Northern (Arriva Rail North)

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(13/06/2019 20:57)mikestone Wrote:  No sign either of the suggested Chester-Altrincham shuttle.
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The real question is why is no-one being held to account for Arriva bidding a train service that the infrastructure cannot support - not having provided additional infrastructure on the Castlefield corridor is barely relevant as the major losses are between Picc and Stockport or beyond and the Liverpool-Victoria-Hebden Bridge-Leeds Northern Connect service

For the May 2018 timetable change I'm sure Network Rail approved both a xx:09 and xx:41 from Piccadilly towards Greenbank but there was an issue getting a suitably time path for an additional service in the other direction, so when Northern realised they wouldn't have enough units they postponed 2tph on the Mid-Cheshire but went ahead with 2tph on the Buxton line, with Network Rail having approved all proposed Buxton paths. Since the May 2018 recast didn't go well Network Rail have been making up excuses like they aren't sure any more Piccadilly services can be introduced without affecting reliability (even though paths have been freed up by the North TPE changes and they've approved paths for an all day extension of the Llandudno-Piccadilly service to the airport.) A Chester to Altrincham shuttle got proposed as a temporary alternative but then Network Rail came up with excuses about not wanting extra services over farm level crossings - even though the times the local farms are most active are very early and late afternoon, where there's already extra services. Both Andy Burnham and Esther McVey (MP for Tatton) seem to think Network Rail's excuses are plausible - the latter believing everything Chris Grayling says. Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury thinks it's a load of rubbish but somehow people don't pay much attention to a Mancunian standing up on the opposition benches in parliament and talking about Northwich getting a better service to Manchester.