April 2020 timetable workshop
Chairman John Cresswell made submissions to a TfW workshop on forthcoming timetable changes. This was to have been around the table, but the Covid 19 lockdown prevented this. These are his requests and comments to TfW. May 2020 changes The current 08.00 ex Shrewsbury to Crewe (06.18 ex Llnadridod). Will this service still run in view of the extra stops placed on the 06.35 ex Cardiff (o8.35 ex Shrewsbury) – Manchester? If the extra stops are to replace the current stops on the 08.00 ex Shrewsbury, then the arrival time in Crewe of 09.14 is too late. If, as I […]
Dispensations for 150 and 153s
TfW should have upgraded these old ex BR sets to comply with the requirements for Persons with Reduced Mobility by the end of 2019. In common with many of the UK operators, this has not been done. As a result they have a dispensation to continue to operate, on the basis that it is better to have a poor train than no train. For the class 150s, this allows continued use until the end of August 2020. You can read the dispensation here. For the class 153s, this allows continued use until the end of Deccember 2020. You can read […]
The message now is “Essential travel only”
This is the message on the TfW web site. Thank you to all our essential workers.Take care out there.
TfW cut weekday trains to Sunday services
TfW have today announced that they will be running only Sunday services from Monday 23rd March. This is in response to the virus pandemic and reduced footfall. There are a few additional trains running, but the list published does not include anything for the Crewe and Shrewsbury service. The earliest timetabled train out of Shrewsbury will be the 08.24 stopper getting to Crewe at 09.12, so this destroys the early commuter service. The TfW link is here
TfW on safety and wellbeing during the Coronavirus outbreak.
Transport for Wales are offering their advice on the virus outbreak. They say We’d like to reassure you that the safety and wellbeing of all our customers and staff are our top priority during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak throughout the UK. We’ve put measures in place to support your safety on our trains and to give you flexibility with travel plans. Current NHS guidelines indicate that most people can continue to use public transport safely for necessary travel. Please do consider your own health circumstances with respect to other public transport users and the NHS guidance. You can read more […]
Nantwich and Wrenbury volenteers win awards for station flowers
Nantwich has scooped another award in the Cheshire Best Kept Station Competition. Members of Nantwich In Bloom collected the Merseyrail In Bloom Award at a ceremony at the Grange Theatre, in Hartford. The awards were set up to celebrate and recognise the hard work of station adoption and community groups across Cheshire. Wrenbury Station also scooped an honour, winning the Roberts Bakery Award for most improved station. Crewe Station won TravelWatch North West Award for larger stations. The ceremony, attended by more than 150 guests, shines a light on improvements to stations, from gardening to arts projects and other community […]
TfW trains, a perfect storm.
TfW inherited a poor deal from Arriva in 2018, with no plans for new trains. Arriva’s long franchise anticipated no growth and had no requirement to look ahead. So one of TfWs early jobs has been to find additional trains. Unfortunately other franchises got in first and the manufacturers have full order books. The main order for new trains is with CAF for class 197’s, but these take time and will not be with us until 2022 at the earliest. They have also ordered refurbished suburban trains for Cardiff lines, converted from old London electric trains. These are 2 years […]
Jam tomorrow – new trains for our line!
With TfW taking over the operation comes a promise of new trains. But its going to be a while and we have to wait. No jam for tea tonight! All the class 150, 153, and 175 trains are planned to be withdrawn in the period 2022-24 but this is dependant on new trains being delivered and put to work. This sounds easy, nice new train, what could go wrong? But all UK train operators are finding that it does not go well, with combination of late delivery, long driver training programmes, and early life techncial problems all conspire to cause […]
Wem crossing down times
I have looked at the data from November 2018 that NR sent with the FOI response. There are 1500 readings in the month with a whole spread of times from 1 minute to the longest at 13 minutes. A good pass for a not stopping single train will be 2 minutes. For a north bound stopper a good pass is 4 minutes, and bit less for the south bound. For a good double pass, 6 minutes. For a bad double or triple with freight.it could be 10-13 minutes. The worst times are 14.30, 18.40 and 20.30 when two or three […]
Station footfall data updated 2018/9
A member has provided data for some stations including those on our line. Shrewsbury, Wem, Whitchurch Wrenbury, Nantwich and Crew all show significant growth. Yorton is level and Prees has dropped back. The headline station is Nantwich with an annual growth given as 9.72%. This will not be a surprise thto those who wait in the rain at the station for commuter trains in the rush hours to and from Manchester. So much for Arriva’s zero growth assumptions. We always said it was wrong. The question is “What will TfW do to move with the times?” Do they even know […]