Atherton Line service when trains replaced by buses

[bengley]

Trains have been replaced by buses on the Atherton Line for the last few weekends and for a good few more due to engineering works at weekends. This is fine and I have no complaints about this.

What I am a bit perturbed by is the fact that on Saturdays when the line normally gets a half hourly train service, buses have been operating hourly and on Sundays when the train service is normally hourly, the buses have only been two hourly.

The two hourly Sunday service is effectively unusable.
Surely Northern are required to provide a replacement bus service at least at the same frequency as the train service? A lot of the stations on the line have no convenient alternative to the rail (or replacement) service.

When I mentioned this on X to Northern I just got a generic response apologising that the bus times don't suit me

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I've noticed this too, in years past normally there'd be a full service by the busses (which also for Weekdays/Saturdays gave Moorside/Hag Fold 30m service).
It's annoying since I'd occasionally use the busses but they're unreliable enough normally, and I don't want to stand there for 2 hours because sometimes they just skip stations!

 

[sportzbar]

It's probably to do with that well known issue of sourcing rail replacement buses and drivers since COVID. Not ideal I know, but surely it's better to provide an hourly (or on Sundays every 2 hours) service that can be ran rather than trying to run 2 an hour without the guarantee of the buses actually being there?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

It's probably to do with that well known issue of sourcing rail replacement buses and drivers since COVID. Not ideal I know, but surely it's better to provide an hourly (or on Sundays every 2 hours) service that can be ran rather than trying to run 2 an hour without the guarantee of the buses actually being there?

If they couldn't get busses why can't they just cancel them.
Put 2 (or 1 for Sunday's) per hour in the system and cancel what can't be covered.

 

[sportzbar]

If they couldn't get busses why can't they just cancel them.
Put 2 (or 1 for Sunday's) per hour in the system and cancel what can't be covered.

But that is exactly what they are trying to avoid. Surely it's better the customer knows what will be running as opposed to cancelling on the day....?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

But that is exactly what they are trying to avoid. Surely it's better the customer knows what will be running as opposed to cancelling on the day....?

I would assume rail replacements are sourced more than a day in advance.
Either way, someone using rail replacements either likes busses/coaches or really needs to get where they're going.

 

[sportzbar]

I would assume rail replacements are sourced more than a day in advance.
Either way, someone using rail replacements either likes busses/coaches or really needs to get where they're going.

Yes they are planned way in advance and that's when the bus companies turn round and say "sorry we don't have the buses/drivers for what you want but here is what we can provide".

So does Northern plan and timetable what they can based on what the bus companies have said they can provide, or do they plan for more services and pray that by some miracle more buses and drivers become available?

I'd say it's the former.....