A better service for Ashchurch (for Tewkesbury)?

[ABB125]

But I would suggest Pewsey is not comparable to Ashchurch in terms of the actual/potential market. Pewsey is effectively an outer Paddington commuter station, ie something like 75% of traffic (a guess) is into Reading/London departures 06.30 - 09.00 and back from PAD between 16.00 and 19.00.
How many passengers board the one morning departure heading west on average? I suspect there are days when that is a big round 0.

I suspect Ashchurch traffic is far better distributed across the day, and in both directions. Although, sad to say it doesn't have a decent 08.xx commuter time departure for Cheltenham and Gloucester.

I think you'd be surprised at just how busy some of the morning peak services can be, especially those to Birmingham. There can often be 20 or 30 boarding the 0729 ish XC service, with lots more on the platform for the 0734 towards Worcester.

 

[70014IronDuke]

I think you'd be surprised at just how busy some of the morning peak services can be, especially those to Birmingham. There can often be 20 or 30 boarding the 0729 ish XC service, with lots more on the platform for the 0734 towards Worcester.

I think you have misread my post. I was referring to Pewsey, not Aschurch, when talking about the lack of morning passengers heading west.

I am glad to hear of the numbers travelling from Ashchurch, however. I'm sure there would be more if the service throughout the day was less sporadic.

 

[The Planner]

Are level crossings an insurmountable problem? Is the main issue with foot crossings or road crossings or both?

They are if there isn't the money to solve them.

 

[TheWalrus]

I suspect there are days when that is a big round 0.

In my previous experience of using Pewsey I would strongly suspect you’re mistaken. It’s been about 5 years since I used the 0807 but I certainly wasn’t the only one by a long stretch with probably around a dozen at a guess heading towards Devon.

 

[70014IronDuke]

In my previous experience of using Pewsey I would strongly suspect you’re mistaken. It’s been about 5 years since I used the 0807 but I certainly wasn’t the only one by a long stretch with probably around a dozen at a guess heading towards Devon.

Impressive. Thanks. Was this all year round, or summer?
Whatever, I think you would agree the Pewsey stopping pattern is more or less about getting to PAD in the morning and back at night. (Though I agree there is a reasonable service from the west in the later afternoon and evenings.)

 

[PartyOperator]

They are if there isn't the money to solve them.

It seems like the biggest things slowing down journeys on this line are the 20 minutes it takes to get between Bromsgrove and New Street and the 10 minutes it takes Bristol or Stroud trains to call at Gloucester, but there’s no obvious solution to either without new infrastructure. Getting the line speed up in small sections probably wouldn’t be significant in comparison.

 

[The Planner]

It seems like the biggest things slowing down journeys on this line are the 20 minutes it takes to get between Bromsgrove and New Street and the 10 minutes it takes Bristol or Stroud trains to call at Gloucester, but there’s no obvious solution to either without new infrastructure. Getting the line speed up in small sections probably wouldn’t be significant in comparison.

That is unlikely to ever change though unless all of the XC trains go Camp Hill and you grade seperate Kings Norton as you suggest, which whilst is on the fag packet is far from happening as it stands.

 

[TheWalrus]

Impressive. Thanks. Was this all year round, or summer?
Whatever, I think you would agree the Pewsey stopping pattern is more or less about getting to PAD in the morning and back at night. (Though I agree there is a reasonable service from the west in the later afternoon and evenings.)

Yes at least 90% of the market from Pewsey an the Kennet Valley is certainly commuting to and from London. From December the service from Pewsey will be a lot better to and from the west.

 

[ABB125]

I think you have misread my post. I was referring to Pewsey, not Aschurch, when talking about the lack of morning passengers heading west.

I am glad to hear of the numbers travelling from Ashchurch, however. I'm sure there would be more if the service throughout the day was less sporadic.

I think I was referring to the second paragraph in your post, but I can't really remember.

 

[option]

As I posted in the Worcestershire Parkway thread, a Birmingham-Bristol semi fast service is needed*, in the opposite 30 minutes to the current Nottingham-Cardiff service. xx00 departing Birmingham and xx15 arriving Birmingham. Currently there are the peak hour 0815 arrival (0624 Bristol-Stansted), and the 1800 Birmingham-Shrub Hill. However, I doubt there are either the paths or rolling stock available.

I suspect that the commuters from Ashchurch to Birmingham are in for a tough time once Worcestershire Parkway opens as the 1630, 1730, 1830 from New Street to Cardiff are all booked for 2 car 170s, unless XC find the majic rolling stock tree!!!

* For example, New Street, University, Worcestershire Parkway, Ashchurch, Cheltenham, Bristol Parkway, Temple Meads.

Two problems;
there's no capacity at New Street (or even on that stretch of the Cross-City)
who would operate it? WMT/WMR won't as too much of it would be outside the WMCA area.


You could come out of Moor St & then via the Kings Heath line (when the chords are built), but you couldn't serve University.

 

[geoffk]

Two problems;
there's no capacity at New Street (or even on that stretch of the Cross-City)
who would operate it? WMT/WMR won't as too much of it would be outside the WMCA area.


You could come out of Moor St & then via the Kings Heath line (when the chords are built), but you couldn't serve University.

But add Bromsgrove, Gloucester. But are there paths further south? And currently no suitable stock of course.

 

[option]

A train would be unable to call at Worcestershire Parkway on it's way from Worcester Shrub Hill to Cheltenham Spa

Which, as discussed on the Worcestershire Parkway thread, is stupid.

Having platforms to allow the GWR services to/from Cheltenham to stop there, might have nudged XC into stopping more services at Parkway (though possibly by dropping the Ashchurch stop)

 

[option]

As I posted in the Worcestershire Parkway thread, a Birmingham-Bristol semi fast service is needed*, in the opposite 30 minutes to the current Nottingham-Cardiff service. xx00 departing Birmingham and xx15 arriving Birmingham. Currently there are the peak hour 0815 arrival (0624 Bristol-Stansted), and the 1800 Birmingham-Shrub Hill. However, I doubt there are either the paths or rolling stock available.

I suspect that the commuters from Ashchurch to Birmingham are in for a tough time once Worcestershire Parkway opens as the 1630, 1730, 1830 from New Street to Cardiff are all booked for 2 car 170s, unless XC find the majic rolling stock tree!!!

* For example, New Street, University, Worcestershire Parkway, Ashchurch, Cheltenham, Bristol Parkway, Temple Meads.

Two problems;
there's no capacity at New Street (or even on that stretch of the Cross-City)
who would operate it? WMT/WMR won't as too much of it would be outside the WMCA area.


You could come out of Moor St & then via the Kings Heath line (when the chords are built), but you couldn't serve University.

But add Bromsgrove, Gloucester. But are there paths further south? And currently no suitable stock of course.

A Birmingham-Bristol semi-fast may as well go;
Moor St, Longbridge, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Worcester SH, Ashchurch etc

(Anything north of Bromsgrove has to help with the capacity on the Brum commuter routes to be allowed.)

 

[VT 390]

Which, as discussed on the Worcestershire Parkway thread, is stupid.

Having platforms to allow the GWR services to/from Cheltenham to stop there, might have nudged XC into stopping more services at Parkway (though possibly by dropping the Ashchurch stop)

Why would the Ashchurch stop be dropped as it is only on the Cardiff Nottingham's which are stopping at Parkway anyway?

 

[VT 390]

A Birmingham-Bristol semi-fast may as well go;
Moor St, Longbridge, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Worcester SH, Ashchurch etc

(Anything north of Bromsgrove has to help with the capacity on the Brum commuter routes to be allowed.)

Would it not be better to serve Kings Norton if you were going to serve one of the Cross City stations as if it called at Longbridge it would have to go on to the slow lines.

 

[option]

Would it not be better to serve Kings Norton if you were going to serve one of the Cross City stations as if it called at Longbridge it would have to go on to the slow lines.

The cross-city services on the Kings Heath line would be serving Kings Norton, & all the stations between there & Moor St.*
So KN would already have additional capacity being provided.

Serving Longbridge on a semi-fast would increase capacity between Longbridge & Birmingham, relieving some of the pressure on the existing cross-city.
(I suppose you could serve both)

I would envisage Longbridge station being redeveloped, & XC stopping there instead of Bromsgrove, allowing connections with the Redditch trains.

Why would the Ashchurch stop be dropped as it is only on the Cardiff Nottingham's which are stopping at Parkway anyway?

XC didn't/don't want the WParkway stop, as its an additional stop.
If WParkway had platforms for the north/south Shrub Hill trains, & WParkway replaced Ashchurch as the XC stop, then it's more likely that XC would stop all their trains there. (more frequent connections into Worcester itself)

Yes, Ashchurch would lose the current very irregular direct service to Birmingham, but it could have gained more services at WParkway, which would be one stop up the line or ~20min drive away.




[going way offtopic now]
* you can't use any of the existing Redditch or Bromsgrove services for the Kings Heath line, as they're needed for the existing service via University. So the new services require their own stock etc, & if they turn round at KN they won't impact on any other paths.
You might be able to squeeze them in as far as Longbridge.