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Re: BBC - Meeting over cuts to rail service

On Jul 23, 11:01 pm, "Jonathan Morton"
<jonat...@jonathanmortonbutignorethisbit.co.uk> wrote:
> <nickw7...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:6d28deae-d9f1-4b71-8ef8-9805ec1609ea@e39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Virgin Trains' decision to cut its off-peak services from Nuneaton
> > into London could be taken to a judicial review.

This chicken has been on it's way home to roost for a long time!
Basically, the new WC t/t shafts anyone who wishes to travel
intermediately points between Watford and Stafford, and indeed, many
journeys to the north from these points. Example- Nuneaton, Tamworth
and Lichfield lose all their off peak fasts, 68 mins Euston to
Tamworth becomes 105 mins. The intermediate journeys, as well as
Euston to the Trent Valley will be covered by the desiro service, with
suburban 1/3 2/3 door positioning, and probably no catering.


> > Nuneaton currently has at least one fast train per hour to London
> > during the day. Passengers needing to reach London will have to go via
> > Northampton.
>
> No, they won't have to - though they can choose to.

Yes, they can choose to, or can choose to change at Rugby with the
inherent unreliability that changing trains introduces. Is Grandma
Grimble with her suitcase and her arthritis going to want to get on a
train at Euston, bail out 45 mins later at Rugby, and have to do an
Olympic sprint through the subway to a connecting train. Methinks not.
Is the Warwickshire businessman travelling to London for a PM meeting
going to sit on a desiro for 90 mins, when he is used to the sub 1
hour dash that a pendolino is well capable of achieving? No, he will
put his rubber tyres on the M6/M1.

> The down off peak service will be as follows:
>
> Euston dep xx03
> Rugby arr xx49
>
> (Change to the semi-fast which left Euston at ww46)
>
> Rugby dep yy02
> Nuneaton arr yy16
>
> That's 97 miles in 73 minutes, or fractionally under 80 mph.
>
> The up service is even better, with the xx02 from Nuneaton connecting at
> Rugby (xx17/xx23) and reaching Euston at yy12 - 83 mph.

Tight connection, especially for Grandma Grimble. A missed 6 minute
connection becomes a 66 min connection. Rugby will have 1 fast train
per hour, as now, but instead of it being the Liverpool service, it is
proposed that it will be a Birmingham service. LM will already be
operating 2 trains per hour from Rugby to BNS, so apart from for Rugby-
Euston journeys, this will be as much use as a pair of chocolate
socks. The Chester train would have been a better bet, although you
would then have to take pity on the pax, as this would condemn them to
an almost exclusively Voyager service.

> For those that can't be bothered to change, the semi-fast service via
> Northampton is hardly bad.
>
> Nuneaton (where?) needs to grow up and retrieve its scattered toys from
> round the pram. There are plenty of towns - and more important ones than
> Nuneaton - that would give their eye teeth for such a service.


Phew, you know how to set the cat amongst the pigeons! I can hear the
assembled population of that corner of Warwickshire baying for your
head on a stick! And I am many miles away! You have to remember that
Nuneaton acts as a parkway type station for a large expanse of NE
Warwickshire, as well as parts of Leicestershire. Nuneaton pax will
also be from Coleshill, Hinckley, Bedworth, Atherstone, even Burton on
Trent. Driving to Nuneaton to catch the train is a realistic
proposition, driving to Birmingham or Coventry is not because of the
congestion and the parking problems. Again, most of them will end up
on the M6. Passenger perception is an issue here. Nuneaton has
historically had a reasonable InterCity service, although it was
mainly provided for connections to/from Leicester/East Anglia.
Withdraw the fast trains and punt people onto suburban rolling stock
with no catering and a 50% increase of journey time, whilst still
charging them the same fare and they are bound to think that they got
a raw deal. And on this occasion they are right.

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