Roland Perry wrote:
In message .com, at
18:29:42 on Fri, 22 Jun 2007, Philip
remarked:
I thought the DfT specified that Nottingham fasts include a Derby
portion that would be split off at Leicester. Surely not a good idea
due to reduced capcity for Nottingham in particular. Is this still
proposed?

One of the announcements say that this will no longer happen, but
inexplicably claims it's because of the new Kettering/Corby service.

In terms of capacity issues, the trains to/from Nottingham don't seem
to be very full; it's further south that the problems arise in the
rush hours.

Another opportunity seems to have been missed by not continuing the Corby
trains on, via Manton Junction, to Melton Mowbray and Leicester and then
back to London via Market Harborough, to provide some relief to the
overcrowding (especially severe in and around the peaks) between Melton and
Leicester and to provide direct journey opportunities between Corby and
Leicester. Alternate hours clockwise and anti-clockwise could bring in some
more revenue for very minimal outlay - unless the time constraints don't fit
with the clockface pattern.

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:56:45 GMT, "Jack Taylor"
wrote:

Another opportunity seems to have been missed by not continuing the Corby
trains on, via Manton Junction, to Melton Mowbray and Leicester and then
back to London via Market Harborough, to provide some relief to the
overcrowding (especially severe in and around the peaks) between Melton and
Leicester and to provide direct journey opportunities between Corby and
Leicester. Alternate hours clockwise and anti-clockwise could bring in some
more revenue for very minimal outlay - unless the time constraints don't fit
with the clockface pattern.

Judging from the wording of the award announcement Stagecoach have
merely provided an option for trains to Corby in compliance with what
the DfT asked for. I imagine it is up to the DfT to decide if they wish
to cough up the money for the option and that's probably connected with
the dreaded HLOS and SOFA. Who knows what Stagecoach may have included
as further enhancement of their base Corby bid? It may be that your
suggestion is there for due consideration.
--
Paul C

"Paul Corfield" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:56:45 GMT, "Jack Taylor"
wrote:

Judging from the wording of the award announcement Stagecoach have
merely provided an option for trains to Corby in compliance with what
the DfT asked for. I imagine it is up to the DfT to decide if they wish
to cough up the money for the option and that's probably connected with
the dreaded HLOS and SOFA. Who knows what Stagecoach may have included
as further enhancement of their base Corby bid? It may be that your
suggestion is there for due consideration.

There is some possibility that SWT have managed to persuade the DfT that
other possible solutions exist. SWT still run to Bristol, and beyond Exeter
to Paignton and Plymouth; these services and the new format
Salisbury/Southampton/Romsey loop are in addition to the original
SouthWestern franchise specification.

Paul

"Paul Scott" wrote in message
...
|
| "Paul Corfield" wrote in message
| ...
| On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:56:45 GMT, "Jack Taylor"
| wrote:
|
| Judging from the wording of the award announcement Stagecoach have
| merely provided an option for trains to Corby in compliance with what
| the DfT asked for. I imagine it is up to the DfT to decide if they wish
| to cough up the money for the option and that's probably connected with
| the dreaded HLOS and SOFA. Who knows what Stagecoach may have included
| as further enhancement of their base Corby bid? It may be that your
| suggestion is there for due consideration.
|
| There is some possibility that SWT have managed to persuade the DfT that
| other possible solutions exist. SWT still run to Bristol, and beyond
Exeter
| to Paignton and Plymouth; these services and the new format
| Salisbury/Southampton/Romsey loop are in addition to the original
| SouthWestern franchise specification.
|

We have done this before.

*All* the bidders for the SWT franchise were asked to submit a price for the
Bristol service. DfT originally wanted to drop it, but political pressure
from along the route forced them to leave it in. Stagecoach bid an
acceptable price for the service, and it is included as part of the
franchise contract between SWT and DfT.

The service beyond Exeter is probably only a temporary reprieve. Again, the
DfT want to drop this. Plans are afoot to re-double part of the Exeter
route to allow an hourly service between London Waterloo and Exeter,
possibly with two trains per hour between Honiton and Exeter. When this
happens, the SWT service west of Exeter may well go to provide the extra
resources needed to run the enhanced service east of Exeter.

The Salisbury / Southampton / Eastleigh / Romsey service came about by
negotiation between DfT, SWT and various "stakeholders" en route. The
original DfT plan was to run Eastleigh - Chandler's Ford - Romsey only, but
this produced storms of local protest on the grounds that the need to change
at Eastleigh for Southampton would effectively kill the demand for
Chandler's Ford. The FGW franchise is also involved, and from this December
FGW will withdraw most of their "stopping" services to Southampton Central
as SWT will instead provide the stopping service to Dean and Mottisfont &
Dunbridge. All this was in the Route Untilisation and the Franchise
Consultation documents which have been available on various websites.
--
- Yokel -
oo oo
OOO OOO
OO 0 OO
) ( I ) (
) ( /\ ) (

"Yokel" now posts via a spam-trap account.
Replace my alias with stevejudd to reply.

In message , at 11:56:45 on
Sat, 23 Jun 2007, Jack Taylor remarked:
Another opportunity seems to have been missed by not continuing the Corby
trains on, via Manton Junction, to Melton Mowbray and Leicester and then
back to London

Is this perhaps what's meant by the otherwise inscrutable comments that
sending trains through to Corby "removes the need to split and join
trains at Leicester"?
--
Roland Perry

worrying there is no mention of the voB commuter line to Grantham from
Nottingham

Mike
"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 11:56:45 on Sat,
23 Jun 2007, Jack Taylor remarked:
Another opportunity seems to have been missed by not continuing the Corby
trains on, via Manton Junction, to Melton Mowbray and Leicester and then
back to London

Is this perhaps what's meant by the otherwise inscrutable comments that
sending trains through to Corby "removes the need to split and join trains
at Leicester"?
--
Roland Perry

In message , at 21:50:09 on
Sat, 23 Jun 2007, flybywire remarked:
worrying there is no mention of the voB commuter line to Grantham from
Nottingham

Several of the ex-CT lines get "no mention" - the press releases are
almost exclusively about "better things", and they avoid the "business
as usual" lines. But they did say the Nottingham-Liverpools will be
upgraded to four cars, which either means a permanent change at
Nottingham onto the (once through-service) Norwich trains; or will they
join and split a 2+2?

--
Roland Perry

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:13:45 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

Several of the ex-CT lines get "no mention" - the press releases are
almost exclusively about "better things", and they avoid the "business
as usual" lines. But they did say the Nottingham-Liverpools will be
upgraded to four cars, which either means a permanent change at
Nottingham onto the (once through-service) Norwich trains; or will they
join and split a 2+2?

The last time I heard about the plan was that it'd be 2 cars to
Nottingham, then join another 2 from there to Liverpool. The two cars
removed from an incoming service from Liverpool would be shoved out of
the way somewhere then put on the next arrival from Norwich going back
to Liverpool, thus saving a unit diagram or two on the quiet part of
the route.

This wasn't a Stagecoach proposal - I believe the DfT thought it up in
conjunction with CT.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

"Neil Williams" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 09:13:45 +0100, Roland Perry
wrote:

Several of the ex-CT lines get "no mention" - the press releases are
almost exclusively about "better things", and they avoid the "business
as usual" lines. But they did say the Nottingham-Liverpools will be
upgraded to four cars, which either means a permanent change at
Nottingham onto the (once through-service) Norwich trains; or will they
join and split a 2+2?

The last time I heard about the plan was that it'd be 2 cars to
Nottingham, then join another 2 from there to Liverpool. The two cars
removed from an incoming service from Liverpool would be shoved out of
the way somewhere then put on the next arrival from Norwich going back
to Liverpool, thus saving a unit diagram or two on the quiet part of
the route.

This wasn't a Stagecoach proposal - I believe the DfT thought it up in
conjunction with CT.


Isn't this already happening to some extent, hence the ex-TPE units on CT?
So many developments on the railways these days are announced as something
new on several occasions, that I have lost track completely of what is new
and what is spin.

Stagecoach even seems to be taking credit for East Midlands Parkway,
although, yes, it will be the first TOC to use the station. Sad for MML
that, as it was their idea all those years ago.

David

In message , at 15:31:26 on
Sun, 24 Jun 2007, David Thornhill remarked:
Stagecoach even seems to be taking credit for East Midlands Parkway,
although, yes, it will be the first TOC to use the station. Sad for MML
that, as it was their idea all those years ago.

As they haven't started building it yet, I'm not especially pro-MML as a
driving force to get that station going. And with only 2tph advertised
by Stagecoach, a bit of a white elephant in practice, I fear.
--
Roland Perry