How busy have your trains been?

[bramling]

School hols, lots of people on leave this week.

It’s more than just that. I have never seen (1) my town centre, and (2) my local countryside footpaths as busy on a weekday as they have been this week, even in the run up to Christmas. It’s not even as though today’s weather was that wonderful.

We saw plenty of empty 387s, 700s and IETs on our walk though!

 

[bramling]

The 12th of April onwards will see a couple of million go back off furlough, hopefully to never be on it again.

Thank goodness.

 

[infobleep]

I was travelling Wednesday evening. The class 700 I got from Haywards Heath at 17:46 had 3 other people in the declassified first section. So whilst the train was quiet compared to pre- covid-19, it was busier than it has been.

I tend to judge how busy a train is by the number of people sitting in declassified first class. Most people won't know its declassified, so the more that use it, the more that must be travelling on the train more generally.

Becausw I could, I then got a class 700 from Gatwick Airport to Redhill. That was as quiet as it usually was even before covid-19 came along.

Finally I picked up a train to GuuwNd that had a few people in but wasn't busy.

 

[greyman42]

I travelled from Kings Cross to York on the 31 March on the 1600 Aberdeen train. There were 5 of us in my coach.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yesterday:

1817 Southern Bletchley - Imperial Wharf, almost empty, coach to myself throughout
2034 Euston-Bletchley - same

Today I did Bletchley-Tring and Berko-Bletchley mid afternoon (forget the times) and things were slightly busier but no more than low single figures per coach.

 

[Kite159]

Today:
09:59 Grateley - Basingstoke. 5 coaches, lightly loaded in my coach (4 passengers by the time it reached Basingstoke)
10:48 Basingstoke - Reading. 8 coaches, quite a few looked to be boarding the front unit and the 7th coach was ~ 15% full. A good number at Reading waiting for it, but both times could be local travellers using XC instead of GWR due to the timetable (GWR running an hourly Basingstoke - Reading stopper which departed a couple minutes after the XC and an hourly Oxford fast which departs Reading 3 minutes after the XC)
11:26 Reading - Tilehurst, 8 coaches. I was in coach 5 and there was a handful of passengers

17:00(ish) Reading West - Basingstoke. 3 Coaches, 2 others in the leading coach (again might be due to an XC running a few minutes in front soaking up any Basingstoke travellers)
17:36 Basingstoke - Grateley, 8 coaches. I was in coach 5 and there was a couple others

Car park at Grateley had 2 vehicles in when I arrived at 09:50.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Saltcoats to Largs on the 12:24 service.

7 carriage train so plenty of room to spread out, but a rather fair amount getting on at each stop. It gives me good faith for train services.

It is also helped by the fact it is relatively warm with clear skies, so everyone’s making the most of it.

 

[Killingworth]

8.14 Dore to Piccadilly, started at Sheffield with 3 aboard and 2 of us at Dore. Only 3 coaches as line to the east is closed this weekend for signalling changes. Think 3 boarded at Stockport so still very spacious.

Returned from deserted Manchester after a walk to Victoria which was also deserted. Lots of empty buses and trams. We were amazed to see almost everyone at Piccadilly seemingly heading for the Northern Hope Valley service! There were some empty seats, but not very many in a 4 car 150. Edale and Bamford were particularly popular but the amount of litter in the station bins suggests significant use of all stations.

Pre Covid 2 car Pacers were often too full to get aboard at Sheffield and Piccadilly on Saturday mornings. Those days may soon return if 4 car trains aren't retained.

 

[yorksrob]

The 2 carriage Manchester Pic to Carmathen was very busy - every set of seats taken and some people sitting in vestibules (although a few got off at Crewe).

Goodness knows what this service must have been like pre-covid.

 

[DannyMich2018]

15.22 Birmingham to Cambridge Friday 2nd April. 4 coaches. From Hinckley around 10 in our carriage. Alighted at Leicester where at least 20 got on and 20 off. 15.12 Nottingham to St Pancras. From Leicester around 10 off and 10 on. About 6 in our carriage. Little custom at Market Harborough. Alighted at Kettering where about 8 got off and 5 or 6 got on. Corby service looked empty (not a lot different to pre Covid really, why do we need 12 car 360s to Corby?) A couple of northbound 222s at Leicester had good loadings at least 20 in some coaches. I know Birmingham to Leicester only is hourly as opposed to twice an hour pre Covid but in my opinion loadings throughout Lockdown 3 been quite good.

 

[infobleep]

I got on a rail replacement from bus from Guildford to Haslemere today. They allow 40 minutes for the direct Haslemere only bus.

I guess this must be to allow for traffic. We did the journey in about 30 minutes and there was roughly a 20 minute wait for the train, the doors of which didn't open until 5 minutes before departure, despite being on the platform.

I eventually opted to coach 2 on the 14:21 as it'a opposite the signal box.

Various people got on. Maybe 10 to 15 at a guss. I decided to have a whole carriage to myself. At Petersfield and Havant more got on but not to coach 2.

So not a busy train at all todsy.

Worth noting a fast train to Haslemere does the journey in 15 minutes and a car journey to Portsmouth is 1 hour. Just shoes how slow the rail replacement buses are.

 

[telstarbox]

Busy evening train yesterday (Good Friday) from Charing Cross to Lewisham. Not wedged but most seats taken, which was typical for a weekend train pre-Covid. Most things are still shut in Central London so maybe a lot of picnics?

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Busy evening train yesterday (Good Friday) from Charing Cross to Lewisham. Not wedged but most seats taken, which was typical for a weekend train pre-Covid. Most things are still shut in Central London so maybe a lot of picnics?

I travelled to from New Southgate to London Blackfriars and back from London Bridge today. Southeastern services at London Bridge were well loaded with most trains having all seats taken, and some with people standing. Thameslink seemed quiteter and there was a lot of disruption on the way back so harder to judge, but they were quiter than the southeastern services. Great Northern was relatively well loaded, but as the Hertford branch was out only 2tph were running through to Moorgate, so probably explains that.

 

[Mag_seven]

Was on some GWR and SWR services today. The GWR versions were by far the busier while the SWR services were deserted.

 

[yorksrob]

TPE North wasn't rammed like the old days - but one does now have to be careful now to choose the less busy end of the train !

 

[Peterthegreat]

TPE North wasn't rammed like the old days - but one does now have to be careful now to choose the less busy end of the train !

Indeed. I travelled in the rear coach of a six car 185 from Middlesbrough to Leeds this afternoon. It was only when I alighted at Leeds that I saw how busy the leading set was!

 

[Watershed]

Indeed. I travelled in the rear coach of a six car 185 from Middlesbrough to Leeds this afternoon. It was only when I alighted at Leeds that I saw how busy the leading set was!

The need for SDO at several of the stations on that route doesn't exactly help to even out loadings.

 

[yorksrob]

Indeed. I travelled in the rear coach of a six car 185 from Middlesbrough to Leeds this afternoon. It was only when I alighted at Leeds that I saw how busy the leading set was!

I think TPE's 5 - 6 carriage services will still prove to be a worthwhile investment !

 

[Kite159]

Was on various XC/EMR services yesterday and loadings were mostly on the low side. Especially on the Matlock branch.

The busiest the voyagers got heading back was at Oxford where it looked like a lot of daytrippers boarded to travel to Reading.

I even had a private coach on a Sheffield bound double voyager on departure from New Street, around 9am.

Although I did witness someone boarding at Oxford heading towards Birmingham who decided the best seat for him to read his book was at a table aisle seat diagonally opposite a female (seat said available so not like it was his reserved seat).

 

[james60059]

Not a train as such, but the RRB's currently running between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa (11:20 ex-NUN) hasn't had anyone on board when I've seen it. Local rumour is that the train service isn't returning until May TT change.

 

[PTR 444]

11:19 Brockenhurst - Christchurch yesterday had around 5-10 other passengers on board, all of whom were in the rear 2 coaches. The return journey at 16:23 had slightly more on board, and I did notice quite a few getting off at Brockenhurst even when everyone had to anyway due to engineering work closing the line east to Soton. The rail replacement buses at Brock appeared more fully loaded than the trains but that may have just been because of their size.

 

[ScotGG]

Busy evening train yesterday (Good Friday) from Charing Cross to Lewisham. Not wedged but most seats taken, which was typical for a weekend train pre-Covid. Most things are still shut in Central London so maybe a lot of picnics?

A lot of people out just for a wander along the Thames and around central it would seem.

Makes sense given in places.like Lewisham there's huge amounts of new homes which are car free and near the station. This sort of leisure traffic will not fall much if at all in months and years to come

 

[WestRiding]

0839 Sheffield to Norwich, DEAD. 1300 Norwich to London, about 8 others in my coach. Thameslink from Blackfriars to St Pancras, DEAD. 1737 Marylebone to Birmingham, DEAD. Getting a bit worried for the railway now. People are simply not coming back.

 

[HST43257]

0839 Sheffield to Norwich, DEAD. 1300 Norwich to London, about 8 others in my coach. Thameslink from Blackfriars to St Pancras, DEAD. 1737 Marylebone to Birmingham, DEAD. Getting a bit worried for the railway now. People are simply not coming back.

I think its worth mentioning how a lot of that is long distance stuff. Many local trains in Yorkshire have frequently had pre covid loadings, in my experience at least.

 

[WestRiding]

I think its worth mentioning how a lot of that is long distance stuff. Many local trains in Yorkshire have frequently had pre covid loadings, in my experience at least.

I agree, long distance trains, but the places they serve are not long distance, such as Sheffield to Nottingham, Ely to Thetford etc. Its worrying.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

0839 Sheffield to Norwich, DEAD. 1300 Norwich to London, about 8 others in my coach. Thameslink from Blackfriars to St Pancras, DEAD. 1737 Marylebone to Birmingham, DEAD. Getting a bit worried for the railway now. People are simply not coming back.

As someone who has been using the trains everyday since October, people are coming back, just bery slowly although there was a notable increase from March 29th.

Also remember that its Easter week this week, with schools off and people off work so there would normally be less people travelling anyway. Plus combined with the fact there are barely any reasons to travel at the minute at the minute, you can see why trains are quiet. You can't definitvely say people are simply not coming back yet.

 

[Steddenm]

Last Thursday I travelled between Sheffield and St Panctas. The 1028 departure from Sheffield was empty (and first-class catering as such is back - hot drink and a snack pack with a cake, some biscuits, crisps). The connecting ThamesLink service from STP to GTW was empty until we arrived at City Thameslink where it got marginally busier. Most got off at London Bridge.

On Monday a Southern service (roughly about 11am) between Eastbourne and Lewes was also empty.

 

[Mag_seven]

Yesterday evening (Bank Holiday Monday) there were quite a lot of people entering the tube at Euston - it felt almost normal.

 

[LowLevel]

0839 Sheffield to Norwich, DEAD. 1300 Norwich to London, about 8 others in my coach. Thameslink from Blackfriars to St Pancras, DEAD. 1737 Marylebone to Birmingham, DEAD. Getting a bit worried for the railway now. People are simply not coming back.

The 0839 Sheffield to Norwich is always dead. We've been having distancing warnings for the later departures being overcapacity for the last week or so.

There is still little reason for people to be travelling about. I've been pushing towards 100 on a 2 car train frequently of late.

 

[MDB1images]

As someone who has been using the trains everyday since October, people are coming back, just bery slowly although there was a notable increase from March 29th.

Also remember that its Easter week this week, with schools off and people off work so there would normally be less people travelling anyway. Plus combined with the fact there are barely any reasons to travel at the minute at the minute, you can see why trains are quiet. You can't definitvely say people are simply not coming back yet.

What you have noted tie in with what I see at work/travelling around NW England / over the border to Scotland.
I think what we haven't got at the moment is certainty of the xx:xx service to xxxxx will always be busy-but its coming!
With everything pretty much shut I'm actually surprised just how many people are travelling around already, very encouraging.
The suitcase has become a common sight again on some of the trains!!