Effect of planned new WCML timetable on Milton Keynes Central

[Bald Rick]

i was being polite to Coventry

The bigger question is how the recovery from the pandemic impacts on traffic flows. I would like to see the majority of service, excepting perhaps "express Scottish services" if duplicated by the existing slower Scottish services, stop at MK.

I would certainly expect all LNWR services to stop there.

in future MK will have calls in a West Mids, Manchester and Liverpool each hour.

It's an interesting question as to which is more economically important, Watford or MK - I'm not quite sure

MK no question.

 

[Southern Dvr]

in future MK will have calls in a West Mids, Manchester and Liverpool each hour.




MK no question.

Remember there’s a lot of NR staff based at MKC, so I wonder if that’s a consideration?

With the GTR MKC service curtailed to WFJ from May it will potentially mean a loss of non underground using connections from the south to the north west.

 

[The Planner]

Remember there’s a lot of NR staff based at MKC, so I wonder if that’s a consideration?

With the GTR MKC service curtailed to WFJ from May it will potentially mean a loss of non underground using connections from the south to the north west.

It wasn't when we first moved there....

 

[Bald Rick]

With the GTR MKC service curtailed to WFJ from May it will potentially mean a loss of non underground using connections from the south to the north west.

Well, yes, but that connection was not popular. With the exception of the WLL stations, it was always substantially quicker to go via Euston. Accepting that not everyone likes the tube or the walk to St Pancras.

 

[Philip]

What is the level of passenger demand between Milton Keynes and Manchester?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Remember there’s a lot of NR staff based at MKC, so I wonder if that’s a consideration?

With the GTR MKC service curtailed to WFJ from May it will potentially mean a loss of non underground using connections from the south to the north west.

It has been curtailed, other than on Saturdays, for most of COVID, hasn't it? I had missed that but I guess this is confirmation of that being permanent?

Of course it was for many years just a Watford-Clapham shuttle, and I still used it back then. How useful it is depends on the quality of the connections - back then they were quite good, an Avanti at 0710 ish from MKC called at WFJ and made a very good connection, for one.

 

[Southern Dvr]

Well, yes, but that connection was not popular. With the exception of the WLL stations, it was always substantially quicker to go via Euston. Accepting that not everyone likes the tube or the walk to St Pancras.

Thing is, and here’s controversy, sometimes it’s not about ‘quicker’ but more pleasant. The obsession with being everywhere 5 mins earlier is partly what makes train travel so much less desirable these days I think. Give me a comfortable seat, a view and the ability to work on route if I need to and I’d take the slightly longer journey. However that is less relevant in regards the WLL I know.

I’ve hardly used the underground since covid began and I do not miss it one bit. The WLL connection could be better if there were more connections into it, whether that was at MKC or WFJ.

And do keep up at the back , yes the WLL will for at least the May timetable only run to Watford Jnc from Clapham. There will be one morning and one evening Hemel Hempstead working. The idea being that the less units required can provide more units to help dump the 455s. By December if all the other cascades work out there may be enough units to go back to Milton.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And do keep up at the back , yes the WLL will for at least the May timetable only run to Watford Jnc from Clapham. There will be one morning and one evening Hemel Hempstead working.

Which platform(s) will that use and where will it reverse? Didn't know there was still the possibility to reverse there rather than Tring.

The idea being that the less units required can provide more units to help dump the 455s. By December if all the other cascades work out there may be enough units to go back to Milton.

Given that MK is the topic of the thread, for clarity it is never abbreviated to Milton, that's a place near Cambridge. The usual shortening is MK, but you very occasionally hear "the Keynes".

 

[The Planner]

Which platform(s) will that use and where will it reverse? Didn't know there was still the possibility to reverse there rather than Tring.

P3, there is a crossover at the south of the station. It gets used if we ever block the slows south of there to turn back north as well.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Given that MK is the topic of the thread, for clarity it is never abbreviated to Milton, that's a place near Cambridge. The usual shortening is MK, but you very occasionally hear "the Keynes".

I often refer to MK as Cow Town, and I live there

 

[Bletchleyite]

I often refer to MK as Cow Town, and I live there

Not heard that one. I have heard "Milk 'n' Beans" a number of times but that isn't an abbreviation so I didn't include it

The one thing it is never called by anyone who knows anything about it is Milton, largely for practical reasons because there's already a place called that which is not far away so could be confused with it. If you only get one of the words it's always Keynes.

(Double-confusingly, it does contain a place called Middleton, of which Milton is generally considered a corruption - the name is generally considered to originate from "Middle Town of the de Cahaignes family" (big local landowners at one point) and nothing whatsoever to do with John Maynard Keynes).

 

[JonathanH]

By December if all the other cascades work out there may be enough units to go back to Milton.

Not if the traincrew have lost their route knowledge. There are no trains scheduled beyond Hemel Hempstead as far as I can see whereas until now they had continued going to Milton Keynes at the weekend.

 

[jfollows]

I often refer to MK as Cow Town, and I live there

I'm pretty sure I saw the concrete cows when I went past a couple of weeks ago, they're easier to see in the winter and I believe they were renovated and replaced in their original site (just south of Wolverton?) relatively recently.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm pretty sure I saw the concrete cows when I went past a couple of weeks ago, they're easier to see in the winter and I believe they were renovated and replaced in their original site (just south of Wolverton?) relatively recently.

Interestingly they are replicas and not the originals. The originals are in store somewhere. They were in the shopping centre for a bit.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Interestingly they are replicas and not the originals. The originals are in store somewhere. They were in the shopping centre for a bit.

I thought the originals were in MK Museum, not that I've been. The ones on H3 are made of fibreglass and were better when they were painted as skeletons

 

[Bletchleyite]

I thought the originals were in MK Museum, not that I've been. The ones on H3 are made of fibreglass and were better when they were painted as skeletons

The replicas are made of concrete, not fibreglass. Not totally sure where the originals are now.

 

[cle]

I remember hearing MilKey when I was youunger, doesn't sound as if that survived much.

I support the WLL services running from Watford only (and being part of LO branding) - but they should be 2tph and have good connections from bot slow and faster services there. But the current pattern was a trundle, and better served with another Euston-Bletchley/Tring terminator (and save the MKC bay/path for a Marston/EWR reversal/Oxford)

 

[Mag_seven]

Can we drop the stuff about concrete cows please and stick to discussing the planned new WCML TT and its effect on Milton Keynes.

thanks

 

[Bald Rick]

There will be one morning and one evening Hemel Hempstead working.

I wouldn’t bank on that.

By December if all the other cascades work out there may be enough units to go back to Milton.

no chance.

 

[Southern Dvr]

I wouldn’t bank on that.



no chance.

Realtime Trains | Departures from Hemel Hempstead all day on 16/05/2022

Train information at Hemel Hempstead all day on 16/05/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

2M09/2O19
2M67/2O75

The ‘Milton’ reference is what crews call them. We have no knowledge of towns without railway stations!

For obvious reasons I’ll keep some of our private internal discussions private but there are discussions about maintaining the route knowledge north of Hemel. You’ll also note the original pathways remain as ‘run as required’ to stop the FOCs stealing the pathways!

 

[Bald Rick]

Realtime Trains | Departures from Hemel Hempstead all day on 16/05/2022

Train information at Hemel Hempstead all day on 16/05/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

2M09/2O19
2M67/2O75

The ‘Milton’ reference is what crews call them. We have no knowledge of towns without railway stations!

For obvious reasons I’ll keep some of our private internal discussions private but there are discussions about maintaining the route knowledge north of Hemel. You’ll also note the original pathways remain as ‘run as required’ to stop the FOCs stealing the pathways!

oh I know they are in there now, just I wouldn’t bank on them running.

the paths are still there not to stop another party ‘stealing’ them, but because GTR still have the access rights, and bid for the paths.

in any event a spare path between Watford and MK is if no use to freight. They need to run south of Watford too…