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Post by biroguy on Jun 10, 2019 19:58:20 GMT 1
Not the big revolution in rail travel we were promised when Arriva took over in 2016. Still no sign of any brand new trains, timetables are actually worse in many cases, on the Harrogate line, Burley Park and Headingley now have trains racing through carrying fresh air! Even the Horsforth shuttle misses these stations out at 16:45.
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Post by biroguy on May 30, 2019 17:06:00 GMT 1
With First selling out of bus operation altogether will the remaining Streetdecks on order be cancelled?
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Post by biroguy on Feb 14, 2019 17:11:18 GMT 1
Will these get stripes and Leeds City branding?
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Post by biroguy on Feb 14, 2019 17:08:31 GMT 1
Has anyone put guide wheels on a new Wrightbus product since the Gemini 2 yet? First Manchester have new Streetdeck bodied buses on the Vantage guided bus network.
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Post by biroguy on Feb 13, 2019 12:21:17 GMT 1
I think it paid off highlighting the guideways were under serious threat, the public have had their say and we are keeping them. We should have brand new guided Scania`s on these routes soon I hope.
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Post by biroguy on Dec 20, 2018 13:53:47 GMT 1
Strikes now announced for every Saturday in January as well. I think they mean January 2019 but I imagine it will be January 2020 as well. DB are thinking about selling Arriva! I see the new CAF trains are delayed till Spring with "Issues"!
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Post by biroguy on Nov 15, 2018 17:46:29 GMT 1
December 2018 The Train Service Requirement 2 (TSR2) structure will continue as implemented in May 2018, with no change to the timetable of the York to Manchester Victoria (via Huddersfield) fast services. However the Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly stopping service will be split at Huddersfield, to resolve some of the delays (note: Mondays to Sundays). Hull -> Manchester Piccadilly (semi fast, calls additionally at Mossley) Leeds -> Huddersfield (all stops) Huddersfield -> Manchester Piccadilly (all stops except Mossley) The Leeds to Huddersfield bit will be a TPE service run using a northern 170, northern driver and a TPE conductor Does that mean it will run on Saturdays as it has a TPE guard on it?
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Post by biroguy on Oct 13, 2018 9:51:39 GMT 1
Regardless of views on driver only trains, I personally wish to see guards on trains as do most of the travelling public, we have reached a situation where people will leave the rail network in droves and won`t return! I no longer use Northern, the timetable changes in May ruined my journey plans and the strikes every Saturday were the last straw. I`m not unusual in that respect, many of my friends and colleagues are doing the same. When you consider Serco spent years improving Northern and increasing patronage and Arriva have killed it overnight! The penalty fares scheme is penalising innocent people and has been a public relations disaster!
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Post by biroguy on Oct 12, 2018 9:25:53 GMT 1
Do we know when the next Streetdecks will start to arrive? I too feel that the navy blue wedge isn`t as successful as the red or the yellow. A lighter blue would work better. I assume there will be text applied on this branding eventually to inform the public what the colours stand for?
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Post by biroguy on Jul 6, 2018 18:16:12 GMT 1
I did hear they were going to do a Saturday. First day of schools holidays for some... Public support has ebbed away for the guards in light of the timetable chaos. I know many people who no longer commute by train because of the disruption, as a huge advocate of rail, I`m in despair that all the good work done in recent years to get people on trains is being undone.
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Post by biroguy on Jul 4, 2018 21:46:56 GMT 1
Turbostars may be taken off the Harrogate line, issues with engines overheating. They are not used to constant stop start work.
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Post by biroguy on Jun 28, 2018 16:34:09 GMT 1
The original plan was to keep 60 and retrofit them with Euro6 engines, that plan seems to have changed! Probably easier allocating the buses out to other first areas. Than trying a Euro 6 retrofit. Though Bramley is now gonna be the one with older fleet in Leeds. I gather the next 68 Streetdecks are for bramley which will address the age profile a bit there.
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Post by biroguy on Jun 25, 2018 11:37:14 GMT 1
More are being built as we speak for the 3/12/13 corridor routes. These ones are glazed at the top, normal Diesel and have different features. With these different features, I reckon on riding one next time, probably next August. It will be the 30th Anniversary of my first Leeds & Bradford trip and the 20th Anniversary of my second such trip! With more going to HP, at this rate, I wonder how many of the 12-reg Volvo B9TLs will even be staying in West Yorkshire? The original plan was to keep 60 and retrofit them with Euro6 engines, that plan seems to have changed!
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Post by biroguy on Jun 4, 2018 8:40:04 GMT 1
The Northern Trains saga has just been discussed on The Today programme on BBC radio 4. Andy Burnham(Manchester Mayor) has been interviewed. The presenter then mentioned that the programme had asked the MD of Northern Rail for an interview. The reply from Northern was "he is to busy". Another own goal for their public relations. He was on BBC Breakfast, first time I`ve ever seen him in public! What was interesting is that no mention was made of the bitter dispute with the RMT, surely that needs to be sorted too? The poor passenger is caught in the middle of all this.
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Post by biroguy on Jun 3, 2018 13:24:31 GMT 1
Oh dear just seen the full new Park and Ride livery wrap and it`s a lot worse than I expected! Brace yourselves, has it been "Designed" by WYCA !!!!!
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Post by biroguy on Jun 2, 2018 10:28:33 GMT 1
My friend commutes daily on TPE Leeds to Manchester and in the past week station stops are being dropped at short notice to make up time, Dewsbury in particular gets the chop! A complete shambles
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Post by biroguy on Jun 2, 2018 10:24:57 GMT 1
They have also reduced the Todmorden Curve service by 4 trains each way which means it goes 2 hourly at certain times of day As well as the Lakes being a bus service Morecambe, Blackpool South and the Colne branch get hit hard with up to half of the service on these lines being replaced by buses Fascinating that they have drastically cut services to all the key Summer tourist spots in peak season!
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Post by biroguy on May 22, 2018 9:45:36 GMT 1
Can't remember where I read the details but I am sure that certain trains will be loco hauled. I think they are a diesel loco with 5 carriages the end one partly converted for driver operation. Scarborough to Liverpool springs to mind but I stand to be corrected if I am mistaken. This stock is in addition to the carriages being constructed overseas. I read in the current Rail magazine that 2 185`s are being loaned to Northern and replaced by loco hauled stock on the Liverpool to Scarborough route, the trains have 2 class 68`s, one back and front with 4 mark 3 carriages. The diagrams were listed too, due to start from May 20th. Those particular trains were cancelled yesterday in the morning.
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Post by biroguy on May 21, 2018 8:27:41 GMT 1
A few problems this morning, the first loco hauled Liverpool to Scarborough service was a delayed 185 to Leeds, the following loco hauled diagram is cancelled.
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Post by biroguy on May 21, 2018 8:25:28 GMT 1
Turbostars out carrying passengers on the Harrogate line this morning including the refurbished one.
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Post by biroguy on May 15, 2018 13:21:04 GMT 1
Yeah. The 1st refurbished one arrived back yesterday and the next one won’t go till the end of August to enable all 4 sets to be available until more arrive. Crew training is progressing well so all been well all set for the new timetable We saw the first refurbished one go past our flat last night, I contacted Northern and they said they`ll enter service on Sunday on the Harrogate line.
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Post by biroguy on May 14, 2018 16:05:58 GMT 1
It wasn’t driver training as such it was to check clearances make sure it was safe to run them over the line Thanks for the info, will they appear in service on the Harrogate line from May 20th?
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Post by biroguy on May 13, 2018 16:43:01 GMT 1
The first 170 Turbostar ran on the Harrogate line today on driver training.
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Post by biroguy on Apr 9, 2018 16:09:02 GMT 1
Great news, but I am just saddened that so many of the 12-reg Volvo B9TLs are leaving West Yorkshire now. This news updates my post on another thread, encouraged that more Streetdecks are due in time for my next visit to the area in August. It's a shame they're leaving - excellent quality, comfortable buses. Also doesn't really move the fleet forward very much at Leeds when as soon as new buses arrive, some of their most modern ones depart. This only short term though, just short of 300 new buses are coming to Leeds by 2020. Not mentioned on these threads is the big cull of old Scania saloons plus all the Volvo B6`s.
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Post by biroguy on Apr 7, 2018 11:46:47 GMT 1
Northern is introducing improved services to make travelling to and from Leeds more convenient than ever before. From 20 May Northern will begin operating additional services to and from Lancaster and Carlisle on weekdays and Sundays, significantly increasing the capacity between the city and popular routes into Lancashire and Cumbria. Customers travelling between Leeds and Knottingley/Pontefract will benefit from two trains each hour, whilst there will also be a new half hourly service calling at Kirkstall Forge. Northern is also planning hourly extensions to Southport from Leeds via Dewsbury and Brighouse, opening up further commuting and leisure possibilities for customers on extremely popular routes. The enhanced services form part of Northern’s May timetable change, which is paving the way for future improvements and getting the network ready for the arrival of Northern’s brand new and fully refurbished trains. Paul Barnfield, Northern’s Regional Director, said: “The May 2018 timetable change is the next step for us in providing more and better services for our customers and we are looking forward to delivering these enhancements.” Unfortunately, due to the knock on effects of delays in the delivery of the Manchester to Preston electrification, it has been necessary to postpone some of the improvements Northern had hoped to deliver. Paul added: “Our proposed timetable for May 18 was dependent on the successful delivery by Network Rail of the Manchester to Preston electrification project, which has been significantly delayed. This means that some of the extra services we had originally planned for May, will now be arriving later than we had hoped. “The delay to some of our service improvements will not, however, delay our overall modernisation plans. By 2020 we will provide 2,000 extra services each week across the Northern network, will have introduced 98 brand new trains, have refurbished the rest of the fleet and removed all Pacers from the line. We are absolutely committed to transforming the journey experience for our customers.” Northern’s May 2018 service improvements are on the following routes: Leeds – Settle/Carlisle Leeds – Morecambe York – Selby Leeds – Wakefield - Knottingley Hull – York Kirkstall Forge Some Calder Valley services speeded up through Rochdale Where's that from? There doesn't seem to be anything on their website at www.northernrailway.co.uk/news/No mention that most Blackpool trains will only be going as far as Preston from Leeds. Interesting that they mention the Leeds - Morecambe line, fewer trains on that line will continue past Lancaster - and there seems to be a 5 hour gap in services during the day. The reality is for many passengers things are no better or actually worse! 90% of their services will still be run be run by elderly cascaded stock even after new trains arrive. I don`t consider less trains to Morecambe an "Improvement". They need to focus on sorting the current dispute with their staff.
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