Chester - Crewe

[parkender102]

Any Idea what's happening today with this service today? All the train times have changed, service reduced to hourly rather than half hourly and journey time is doubled!

Ruins the start of the week for me as my normal reservation to Woking routes me Shotton - Chester - Crewe - London Euston - Waterloo - Woking.

Todays routing (I've only just noticed) is Shotton - Warrington Bank Quay - Crewe - London Euston - Waterloo - Woking.

Means a much later arrival at work today!

 

[Welshman]

Drainage work in Christleton tunnel just east of Chester means the Chester-Crewe line is closed until Friday.

ATW are substituting buses.

Some VT London services are running via Middlewich and Sandbach, others via Warrington and reversing, both with extended journey times.

The details were on the ATW website, but it's down at the moment.

 

[parkender102]

Drainage work in Christleton tunnel just east of Chester means the Chester-Crewe line is closed until Friday.

ATW are substituting buses.

Some VT London services are running via Middlewich and Sandbach, others via Warrington and reversing, both with extended journey times.

The details were on the ATW website, but it's down at the moment.

Thanks

Not very well advertised that one! Nothing on National Rail site - didn't see any notices at Chester on Friday either. Hopefully things back to normal next week then!

 

[berneyarms]

It is on the National Rail site:

Engineering work is taking place between Chester and Crewe closing all lines.

Arriva Trains Wales trains, are replaced by buses between Chester and Crewe. Passengers may also use Virgin Trains between Chester and Crewe.

Virgin Trains are diverted between Chester and Crewe extending journey times by up to 60 minutes.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Any Idea what's happening today with this service today? All the train times have changed, service reduced to hourly rather than half hourly and journey time is doubled!

VT appear to be keeping the same paths south of Crewe, losing up to an hour between Crewe and Chester with the diversion.
The 0910 Euston-Holyhead is now the 0810 for instance (same times west of Chester).
Northbound, it's faster to get the standard Glasgow train and change at Warrington into the Llandudno rather than endure the Middlewich diversion.
Southbound there's not much in it, with a 61-minute wait at Warrington.
(You wouldn't want to rely on a 1-minute connection, even though most hours you might make it with VT often a bit late.)

 

[northwichcat]

If they'd done the drainage works a week earlier they would have been put to the test over yesterday and today.

As the timings between Crewe and London have remained the same in both directions, northbound and southbound trains and the Middlewich line is single track it results in the northbound trains being stuck at a red signal for 15 minutes while it waits for the southbound train to clear the track.

Raising the line speed to 50mph would apparently require minimal work but with no scheduled passenger trains except when the Chester-Crewe line is closed Network Rail aren't going to fund that. The Leftwich viaduct is supposed to get it's line speed raised at the same time as the signalling is redone to allow trains to run Manchester/Stockport-Greenbank and then Greenbank-Stockport/Manchester without a double reversal.

 

[parkender102]

It is on the National Rail site:

Thanks - normally when checking departure time Chester - Crewe the 'ticker' message displays at the top of the screen with any problems but didn't see it this morning. Fortuitously the direct 9:20 Bank Quay to Euston was 5 minutes late getting in so I got that and I'm actually now on 11:35 to Woking I normally get despite all the changes!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Drainage work in Christleton tunnel just east of Chester means the Chester-Crewe line is closed until Friday.

They were getting diggers ready on Saturday.
There have been large surface drainage pipes there for quite a while, I think dating from the time the Shropshire Union Canal burst its banks and flooded the (lower) railway.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...nage-improvement-work-to-take-place-2087.aspx

 

[merlodlliw]

They were getting diggers ready on Saturday.
There have been large surface drainage pipes there for quite a while, I think dating from the time the Shropshire Union Canal burst its banks and flooded the (lower) railway.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...nage-improvement-work-to-take-place-2087.aspx

customer experience manager at Virgin Trains,

What a job title, plucked from the link. I note ATW have again forgotten to inform passengers the Holyhead/Cardiff franchise services, start & Stop at Shrewsbury all week.

 

[bb21]

Diversion information has been on NRE for months. Hardly poorly advertised.

 

[merlodlliw]

Diversion information has been on NRE for months. Hardly poorly advertised.

Are you referring to Crewe/Chester? as the ATW site,who run the trains have not a word about the Shrewsbury start/stops Monday to Fridays.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Diversion information has been on NRE for months. Hardly poorly advertised.

I saw something on the VT "Route Improvements" section several weeks ago regarding this engineering work.

 

[causton]

Was showing up on National Rail site about a month ago as I specifically chose a train for this diversion as part of an itinerary... nothing on ATW site I saw though!

 

[krus_aragon]

I hadn't appreciated that this would be relevant to my morning commute. The first train all the way down the coast is operated by Virgin (0530 ex Birmingham), and in addition to running an hour later west of Chester, it currently terminates at the Junction. I'm glad I don't commute all the way to Holyhead, as there isn't a train arriving before 9am this week!

 

[bb21]

Are you referring to Crewe/Chester? as the ATW site,who run the trains have not a word about the Shrewsbury start/stops Monday to Fridays.

Yes, Crewe/Chester diversion has long been on the NRE website. Not sure about the ATW site as I don't use it.

 

[merlodlliw]

Yes, Crewe/Chester diversion has long been on the NRE website. Not sure about the ATW site as I don't use it.

Many Thanks

Bob

 

[pablo]

...and I don't use the NRE site. I saw nothing about this at all. Is a website sufficient publicity these days?

Diversion via Middlewich took over an hour versus twenty minutes direct. When lorries overtake you on the adjacent road, you know you are doing 30 mph on a brocky track.

An hour late for work as a consequence. Black mark for VT.

 

[voyagerdude220]

...and I don't use the NRE site. I saw nothing about this at all. Is a website sufficient publicity these days?

Diversion via Middlewich took over an hour versus twenty minutes direct. When lorries overtake you on the adjacent road, you know you are doing 30 mph on a brocky track.

An hour late for work as a consequence. Black mark for VT.

I can't comment about train station publicity, but it was certainly advertised online well in advance.

How can TOCs be held responsible for you not double checking that your train is running as per the normal weekday timetable?

Yes it's highly unusual for work to be done on a weekday, but not unheard of.

 

[merlodlliw]

I can't comment about train station publicity, but it was certainly advertised online well in advance.

How can TOCs be held responsible for you not double checking that your train is running as per the normal weekday timetable?

Yes it's highly unusual for work to be done on a weekday, but not unheard of.

In my opinion Tocs have a duty of care to their customers requirements,the 0700 VT to Chester Monday/Friday was not advertised it would not run,or its return from Chester to Wrexham.This meant no trains from Wrexham between 0600 & 0700 on a working day and no replacement,no publicity at the station.
The 0700 VT replaced an ATW franchise service & is well used for people going to work in Chester & surrounding areas.

 

[pablo]

.....
How can TOCs be held responsible for you not double checking that your train is running as per the normal weekday timetable?

Yes it's highly unusual for work to be done on a weekday, but not unheard of.

You're a bit confused aren't you. That looks like a contrdiction to me.

TOCs are resposible for their services and when they re-time by 3/4 hour earlier because of a five day blockage, it needs something more obvious than a website entry.

I've been using this particular service weekly for over seven years. Nothing like this has happened before and double-checking each time in case such an unusual event is occuring is a bit beyond reason. QED?

 

[PHILIPE]

Yes, Crewe/Chester diversion has long been on the NRE website. Not sure about the ATW site as I don't use it.

Yes. Big news item.

 

[berneyarms]

I can't comment about train station publicity, but it was certainly advertised online well in advance.

How can TOCs be held responsible for you not double checking that your train is running as per the normal weekday timetable?

Yes it's highly unusual for work to be done on a weekday, but not unheard of.

Do you check your regular bus/train every day in advance?

For something like this I would expect notices to be splashed liberally all over the stations affected, and leaflets/revised timetables to be available.

 

[wellhouse]

There are posters on display at Chester station.

 

[berneyarms]

But none at Wrexham it would appear.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Diversion via Middlewich took over an hour versus twenty minutes direct. When lorries overtake you on the adjacent road, you know you are doing 30 mph on a brocky track.

If a route is an approved route for service diversions, is it not the case that a certain standard of infrastructural and track maintenance has to be adhered to ?

 

[bb21]

But none at Wrexham it would appear.

If there were no publicity at Wrexham station then I think you have grounds for complaint, since the only daily return journey is cancelled.

Had there not been any scheduled service at Wrexham then they would not need to advertise there.

 

[Gareth Marston]

If there were no publicity at Wrexham station then I think you have grounds for complaint, since the only daily return journey is cancelled.

Had there not been any scheduled service at Wrexham then they would not need to advertise there.

diddly squat at Wrexham General today apart the CIS screens. Then again I got there early as the Holyheads were late from Shrewsbury and I made an unofficial connection off the Cambrian.

 

[merlodlliw]

diddly squat at Wrexham General today apart the CIS screens. Then again I got there early as the Holyheads were late from Shrewsbury and I made an unofficial connection off the Cambrian.

Our biggest complaint at Wrexham besides the lack of publicity is,the ATW feeder for the 0700 VT ex Wrexham runs from Shrewsbury to Wrexham for local work commuters, yet nothing is in place to take passengers onwards to Chester,they have to wait over an hour for the 0802, or take a taxi/bus at their own expense to Chester.

 

[headshot119]

For a period of time last year I regularly commuted from Wrexham to Birkenhead.

The 07:00 was perfect for making a connection into the 07:22 to Liverpool, as it was a daily commute I got used to any alterations being published on posters in the ticket office at Wrexham General, suffice to say I'd be less than impressed at the moment, no information to say the 07:00 is axed with no bus to take people forward.

As for anyone saying you should check a daily commute online, yeah OK :roll:

 

[merlodlliw]

For a period of time last year I regularly commuted from Wrexham to Birkenhead.

The 07:00 was perfect for making a connection into the 07:22 to Liverpool, as it was a daily commute I got used to any alterations being published on posters in the ticket office at Wrexham General, suffice to say I'd be less than impressed at the moment, no information to say the 07:00 is axed with no bus to take people forward.

As for anyone saying you should check a daily commute online, yeah OK :roll:

Called at Wrexham General again this morning,no posters saying the VT at 0700 is cancelled this week,in fact no posters saying the Holyhead to Cardiff service is terminated at Shrewsbury either.
Booking office staff less than impressed with VT over this.