New ticket machines for Whitchurch / Nantwich
We are pleased to report that TfW have installed two new ticket machines at Witchurch and Nantwich station. We reported on this project in 2019, but these are the first machines to reach our line. There have been recent reports of them going in at Hereford. This is good news. So there are now machines on both platforms. https://caspa.org.uk/re-franchising/new-ticket-machines/
SMS text messages from TfW – February 21
We continue to monitor the messages with view to understand what is happening on the line, So we record the messages for Crewe Shrewsbury all day and for both directions. You can see the list of messages for February 2021 here We have made a simple analysis of these and the table is below. There were 108 messages in February for 56 events. From this we can see that again more than half of the events in February (59%) are problems for NR with points failure and signal failures predominating. We have updated the table for January after doing the […]
PRM and Sprinter fleet
We recently asked Transport for Wales about progress on ‘ Persons with Reduced Mobility’ upgrading of Sprinter Classes 150 and 153. They have now replied. In summary, 150s were complete in 2019 and also part of the fleet of (26) 153s. Of the remaining 13 153 units that are not compliant, 9 will be converted in 2021 and 4 retired. TfW confirm that these non compliant units are never operated singly and are always coupled to a fully PRM-compliant class 150 or 153. These units have now been renumbered into the 1539xx number series to ensure they are readily identifiable […]
SMS text messages from TfW – January 21
Transport for Wales provide SMS messages to notify of disruption in timetabled services. You can sign up for this here: https://www.journeycheck.com/tfwrail/ There are options for the time of day, stations and direction. We have been monitoring the messages for some time with a view to understand what is happening on the line, So we record the messages for Crewe Shrewsbury all day and for both directions. You can see the list of messages for January 2021 here We have made a simple analysis of these and the table is below. There were 101 messages in January for 63 events. Where […]
TfW unit diagrams for spring 2021
TfW have made available the unit diagrams from the long term plan (LTP) for spring 2021. These appeared on recent response to a freedom of information request. The response is an unsearchable five hundred page pdf document. But if this is your thing, flipping the pages on the screen will get you something. You can view and download it here. To give you a start, here are some of the page references relevant to us. Usual health warnings on the accuracy of this below. It is just a guide. Happy hunting!
Cheshire East transport consultation
CASPA recently responded to a Cheshire East (CE) consultation on transport. This covered the whole county, but the parts relevant to CASPA were best suited to a response to the Nantwich section. There were a number of aspects to rail services at Nantwich and Wrenbury, which we felt required drawing the their attention. With CE continuing to approve housing schemes in the towns, usage at stations can be expected to grow as we return to normal. Other points will be familiar to campaigners for improvements in service. Our response has been sent to TfW. You can read it here. There […]
TfW on rolling stock upgrades.
We report on a Freedom of Information Act question to TfW on rolling stock upgrades. The data below has been provided on 8 December 2020. You can see the full response here: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/improving_rolling_stock#incoming-1688762 We remain unconvinced over the refurbishment of the 153 sets and will inquire further. There are a number of sets on hire and these may have been overlooked in these numbers. It looks as though the 150’s will not get a repaint, but the 175 refurbishment should be done in 2021. Programme Start Date Total Units Units complete Completion date Class 150 PRM June 2018 36 36 […]
Operator of last resort takes over for TfW
TfW have set up a new company called Transport for Wales Rail Ltd to operate the railways from 7th February 2021. TfW Rail will take over day to day operations from KeolisAmey on that date. As a wholly owned government agency, this is termed the “operator of last resort”. TfW will have full responsibility for operation and the take the risk on fare income. We understand that KeolisAmey will be retained to support TfW Rail. This is in particular for the heavy engineering works required in the Valleys where TfW have taken over track responsibility.
TfW revised timetables from 25 January
Timetable changes are coming in this week. As usual we are left to guess what they mean for us. We have been through what is published on RealTimeTrains, and find there are no major changes on our line. You can read the TfW web site here, but there is no detail. Best advice is check on line before you travel.
Wrenbury level crossing
This is a summary of observations at the Wrenbury crossing. This was prompted because of of comments about the long periods of the gates being down. Please send your comments to contact_us@caspa.org.uk The crossing is located at Wrenbury Station. There is no foot bridge. The platform for the south bound service is before the crossing. The platform for the north bound service is after the crossing. This is an obstacle detection level crossing with manually controlled barriers. The crossing is initiated by approaching trains and has no direct signaler involvement when working normally, apart from monitoring the process. The obstacle […]