Morning All.
Although not mentioned in the mainstream media, the 'open secret' within the Railway industry is that plans are currently being worked on by many train operating companies for a significant increase in train services (75-80% of normal service mentioned by several operating companies) for the week commencing Monday 18th May. This is at the request of DfT/Network Rail.
With this date being only 3 weeks away, how much time would Bus Operators need to get things ready for the potential significant upturn in passenger numbers?
Quote from: MK on April 27, 2020, 10:20:40 AM
Morning All.
Although not mentioned in the mainstream media, the 'open secret' within the Railway industry is that plans are currently being worked on by many train operating companies for a significant increase in train services (75-80% of normal service mentioned by several operating companies) for the week commencing Monday 18th May. This is at the request of DfT/Network Rail.
With this date being only 3 weeks away, how much time would Bus Operators need to get things ready for the potential significant upturn in passenger numbers?
Probably the same amount of time. There are thousands of buses that hasn't been used in a while due to the lockdown so they would need to be road ready else they'll just break down. Plus there's the SORN thing as well.
Quote from: Busboy105 on April 27, 2020, 11:36:39 AM
Probably the same amount of time. There are thousands of buses that hasn't been used in a while due to the lockdown so they would need to be road ready else they'll just break down. Plus there's the SORN thing as well.
I'm not so sure about bus service levels being increased at the same time. National Rail has a far higher passenger demand and usage than buses, so I think they'll be a bit further behind. That said, there are many communities that have no rail link (Dudley for example) that rely heavily on their buses, so I think they must be planning something to get services back up and running.
Quote from: MK on April 27, 2020, 10:20:40 AM
Morning All.
Although not mentioned in the mainstream media, the 'open secret' within the Railway industry is that plans are currently being worked on by many train operating companies for a significant increase in train services (75-80% of normal service mentioned by several operating companies) for the week commencing Monday 18th May. This is at the request of DfT/Network Rail.
With this date being only 3 weeks away, how much time would Bus Operators need to get things ready for the potential significant upturn in passenger numbers?
Is 18th May when the lockdown is meant to be reviewed again? Wander if there's likely to be a start to some sort of easing of the lockdown if service levels are resuming, in which case you would think bus services would resume as well as lots of the Midlands isn't served by rail, for example most of East Birmingham.
Maybe a reduced Saturday service for buses?
Quote from: 2206 on April 27, 2020, 12:42:40 PM
Is 18th May when the lockdown is meant to be reviewed again? Wander if there's likely to be a start to some sort of easing of the lockdown if service levels are resuming, in which case you would think bus services would resume as well as lots of the Midlands isn't served by rail, for example most of East Birmingham.
Maybe a reduced Saturday service for buses?
7th May is next review date. If there are plans to increase service levels, then presumably they're going to be there to get people to/from work, so there must be some sort of easing of restrictions planned soon?
And from observations today, the number of cars back out on the road has increased by quite a bit since last week.
Train timetables were due to change from around that date anyway when the summer schedules were to be introduced.
Interesting - however with Network Rail travel usage running at less than 10% of normal, based on around 50%-60% of the service, I can't see usage increasing to match that very quickly - no one should expect a sudden increase in usage.
I also can't see bus operators wanting to increase frequencies of commercial routes if the demand isn't there.
We're still going to have to social distance for ages yet.
Quote from: don on April 27, 2020, 10:32:41 PM
Interesting - however with Network Rail travel usage running at less than 10% of normal, based on around 50%-60% of the service, I can't see usage increasing to match that very quickly - no one should expect a sudden increase in usage.
I also can't see bus operators wanting to increase frequencies of commercial routes if the demand isn't there.
We're still going to have to social distance for ages yet.
Which comes back to why i asked the question. The logical reason for the the government to request an increase in rail services from the 18th May would be that they consider them necessary to cope with demand (potential of people returning to work, opening of non-essential shops, services etc.)
Social distancing certainly wouldn't be possible on buses unless the frequencies were significantly increased from where we are at the moment
Nor on commuter trains - however will everyone go back to original travel patterns after working from home - I somehow doubt it - why commute if you really don't need to - ultimately it would save on travel costs and office space also - there are lots of possibilities.
Another large travel demand will be schools going back - I can't see that happening before September now.
Quote from: don on April 28, 2020, 02:04:58 PM
Another large travel demand will be schools going back.
Undoubtfully something that will happen at some point.
Would mean a large increase in travellers, but on the other hand its also questionable how people could social distance on bus services such as the 11 around school times, if/when schools reopen.
Unless they start of with a partial reopening of some sort, to limit the number of people who need to travel and get on buses in a single day - preventing overcrowded services.
Presumably with return of frequent long distance rail travel National Express Coaches will come back to life too.
Quote from: don on April 28, 2020, 02:04:58 PM
Nor on commuter trains - however will everyone go back to original travel patterns after working from home - I somehow doubt it - why commute if you really don't need to - ultimately it would save on travel costs and office space also - there are lots of possibilities.
Another large travel demand will be schools going back - I can't see that happening before September now.
;
I suspect "intercity" operators will be badly hit - how many employers are going to let their staff go back to having a day out at the opposite end of the country to conduct business that can be done online in a couple of hours?
Quote from: JoNi on April 28, 2020, 02:44:56 PM
Presumably with return of frequent long distance rail travel National Express Coaches will come back to life too.
Agreed.
55 and 94 are increasing again to every 15 minutes - combining to every 7 minutes from the 24th May.
11A/11C are increasing to every 10 minutes.
X20/X21/X22 increasing to every 30 minutes combining to every 10 minutes.
Timetables are on NX Bus Website.
25 will also be reintroduced.
Also notice temporary changes to all services which use the Priory Queensway due to HS2:
https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/information/temporary-diversions/priory-queensway-hs2-works
YW 6 also upped to every 10 minutes so wander if this means those electric buses will enter service from this date?
Quote from: 2206 on May 14, 2020, 05:01:47 PM
YW 6 also upped to every 10 minutes so wander if this means those electric buses will enter service from this date?
No sorry you will have to wait a little longer. YW are just putting all there current fleet of deckers back on the road
Do we have any idea of which operators are increasing services? I know of Arriva going back to around 80-90% service possibly start of June, but what about Diamond, NXC?
According to the new timetables the PN 57/17A/E are being reintroduced, can
@pndriver or
@karl724223 comfirm this as it's not on the list of reintroduced services
Quote from: SL 16 YPN on May 15, 2020, 04:14:58 PM
According to the new timetables the PN 57/17A/E are being reintroduced, can @pndriver or @karl724223 comfirm this as it's not on the list of reintroduced services
They got that wrong then "25 - Birmingham to Selly Oak".
The 25 doesn't go to Selly Oak.
Quote from: 2206 on May 15, 2020, 04:44:39 PM
25 - Birmingham to Selly Oak
They got that wrong then. The 25 doesn't go to Selly Oak.
What area of Birmingham is the Queen Elizabeth hospital in then?
Quote from: Tony on May 15, 2020, 04:46:33 PM
What area of Birmingham is the Queen Elizabeth hospital in then?
I'm not 100% sure, but when people get on the bus and ask if its going to Selly Oak, they usually mean the area by Sainsburys which is further down. They'd be a bit annoyed if you told them they can get the X22 or 25 to Selly Oak and it doesn't actually go there. So its a little inaccurate I think.
Though the NHS website suggests: Address: Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2WB.
https://www.nhs.uk/Services/Hospitals/MapsAndDirections/DefaultView.aspx?id=1655
Its not the only error on the NX site, last time I checked the 28 page is suggesting Heartlands Hospital is in Small Heath.
" 28 Small Heath (Heartlands Hospital) - Bordesley Green - Fox & Goose - Erdington - Great Barr (Scott Arms)"
https://nxbus.co.uk/routes/west-midlands/B028/?timetable[day]=&
Quote from: 2206 on May 15, 2020, 04:50:55 PM
I'm not 100% sure, but when people get on the bus and ask if its going to Selly Oak, they usually mean the area by Sainsburys which is further down. They'd be a bit annoyed if you told them they can get the X22 or 25 to Selly Oak and it doesn't actually go there.
Though the NHS website suggests: Address: Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2WB.
https://www.nhs.uk/Services/Hospitals/MapsAndDirections/DefaultView.aspx?id=1655
Its not the only error on the NX site, last time I checked the 28 page is suggesting Heartlands Hospital is in Small Heath.
What is the difference with someone getting on the 28 asking if it goes to Ward End, and it not going past Ward End Park
Quote from: Tony on May 15, 2020, 04:52:56 PM
What is the difference with someone getting on the 28 asking if it goes to Ward End, and it not going past Ward End Park
I knew it wasn't to far away from the Selly Oak Retail Park (2 bus stops I think), but never realised it is considered to be part of Selly Oak before. So my mistake there.
32 - Hall Green to Acocks Green ;D
Quote from: 2206 on May 15, 2020, 05:07:35 PM
I knew it wasn't to far away from the Selly Oak Retail Park (2 bus stops I think), but never realised it is considered to be part of Selly Oak before. So my mistake there.
To be fair it is right in between Edgbaston, Selly oak and Herborne and parts of the site could possibly be in all 3
Quote from: Tony on May 15, 2020, 06:26:25 PM
To be fair it is right in between Edgbaston, Selly oak and Herborne and parts of the site could possibly be in all 3
I was born in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and my birth certificate and passport clearly state EDGBASTON as my place of birth not SELLY OAK. None of the current sites of QEUHB are in Harborne or Selly Oak although Selly Oak had it's own hospital site part of the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital now closed.
I've only ever seen cities or towns mentioned on passports, never a suburb before!
Quote from: Gareth on May 15, 2020, 11:09:14 PM
I've only ever seen cities or towns mentioned on passports, never a suburb before!
I think mine has either Wordsley or Stourbridge. I'll have to check
Quote from: Gareth on May 15, 2020, 11:09:14 PM
I've only ever seen cities or towns mentioned on passports, never a suburb before!
For your information when I was born Edgbaston was part of the County of Warwickshire and not a suburb untill it became part of the West Midlands Metropolitan County in 1974 following boundary changes. If you were born as most births were at the time in Loveday Street Maternity Hospital in the City Centre your passport would read Birmingham.Very few births at the time were at the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital unless major surgery was required at the time of birth. If you were born like me in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital it reads Edgbaston. My partners passport place of birth reads Wordsley not Stourbridge which reflected the Maternity Hospital at the time which was then part of Worcestershire.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital does also list its address as Edgbaston on its website.
On the contrary, I was born in a hospital in the borough of Solihull, but my passport lists my place of birth as Birmingham.
You fill in the town of birth on the passport application form, so if yours does say Edgbaston, it is because you (or whoever applied for your first passport) put Edgbaston there. It isn't magicked onto the form by some random computer thing.
Quote from: Mike K on May 16, 2020, 12:41:09 AM
At what point did this change? I was born at the Women's Hospital on the QE site prior to 1974 and have older brothers and sisters born at the same hospital. All of our passports show Birmingham as our place of birth.
My birth certificate from 1968 reads Edgbaston, Warwickshire there is no mention of Birmingham on it. My original application for a passport at 18 was rejected and sent back when I put Birmingham on the form as place of birth and was only accepted after amending it to Edgbaston in 1986. The Womens Hospital on the site of the QE opened after I was born most births at the time were at Loveday Street Maternity Hospital until it closed and maternity moved to The Women's Hospital adjoining the main QE hospital.
Quote from: WyreForestShuttle on May 16, 2020, 12:20:21 AM
For your information when I was born Edgbaston was part of the County of Warwickshire and not a suburb untill it became part of the West Midlands Metropolitan County in 1974 following boundary changes. If you were born as most births were at the time in Loveday Street Maternity Hospital in the City Centre your passport would read Birmingham.Very few births at the time were at the old Queen Elizabeth Hospital unless major surgery was required at the time of birth. If you were born like me in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital it reads Edgbaston. My partners passport place of birth reads Wordsley not Stourbridge which reflected the Maternity Hospital at the time which was then part of Worcestershire.
Im not 100 percent sure but Cannock Hednesford and possibly Burntwood were originally intended to be included in the West Midlands but plans changed last minute and Cov was put in instead
It Was Redditch and Bromsgrove that were due to be in West Midlands but did not happen when Coventry joined
Anyone know what the service level increase is going up to from w/c 31st May ?
It's 75% from next week then even more from 31st May ( I think ).
Quote from: TT90 on May 18, 2020, 11:48:17 AM
Anyone know what the service level increase is going up to from w/c 31st May ?
It's 75% from next week then even more from 31st May ( I think ).
Exact levels will more depend on driver availability
Quote from: Tony on May 18, 2020, 11:53:15 AM
Exact levels will more depend on driver availability
And presumably passenger uptake?