At least today, and maybe on other strike Saturdays, Northern are running a shuttle train between Manchester Victoria and Wigan North Western non-stop. I shall try it today and reckon it will be an electric train via Eccles. This supplements a bus replacement service via Atherton.
(23/11/2018 19:16)Brickmill Wrote: [ -> ]Funny how everyone criticising Andy Burnham forgets the Greater bit of Manchester in his title. And his job is to lay into everyone at fault. Back to reality, I ended up on the 1549 to Sheffield this afternoon. Still absolutely rammed single unit with the usual farce of still loading pax at 1551! Nothing has changed in the intervening years.
Some people say Manchester when they mean Greater Manchester. However, there's people saying why has Manchester got an elected mayor when Manchester rejected having an elected mayor in a referendum and then don't understand when you try to explain Andy Burnham is a regional mayor for all of Greater Manchester.
(24/11/2018 10:13)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]Some people say Manchester when they mean Greater Manchester. However, there's people saying why has Manchester got an elected mayor when Manchester rejected having an elected mayor in a referendum and then don't understand when you try to explain Andy Burnham is a regional mayor for all of Greater Manchester.
How true. In fact it's becoming clearer that residents of the city of Manchester hold the other 9 districts of GM with just as much contempt as London & HCs hold the rest of Britain. Certainly not the devolution I imagined.
(23/11/2018 11:55)Brickmill Wrote: [ -> ]The REAL reason for year round delays on trains to/thru MAN is much more fundamental
Piccadilly is far too small to cope with the number of trains using it.
Piccadilly can cope with the number of trains. Its P13/14 which can't cope.
What they should try and do is put the middle signals back into use and then they can 'call on' the next train so it is much closer. That is Piccadillys problem. It is about 2 minutes between the train leaving and the next one coming in. The closer trains are, the better Piccadilly will run.
Another thing they could do is put a passing loop around P13B. That way, the TFW Chester service or Northern Blackpool service can terminate on that platform and then head off. At times of disruption, this would certainly help compared to sending trains to terminate in P13 before making them cross other tracks to get into the Mayfield Loop or Longsight Loop. They would easily be able to terminate, have their break and then head out without causing any disruption to existing services. Alternatively if they are worried about certain trains clogging up the platform, you can terminate some services at Oxford Road, make them wait there and then move them into P13B when convenient and then they can go out at the normal time.
By not crossing tracks, you are opening up more paths. Albeit not many but it's a start as i'm sure you will agree and would help a heck of a lot during disruption as then you can quickly turn trains around without the need to delay services behind or send them to a loop. Much lower cost than the P15/16 scheme which seems to be going rather slowly.
Greater Mancghester is such a big area that some will always think they are missing the boat because theMetro Mayor will always seem to favour Manchester and its Metrolink system over everything else.
Does anyone actually know when the Class 142 and 144s are due to start being Withdrawn? I did read somewhere a while back that the first ones was due to go last month, Clearly that was incorrect/Has been changed.
(25/11/2018 15:15)T42 PVM Wrote: [ -> ]Does anyone actually know when the Class 142 and 144s are due to start being Withdrawn? I did read somewhere a while back that the first ones was due to go last month, Clearly that was incorrect/Has been changed.
Some should have gone last month but due to various factors they are unable to release them yet. One being ex-GWR 150s arrived late so Northern are behind with refurbishments, another being Bolton wiring isn't ready, another being the 769s aren't in service and another being the 3 x WMT 150s haven't transferred.
They are supposed to start releasing some early next year presuming the 769s and 195s start to enter service.
(25/11/2018 11:15)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]Greater Mancghester is such a big area that some will always think they are missing the boat because theMetro Mayor will always seem to favour Manchester and its Metrolink system over everything else.
Won't comment on the Metrolink aspect, but one of the biggest arguments TFGM have put forward for Franchising is that First and Stagecoach are favouring Manchester (and Salford) - not the Mayor! All TFGM bus stations EXCEPT Shudehill have seen significant reductions in bus departures since 2013/4.
(25/11/2018 10:43)iMarkeh Wrote: [ -> ]Piccadilly can cope with the number of trains. Its P13/14 which can't cope.
What they should try and do is put the middle signals back into use and then they can 'call on' the next train so it is much closer. That is Piccadillys problem. It is about 2 minutes between the train leaving and the next one coming in. The closer trains are, the better Piccadilly will run.
Another thing they could do is put a passing loop around P13B. That way, the TFW Chester service or Northern Blackpool service can terminate on that platform and then head off. At times of disruption, this would certainly help compared to sending trains to terminate in P13 before making them cross other tracks to get into the Mayfield Loop or Longsight Loop. They would easily be able to terminate, have their break and then head out without causing any disruption to existing services. Alternatively if they are worried about certain trains clogging up the platform, you can terminate some services at Oxford Road, make them wait there and then move them into P13B when convenient and then they can go out at the normal time.
By not crossing tracks, you are opening up more paths. Albeit not many but it's a start as i'm sure you will agree and would help a heck of a lot during disruption as then you can quickly turn trains around without the need to delay services behind or send them to a loop. Much lower cost than the P15/16 scheme which seems to be going rather slowly.
Just to point out that my train which consistently sits outside Piccadilly for c. 6 minutes every morning, uses Platforms 1, 2 or 3 ie, far end from 13/14 through lines and (based on fares charged) is an off-peak train. So it must be terrible for those arriving at 13/14 or even 10, 11, 12 at the height of the morning peak.