Cross Country Penzance services

[Express380]

As someone who lives in Cornwall the timetable change which added back 1V60 Aberdeen-Penzance and 1S43 Penzance-Edinburgh was very welcomed but since they've been reinstated alongside the existing 2 runs through the county the service has been shockingly unreliable west of Plymouth, I know there are alternative GWR services but honestly why timetable them in if you can't run them I barely see a day where all 4 (Yes only 4) services run throughout.

If anyone knows why this is and if it will improve I'd love to hear it!

 

[NSE]

My guess would be delays, particularly the working from Aberdeen. It’s highly likely that due to it’s route, crossing many main lines, crossing junctions and busy stations like Birmingham New Street, it’s just so ripe for delays.

Looking at the scheduling, the train from Aberdeen goes empty to the sidings so it doesn’t return to say, Plymouth. If that was the case, if a driver would be over their hours by the time they’d gone down to Penzance and back, I could understand turning it at Plymouth. But even then, I imagine it still comes down to delays etc.

 

[Amlag]

My guess would be delays, particularly the working from Aberdeen. It’s highly likely that due to it’s route, crossing many main lines, crossing junctions and busy stations like Birmingham New Street, it’s just so ripe for delays.

Looking at the scheduling, the train from Aberdeen goes empty to the sidings so it doesn’t return to say, Plymouth. If that was the case, if a driver would be over their hours by the time they’d gone down to Penzance and back, I could understand turning it at Plymouth. But even then, I imagine it still comes down to delays etc.

Cross Country provides a far more reliable service in the SW west of Bristol than GWR does with trains from and to Paddington.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Cross Country provides a far more reliable service in the SW west of Bristol than GWR does with trains from and to Paddington.

That certainly isn’t the case within Cornwall as the OP has highlighted.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Jan 2024 ==

As someone who lives in Cornwall the timetable change which added back 1V60 Aberdeen-Penzance and 1S43 Penzance-Edinburgh was very welcomed but since they've been reinstated alongside the existing 2 runs through the county the service has been shockingly unreliable west of Plymouth, I know there are alternative GWR services but honestly why timetable them in if you can't run them I barely see a day where all 4 (Yes only 4) services run throughout.

If anyone knows why this is and if it will improve I'd love to hear it!

Cross Country have struggled with driver numbers - since May I understand there has been an increased reliance on rest day working to deliver the service enhancements.

 

[43055]

My guess would be delays, particularly the working from Aberdeen. It’s highly likely that due to it’s route, crossing many main lines, crossing junctions and busy stations like Birmingham New Street, it’s just so ripe for delays.

Looking at the scheduling, the train from Aberdeen goes empty to the sidings so it doesn’t return to say, Plymouth. If that was the case, if a driver would be over their hours by the time they’d gone down to Penzance and back, I could understand turning it at Plymouth. But even then, I imagine it still comes down to delays etc.

Even with the long journeys Cross Country are normally reasonably to time. For the service in question alone it has been on time every day bar one at Plymouth in the last week. For Monday and yesterday the cancelation code shows it as no driver.

 

[dk1]

It would be the first to get sacrificed during any traincrew shortages & ASOS and has been for several years now.. It’s the same the other end when it frequently never makes it beyond Edinburgh. XC will protect its core network before the limited service routes that are mainly served in marginal time.

 

[co-tr-paul]

Must add, all XC services that start from Long Rock, staff are taxied in from Plymouth. If there are transport problems like road closure due to the many accidents we have then that will impact too.

 

[Zerothebrake!]

No cross depot cover..only Plymouth Drivers sign Penzance and only Bristol Drivers cover Paignton - although the Plymouth Train Managers do both routes.

Bit of a false economy really.

Apart from that, it's a mixture of Driver or Train Manager shortages.

 

[Express380]

Must add, all XC services that start from Long Rock, staff are taxied in from Plymouth. If there are transport problems like road closure due to the many accidents we have then that will impact too.

Now that makes alot of sense thank you