Northern (Arriva Rail North)

[mikestone]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
See my previous post for what seems the likely reason.

[mikestone]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
Had my first electric trip via Bolton today on the 11.31 Piccadilly-Blackpool. The Crewe-Liverpool before it was a few minutes late and stopped a coach short - not sure if that causes some complication with the middle signal but the unit for the 11.31 didn't seem to leave Mayfield loop until the Crewe had gone instead of bringing it up to the mid-platform signal - it could be argued that going to Longsight as booked would be better as it would have been passing Mayfield at speed instead of from a start.
Unit seemed to be struggling to get away from both Bolton and Lostock Parkway, but between Salford and Preston seemed to have no difficulty keeping time. On board digital doris didn't announce the Lostock Parkway or Buckshaw stops, and not a word from the guard either.
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150133 noted at Oxford Road in new livery but no branding

[Brickmill]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(01/03/2019 09:31)boby32 Wrote:  Why has the new timetable NOT been published yet on RTT for Northern?

Does this question refer to all Northern services? Just wondering if there are any changes to HVL times or stops.

[boby32]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(01/03/2019 21:04)Brickmill Wrote:  Does this question refer to all Northern services? Just wondering if there are any changes to HVL times or stops.

Yes I was referring to all Northern services.

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
I don't think whether Network Rail are going to allow 100mph on the Bolton corridor is a significant factor in the Northern timetable being delayed. It would affect TPE more than Northern and TPE's new paths for EMUs on the Bolton corridor appear on RTT. Northern would have probably timed their services such that 75mph Sprinters can fill in for EMUs anyway in the first instance.

Other possible reasons for delays:
- Northern are expected to add in extra services and Network Rail are reluctant to allow extra paths for Northern services after the mess that happened in May 2018.
- Northern didn't know whether or not 769s would be ready to use.
- Northern didn't know exactly how many new Civity trains would be in service by the May timetable change.
- Adding in extra Sunday services will cause issues unless they can come to a better arrangement with ASLEF regarding Sunday working.

[Brickmill]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(01/03/2019 21:48)boby32 Wrote:  Yes I was referring to all Northern services.

Thanks. That's what I thought but with all the responses being about Bolton, I wasn't sure if I'd misunderstood. As with previous changes, my query is to do with revised working hours but with constant overcrowding due to short forming on consecutive trains, medical advice is to ditch the train

[mikestone]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
Whatever the reason we are now past the (original) informed traveller deadline and a decision should have been made by now and the times loaded for the minimum option, otherwise we are heading for exactly the May 2018 situation where the diagrams aren't ready in time for rosters to be produced.

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(02/03/2019 15:48)mikestone Wrote:  Whatever the reason we are now past the (original) informed traveller deadline and a decision should have been made by now and the times loaded for the minimum option, otherwise we are heading for exactly the May 2018 situation where the diagrams aren't ready in time for rosters to be produced.

If Northern have planned for a May 2019 timetable recast the roster problem should only occur if Network Rail reject their proposed timetable and they have to submit a revised one at short notice. If Network Rail approve it but get behind schedule in doing it then the passengers will struggle to book 12 weeks in advance but there shouldn't be issues with diagramming in the early days of the new timetable.

[mikestone]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)
They already can't book twelve weeks in advance. That said I was looking to see if the 09.25 Penzance-Dundee was an HST by attempting a reservation and that wasn't reservable, so even if the TT had been loaded they might not have been able to do.
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Something is obviously happening as the TP services have now lost the Bolton stops that were shown when they first appeared - I'd have thought knocking out the Oxford Road stops would have made more sense, presumably they are too close to something on the Castlefield corridor - unless it is preparatory to reverting to going via Parkside if 100 mph running doesn't materialise.

[knutstransport]

RE: Northern (Arriva Rail North)

(02/03/2019 21:35)mikestone Wrote:  They already can't book twelve weeks in advance. That said I was looking to see if the 09.25 Penzance-Dundee was an HST by attempting a reservation and that wasn't reservable, so even if the TT had been loaded they might not have been able to do.
;
Something is obviously happening as the TP services have now lost the Bolton stops that were shown when they first appeared - I'd have thought knocking out the Oxford Road stops would have made more sense, presumably they are too close to something on the Castlefield corridor - unless it is preparatory to reverting to going via Parkside if 100 mph running doesn't materialise.

The main reason for booking 12 weeks in advance is to get the cheapest advance tickets but they aren't always released 12 weeks in advance even when the timetable is available.

TPE are not required to call at Bolton and if they do call at Bolton they are required to look at ways to prevent Bolton-Manchester passengers taking up space on long distance services. It was suggested they would generally pick up only northbound at Bolton and set down only southbound at Bolton with peak time services not stopping at Bolton at all.