Paddington and 1136 Paddington-West Ruislip – the only two services to use the route to Paddington – are now shown correctly in this table.

The most significant change was the extension of services to Oxford. The average time from Paddington is 56 mins, whereas from Marylebone it is 63 mins. There are 35 non-overtaken trains a day from Paddington (Mon-Fri) and 35 from Marylebone.

Chiltern has no walk-on fares of its own and the GWR fares (which are ‘any permitted route’) will apply. All season tickets are also now valid on either route.

So overall there is an improvement in choice but little difference between them, and the choice of route to London will depend on whether Paddington is more convenient than Marylebone.

When it comes to rolling stock the same applies: GWR services are sometimes HSTs but often Class 165! Chiltern’s vary from the occasional Mk 3-hauled set down to its Class 165s – though I confess Chiltern’s 165s are superior to GWR’s and its Class 168 units are excellent.

Of course the differences lie in the intermediate markets like Oxford-Reading or Slough, as opposed to Oxford-High Wycombe, plus the huge attraction of Oxford Parkway on the Chiltern route.