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From Monday there will be another timetable alteration to services on the Hooton line this time with the reintroduction of the through Ellesmere Port services on top of the already re-timed Chester services.

With the new revised timetable now applying to the Ellesmere Port line from Monday i can see the Ellesmere port line now going to struggle with a 5 minute turnaround , i can remember a long time ago on a 7 min turnaround the service badly struggling with numerous services not making it beyond Hooton to Ellesmere Port .

(21/10/2017 06:12)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]With the new revised timetable now applying to the Ellesmere Port line from Monday i can see the Ellesmere port line now going to struggle with a 5 minute turnaround , i can remember a long time ago on a 7 min turnaround the service badly struggling with numerous services not making it beyond Hooton to Ellesmere Port .

If that proves to be the case from next week then being brutal but it is less services per hour affected that the 4 per hour Chester services with limited turnaround if the timetable hadn't been altered to give them more turnaround time at Chester

Why not stay with the tried and well tested timetable from this past week , rather than insert a variable into the timetable which may affect the chester service .

The biggest bugbear i found with the chester timetable before it was sorted out , the turfing of intermediate passengers at birkenhead Central and Hooton , onto following services with less chance of a seat , not very inviting is it , passengers that could be lost.

I have to say the service is a lot better with the revised V1 timetable lets see if V2 works as good.

(21/10/2017 06:23)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]Why not stay with the tried and well tested timetable from this past week , rather than insert a variable into the timetable which may affect the chester service .

The biggest bugbear i found with the chester timetable before it was sorted out , the turfing of intermediate passengers at birkenhead Central and Hooton , onto following services with less chance of a seat , not very inviting is it , passengers that could be lost.

I have to say the service is a lot better with the revised V1 timetable lets see if V2 works as good.

V2 from next week more units are needed due to in V1 the Ellesmere Port services only working Ellesmere Port-Hooton and vice versa but I get what you say as regards the turfing off of passengers etc

Another idea would be to have a 6 car Chester service split at Hooton every other trip to form a Port train similar to what they do regularly abroad although I fear it would never work, passengers not being used to that sort of thing round here.

The turnround is only shorter because recovery between Overpool and Ellesmere Port has been increased from 2 to 4 minutes, so clearly it's as much about a statistical improvement as anything else.

The Ellsemere port service has never been the problem , its always been the insufficient turnround at Chester that had ended up with what we have now introduced , which has lengthened that turnaround .

(21/10/2017 08:26)DVG526 Wrote: [ -> ]Another idea would be to have a 6 car Chester service split at Hooton every other trip to form a Port train similar to what they do regularly abroad although I fear it would never work, passengers not being used to that sort of thing round here.

Can't be done, Merseyrail services can't be coupled/uncoupled with passengers on board (emergencies excepted) , throwing everyone off just to uncouple wouldn't be practical!!

Why cant it be done? Arriva Trains Wales do it