Demand for hourly Crewe-Shrewsbury stopping trains

[The Planner]

(Wanders into rabbit holes of wondering whether Chester - Crewe - Manchester has benefits for a local service connecting existing Crewe-Manchester with the Chester shuttle were Chester - Crewe to be wired.)

You can only do that move in P6.

 

[yorksrob]

Nantwich definitely justifies a regular hourly service. Wem not so much, but if you're running an extra train it's big enough not to leave it out.

 

[Krokodil]

Money. The whole plan to speed the Independents up was reliant on the Crewe re-modelling as it was intended to be used as a diversion route during big blockades. That has gone so no benefit in doing it.

I see. The way "never" was used I presumed that it was some kind of technical impossibility rather than a question of funding.

(Wanders into rabbit holes of wondering whether Chester - Crewe - Manchester has benefits for a local service connecting existing Crewe-Manchester with the Chester shuttle were Chester - Crewe to be wired.)

I'm wondering whether the shuttle should be combined with the Crewe-Shrewsbury locals through platform 12. The timings are almost right in one direction, and you'd need to tweak them slightly in the other.

 

[Topological]

You can only do that move in P6.

More thinking of any other service which could have justified a platform on the independents.

Certainly would not be a good idea to have more trains crossing the WCML on the level.

I see. The way "never" was used I presumed that it was some kind of technical impossibility rather than a question of funding.


I'm wondering whether the shuttle should be combined with the Crewe-Shrewsbury locals through platform 12. The timings are almost right in one direction, and you'd need to tweak them slightly in the other.

That combination also works, depending on the flows from places like Nantwich to Chester.

 

[Krokodil]

That combination also works, depending on the flows from places like Nantwich to Chester.

The flow is small at the moment but you can't use that as a reliable indicator of how many people would travel if they didn't have to fester for up to 53 minutes in one direction. Try looking up Chester to Nantwich in a journey planner and you'll wonder why anyone bothers to use the train for such a journey at all, especially in the morning. All because one train leaves Crewe only two minutes after the other arrives.

 

[The Planner]

I see. The way "never" was used I presumed that it was some kind of technical impossibility rather than a question of funding.

It was only ever going to go up to 20mph as well, so people expecting some sort of high speed were going to be disappointed regardless.

 

[cle]

I could see an argument for Manchester - Stockport - Wilmslow - Crewe - Shrewsbury - Ludlow - Hereford - Abergavenny - Newport - Cardiff as an hourly fast offering and then an all stations Crewe to West Wales slotting in between the fasts. Although then maybe Liverpool to Cardiff provides the stopper between Shrewsbury and Cardiff and the Crewe to Shrewsbury just remains a shuttle?

Liverpool-Cardiff was supposed to be 2 hourly (Liv-Shrewsbury hourly) - possibly on the other hour, there is a Cardiff-Crewe instead, so that hourly is maintained.

But the Holyhead-Cardiff I think is also a consideration here, as I think that was meant to alternate. And Birmingham-Chester is in the mix also. Quite a conundrum on the Marches - but Manchester-Cardiff is the 'premier' service and should definitely be sped up.

 

[6Gman]

1. Stepping up to an hourly Crewe-Salop would be expensive, but might allow the Manchester-South Wales trains to be speeded up (but at the expense of longer distance passengers at Nantwich/ Whitchurch).
2. Linking the shuttle to other services introduces significant performance risks.
3. Platforms on the Independent Lines would be awkward to build and some distance (laterally and vertically) from the rest of the station at Crewe. Currently if you're travelling to London/ Birmingham/ Scotland it's often cross-platform or a bridge to a platform in your sightline. Go to the Independents and it's a trek.