I have seen the doors on a unit automatically close when units are separated.
It happened at rock ferry several years ago when they were under the regional railways flag.
A 6 car unit pulled in, front 3 cars only in service, a driver and guard on the rear unit ( out of service ).
The doors were open on the leading 3 cars but automatically closed not by the means of the guard when the units seperated.
That is why they cannot do this joining/separation of units because the doors automatically close either way.
I asked a mate of mine who is a driver about it a few weeks ago.
The timetable has been altered again on the Chester and Ellesmere port line .
All weekday services now stop at Capenhurst and the Sunday service now follows the pattern of the weekday services , previously the Sunday times where the original timetable.
I have a feeling that some day this constant messing around with the timetables is going to drive customers away from the services.
Customers will eventually start complaining because for those that work in Chester will get fed up of constant changes to the times that they may well desert the railway in favour of the bus.
Yes, granted that merseyrail will say it's to regulate the service ( so they claim ), they do that already by holding trains for a few extra minutes at selected stops.
The talk was that when chester services started alternating the stop/non stop through Capenhurst that this also regulated the service.
Therefore, my question is " What is the reason for this further messing about with the timetable? ".
I am probably going to get shot to bits for this post but to be honest I couldn't care less because as a customer of merseyrail like others I am fed up of all this rubbish of transport companies like merseyrail saying " Ah well this is what we're going to do now, we are going to change our timings on any or all of our routes without letting customers know in plenty of time. "
Come on merseyrail stop messing around, get your fingers out of your backsides and give customers a service we can rely on.
The old timetable became unworkable during the Liverpool Lime Street blockade with too many services becoming Semi-Fast workings.
I have always thought ever since the Chester service started running that 3 and 6 train diagrams was too tight at the Chester end with tight turnarounds. Coupled with the leaf fall season this has always been a cause of delays.
The recent timetable revision have added a 4th train on a Sunday to the Chester service and a 7th train on the weekday service.
What i have noted is the service to and from Chester is a lot more stable now than it was enroute cancellations are not the normal any more and usually now for a specific reason other than late running.
I travel on the Chester branch daily, and this most recent timetable is the best it has been for a long while.
More trains between 7am and 9am, at frequent intervals of 15 minutes now as opposed to half hourly, meaning peak time trains are not so cramped and seats are commonly available for all. All trains stopping at Capenhurst as well, and coupled with the extra 10 minutes change-round time at Chester, following services nearly always run on time.
The schedule has also been relaxed around Rock Ferry and Birkenhead Central, allowing more time for late runners to catch-up before entering the tightly-timed loop section, where they can easily be hampered even further if a similar delay occurs on the West Kirby and New Brighton lines.
There are less "semi-fast" trains and a lot more running to time or there about, and it doesn't hamper them too much even if they are delayed inbound, as it can easily be rectified on the next trip with the now extensive layover and more spaced out timings, which was simply not possible when operating to the previous timetable and diagrams.
Noticed last Sunday that a Stadler sign is now displayed on the front of the wheel lathe shed at Kirkdale. All Ormskirk line services are formed of 3 cars only due to ongoing power supply problems at Aughton Park.
Where about's on the Ormskirk line are there electrical substations
(10/11/2017 13:46)wirralbus Wrote: [ -> ]Where about's on the Ormskirk line are there electrical substations
Theres one just south of Aughton Park station on the Ormskirk bound side and another one I know of is just outside Walton station.
(11/11/2017 07:03)MX12CFE Wrote: [ -> ]Theres one just south of Aughton Park station on the Ormskirk bound side and another one I know of is just outside Walton station.
It's the Aughton Park one that has the problem in this instance hence no 3 cars beyond Maghull