Next Meeting
CASPA AGM. The AGM will be held on Tuesday 21 May at 7pm at the Castle Hotel Wem. The intention is that we elect a committee and set subcriptions and a programme for the year. This is open to all who are interested. The meeting is timed so that you can get there and back by train. Please let us know you are coming on contact_us@caspa.org.uk
Who we are
CASPA is the passenger association covering the stations of Crewe to Shrewsbury including the intermediate stations at Nantwich, Wrenbury, Whitchurch, Prees, Wem and Yorton. The Association aims to promote, encourage and improve the use of the rail services in this route. The Association is open to all members of the public, and we welcome new members at any time. We meet regularly for meetings in Shrewsbury and also with Transport for Wales to share our views on necessary changes and improvements to rail services and stations along the line.
TfW user group meeting April 24
We attended a user group session with TfW in April. It was a three hour marathon with many senior reps there. They handled many questions via the chat system and most things got covered. They committed to going back to answer other points. Some speakers were very clear and readily understood. Others mumbled through their bit clearly not suited for public facing. This was a national event so there was a lot of local stuff being injected, but TfW handled it well. At the end there were break out sessions by region, and we were able to get a few […]
Class 175 withdrawn
We see that TfW has sent the Class 175 units off hire from mid October 2023. They are returned to their owner Angel Trains for redeployment. Some have gone to Ilford, and others are in store in Wales. Their future is uncertain. Angel Trains promotion is here: https://angeltrains.co.uk/fleet/class-175/
News on TfW rolling stock
In the October issue of Modern Railways there is some information on the TfW rolling stock. It is reported that: Class 197s 77 units on order, 32 units accepted by early September, ongoing into service one per week Class 153 30 in fleet, 26 in service, 13 to be retained long term for HoW etc Class 150 38 units in service, all to leave by mid 2025, including 2 from Northern. Class 158 24 units in fleet, all in service Class 175 27 units (2 and 3 cars) 17 in service, all to go by end 2023 Mk4 and 67 […]
Disruption w/c 25 September 2023
Please be aware of changes to the TfW timetable this week. These are as a result of track maintenance south of Shrewsbury, where single line working will take place. This all has a knock on effect of the through trains from Manchester to Wales and the west. Many of these will run fast both ways from Crewe and Shrewsbury, and others have reduced stops. One of the morning commuter services northbound is a bus replacement. It appears that the shuttle will run as normal. There is no information on the TfW web site on this and we have made a […]
Class 197 in revenue service
We have seen Class 197s in revenue earning service today on the Shrewsbury Crewe section. A three car unit operated the shuttle all day and then a 2×2 car unit operated a Cardiff Manchester diagram. Lets us hope this is not a one off. TfW may have entered a new phase.
Timetable change 22nd May
Alongside all other operators, TfW will be making changes to the timetables. For our line the changes are very minor. For weekdays: Ex Shrewsbury 1956 was 1950 fast to Crewe 2035 was 2033 all stations 2207 was 2208.all stations Ex Crewe 0558 was 0557 all stations 0920 was 0910 all stations 2318 was 2314 all stations Northbound The pinch point of the morning northbound commuting connection at Crewe remains intact. (arrives 06.15 leaves 0629) Southbound The important connection remains intact at Crewe at arriving 1710 leaves 1719, The last train from Manchester (2235) is the same. The Friday only change […]
Cheshire Station Award for NiB team
We understand that the Nantwich in Bloom (NiB) team have just been awarded the Best Kept Garden Award for their work at the station. The station adopter team are all volenteers, and they receive support from Transport for Wales. Well done, it looks beautiful and is much appreciated.
Class 175s needing maintenance
The Class 175s have been the mainstay of long distance services from Manchester to South Wales for a very long time. The plan is that they are phased out in mid 2023, replaced with the new Class 197s. However the gremlins have struck. Following three “thermal events” in quick succession, TfW has taken the bulk of the units out of service since early March pending inspection.”Thermal event” means a fire, in this case in the engine compartment. We see reports that the problem is a build up of debris. But it is taking time to get the inspection of the […]
TfW are in trouble with rolling stock
Last week was a gruesome week for TfW. We spent some time looking at the RealTimeTrains web pages for our route, and extracted the information from last weeks working. There are 56 services each day and 16 of these we would recognise as shuttles from Crewe to Shrewsbury and return. 40 are intercity train, with 16 ‘booked’ as Mk4 coach trains. The highest number of services operated by Mk4s was Friday when it was 5. Mostly it is only one or two each day. The replacement stock provided on these services is two car 150 or 2x153s. Generally 175s are […]