How busy have your trains been?

[Huntergreed]

9S97 (17:43 EUS - GLC via BHM) this evening, worryingly i was the only first class passenger on the whole train for the whole journey (I expected some on the southern end at the very least, but none, and I did walk through between each set of stops to check). Didn’t see much of standard class, but I did manage a walk through between Oxenholme and Carlisle and counted a grand total of 12 passengers. 12 standard and 1 first passenger for a peak-time Intercity train on a Friday night is quite worrying.

 

[yorkie]

9S97 (17:43 EUS - GLC via BHM) this evening, worryingly i was the only first class passenger on the whole train for the whole journey (I expected some on the southern end at the very least, but none, and I did walk through between each set of stops to check). Didn’t see much of standard class, but I did manage a walk through between Oxenholme and Carlisle and counted a grand total of 12 passengers. 12 standard and 1 first passenger for a peak-time Intercity train on a Friday night is quite worrying.

Most "peak" trains appear to be dead these days, but it's concerning that this is occurring on a Friday, when most (if not all) off peak tickets are valid throughout the evening "peak".

Yesterday as we walked past the 1746 Fenchurch St to Leigh-on-Sea, just 1 minute prior to departure, hardly anyone was on the train. Anyone boarding could have got an entire bay of 6 to themselves, very easily. Clearly the railway is in absolutely massive trouble (but discussion on that is for other threads)

 

[Halish Railway]

Interesting comments about peak time trains, up North it seems to be the opposite in my experience. On Tuesday I took the 16:03 Leeds to Ilkley as far as Guiseley and I needed to walk to the front coach to find an available seat where I didn’t need to sit next to anyone.

 

[yorkie]

Interesting comments about peak time trains, up North it seems to be the opposite in my experience. On Tuesday I took the 16:03 Leeds to Ilkley as far as Guiseley and I needed to walk to the front coach to find an available seat where I didn’t need to sit next to anyone.

That's good to hear but I've had very quiet trains at peak times in Yorkshire; the morning peak seems to be much quieter than the evening peak. Trains from York to Leeds in the morning "peak" are shockingly quiet.

 

[Seehof]

Thank you for the info.

 

[Mag_seven]

I travelled on a southbound Avanti Anglo Scottish service yesterday afternoon. I've known such services to be very busy on Friday afternoons - not so yesterday. The only busy bit was between Lancaster and Preston where the train was invaded by schoolkids - I wonder if they all had made their "obligatory" seat reservations.

 

[route101]

I travelled on a southbound Avanti Anglo Scottish service yesterday afternoon. I've known such services to be very busy on Friday afternoons - not so yesterday. The only busy bit was between Lancaster and Preston where the train was invaded by schoolkids - I wonder if they all had made their "obligatory" seat reservations.

I took Avanti from Carlisle to Glasgow on Tuesday. I never had a reservation, no ticket check. Service was not busy but was not quiet either.

 

[greyman42]

I travelled on the 0755 Inverness-Kings Cross between York and Kings Cross yesterday. I regularly take this train and it was the busiest I have found it since we came out of lockdown. This could in part be due to Kings Cross being shut at the weekend. Saying all that, I still got a table of four to myself ignoring my allocated seat.
I came back on the 2200 Kings Cross-York which while quiet, was also busier than usual.

 

[317 forever]

TPE 397 I took to Edinburgh from Lockerbie yesterday was the busiest I've seen a train (in fact I struggled to get a good seat, so I had to settle for a windowless one, well over half full), encouraging to see this.

The LNER service I used between Edinburgh and Haymarket (Purely to see how well loaded it was) was nearly empty in Standard (working London - Inverness) and the Scotrail HST I got back from Haymarket to Waverley was equally very lightly loaded.

The 397 I caught on the way home from Edinburgh had 10 people in standard class, and yet the conductor made an announcement for us to 'space out more to keep ourselves safe', which I thought was very odd and a little pointless.

Yes it would have seemed pointless then. He probably for simplicity says it all the time regardless of numbers on the train at the time.

I've just got off a 12 car 450 at Clapham Junction from Surbiton that was completely full, the volumes at Clapham Junction look normal and I'm now on an 8 car 455 to Thornton Heath that is about half full.

This is looking good for the recovery.

Was it normal service, or reduced service due to engineering works?

All the TPE's on Anglo Scots had heavy/full loads for most of the daytime on Monday, passenger figures for this bank holiday have been higher than previous years.

I am surprised given the Edinburgh festival not being on this year. However, TPE may be busier on Anglo - Scot services due to fewer Avanti services, which themselves would have had more seats than a TPE 397.

Taken many trains in and around London today, it’s certainly not what it usually is, but it’s a lot busier than I expected and I think this is, hopefully, the start of a reassuring trend.

I did read elsewhere that Tuesday had been the busiest day for local transport journeys in London since March. Maybe confidence is returning, TOCs no longer discouraging travel, few people still away on holiday etc are helping

 

[cactustwirly]

The XC from Reading to Southampton yesterday were double Voyagers, and were about 1/3 full.
The GWR services to Portsmouth were fairly busy with most seats taken.

The Island Line services were packed with mostly tourists off the boat.

 

[MDB1images]

I am surprised given the Edinburgh festival not being on this year. However, TPE may be busier on Anglo - Scot services due to fewer Avanti services, which themselves would have had more seats than a TPE 397.

In fairness with the festival it's busy but it's usually pretty well spread over the week(Sundays could be a challenge though).
Christmas markets at Edinburgh is the one that will be a good indicator as services are normally rammed for that.

I agree I think the Avanti not running many Edinburghs have been a big factor lately especially on certain services mid afternoon and the full standing we had on so many services over the Bank Holiday,.
Avanti are back on Edinburghs from Monday so things should settle.

If we're looking for positives every service I now work is busier than the previous weeks/months since I last worked it.

 

[greyman42]

In fairness with the festival it's busy but it's usually pretty well spread over the week(Sundays could be a challenge though).
Christmas markets at Edinburgh is the one that will be a good indicator as services are normally rammed for that.

Are the Christmas markets still going ahead?

 

[MDB1images]

Are the Christmas markets still going ahead?

I've not heard anything either way at the moment.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Was it normal service, or reduced service due to engineering works?

It was the normal service for the current reduced timetable; the engineering works were only on the Hounslow loop if I remember right and the main line was not disrupted.

 

[Andy Pacer]

On the 0745 Marston Green to Birmingham New Street, a 4 car 350. Trains at this time would be full and standing usually (particularly on Mondays) but only 6 to 7 people in my carriage.

 

[williamn]

last week the 08.06 KX to Lincoln had about 20 pax on it departing London, one (me) in first class. The 17.26 on the return was busier, a whole 3 people in first. Having travelled on Avanti, TfW, Southeastern, Southern, GWR, EMR, LNW and Thameslink over recent weeks LNER have been by far and away the emptiest. I wonder if their very strong messaging about safety is in fact putting people off?

 

[yorksrob]

Twas my first day back in the office this morning, and the commute into Leeds seemed busy enough - all doubles taken, but not full and standing like the old days.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I've been travelling around the West Midlands today almost exclusively on West Midlands Railway services and all are busier than recently but nothing you would term 'busy'.

 

[trainophile]

Got the 1315 Avanti from New Street to Wigan today, as it pulled in it was hard to spot any passengers in the almost empty coaches. Probably no more than about half a dozen in each coach, at least in Standard Class.

 

[Failed Unit]

I have done a few journeys recently.

Great Northern (Thameslink) very quiet. 1722 London Kx - Cambridge (or is it Royston now) everyone gets at least a double seat to themselves as an example. Not had to sit near a stranger.

LNER - (London - Lincoln) - Normal Loading. However consider that the x.03 ahead of it normally doesn't run and these loadings where also low anyway nothing to get too excited about.

EMR (Grimsby - Lincoln) - Hard to tell, but they look normal again on the times I have travelled. Considering last year these services were operated by 153s and now they are 156s your always get a pair of seats to yourself. I would estimate about 40% loading which would not be pleasant on the 153.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Observations at Cross Gates near Leeds yesterday in between a quick visit to the new Wetherspoon there:

17:40 to Hull (16:30 Manchester to Hull TPE) - 6-car and I guess this would have been rammed with 17:00/17:15 finishers in Leeds pre-COVID, however less than a dozen got off including my friend.

18:24 to York (18:18 Leeds to York Northern) - 4-car and again pre-COVID this would have doubtless been very busy, however only a handful got off and around 4-5 including my friend got on. I think 3 were a group.

I think the railway is very gradually recovering.

 

[Andy Pacer]

1617 Birmingham New St to Birmingham International (WMR) busier then expected yesterday.

 

[PTR 444]

Boarded the 16:58 SWR service towards Weymouth at Pokesdown today. 10 car train and every other seat taken up, as well as a few passengers standing in the bike compartment. I can safely say it is back to pre-pandemic loadings, which is no surprise considering Brockenhurst College is open again. Takes me back to the days when I was a student there and it was literally standing room only on the trains home.

 

[Class 33]

Anyone know how busy the peak morning and evening GWR services between Bristol and London are now? I expect not very busy atall, as not many commuters have returned yet and hardly any leisure travellers will be on these services due to the very expensive ticket fares. If indeed there's very few passengers on these services, then GWR should consider for the short term anyway, allowing Off Peak tickets to be valid on these services, as well as a limited amount of cheap Advance tickets available to purchase.

In follow-up to that. I have noticed now that cheap(ish) Advance tickets are now available to book for peak time(well what was previously regarded as the peak time anyway) services between Bristol and London. For instance, booking a month or so in advance a number of £21.90 fares are available. Previously services at these times, fares would be up to a ridiculously high cost of £112.20 single! Which is a good move by GWR, as it's pointless running trains which are practically empty now due to the lack of commuters that would normally be on them.

 

[palmersears]

Had three and a bit days up in Scotland this week, venturing from New Mills to Glasgow via Crewe, then around the Central Belt to the likes of Stirling, Prestonpans via Edinburgh, Holytown and Coatbridge Central (basically freight 'hotspots'). Services were very quiet, with the exception of the stopper back from Edinburgh to Holytown, and the 150 I'm currently on from Piccadilly back to New Mills.

The Avanti services were perhaps 50% full at best, with the Stirling services completely empty both ways.

 

[yorksrob]

The Windermere train was ram-packed today.

 

[Jamesrob637]

The Windermere train was ram-packed today.

One was cancelled to be fair - it made it just one station (Staveley?) before declaring itself a failure!

 

[yorksrob]

One was cancelled to be fair - it made it just one station (Staveley?) before declaring itself a failure!

This was the one from Manchester - I think the service being only two - hourly might be an issue.

 

[Huntergreed]

Been doing a wayfarer rover in the Manchester area today. Most services reasonably well loaded (in distancing terms). On a 390 to Crewe at the moment from Piccadilly and there’s 2 first class and 5 standard class passengers which is a little less assuring

 

[ValleyLines142]

Caught the 19:48 Paddington to Swansea on Wednesday and I had the entire coach to myself!