West Midlands Railway

[Ginger66]

How will the national rail strike get resolved as if it goes on any longer travellers will lose all confidence in the railway and use own car

1) if passengers don't come back could certain lines close fully or in part. Which results in less staff required such as station staff.   (I know RMT does not want staff loses).

2) New stations or lines shelved.

3) stations where passenger numbers that are very low closed or they become limited use one/two trains stopping per day.

[markcf83]

How will the national rail strike get resolved as if it goes on any longer travellers will lose all confidence in the railway and use own car

1) if passengers don't come back could certain lines close fully or in part. Which results in less staff required such as station staff.  (I know RMT does not want staff loses).

2) New stations or lines shelved.

3) stations where passenger numbers that are very low closed or they become limited use one/two trains stopping per day.

It gets resolved when the unions are bypassed. The train companies should be putting the offer to their staff directly.

[Rachvince53]

It gets resolved when the unions are bypassed. The train companies should be putting the offer to their staff directly.

Unfortunately that's not how the industry is set up. I understand that the unions are there to represent their members but surely with passenger numbers not having recovered from Covid, some changes are needed if the industry is not to go the way of British Rail. 

[Ginger66]

Unfortunately that's not how the industry is set up. I understand that the unions are there to represent their members but surely with passenger numbers not having recovered from Covid, some changes are needed if the industry is not to go the way of British Rail.

Agree I work in HE and the unions want pay rise of 12%, but to achieve this unis might have to put up fee's which in turn could result in less people going to uni.   Like wise if they put train fares up by extra 10% it will have an effect on people catching trains

[windy miller]

 As a senior railcard holder I generally save about £50-60 per year on rail fares
 After the inevitable 7 week wait to retrieve my booked (advance) fare last July due to
 strike action I have been reluctant to book Fares in advance.. Interestingly, Avanti have 
 been E mailing 'Club' invitations to their registered patrons and recently offered me a 10%
 discount off my next rail fare... unfortunately their small print does NOT include
 any national discount cards!!...Why should I consider a 10% discount at the 
 expense of a 1/3rd railcard allowance  and lose 20%??   All their mail shots are 'No reply @...........
 sicko

[Tony]

First Class is being abolished on all West Midlands Railway & London North Western Railway trains from the May timetable change

[Sh4318]

First Class is being abolished on all West Midlands Railway & London North Western Railway trains from the May timetable change

Everyone just sits in first class on the Walsall - Wolverhamptons, Rugeley - Birmingham Internationals anyway. Will be good for longer distance services though 

[mikestone]

https://www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/travel-information/service-disruptions/may-timetable-change-sunday-21-may-2023;
;
https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/may23
;
is what comes up, but there are short cuts www.lnr.uk/may23 and www.wmr.uk/may23 which is what the CIS screens advertise.
;
An intersting change is that Lapworth gets an all day LM service - in the early dmu timetables it not only had an hourly service but also some extra trains turning back there but for many years only a peak service.  I wonder if it's deliberate, or just that whoever specified the timetable didn't realise?
;
Has anyone had a close enough look at a 730/1 to see if they have any first class innards?
;
I shall be interested to see how the five car working is handled on Euston-Crewe and Birmingham-Liverpool - wiki only refers to 350/2s going but obviously they must be replacing some others.

[Tony]

https://www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk/travel-information/service-disruptions/may-timetable-change-sunday-21-may-2023;
;
https://www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/may23
;
is what comes up, but there are short cuts www.lnr.uk/may23 and www.wmr.uk/may23 which is what the CIS screens advertise.
;
An intersting change is that Lapworth gets an all day LM service - in the early dmu timetables it not only had an hourly service but also some extra trains turning back there but for many years only a peak service.  I wonder if it's deliberate, or just that whoever specified the timetable didn't realise?
;
Has anyone had a close enough look at a 730/1 to see if they have any first class innards?
;
I shall be interested to see how the five car working is handled on Euston-Crewe and Birmingham-Liverpool - wiki only refers to 350/2s going but obviously they must be replacing some others.

All other 350s are staying, No LNWR service has first class from May 2023

[ellspurs]

Deleted.

[Stu]

During the bus strikes, I used the train from Yardley Wood to Small Heath in order to get to work.

At the time I found it a little inconvenient that there was only one service per hour between those two stations, but I just made sure I was at the station in plenty of time so I didn't miss it!

And yes, it seemed a bit odd that there would be one train to Birmingham, then the next one was twenty minutes later, then a forty minute gap until the next one.

So I welcome this new timetable, and I will bear this in mind if I decide to use the train a little more often!

However I'm pretty sure that just a few years ago, there used to be three trains an hour calling at Yardley Wood, one hourly through to Stratford, with the other two 'shorts' terminating at Whitlocks End.

Interesting also that the trains through to Stratford will now stop at Danzey, Wood End, Wootton Wawen and The Lakes, these no longer being 'request stops'. Presumably this removes the requirement to have a 'senior conductor' going up and down the train.

[mikestone]

Both the Dorridge and Whitlocks End services were reduced to two trains an hour post Covid by deleting one of the three without changing the others, hence the gap. This May's timetable presumably implies there is no intention of going back to a combined ten minute service.
;
Whether the reason for CrossCity not changing is because it is harder to re-jig the times through New Street or they expect to revert to six per hour in due course I have no idea.
;
Obviously the cl.730 order predates the Covid cuts, which I presume will be permanent -  the reduction in the Euston-Northampton-Birmingham  services is presumably permanent as there were  track access amendments giving up paths.
I'm pretty sure at the time they said the Birmingham-Liverpool would be staying hourly eight-car rather than four car half-hourly because I remember wondering why they didn't have a TAA for that.
;
Presumably the idea of the five car sets was twelve-car workings would become 2 x 5 and some eight car single fives - whatever the reduction in services presumably means some other 350s will now be surplus.

[Tony]

Obviously the cl.730 order predates the Covid cuts, which I presume will be permanent -  the reduction in the Euston-Northampton-Birmingham  services is presumably permanent as there were  track access amendments giving up paths.
I'm pretty sure at the time they said the Birmingham-Liverpool would be staying hourly eight-car rather than four car half-hourly because I remember wondering why they didn't have a TAA for that.
;
Presumably the idea of the five car sets was twelve-car workings would become 2 x 5 and some eight car single fives - whatever the reduction in services presumably means some other 350s will now be surplus.

The Trent Valley services which were the main ones out of Euston the 730s were ordered for are regularly 'full & standing' at 8 cars still, so will hopefully be 10 cars with the 730s. Last month on one Saturday one I was one actually left people at Milton Keynes who physically couldn't get on to Euston.

[BK63 YWP]

The 730 orders have been amended to have more 3 car variant therefore releasing the 350s used on the local services back on to LNR routes.

@Stu small heath and Tyseley services are usually once per hour on a Whitlocks End service and once per hour on a Dorridge Service. From the timetable change both small heath and Tyseley will get 3 trains an hour from and to Birmingham. 

I have checked the timetable and Yardley Wood will be getting two trains an hour to Small Heath from 22nd May. 

[Tony]

The 730 orders have been amended to have more 3 car variant therefore releasing the 350s used on the local services back on to LNR routes.

@Stu small heath and Tyseley services are usually once per hour on a Whitlocks End service and once per hour on a Dorridge Service. From the timetable change both small heath and Tyseley will get 3 trains an hour from and to Birmingham.

I have checked the timetable and Yardley Wood will be getting two trains an hour to Small Heath from 22nd May.

The 730s are also replacing the class 319s, as well as the 323s and 350/2