The next West Midlands franchise

[mikestone]

Strangely the major weekday improvement, a second hourly Birmingham-Shrewsbury service, wasn't mentioned in the DfT announcement. Although there are two extra trains between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the service total  only goes up by one, so one will have to replace an existing local.
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Hidden in the ITT is a requirement for the franchise's proposals to accommodate a non-stop Birmingham-Bushbury Pendolino service and also that they can run two trains per hour down the TV.
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The applicants have to offer a priced variation to serve Barleston and Wedgewood - if it is unacceptable they will go through the closure procedure. Norton Bridge they are still thinking about.

[Roy]

 Yes, there's a diagram on page 23 which shows that one of the all-stations is extended from Wolverhampton to Crewe via Stoke.  It will be interesting to find out whether these will start at Walsall as at present.

[Tony]

Yes, there's a diagram on page 23 which shows that one of the all-stations is extended from Wolverhampton to Crewe via Stoke.  It will be interesting to find out whether these will start at Walsall as at present.

That is presumably to allow some Trent Valley services to start/finish at Stafford allowing more 8 car workings

[Roy]

That is presumably to allow some Trent Valley services to start/finish at Stafford allowing more 8 car workings

This will allow all Euston - Crewe via Stoke services to operate directly from Stafford to Crewe via the WCML.  The problem is capacity and the need for 8-car trains.  As expected, the Stoke people are not happy.

[Sh4318]

Strangely the major weekday improvement, a second hourly Birmingham-Shrewsbury service, wasn't mentioned in the DfT announcement. Although there are two extra trains between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, the service total  only goes up by one, so one will have to replace an existing local.
;
Hidden in the ITT is a requirement for the franchise's proposals to accommodate a non-stop Birmingham-Bushbury Pendolino service and also that they can run two trains per hour down the TV.
;
The applicants have to offer a priced variation to serve Barleston and Wedgewood - if it is unacceptable they will go through the closure procedure. Norton Bridge they are still thinking about.

I assume these will be all stops between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, although it isn't stated

[Roy]

I assume these will be all stops between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury, although it isn't stated

All the document says is that the new service has been specified to call at Wellington, Telford, Shifnal and Codsall as a minimum.

[Stuharris 6360]

This will allow all Euston - Crewe via Stoke services to operate directly from Stafford to Crewe via the WCML.  The problem is capacity and the need for 8-car trains.  As expected, the Stoke people are not happy.

Is it me or are there still going to be direct services betweem Birmingham New Street & London Euston as have looked through the document, and can't see it really mentioned?

[Roy]

I would guess yes although, as you say, it is not specified in the ITT.  The Birmingham to Northampton line is shown as being part of the West Coast Business Unit.  If they intended to split these services at Northampton, I am guessing that they would have put the Birmingham to Northampton line into the West Midlands Business Unit.  I notice that now the Stafford-Stoke-Crewe services are running from Birmingham (or Walsall?), that line is now in the West Midlands Business Unit.

One other omission seems to be no earlier trains on the Stourbridge line on Sunday mornings.  If this is true, then it needs to be rethought.

[mikestone]

I couldn't find a Sunday train service requirement for period 3 so that  may cover an earlier start from Stourbridge.
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There is a requirement for sixteen services between London and Northampton to go through to Birmingham.
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There doesn't appear to be a requirement for the cross-city to continue as now, the TSR only requires 60 trains from University to serve Aston so they could run to Walsall or beyond instead

[D10]

One other omission seems to be no earlier trains on the Stourbridge line on Sunday mornings.  If this is true, then it needs to be rethought.

Don't think this is an omission sadly  >:(

As earlier Sunday trains are mentioned specifically for other lines, and the increased frequency to Stourbridge / Kiddie is mentioned, it seems there will be no earlier trains.

At least there are earlier buses for the stations within the West Midlands County, but a bit of a joke that a town the size of Kidderminster has no public transport provision earlier on a Sunday.

[Reece]

Don't think this is an omission sadly  >:(

As earlier Sunday trains are mentioned specifically for other lines, and the increased frequency to Stourbridge / Kiddie is mentioned, it seems there will be no earlier trains.

At least there are earlier buses for the stations within the West Midlands County, but a bit of a joke that a town the size of Kidderminster has no public transport provision earlier on a Sunday.

Your telling me living Kidderminster is a absolutely nightmare when it comes to public transport no Sunday train before 9:42 is ridiculous and the train in question is usually a 2 car and full and standing by Rowley Regis in the summer. Then there is the poor bus service which Mon-Sat basically stops after 18:30 in the evening which is useless if you work or commute. The only service that runs later out of Kidderminster is the 3.

[mikestone]

You shouldn't need to worry about overcrowding as the six-train an hour service is specified from Stourbridge.
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I shall be interested to see how they manage that with regard to traincrew.

[D10]

You shouldn't need to worry about overcrowding as the six-train an hour service is specified from Stourbridge.
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I shall be interested to see how they manage that with regard to traincrew.

The daytime trains on a Sunday will of course be far less crowded, but this doesn't solve the problem with the first couple of trains being overcrowded. As mentioned the late start to trains means that to have a day out on Sunday you have to cram into the first few trains of the day.

Reece mentioned the 0942, and the 1014 had the same problem when I caught it last Sunday, it is four carriages but people are standing and it is fit to burst!

[andy41]

The daytime trains on a Sunday will of course be far less crowded, but this doesn't solve the problem with the first couple of trains being overcrowded. As mentioned the late start to trains means that to have a day out on Sunday you have to cram into the first few trains of the day.

Reece mentioned the 0942, and the 1014 had the same problem when I caught it last Sunday, it is four carriages but people are standing and it is fit to burst!

That is mainly due to the fact it is effectively free as hardly any ticket offices or gatelines operate on a Sunday on there. If they had to pay there would be plenty of seats!

[Roy]

That is mainly due to the fact it is effectively free as hardly any ticket offices or gatelines operate on a Sunday on there. If they had to pay there would be plenty of seats!

I've read some rubbish in my life but this is one takes the gold medal!  To suggest that the majority of people only travel on Sunday to get a free ride is at best untrue and at worst libellous.  I agree that there are a small proportion of fare evaders on all local lines but they operate seven days a week not just on a Sunday. 

The first train is not only full with passengers but also with their luggage.  That is because a large proportion are trying to get to New Street for an onward long distance journey.  The fact that the first train of the day from the Stourbridge line does not arrive at Snow Hill until 1022 and Moor Street until 1028 means that Stourbridge line passengers miss over 20 onward long distance services from New Street.  In fact, if you are travelling towards Bristol and the West Country, the earliest train you can catch is the 1130 from New Street, and that is unacceptable.

The 1014 train from Kidderminster will always be full even if earlier trains were provided as it arrives in Birmingham just as the shops open, although this also attracts long distance travellers as it is the first train of the day from Lye, Old Hill and Langley Green. 

You shouldn't need to worry about overcrowding as the six-train an hour service is specified from Stourbridge.
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I shall be interested to see how they manage that with regard to traincrew.

Your are right Mike.  To provide a Saturday level service on Sundays will need a 7-day working agreement.  Both Central Trains and London Midland have tried and failed to change the agreement from a 6-day agreement with voluntary working on Sundays to a 7-day agreement, and this resulted in work to rules and cancelled Sunday services on two or three occasions over the years.  The current situation with GTR where they are trying to introduce new working practices has caused chaos on the Southern and Gatwick Express services with strikes and staff sickness causing mass cancellations and some highly ****ed-off passengers.  I just hope that we don't find ourselves in the same situation in the Midlands in 2021.