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Post by lv426 on Dec 9, 2015 9:46:58 GMT
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Post by duncan on Dec 9, 2015 11:07:48 GMT
Two bits of good news then. I can see the adverts now - Train cleaners wanted. Location The North of England. Apply Arriva trains. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2015 11:11:36 GMT
Welcome?? Has anyone forgot how bad Arriva were before
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Post by duncan on Dec 9, 2015 11:26:37 GMT
main points are Substantial investment in new and refurbished trains: The introduction of 281 new carriages, the full refurbishment of the remaining fleet and the removal of all Pacer trains within three years. More services and faster journeys: Over 2,000 more trains each week – an increase of 12 per cent across the Northern network by 2019 - with more frequent, earlier and later trains offering passengers greater choice. Beginning in December 2017, new timetables will provide 100 new through journey opportunities across Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and other regional hubs. More capacity: With more and longer trains there will be a 37 per cent increase in peak time capacity. Significant station improvements: Investing in station facilities to make rail travel simpler and more comfortable by giving customers easier access to information and providing new seating and waiting areas. Value for money and choice: Creating easier ticketing options which include new advanced and off-peak fares – alongside improved retailing at stations. Connecting customers: Launching in 2019 with new trains, enhanced inter-urban Northern Connect services will provide faster city connections with free WiFi. Northern employees: 45 currently unstaffed stations will be staffed while there will be extended opening hours at 54 location I also understand they are to employ some train cleaners  |
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Post by xtopher on Dec 9, 2015 14:12:04 GMT
Some welcome improvements, though not particularly ground-breaking or innovative. The 'Northern Connect' is an odd choice of name for the enhanced services. Presumably 'Northern Connect' would have sat better with the local services with 'Northern Express' for the faster trains with WiFi.
South Yorkshire benefits from enhancements to the Sunday services which is needed. South TransPennine continues to be the black sheep of the family with very little other than refurbished Class 185s. You would hope that part of this will see 6-car running on peak services but no doubt the cry for the North TransPennine will be so loud that they'll feed them any additional units to shut it up.
Sheffield to Lincoln sees a boost which presumably will be some form of semi-fast service but other than that I think it shows that South Yorkshire haven't really done altogether that well out of today's announcements.
Even Elsecar, dumbed down to an hourly offering is only a possible commitment to increase to a half-hourly service during the franchise.
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Post by xtopher on Dec 9, 2015 17:10:49 GMT
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Post by manclad on Dec 10, 2015 0:37:20 GMT
Any idea of the routing of the new Sheffield-Bradford service?
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Post by xtopher on Dec 10, 2015 8:47:17 GMT
Any idea of the routing of the new Sheffield-Bradford service? Wakefield Westgate and Moorthorpe. It will be a Bradford to Nottingham essentially. An additional Leeds to Lincoln via Barnsley will make up the shortfall. |
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Post by manclad on Dec 10, 2015 21:54:21 GMT
So I believe after reading through the material. Even with Barnsley getting the extension to Lincoln (or reintroduction of service to Lincoln) it would have been nice for the town to have been part of the Bradford-Nottingham route.
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Post by zoidberg on Dec 11, 2015 13:27:57 GMT
Some welcome improvements, though not particularly ground-breaking or innovative. The 'Northern Connect' is an odd choice of name for the enhanced services. Presumably 'Northern Connect' would have sat better with the local services with 'Northern Express' for the faster trains with WiFi. South Yorkshire benefits from enhancements to the Sunday services which is needed. South TransPennine continues to be the black sheep of the family with very little other than refurbished Class 185s. You would hope that part of this will see 6-car running on peak services but no doubt the cry for the North TransPennine will be so loud that they'll feed them any additional units to shut it up. Sheffield to Lincoln sees a boost which presumably will be some form of semi-fast service but other than that I think it shows that South Yorkshire haven't really done altogether that well out of today's announcements. Even Elsecar, dumbed down to an hourly offering is only a possible commitment to increase to a half-hourly service during the franchise. Yes it's very Manchester & Leeds based. Possible replacement for Pacers could be the Turbostars? |
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Post by DPL233 (33LUG) on Dec 11, 2015 15:46:07 GMT
Some welcome improvements, though not particularly ground-breaking or innovative. The 'Northern Connect' is an odd choice of name for the enhanced services. Presumably 'Northern Connect' would have sat better with the local services with 'Northern Express' for the faster trains with WiFi. South Yorkshire benefits from enhancements to the Sunday services which is needed. South TransPennine continues to be the black sheep of the family with very little other than refurbished Class 185s. You would hope that part of this will see 6-car running on peak services but no doubt the cry for the North TransPennine will be so loud that they'll feed them any additional units to shut it up. Sheffield to Lincoln sees a boost which presumably will be some form of semi-fast service but other than that I think it shows that South Yorkshire haven't really done altogether that well out of today's announcements. Even Elsecar, dumbed down to an hourly offering is only a possible commitment to increase to a half-hourly service during the franchise. There should be plenty of 185s to allow 6 car running in the future, as part of the TPE enhancements will be to extend the Liverpool - Newcastle service through to Edinburgh, but as a fully electric worked service, so this alone should release approx 6 units, plus I believe they are loosing the North West coast (Blackpool / Windermere etc) - Manchester Airport workings to Northern, this again will release quite a few units. No doubt other TPE services will also go over to electric operation as wires go up. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2015 21:34:10 GMT
I know Arriva didn't make a good job of it before but things have changed now and it was more than 10 years since and look at other areas where Arriva run trains. The biggest 2 issues in my opinion are being addressed: Lack of capacity on peak time services which has been the same for years and the life expired Pacer trains which are generally hated by passengers. As Duncan has said, hopefully Arriva will clean the trains unlike Northern
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Post by duncan on Dec 13, 2015 14:29:08 GMT
I know Arriva didn't make a good job of it before but things have changed now and it was more than 10 years since and look at other areas where Arriva run trains. The biggest 2 issues in my opinion are being addressed: Lack of capacity on peak time services which has been the same for years and the life expired Pacer trains which are generally hated by passengers. As Duncan has said, hopefully Arriva will clean the trains unlike Northern People forget that last time round arriva inherited the Northern Spirit from the failed MTL group. That dragged them down. Tenders they have won under their own right have largely been pretty well run. |
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Post by dougie on Dec 13, 2015 17:14:18 GMT
I know Arriva didn't make a good job of it before but things have changed now and it was more than 10 years since and look at other areas where Arriva run trains. The biggest 2 issues in my opinion are being addressed: Lack of capacity on peak time services which has been the same for years and the life expired Pacer trains which are generally hated by passengers. As Duncan has said, hopefully Arriva will clean the trains unlike Northern People forget that last time round arriva inherited the Northern Spirit from the failed MTL group. That dragged them down. Tenders they have won under their own right have largely been pretty well run. True - MTL were a disaster - Arriva inherited a TOC that was losing staff, cancelling services, scraping the bottom of the barrel. Arriva turned things round - people may remember things being imperfect under ATN but if you remember what went before them, they were a step in the right direction. |
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vwd14
Inspector
Posts: 599 
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Post by vwd14 on Dec 15, 2015 21:12:50 GMT
The best bit is of course the forthcoming withdrawal of the Pacers, and new trains for up here rather than just getting leftovers from down south. It all sounds good to me, but I do hope there will be some scope for expansion, the Pacers are rotten trains that would put even the most hardcore rail enthusiast off travelling by train. I'm no fan of the Sprinters but they're like total luxury besides the nodding donkeys. It will be interesting to see what Pacer operated routes get as replacements, I see Arriva will be free to take cascaded units from other TOCs so that will be interesting. Another bit of good news is free Wi-Fi eventually on all trains.
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