As Northern seem to have long term issues affecting Sunday services, and they're sourcing replacement buses from whoever is willing to run them, I thought maybe it deserves its own thread.
I saw a Mario Coaches EVORA (MA23 RYO) on a Chester to Stockport earlier, it passed an unbranded coach on the Stockport to Chester in the other direction I didn't get the full registration but it was similar, so I think it was one of Mario's.
The saga of Northern still not having enough staff to run Sunday rail services even after nearly 5 years of nationalisation does not suggest that the mass nationalisation of TOCs will improve matters much.
Still better to have replacement buses than no service at all.
The situation has got worse in the past 12 months. Last year around this time 24 Dec and 31 Dec fell on Sundays and we saw no service and no replacement buses on many routes. Now that's become commonplace with Northern only starting to properly get replacement buses over the past couple of weeks.
I understand that from the new year, the Lime St to Wigan and Lime St to MIA services will be 2 hourly on Sundays and nothing at all on the MCR to Chester line.
I’ve not heard anything about replacement buses.
(29/12/2024 15:34)507022 Wrote: [ -> ]I understand that from the new year, the Lime St to Wigan and Lime St to MIA services will be 2 hourly on Sundays and nothing at all on the MCR to Chester line.
I’ve not heard anything about replacement buses.
Replacement buses aren't showing on RealTimeTrains and there's no full timetable published. They're being added in on an ad-hoc basis but are showing if you check the National Rail app on the day. For instance currently for Stockport it showing a 17:15 bus to Buxton, a 17:22 bus to Stoke and a 17:50 bus to Chester.
There's also some ticketing arrangements with other transport providers, like Metrolink and the 192 bus.
(29/12/2024 15:34)507022 Wrote: [ -> ]I understand that from the new year, the Lime St to Wigan and Lime St to MIA services will be 2 hourly on Sundays and nothing at all on the MCR to Chester line.
I’ve not heard anything about replacement buses.
Well the first Chester to Manchester is running today - a rare train service on a Sunday! However, the first Manchester to Chester and second Chester to Manchester showing as cancelled with no replacement bus showing, meaning the first arrival in Chester isn't until 12:30.
There's a 2 hourly replacement bus showing for Wilmslow to Manchester Airport.
21:56 and 22:53 Chester to Manchester via Altrincham services cancelled tonight due to staff shortages.
"A coach operated by S-Line will depart Chester at 23:00 calling at stations to Plumley and then drop off customers at stations as required through to Manchester Piccadilly.
A coach operated by Atlantic Travel will depart Knutsford at 23:40 calling at stations to Manchester Piccadilly."
Given the road conditions - that's going to be fun for some people. Wait over an hour for a replacement coach, with extended journey times and reaching some of the village stations may not even prove possible. Not to mention probably only 50ish seats instead of 250+ and standing space.
(11/01/2025 17:26)knutstransport Wrote: [ -> ]21:56 and 22:53 Chester to Manchester via Altrincham services cancelled tonight due to staff shortages.
"A coach operated by S-Line will depart Chester at 23:00 calling at stations to Plumley and then drop off customers at stations as required through to Manchester Piccadilly.
A coach operated by Atlantic Travel will depart Knutsford at 23:40 calling at stations to Manchester Piccadilly."
Given the road conditions - that's going to be fun for some people. Wait over an hour for a replacement coach, with extended journey times and reaching some of the village stations may not even prove possible. Not to mention probably only 50ish seats instead of 250+ and standing space.
People will have fun waiting for these buses to turn up! Atlantic and S-Line are awful cowboy operators.
I have seen S-Line coaches operating on scheduled replacements due to engineering works, with a coordinator sat upfront with the driver. I'm not sure if they'd have the coordinator for a last minute replacement.
I did hear a report about Atlantic being asked for do a rail replacement one day, pulling into the wrong stand at Altrincham Interchange and then attempting to drive off before the passengers could walk down and board, only for a TfGM person to stop the driver from leaving. I do recall them doing a lot of Manchester-Bolton replacements during weekend engineering works. They were using deckers they acquired from Nottingham City Transport - some just had the word Nottingham removed and the legal details changed.