Avanti service reductions from Monday 26th July

[irish_rail]

I've always found it odd that I have never and I mean never seen Avanti or Virgin recruit for qualified drivers at Glasgow Central. I'm sure some are promoted internally as trainees, but maybe its time for Avanti to start a recruitment drive.
Similarly, recruitment at Manchester Liverpool and Preston only comes up occasionally, when compared with my own patch on GWR, depots like Exeter , Bristol and Plymouth recruit none stop. Both are First group franchises also.

 

[Ceat0908]

I've always found it odd that I have never and I mean never seen Avanti or Virgin recruit for qualified drivers at Glasgow Central. I'm sure some are promoted internally as trainees, but maybe its time for Avanti to start a recruitment drive.
Similarly, recruitment at Manchester Liverpool and Preston only comes up occasionally, when compared with my own patch on GWR, depots like Exeter , Bristol and Plymouth recruit none stop. Both are First group franchises also.

Pretty sure they’ve just taken on a few internals for polmadie. But that will be a while for them becoming active.

the last time they took on qualifides for polmadie was back with virgin in mid 2019 I believe. They seem to only take on freight externals. I’m presuming because most of them have route knowledge down the WCML to Preston.

 

[irish_rail]

Pretty sure they’ve just taken on a few internals for polmadie. But that will be a while for them becoming active.

the last time they took on qualifides for polmadie was back with virgin in mid 2019 I believe. They seem to only take on freight externals. I’m presuming because most of them have route knowledge down the WCML to Preston.

Interesting, they must be taking them on in backroom deals presumably to keep freight guys from being made redundant , as those jobs were not advertised widely.

 

[seagull]

Hearing talk that the service next week (i.e from Monday 9th August) is being increased to 5 tph (trains per hour) from Euston (the 5th being another Manchester) with 6 tph to follow shortly after (the second Birmingham).

The "pingdemic" presumably past its peak.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

The Manchester trains were getting really busy, getting close to every seat taken in standard on most of them. Hopefully that is true.

 

[Triumph]

All that is happening from Monday is the 5 extra trains that run on Fridays will run daily.
They only run one trip each way for 5 hours in the afternoon (ie From Euston between 1300-1700) The morning & evening Manchester service will still be 1tph.

 

[berneyarms]

All that is happening from Monday is the 5 extra trains that run on Fridays will run daily.
They only run one trip each way for 5 hours in the afternoon (ie From Euston between 1300-1700) The morning & evening Manchester service will still be 1tph.

There are actually six extra departures in each direction.

They will operate from Manchester at xx:35 between 11:35 and 16:35.
From Euston they operate at 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 15:57, 16:49 and 17:55.

 

[Triumph]

There are actually six extra departures in each direction.

They will operate from Manchester at xx:35 between 11:35 and 16:35.
From Euston they operate at 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 15:57, 16:49 and 17:55.

Yes sorry, I was going by the diagrams which are 5 extra.

 

[Peter0124]

LNER are doing so much better, they have over 90% of pre-covid services with 100% of their anglo-scot services running. I hope Avanti bring more back.

 

[Jamesrob637]

LNER are doing so much better, they have over 90% of pre-covid services with 100% of their anglo-scot services running. I hope Avanti bring more back.

However, mandatory seat reservations peg them back a notch.

 

[Peter0124]

However, mandatory seat reservations peg them back a notch.

Ohh, forgot to mention they also have 94% of their pre-covid passengers back according to this tweet https://twitter.com/DavidHorne/status/1423762944106631180

 

[185143]

However, mandatory seat reservations peg them back a notch.

That they no longer have. They're just "Highly Recommended" now.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Interesting, they must be taking them on in backroom deals presumably to keep freight guys from being made redundant , as those jobs were not advertised widely.

I’ve seen it on the external site a couple of times in the last few years. AIUI more or less every driver in the central belt tends to apply for it when it comes up so it rarely stays up for long.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hearing talk that the service next week (i.e from Monday 9th August) is being increased to 5 tph (trains per hour) from Euston (the 5th being another Manchester) with 6 tph to follow shortly after (the second Birmingham).

The "pingdemic" presumably past its peak.

Interesting as there are several cancellations today.

 

[38Cto15E]

Pre-Covid, I used to travel from Rugby to Blackpool North with Avanti, a great service with first stop after Rugby, Warrington Bank Quay.
A while ago, I thought that I saw that this service was re-starting in September, but it appears not.
Are there any plans for a pre-covid Euston to Blackpool North service via the Trent Valley?

 

[Jimini]

I’m sure there’s a logical reason for it so apols for asking in advance, but I’m on the hourly AWC train from Euston to (ultimately) Wolverhampton at the moment, and I think (please do correct me if I’m wrong!) that it’s timetabled to take 1h40m or so to Coventry, despite the fact that we were head to head on the DF / DS with the preceding LNWR Northampton service on the reliefs, but we got scuppered by the latter crossing over to the fasts at Bourne End Jcn and now we’re all running late. I get the two track late night railway setup, but not quite sure why the AWC hourly service needs to be further scuppered by letting the stopper out in front of it — should it really need to take this long to do what’s normally a one hour trip when the timetable is already reduced to only an hourly service?

Might sound like a rant as it’s late, but it’s just a genuine question to the forum

 

[I13]

I’m sure there’s a logical reason for it so apols for asking in advance, but I’m on the hourly AWC train from Euston to (ultimately) Wolverhampton at the moment, and I think (please do correct me if I’m wrong!) that it’s timetabled to take 1h40m or so to Coventry, despite the fact that we were head to head on the DF / DS with the preceding LNWR Northampton service on the reliefs, but we got scuppered by the latter crossing over to the fasts at Bourne End Jcn and now we’re all running late. I get the two track late night railway setup, but not quite sure why the AWC hourly service needs to be further scuppered by letting the stopper out in front of it — should it really need to take this long to do what’s normally a one hour trip when the timetable is already reduced to only an hourly service?

Might sound like a rant as it’s late, but it’s just a genuine question to the forum

That's the normal late night timetable, the 22:30/23:30 are agonisingly slow even in normal times! During the day with the extra stops, London to Coventry is roughly in the 1h8 region, so just under ten minutes longer than usual.

 

[Bald Rick]

I’m sure there’s a logical reason for it so apols for asking in advance, but I’m on the hourly AWC train from Euston to (ultimately) Wolverhampton at the moment, and I think (please do correct me if I’m wrong!) that it’s timetabled to take 1h40m or so to Coventry, despite the fact that we were head to head on the DF / DS with the preceding LNWR Northampton service on the reliefs, but we got scuppered by the latter crossing over to the fasts at Bourne End Jcn and now we’re all running late. I get the two track late night railway setup, but not quite sure why the AWC hourly service needs to be further scuppered by letting the stopper out in front of it — should it really need to take this long to do what’s normally a one hour trip when the timetable is already reduced to only an hourly service?

Might sound like a rant as it’s late, but it’s just a genuine question to the forum

Assuming you are on the 2230 from Euston, you are not delayed. Well, you are a little bit (5 minutes), but you will arrive Rugby early and wait time there.


The LNWR service was a little late, which is why you saw it. The whole service is booked over the slow lines normally, and your train is booked to catch up the Northampton at Bourne End.

Had you not waited for it, you would be waiting time at MK, and delaying the Northampton which would be then be right behind you.

 

[Jimini]

Assuming you are on the 2230 from Euston, you are not delayed. Well, you are a little bit (5 minutes), but you will arrive Rugby early and wait time there.


The LNWR service was a little late, which is why you saw it. The whole service is booked over the slow lines normally, and your train is booked to catch up the Northampton at Bourne End.

Had you not waited for it, you would be waiting time at MK, and delaying the Northampton which would b6 then be right behind yo7.

I bow to your superior knowledge as always, kind sir, thanks for the explanation Just feel a bit hard done by having a 100 min schlep up to the in-laws (because the ultimate destination is painful enough ).

 

[Bald Rick]

I bow to your superior knowledge as always, kind sir, thanks for the explanation Just feel a bit hard done by having a 100 min schlep up to the in-laws (because the ultimate destination is painful enough ).

I fully understand your pain, having made many similar journeys in the past! But think of it as the railway’s contribution to reducing the amount of time at the in laws.

I hope the very latest news that you are going old road via Weedon, and have 25 green signals in front of you, helps cheer you up!

 

[Jimini]

I fully understand your pain, having made many similar journeys in the past! But think of it as the railway’s contribution to reducing the amount of time at the in laws.

I hope the very latest news that you are going old road via Weedon, and have 25 green signals in front of you, helps cheer you up!

Smashing news — thanks!

 

[jfollows]

Two trains an hour London-Manchester as of today, Monday 16 August, apologies if I'm just behind the game and it's been mentioned already. xx.20 via Stoke and xx.40(ish) via Wilmslow.

 

[matt]

Two trains an hour London-Manchester as of today, Monday 16 August, apologies if I'm just behind the game and it's been mentioned already. xx.20 via Stoke and xx.40(ish) via Wilmslow.

Two per hour from or via Birmingham as well from today

 

[seagull]

Yes it's back to the timetable that was in force up to a month ago, 6 tph from Euston.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Acceptable if not amazing.

 

[Peter0124]

Wonder if December will be when we finally go back to 9tph

 

[AMD]

Ohh, forgot to mention they also have 94% of their pre-covid passengers back according to this tweet https://twitter.com/DavidHorne/status/1423762944106631180

That's 94% of services run, at the moment in terms of passenger numbers their highest day is Sunday, with LNER achieving 88% of passenger count vs pre Covid for the sunday a week ago. It has also been noted that LNER has historically had a high level of leisure travel vs business/ commuter travel so they are one of the strongest operators in terms of recovery - to try and bring this into topic with reference to Avanti, west coast has a larger proportion of business travel so will take longer to recover. I don't have the exact numbers but i'm lead to believe that their best day is into the 70+% area, again at the weekend.