London Northwestern Railway

[mikestone]

Every Chase line train looks to have made it to Rugeley on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday one ran ECS from New St to Rugeley then ECS back again - can understand that on the main lines to maintain driver balances, but to Rugeley?

[mikestone]

350403 reported to be en route back to Ardwick rather than Northampton.

[Roy]

I'm never sure whether this should be posted under LNR or WMR.

The current situation on the Chase Line has been picked up by the Express and Star today.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2019/08/09/200m-chase-line-plagued-by-delays-and-cancellations/

In addition, local campaign group Campaign for Rail has sent out a press release calling for an emergency timetable to be introduced.
http://www.campaignforrail.org.uk/chase%20line%20shambles.html

[mikestone]

I see Frances Thompson does say that they are looking to seperate the Chase Line from Euston-Walsall in the medium term, whatever that means.
;
To be honest I think Network Rail are at least partly to blame as they should have rejected the proposed timetable as an unacceptable performance risk.
;

[Westy]

Did anyone ask for a Walsall to London service in the first place?

[Tony]

Did anyone ask for a Walsall to London service in the first place?

Yes, check the press before it happened.

[Stuharris 6360]

The problem is that services like Walsall to London might work, but if they are run separate to everything else, having to wait for other services to come in and couple up can only lead to delays and once a delay starts it just gets worse. 5 minute delay in the early morning can mean by the afternoon 30 minutes or more.

[mikestone]

AFJ Travel B13AFJ was on standby at Rugeley TV yesterday, presumably to convey passengers turning up from the main line for a cancelled connection if and only if they make a fuss, as it clearly hadn't run to Hednesford vice the cancelled 17.19.
Do they have a standby at Hednesford?

[Bob]

I'm never sure whether this should be posted under LNR or WMR.

The current situation on the Chase Line has been picked up by the Express and Star today.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/transport/2019/08/09/200m-chase-line-plagued-by-delays-and-cancellations/

In addition, local campaign group Campaign for Rail has sent out a press release calling for an emergency timetable to be introduced.
http://www.campaignforrail.org.uk/chase%20line%20shambles.html

Going to Brum for work all i can say is thank god for the X51 from Cannock. Its pretty much always on time and not filthy inside like a lot of the 350s some of which are downright minging!

[2206]

and not filthy inside like a lot of the 350s some of which are downright minging!

Can't say the same for some of the other vehicles National Express run on the 11 service.
6137 awful smell of passengers smoking weed and all sat at the back of the top deck on the 11A service this evening, never seen it happen on rail services.
Some of the seats on 4534 on the 11C were filthy on the top deck today, covered in a layer of dirt.
NXWM have also still got threadbear vehicles still operating in the Solihull area.

[Bob]

Can't say the same for some of the other vehicles National Express run on the 11 service.
6137 awful smell of passengers smoking weed and all sat at the back of the top deck on the 11A service this evening, never seen it happen on rail services.
Some of the seats on 4534 on the 11C were filthy on the top deck today, covered in a layer of dirt.
NXWM have also still got threadbear vehicles still operating in the Solihull area.

The 11 travels through some of the most scummy areas of Brum, i dont blame NX for using the worst vehicles

[2206]

The 11 travels through some of the most scummy areas of Brum, i dont blame NX for using the worst vehicles

Not realy any worse than a lot of other places in Birmingham.
Those passengers smoking weed were also travelling in the Yardley/Acocks Green area, probably not regarded by many as the most "scummy" area of Birmingham either.
To be honest most of the ones used aren't that bad, just those two.
The 6111 - 6148 batch are quite tidy and in good condition to be honest  from what I've seen after 8 months on there, and a nice upgrade over what was previously used, not realy the worst they'v got in use.

[BusMan Greg]

Yesterday I was on 230005 and the engine cut out mid way through the journey. I suppose this backs up the point a guard made on the marston vale about the 230's being problematic of late

[Rob H]

Yesterday I was on 230005 and the engine cut out mid way through the journey. I suppose this backs up the point a guard made on the marston vale about the 230's being problematic of late

Similar thing happened to me with 230003 on 29th June heading back to Bletchley from Bedford it wouldn't go any faster than 30mph when at Ridgmont the driver had to switch the unit off and restart it to get it back to 100%.

[BusMan Greg]

Similar thing happened to me with 230003 on 29th June heading back to Bletchley from Bedford it wouldn't go any faster than 30mph when at Ridgmont the driver had to switch the unit off and restart it to get it back to 100%.

Sounds like it's a regular problem with the units