Telegraph reporting 50-60% of services to be cut due to impact of covid

[Horizon22]

I have noticed on my EMR local comute that although the guards have stopped doing tickets checks when the latest lockdown started, they have been walking through the carriage and scribbling on a bit of paper when they get to the end. I assume they have been doing regular passanger counts which I assume have played a role in informing the cuts.

Yes same on my routes although I was told they were using an app which is at least a little more high-tech!

 

[philosopher]

SWR are introducing reduced Mon-Fri timetables from 25th January. They are broadly what operated in the Spring /early Summer.

Weekend timetables remain as per full scheduled timetable introduced in December. As with other TOCs this means weekend services are better than Mon-Fri. For example:

Hounslow loop via Richmond and Brentford:
Mon-Fri: no service (a 2 tph Weybridge via Hounslow service remains)
Sat: Full 2 tph each way round the loop.

Waterloo to Reading evenings last trains:
Mon-Fri: 2120; 2150; 2250
Sat: 2120; 2150; 2220; 2250; 2320; 2350; 0020
Sun: 2139; 2209; 2239; 2309; 2339

Plenty of other examples as well.

Are they expecting loads of people to be going for a night out in London on Saturday enjoying a walk past closed pubs, theatres and restaurants?

 

[LowLevel]

Yes same on my routes although I was told they were using an app which is at least a little more high-tech!

It is an app - you write them down as you go and then enter them into the app together or it times out constantly

 

[iphone76]

Taking a look at the Greater Anglia Southend Line there are some massive gaps. I really hope this is a mistake. From London it appears there is a 1955 then nothing until 2114. The other way there is a 2010 to London then nothing until 2230.

 

[dk1]

Taking a look at the Greater Anglia Southend Line there are some massive gaps. I really hope this is a mistake. From London it appears there is a 1955 then nothing until 2114. The other way there is a 2010 to London then nothing until 2230.

This has been mentioned on Twitter & it seems it is the timetable from next week.

 

[iphone76]

This has been mentioned on Twitter & it seems it is the timetable from next week.

I wonder if they can get some of the old TfL drivers to re-learn the route to Southend and extend some 345s there? Lol

 

[infobleep]

So who has decided weekend timetable should be better than week day ones? It's happening on more than one TOC so it surely can't be a coincidence? Is it just that they haven't got round to modifying the weekend timetables yet?

Currently Guildford to Farnham has a better week day service than London to Alton. That service running through Farnham. It's 2 trains an hour from Guildford and just 1 from London. Not something I ever expected to see. I appricate it maybe different next week.

Even London to Guildford via Cobham has a better service than to Alton this week.

 

[bramling]

So who has decided weekend timetable should be better than week day ones? It's happening on more than one TOC so it surely can't be a coincidence? Is it just that they haven't got round to modifying the weekend timetables yet?

Currently Guildford to Farnham has a better week day service than London to Alton. That service running through Farnham. It's 2 trains an hour from Guildford and just 1 from London. Not something I ever expected to see. I appricate it maybe different next week.

Even London to Guildford via Cobham has a better service than to Alton this week.

It’s quite possible that with limited resources they simply haven’t got round to modifying the weekend timetables. Naturally weekdays will be the priority as you get five days worth of savings for only one set of schedules modified.

 

[Watershed]

It’s quite possible that with limited resources they simply haven’t got round to modifying the weekend timetables. Naturally weekdays will be the priority as you get five days worth of savings for only one set of schedules modified.

Yes, that is pretty much it. Also weekends tend to have all the disruptive engineering work, so often it's easier just to keep anything that's already been planned in place, rather than revising it again.

If we are still in this sort of timetable situation in 2/3 months' time, say, I think that could change. That's roughly how far in advance these things are currently being worked on.

 

[infobleep]

It’s quite possible that with limited resources they simply haven’t got round to modifying the weekend timetables. Naturally weekdays will be the priority as you get five days worth of savings for only one set of schedules modified.

A friend reckons the trains in London are busier on Saturdays. If people are working from home then maybe they are travelling to places more on a Saturday.

I am glad to see they haven't returned to the timetables that were in place last March or at least not fully to those.

Out of interest, not that I have a need to travel there, is their ticket acceptance on Great Western Railway services for South Western Railway only tickets between Salisbury and Bath? Currently no SWR services are running.

 

[dk1]

A friend reckons the trains in London are busier on Saturdays. If people are working from home then maybe they are travelling to places more on a Saturday.

They shouldn't be travelling anywhere unless it's essential.

 

[221129]

A friend reckons the trains in London are busier on Saturdays. If people are working from home then maybe they are travelling to places more on a Saturday.

I am glad to see they haven't returned to the timetables that were in place last March or at least not fully to those.

Out of interest, not that I have a need to travel there, is their ticket acceptance on Great Western Railway services for South Western Railway only tickets between Salisbury and Bath? Currently no SWR services are running.

Not that I'm aware of.

 

[lkpridgeon]

They shouldn't be travelling anywhere unless it's essential.

They can travel anywhere as long as they have a reasonable excuse to leave the house ie: food shopping and exercise. Guidance is to remain local however local for one is not local for another.

 

[Jamesrob637]

The Sunday service at my local station (Heaton Chapel) remains the same as before. Mondays to Saturdays only one service has been dropped in the southbound direction: Southport to Alderley Edge.

Alderley Edge to Southport never operated on Sundays even pre-COVID. I have repeatedly (pre-COVID) suggested that it be introduced on a two-hourly frequency, giving people at least some opportunity for a day at the coast. Maybe once the 769s are in. But it would have to call at Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme in both directions to make any operational sense.

 

[Goldfish62]

It’s quite possible that with limited resources they simply haven’t got round to modifying the weekend timetables. Naturally weekdays will be the priority as you get five days worth of savings for only one set of schedules modified.

I agree that is the likely explanation.

 

[infobleep]

They shouldn't be travelling anywhere unless it's essential.

I take your point but maybe they are visiting their support bubbles at weekends or going by train to travel for food shopping or exercise.

This is London and I'm just guessing as I don't live there.

I know though I'd one person going by train to elsewhere for exercise and also using it to visit their support bubble.

Whilst they could drive it would probably mean going through the congestion charge zone and adding more pollution to London air.

 

[dk1]

I take your point but maybe they are visiting their support bubbles at weekends or going by train to travel for food shopping or exercise.

This is London and I'm just guessing as I don't live there.

I know though I'd one person going by train to elsewhere for exercise and also using it to visit their support bubble.

Whilst they could drive it would probably mean going through the congestion charge zone and adding more pollution to London air.

Inner suburban & obviously metro services within their area I can sort of understand. Nobody should be going anywhere for pleasure or for a day out & change of scenery. I personally have even stopped going to a supermarket in a village 5 miles away which is not much further than my nearest Sainsburys. I found I was going there because I could get coffees, takeaway lunch & it's so nice by the river. All the things I was shouting abuse at others doing on the news.

 

[Goldfish62]

I take your point but maybe they are visiting their support bubbles at weekends or going by train to travel for food shopping or exercise.

This is London and I'm just guessing as I don't live there.

I know though I'd one person going by train to elsewhere for exercise and also using it to visit their support bubble.

Whilst they could drive it would probably mean going through the congestion charge zone and adding more pollution to London air.

I don't believe for one moment that weekend services on SWR haven't been reduced due to the volume of passengers preventing it.

Even if more people are travelling at weekends, which was true before the lockdown, but I'm not convinced about currently, the volumes will be nowhere near dictating the current service levels.

 

[greyman42]

Inner suburban & obviously metro services within their area I can sort of understand. Nobody should be going anywhere for pleasure or for a day out & change of scenery. I personally have even stopped going to a supermarket in a village 5 miles away which is not much further than my nearest Sainsburys. I found I was going there because I could get coffees, takeaway lunch & it's so nice by the river. All the things I was shouting abuse at others doing on the news.

Is it really any of your business what other people are doing?

 

[dk1]

Is it really any of your business what other people are doing?

I make it my business old fruit

They can travel anywhere as long as they have a reasonable excuse to leave the house ie: food shopping and exercise. Guidance is to remain local however local for one is not local for another.

My Norwich-Witham today had 7 from Norwich. The RR buses help to dilute the very low passenger base even more than the current normal. Almost 2 carriages per passenger so no social distancing issues to worry about.

 

[farleigh]

Inner suburban & obviously metro services within their area I can sort of understand. Nobody should be going anywhere for pleasure or for a day out & change of scenery. I personally have even stopped going to a supermarket in a village 5 miles away which is not much further than my nearest Sainsburys. I found I was going there because I could get coffees, takeaway lunch & it's so nice by the river. All the things I was shouting abuse at others doing on the news.

So just to be clear you were doing it but now you have decided to stop doing it and you criticise other people for doing what you were doing but thought was ok to do. Fair enough i suppose.

 

[lkpridgeon]

I make it my business old fruit

If you work in the industry (or any other job role that isn't responsible for enforcement of the regulations), I hope you aren't making it part of your business whilst on duty as you could open yourself/the company you work for to some tough questions

 

[dk1]

So just to be clear you were doing it but now you have decided to stop doing it and you criticise other people for doing what you were doing but thought was ok to do. Fair enough i suppose.

Up until the lockdown in early January. It seemed fine as it was supermarket shopping but that seemed an excuse for a coffee & Riverside walk so stopped. So it was fair enough.

If you work in the industry (or any other job role that isn't responsible for enforcement of the regulations), I hope you aren't making it part of your business whilst on duty as you could open yourself/the company you work for to some tough questions

Oh no, I don't personally get involved. Not on my job description. I do however like tough questioning.

 

[Bantamzen]

Oh no, I don't personally get involved. Not on my job description. I do however like tough questioning.

OK here's one for you, how do you know that people travelling are not doing so legitimate reasons?

 

[dk1]

OK here's one for you, how do you know that people travelling are not doing so legitimate reasons?

Oh keep em coming, I don't always but you get a rough idea. Had two yesterday that my guard was watching very closely. Decided they'd do a line of Coke totally oblivious to what stars they where making of themselves on the crystal clear CCTV. They where met in & escorted away for questioning. Wonder which support bubble they where off to?

 

[Bantamzen]

Oh keep em coming, I don't always but you get a rough idea. Had two yesterday that my guard was watching very closely. Decided they'd do a line of Coke totally oblivious to what stars they where making of themselves on the crystal clear CCTV. They where met in & escorted away for questioning. Wonder which support bubble they where off to?

So spotting two people who eventually did some coke makes you an instant expert on people's reasons for travelling? Perhaps then you are able to tell if someone is travelling to say go to work, or to visit someone in a social bubble, or go to the hospital, get a vaccine et etc? Must be a great skill to have, could come in useful when the government eventually stops paying the railway industry to drive around empty trains.

 

[dk1]

So spotting two people who eventually did some coke makes you an instant expert on people's reasons for travelling? Perhaps then you are able to tell if someone is travelling to say go to work, or to visit someone in a social bubble, or go to the hospital, get a vaccine et etc? Must be a great skill to have, could come in useful when the government eventually stops paying the railway industry to drive around empty trains.

You can usually tell the genuine ones but should never assume. The classics are groups who get on the train all together, masks down/dangelling then all get off individually in different carriages like nobody will notice.

 

[Bantamzen]

You can usually tell the genuine ones but should never assume. The classics are groups who get on the train all together, masks down/dangelling then all get off individually in different carriages like nobody will notice.

The horror, I do hope you called the Armed Response Unit?

 

[dk1]

The horror, I do hope you called the Armed Response Unit?

And the army

 

[Bantamzen]

And the army

Good, good. Let's hope that in future those despicable creatures commonly known as humans stay off the trains so that crews don't have to worry about them coming on, and they can cart around fresh air paid for by the government for all time....