So as another cold wet Bank Holiday weekend in Birmingham looms, what better way of spending the Friday afternoon than catching up with Rail 722, in particular with Barry Doe's article on the National Rail Timetable (NRT)?
As regular readers will know, Barry is a favourite columnist of mine so, although he didn't have much to say on the Birmingham-London timetables this time (in truth, there is little to say - see my blog on the minor changes), I remain grateful for his reminder of the varities of ways of getting to the NRT: electronic, printed and working...
Electronic first. Network Rail makes the complete timetable available as a PDF download, either complete or in individual tables - see http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/3828.aspx Also on this page is the ability to obtain printed copies of individual timetables where errors occured in the file sent to the publishers (in this case Table 31).
Printed... Two companies actually publish the NRT in print: Middleton Press at £16.95 and TSO at £18. Don't forget that TSO also publish the Avantix Traveller Fares Information CD-ROM at £10.81 incl VAT
Working... Network Rail now makes the Working Timetables for the whole country available - "it shows all movements on the rail network including freight trains, empty trains and those coming in and out of depots. It also includes our unique identification codes for each train, and intermediate times for journeys, including which stations a train is not scheduled to stop at". NOTE the important proviso: This document has been made available for rail industry professionals and should not be confused with the passenger timetable
For the Birmingham to London routes, the following sections are relevant:
CB01 - EUSTON TO WATFORD JUNCTION (MAIN LINE)
CB02 - WATFORD JUNCTION TO RUGBY
CC03 - RUGBY TO STAFFORD (via Birmingham)
CG01 - MARYLEBONE TO AYLESBURY AND BANBURY
CG02 - HEYFORD TO BIRMINGHAM
PA01 - LONDON PADDINGTON TO GREENFORD (and link to South Ruislip) - pedants only!
So, if you have the patience, you can track +Chiltern Railways / +London Midland / Virgin Trains performance against what Network Rail has agreed rather than what is published to the public...
Have fun (next wet bank holiday project.. the National Routing Guide. Noooo!)
Friday, 24 May 2013
Thursday, 23 May 2013
South with LondonMidland / North with Virgin Trains
Regular readers will have realised that I have become quite fond of the +London Midland change at Rugby for a 'fast' service from Birmingham to London - fast being sub two hours rather than the meander round Northampton of the through services south...
Partly this is because of the Desiros which ride so much better than the Pendolinos at speed and partly because there is just no comparison in cost, first or standard class... Yesterday I was using up the return half of an off-peak LM return which had allowed me to leave London earlier in the month during the evening peak for the princely sum of £28 standard class. +Chiltern Railways would have charged £50 (though see my post on the use of Network Railcard to reduce this) whilst Virgin charge £158 (though NOT to Railcard holders who benefit from off-peak fares on all Virgin Train services...).
Of course, LM don't offer WiFi or power points but there is usually a table to work on for the 56 minute journey from Rugby and even my ancient laptop battery can last that long (plus don't forget to take a refreshment stop at Travelines in the Rugby station booking hall!).
However, coming back mid-evening it has to be Virgin as both Chiltern Railways and LondonMidland both fail to provide reasonable journey times back to Birmingham after 8pm... Virgin's clock-face timetable continues to deliver 84 minute timings until after 10pm.
Fortunately, the Virgin mid-evening trains tend to have very good advance First Class fares: £23.50 single was the one I used last night. Not only does this fare give you excellent accommodation on the train with free WiFi and refreshments but importantly gives access to Euston's First Class Lounge which at least makes waiting for the train bearable (one of the few benefits of HS2 will be the revamping of Euston...).
Having said this, I'm glad I don't pay Virgin's exorbitant First Class Walk-on fares for what you get. The First Class lounge is looking so tired and careworn and scruffy whilst the refreshments are minimal. Come on Virgin - don't wait for HS2 to sort out what you offer to your passengers who pay you so much for the privelege of travelling with you!
Partly this is because of the Desiros which ride so much better than the Pendolinos at speed and partly because there is just no comparison in cost, first or standard class... Yesterday I was using up the return half of an off-peak LM return which had allowed me to leave London earlier in the month during the evening peak for the princely sum of £28 standard class. +Chiltern Railways would have charged £50 (though see my post on the use of Network Railcard to reduce this) whilst Virgin charge £158 (though NOT to Railcard holders who benefit from off-peak fares on all Virgin Train services...).
Of course, LM don't offer WiFi or power points but there is usually a table to work on for the 56 minute journey from Rugby and even my ancient laptop battery can last that long (plus don't forget to take a refreshment stop at Travelines in the Rugby station booking hall!).
However, coming back mid-evening it has to be Virgin as both Chiltern Railways and LondonMidland both fail to provide reasonable journey times back to Birmingham after 8pm... Virgin's clock-face timetable continues to deliver 84 minute timings until after 10pm.
Fortunately, the Virgin mid-evening trains tend to have very good advance First Class fares: £23.50 single was the one I used last night. Not only does this fare give you excellent accommodation on the train with free WiFi and refreshments but importantly gives access to Euston's First Class Lounge which at least makes waiting for the train bearable (one of the few benefits of HS2 will be the revamping of Euston...).
Having said this, I'm glad I don't pay Virgin's exorbitant First Class Walk-on fares for what you get. The First Class lounge is looking so tired and careworn and scruffy whilst the refreshments are minimal. Come on Virgin - don't wait for HS2 to sort out what you offer to your passengers who pay you so much for the privelege of travelling with you!
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Wensleydale Railway (North Yorkshire) - FREE TRAVEL PROJECT – 25th MAY to 2nd JUNE 2013
From 25th May to 2nd
June 2013 the Wensleydale Railway (WR) is taking a very bold step... becoming the first UK rail operator not to charge fares for ordinary
travel. Yes, you did read that
correctly.
The idea is to really put the WR
on the map. The offer will apply to ‘buy
on the day’ tickets only, not to booked groups who have reserved seats or to
pre booked catering trains or special events.
That does not mean that the railway does not
want passengers to pay anything for their travel. It will expect them to pay what they wish, or
what they feel the experience was worth.
Every opportunity will be made available for them to donate during their
journey.
Passengers will still need to
carry a ticket, which will be issued as an FOC Day Rover with the total
number of passengers travelling shown clearly in the appropriate space.
It will not be possible for people
to reserve seats on the services, unless they have paid the normal fare in
advance, and we will be operating to the advertised timetable over this period.
The Railway starts at Leeming Bar just off the A1(M) (Satnav DL7 9AR) and runs through Lower Wensleydale via Bedale and Leyburn to reach Redmire (of Bolton Castle fame). Connections by bus from Northallerton station to Leeming (service 73) - Northallerton has trains run by Transpennine Express, East Coast, and Grand Central.
Declaration of interest: the author of this blog is also the Honorary Editor of Relay - the magazine of the Wensleydale Railway Association.
Saturday, 18 May 2013
New timetables May-December 2013 for Chiltern Railways, LondonMidland, and Virgin Trains
New timetables start tomorrow (Sunday 19th May) and, if +London Midland Snow Hill station is to be believed, 'certain fares may be revised'... Overall, little has changed for the three TOCs who provide services between Birmingham and London
+Chiltern Railways (Monday-Fridays) Download the timetable
The xx.12 from Birmingham Snow Hill and xx.55 from Moor Street pattern of off-peak services to London Marylebone continues. Silver Sets are timetabled for the services at 0650 and 0706 from Snow Hill and 1055, 1255, and 1555 from Moor Street. It would seem that the 0610 service from Moor Street has lost its catering trolley but the 1612 departure from Snow Hill seems to have gained one.
Returning from London Marylebone, the xx.15 and xx.45 pattern of services continues. Silver Sets are timetabled for the services at 0845, 1015, 1315, 1647, 1715, and 1815. The first catering trolley service north is at 0815 but it would appear that the 1115 has lost its trolley whilst the 1847 has gained one. Don't forget that the 1847 now runs through to Birmingham Snow Hill and beyond whilst the 1915 now terminates at Moor Street.
Of course, being Chiltern, there is no mention of the hot meals service on the Silver sets!
+London Midland (Monday-Fridays) Download the timetable
The first through train departure from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is now at 0654 with subsequent ones at 0714, 0733, 0754 and 0833 before the off-peak pattern of xx.54 / xx.14 / xx.33 starts at 0854. The xx.54 services continue to connect at Rugby with the fast LM Rugby-Euston services through to 18.54. Changing at Rugby saves 28 minutes on the journey AND gives time for a refreshment break at the Travelines kiosk in the station booking hall...
Returning from London Euston the first train continues to be the 0530 (a real masochist service with a journey time of 2 hours 33 minutes) followed by the 0634, 0713 (journey time of 2 hours 4 mins), 0749, 0754, before the off-peak journey pattern of xx.49 / xx.13 starts at 0849. NOTE however that from 0846 until 1446, the fast LM service to Crewe connects at Rugby with a LM local to Birmingham to give a sub-2 hour journey time. The BIG disappointment with the new timetable is that the three fast evening peak services (1713 / 1813 / 1913) have been slowed by around 5 minutes due to operational issues at Northampton.
The big weakness of the LM offering is the lack of power points in standard class, something that may be addressed in the new stock due in 2014 (though only a limited number of new trains are actually on order).
Virgin Trains (Monday-Fridays) Download the timetable
No changes to the 3 trains an hour service pattern both ways.
From Birmingham New Street at xx.10 / xx.30 / xx.50; from London Euston at xx.03 / xx.23 / xx.43
+Chiltern Railways (Monday-Fridays) Download the timetable
The xx.12 from Birmingham Snow Hill and xx.55 from Moor Street pattern of off-peak services to London Marylebone continues. Silver Sets are timetabled for the services at 0650 and 0706 from Snow Hill and 1055, 1255, and 1555 from Moor Street. It would seem that the 0610 service from Moor Street has lost its catering trolley but the 1612 departure from Snow Hill seems to have gained one.
Returning from London Marylebone, the xx.15 and xx.45 pattern of services continues. Silver Sets are timetabled for the services at 0845, 1015, 1315, 1647, 1715, and 1815. The first catering trolley service north is at 0815 but it would appear that the 1115 has lost its trolley whilst the 1847 has gained one. Don't forget that the 1847 now runs through to Birmingham Snow Hill and beyond whilst the 1915 now terminates at Moor Street.
Of course, being Chiltern, there is no mention of the hot meals service on the Silver sets!
+London Midland (Monday-Fridays) Download the timetable
The first through train departure from Birmingham New Street to London Euston is now at 0654 with subsequent ones at 0714, 0733, 0754 and 0833 before the off-peak pattern of xx.54 / xx.14 / xx.33 starts at 0854. The xx.54 services continue to connect at Rugby with the fast LM Rugby-Euston services through to 18.54. Changing at Rugby saves 28 minutes on the journey AND gives time for a refreshment break at the Travelines kiosk in the station booking hall...
Returning from London Euston the first train continues to be the 0530 (a real masochist service with a journey time of 2 hours 33 minutes) followed by the 0634, 0713 (journey time of 2 hours 4 mins), 0749, 0754, before the off-peak journey pattern of xx.49 / xx.13 starts at 0849. NOTE however that from 0846 until 1446, the fast LM service to Crewe connects at Rugby with a LM local to Birmingham to give a sub-2 hour journey time. The BIG disappointment with the new timetable is that the three fast evening peak services (1713 / 1813 / 1913) have been slowed by around 5 minutes due to operational issues at Northampton.
The big weakness of the LM offering is the lack of power points in standard class, something that may be addressed in the new stock due in 2014 (though only a limited number of new trains are actually on order).
Virgin Trains (Monday-Fridays) Download the timetable
No changes to the 3 trains an hour service pattern both ways.
From Birmingham New Street at xx.10 / xx.30 / xx.50; from London Euston at xx.03 / xx.23 / xx.43
Saturday, 11 May 2013
A false alarm with a Silver (Set) lining
Shortly after 10.30am last Wednesday, the new look Birmingham New Street resounded with the public announcement 'This is an emergency - please evacuate the station immediately'. As it turned out, it was a false alarm - see Birmingham Mail story - but as a prospective traveller on the +London Midland 10.54 to London Euston I was faced with a dilemma: did I go to Moor Street for the 10.55 +Chiltern Railways Silver Set to London Marylebone?
Regular readers will know that I needed no real excuse to transfer my allegiance so off I went through the new access tunnel and along the 'big green wall' to reach Moor Street in good time to see the arrival of the Silver Set from London. I have sung the praises of the Silver Sets many times but I still love travelling on them, especially in Business Zone with the friendly staff and endless complimentary (non-alcoholic) refreshments not to mention the free WiFi. A recent bonus on the 10.55 is the availability of hot meals which allow you to start the afternoon in London well-fed - on Wednesday, I chose the Chinese-style chicken with rice (amazing value at £3.50).
Having travelled down Super Off-Peak (£27.50 return), I returned on the first SOP that evening: the 1915 Clubman service (or should I say Clubmans as it is currently made up of two sets, one of which is left behind at Birmingham Snow Hill as the other travels onto Kidderminster). Clearly, Clubmans can't match Silver Sets for comfort - though they are fine to travel on - but they are supposed to match the facilities (well, not refreshments as Chiltern don't believe there is a market for a trolley service at that time of night).
Alas, the WiFi on the lead Clubman wasn't working. Of course, there is not a train manager on departures from Marylebone until Banbury so there was noone to ask to reset it. Tried Tweeting @chilternrailway but got the standard response of ring the 0845 support number (from a mobile - I don't think so) or emailing chiltern.support@icomera.com (but there is no WiFi!). VERY frustrating. In the end, the WiFi briefly sprang to life at Leamington only to die again by Dorridge.
Cannot understand why Icomera don't run a Twitter support account for Chiltern - can't they afford a mobile phone? The company's web site says 'We’d like to hear from you' but the reality would seem to suggest otherwise. Shame as generally Chiltern themselves are responsive
Regular readers will know that I needed no real excuse to transfer my allegiance so off I went through the new access tunnel and along the 'big green wall' to reach Moor Street in good time to see the arrival of the Silver Set from London. I have sung the praises of the Silver Sets many times but I still love travelling on them, especially in Business Zone with the friendly staff and endless complimentary (non-alcoholic) refreshments not to mention the free WiFi. A recent bonus on the 10.55 is the availability of hot meals which allow you to start the afternoon in London well-fed - on Wednesday, I chose the Chinese-style chicken with rice (amazing value at £3.50).
Having travelled down Super Off-Peak (£27.50 return), I returned on the first SOP that evening: the 1915 Clubman service (or should I say Clubmans as it is currently made up of two sets, one of which is left behind at Birmingham Snow Hill as the other travels onto Kidderminster). Clearly, Clubmans can't match Silver Sets for comfort - though they are fine to travel on - but they are supposed to match the facilities (well, not refreshments as Chiltern don't believe there is a market for a trolley service at that time of night).
Alas, the WiFi on the lead Clubman wasn't working. Of course, there is not a train manager on departures from Marylebone until Banbury so there was noone to ask to reset it. Tried Tweeting @chilternrailway but got the standard response of ring the 0845 support number (from a mobile - I don't think so) or emailing chiltern.support@icomera.com (but there is no WiFi!). VERY frustrating. In the end, the WiFi briefly sprang to life at Leamington only to die again by Dorridge.
Cannot understand why Icomera don't run a Twitter support account for Chiltern - can't they afford a mobile phone? The company's web site says 'We’d like to hear from you' but the reality would seem to suggest otherwise. Shame as generally Chiltern themselves are responsive
Sunday, 5 May 2013
40 years as a car driver - how many bad habits can one accrue?
I hope my regular readers will forgive this off-topic posting...
I almost entitled this post 'So you think you're a good driver?'. 40 years with a clean licence certainly made me think I was one. However, a session with experienced driving instructor +Ken Monkman soon knocked me off my self-erected pedestal (actually, within 5 minutes of starting!).
Leaving aside my sloppy habits with the steering wheel - hands in my lap, letting the wheel slide through my hands when returning to the straight etc - Ken homed in on information as my key weakness. Apparently I did not seek information, give information, or use information in any effective way...
So I need to adopt the following mantras...
I almost entitled this post 'So you think you're a good driver?'. 40 years with a clean licence certainly made me think I was one. However, a session with experienced driving instructor +Ken Monkman soon knocked me off my self-erected pedestal (actually, within 5 minutes of starting!).
Leaving aside my sloppy habits with the steering wheel - hands in my lap, letting the wheel slide through my hands when returning to the straight etc - Ken homed in on information as my key weakness. Apparently I did not seek information, give information, or use information in any effective way...
So I need to adopt the following mantras...
- Be a 'nodding dog' - use your mirrors every five seconds to ensure you know exactly what is going on behind and alongside your vehicle
- TUG - Take information / Use information / Give information
- Remember that brakes are for stopping and gears are for going (in my defence, I did learn to drive when using the gearbox to slow down was more acceptable...)
- Drive at a speed appropriate for the road conditions and think ahead with the aim of not stopping unless specifically instructed to do so (road signs, traffic signals etc) or because of the actions of other road users
- Don't rush!
Ken has kindly offered to take me out again in a month's time - fingers crossed that I will have changed at least one of my bad habits by then.
My thanks to Ken for his patience - Ken Monkman Driver Training
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