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I work in a small town just outside Manchester (Glossop), which is served by a train service to and from Manchester Piccadilly.
Over the last few months the service has become quite unreliable with breakdowns once, twice a week severely effecting services for hours afterwards.

On various Facebook pages associated with the town there has been a lot of bad press not just about the unreliable trains (that's another story on a bus forum lol), but more so with regards to the poor rail replacement service that's put on in the event of a fault/breakdown.

There was a story before Christmas about a rail replacement coach where the driver took a very unusual route between two stations, broke down in the middle of nowhere then announced to the frustrated passengers that the company wasn't able to provide another vehicle so he advised them all to make there own way home - this was at 11pm at night.

Again tonight there were issues on the line and replacement coaches were laid on but on my way home from work I noticed the elderly looking coach broken down coach In the middle of the road, hazard lights on engine compartment open with a bunch of bemused passengers sat on board.

Now it's not an area I follow at all but is this an issue across the North west or just on certain lines or in certain areas. Are there not vehicle/age restrictions that go with these contracts?

I know I often see rail replacement coaches at Stalybridge on Sundays - presumably for engineering works but again while the major companies like Bullocks and Andrews of Tideswell have modern almost posh looking vehicles, there are often old tired past there best coaches working for smaller companies that perhaps dare I say it belong at Barnsley.

Just wondering what other members opinions are.

I've seen Bullocks coaches on Northern Rail road replacement services with a 'First Rail Support' sticker in the window so presumably First Rail Support have a contract with Northern and then they arrange a suitable number of buses and coaches from various operators.

Howards/Springfield quite often do Arriva Trains Wales replacements. I can remember last year seeing S453 KCW on one. Stagecoach seats, First tax disc holders with Arriva on the desties.

(06/01/2016 23:14)Mayneway Wrote: [ -> ]I work in a small town just outside Manchester (Glossop), which is served by a train service to and from Manchester Piccadilly.
Over the last few months the service has become quite unreliable with breakdowns once, twice a week severely effecting services for hours afterwards.

On various Facebook pages associated with the town there has been a lot of bad press not just about the unreliable trains (that's another story on a bus forum lol), but more so with regards to the poor rail replacement service that's put on in the event of a fault/breakdown.

There was a story before Christmas about a rail replacement coach where the driver took a very unusual route between two stations, broke down in the middle of nowhere then announced to the frustrated passengers that the company wasn't able to provide another vehicle so he advised them all to make there own way home - this was at 11pm at night.

Again tonight there were issues on the line and replacement coaches were laid on but on my way home from work I noticed the elderly looking coach broken down coach In the middle of the road, hazard lights on engine compartment open with a bunch of bemused passengers sat on board.

Now it's not an area I follow at all but is this an issue across the North west or just on certain lines or in certain areas. Are there not vehicle/age restrictions that go with these contracts?

I know I often see rail replacement coaches at Stalybridge on Sundays - presumably for engineering works but again while the major companies like Bullocks and Andrews of Tideswell have modern almost posh looking vehicles, there are often old tired past there best coaches working for smaller companies that perhaps dare I say it belong at Barnsley.

Just wondering what other members opinions are.

I think a lot depends on whether it's a planned or emergency replacement. Planned ones tend to see appropriate operators in their own patch, so if there is an issue they aren't miles away from the depot.

However emergency replacements are often a case of whoever can provide any vehicle. I remember an unexpected blockade at Stockport at 0530 a while back. The first coaches on scene were modern ones from bullocks (unsurprisingly given the location), followed by a 25 year old coach from somewhere in lancashire. I suspect most people there didn't care too much about it as long as they got on it.

Remember the name Fraser Eagle before they went bust had a major hand in rail replacements .

(07/01/2016 20:22)djb Wrote: [ -> ]I think a lot depends on whether it's a planned or emergency replacement. Planned ones tend to see appropriate operators in their own patch, so if there is an issue they aren't miles away from the depot.

However emergency replacements are often a case of whoever can provide any vehicle. I remember an unexpected blockade at Stockport at 0530 a while back. The first coaches on scene were modern ones from bullocks (unsurprisingly given the location), followed by a 25 year old coach from somewhere in lancashire. I suspect most people there didn't care too much about it as long as they got on it.

Absolutely agree but, and it's a big but, surly priority is getting these frustrated passengers home. Dumping people in the middle of nowhere at 11pm at night because the company was based miles away and didn't have vehicle available dosen't strike me as good practice.
I always assumed these contracts were very lucrative for coach operators.

I'm not saying the bigger companies don't do a good job but Stagecoach seem to do a better job when doing emergency Metrolink work.

It does help in the way of Metrolink and to a lesser extent Merseyrail that if the service goes kapput for a major length of time then tickets will eventually be accepted on some normal service bus routes . With merseyrail its with arriva , im not sure fully the arrangements at Metrolink.