Telegraph reporting 50-60% of services to be cut due to impact of covid

[Domh245]

One interesting tidbit I've heard in relation to the Goldman Sachs story is that with bankers working from home, and no compliance departments peering over shoulders, there's been rather more than usual insider trading and "collaboration" between banks (and such) going on!

 

[Goldfish62]

As for last trains, again I think that's just wishful thinking.

The hospitality and entertainment industries need to get going again as they are crucial for town centre economies. They need late evening public transport for that. I'd have thought last train reinstatement would be a major priority.

 

[lammergeier]

Unlikely to change much anytime soon!

I understand the 170 routes are going back to pre-covid timetables in May.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

I saw this as well and was rather surprised we went as far as describing WFH as an "abberation"! I guess it depends what sector you're in - friends of mine in the finance sector have told me their employees are itching to returning back to work ASAP. Whereas other industries traditionally less rigid (tech, media etc.) are much more open to allowing employees to permanently WFH, if that's what they want.

Who would have thought it, geeks working in tech wanting to spend more time in front of a computer, at home?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

One interesting tidbit I've heard in relation to the Goldman Sachs story is that with bankers working from home, and no compliance departments peering over shoulders, there's been rather more than usual insider trading and "collaboration" between banks (and such) going on!

Interesting if true. Who'd have thought?

 

[Jamesrob637]

The hospitality and entertainment industries need to get going again as they are crucial for town centre economies. They need late evening public transport for that. I'd have thought last train reinstatement would be a major priority.

Key workers still need first and last trains, and have done since March!

 

[Goldfish62]

Key workers still need first and last trains, and have done since March!

Apparently not considering the ones that haven't been running since March!

The term key worker has largely lost its relevance anyway. There are plenty of people who can't work from home who wouldn't be regarded as key workers.

 

[Ianno87]

Key workers still need first and last trains, and have done since March!

Apparently not considering the ones that haven't been running since March!

The term key worker has largely lost its relevance anyway. There are plenty of people who can't work from home who wouldn't be regarded as key workers.

First trains are by the more important of the two for "key workers".

 

[Goldfish62]

First trains are by the more important of the two for "key workers".

This term "key workers" again as if providing public transport for all the other workers who can't work from home is irrelevant.

 

[Ianno87]

This term "key workers" again as if providing public transport for all the other workers who can't work from home is irrelevant.

That was the reason I put it in inverted commas.

 

[Goldfish62]

That was the reason I put it in inverted commas.

Fair enough!

My point about last trains was in response to an earlier comment that there was no hurry to reinstate them. However, there is. Hospitality needs to get back on its feet from next month and it won't help if there aren't trains to take people home after an evening out.

 

[43055]

From the 29th March EMR are reintroducing some services that are currently not running on the regional side.
Coronavirus Travel Information | EMR | East Midlands Railway

Liverpool - Norwich: Still some 2 hour gaps and look to be different services cancelled compared to now.
Derby - Crewe: full service.
Nottingham - Worksop: peak services reintroduced.
Lincoln - Leicester: Still some 2 hour gaps and look to be different services cancelled compared to now.
Lincoln - Grimsby: Lunchtime return will not run.
Peterborough - Doncaster: Some services remain cancelled.
Nottingham - Skegness: 1345 Nottingham - Skegness and 1611 return cancelled.
Newark - Matlock: Still 2 hourly in the day.

 

[Kite159]

Newark - Matlock: Still 2 hourly in the day

That could cause some busy trains on the Derby - Matlock section with tourists for Cromford or Matlock Baths

 

[Philip]

What are Avanti like currently for not having reservations with the ticket? I'm planning to board the 09:35 Piccadilly to London Euston tomorrow and then the 19:40 or 21:00 return. Are reservations not compulsory or is it a case of 'no seat, no travel'?

Does anyone know if the above trains have been busy recently and likely to be fully booked?

 

[Peregrine 4903]

What are Avanti like currently for not having reservations with the ticket? I'm planning to board the 09:35 Piccadilly to London Euston tomorrow and then the 19:40 or 21:00 return. Are reservations not compulsory or is it a case of 'no seat, no travel'?

Does anyone know if the above trains have been busy recently and likely to be fully booked?

Avanti don't care about reservations. I've been travelling from Euston to Milton Keynes everyday and have never once been asked if I have a reservation and I never do.

Their official policy is that reservations are recommended, not compulsary, so basically you absolutely don't need one.

I can't say for those specific trains for certain but I can pretty much guarantee that no trains out of Euston are going to be fully booked at the minute. You might not be able to get a table seat, but that's about the largest extreme it will reach I'd say.

 

[Huntergreed]

What are Avanti like currently for not having reservations with the ticket? I'm planning to board the 09:35 Piccadilly to London Euston tomorrow and then the 19:40 or 21:00 return. Are reservations not compulsory or is it a case of 'no seat, no travel'?

Does anyone know if the above trains have been busy recently and likely to be fully booked?

Avanti don't care about reservations. I've been travelling from Euston to Milton Keynes everyday and have never once been asked if I have a reservation and I never do.

Their official policy is that reservations are recommended, not compulsary, so basically you absolutely don't need one.

I can't say for those specific trains for certain but I can pretty much guarantee that no trains out of Euston are going to be fully booked at the minute. You might not be able to get a table seat, but that's about the largest extreme it will reach I'd say.

Yes that’s correct. Avanti do not enforce compulsory reservations unless you’re travelling out of Glasgow Central, where you need one to board through their stupidly long and annoying queuing system which, while ensuring social distancing forwards and backwards, makes it impossible to do so sideways.

 

[Goldfish62]

That could cause some busy trains on the Derby - Matlock section with tourists for Cromford or Matlock Baths

There's a very good bus service between Matlock and Derby if EMR doesn't want the punters.

 

[LowLevel]

There's a very good bus service between Matlock and Derby if EMR doesn't want the punters.

It'll be back up as soon as it can be if it does prove to be busy - don't forget until comparatively recently the Matlock service was only 2 hourly anyway. Last year when the Skegness trains got busy they reinserted extra trains with just a few days notice.

It tends to be specific trains that are heavily loaded to Matlock in any case, the trick is to run the right ones.

 

[Philip]

Avanti don't care about reservations. I've been travelling from Euston to Milton Keynes everyday and have never once been asked if I have a reservation and I never do.

Their official policy is that reservations are recommended, not compulsary, so basically you absolutely don't need one.

I can't say for those specific trains for certain but I can pretty much guarantee that no trains out of Euston are going to be fully booked at the minute. You might not be able to get a table seat, but that's about the largest extreme it will reach I'd say.

Thank you both.

 

[Bikeman78]

Yes that’s correct. Avanti do not enforce compulsory reservations unless you’re travelling out of Glasgow Central, where you need one to board through their stupidly long and annoying queuing system which, while ensuring social distancing forwards and backwards, makes it impossible to do so sideways.

Are Avanti trains out of Glasgow anywhere near busy enough to justify queues and reservations? What about TPE? Is there a queue for them too?

 

[Huntergreed]

Are Avanti trains out of Glasgow amywhere near busy enough to justify queues and reservations? What about TPE? Is there a queue for them too?

No, they are really not, but it is enforced anyway (as I can confirm, having experienced it both last week and today).

No queue for TPE

 

[RailExplorer]

What are Avanti like currently for not having reservations with the ticket? I'm planning to board the 09:35 Piccadilly to London Euston tomorrow and then the 19:40 or 21:00 return. Are reservations not compulsory or is it a case of 'no seat, no travel'?

Does anyone know if the above trains have been busy recently and likely to be fully booked?

I’ve been travelling between Euston and Stockport every weekend for the last 10 weeks (northbound on the 17:20 / 18:20 on a Friday) and southbound on the 11:23 / 12:23 on the Monday. I’ve had a seat reservation on most occasions, but I’ve never sat in that seat and I’ve never been asked for it. I probably won’t bother this weekend with a reservation.

What I would like to know is when is Avanti adding in at least one extra Manchester service. Once an hour is highly inconvenient.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

I’ve been travelling between Euston and Stockport every weekend for the last 10 weeks (northbound on the 17:20 / 18:20 on a Friday) and southbound on the 11:23 / 12:23 on the Monday. I’ve had a seat reservation on most occasions, but I’ve never sat in that seat and I’ve never been asked for it. I probably won’t bother this weekend with a reservation.

How busy is the 17:20 train?

I'm normally arriving at Euston around that time off the 16:53 from Milton Keynes so go past it everyday. In my experience the Manchester trains are the busiest Avanti trains at the minute with the Liverpool's being the quitest.

 

[Bald Rick]

What I would like to know is when is Avanti adding in at least one extra Manchester service. Once an hour is highly inconvenient.

May timetable at the latest. Possibly sooner.

 

[RailExplorer]

How busy is the 17:20 train?

I'm normally arriving at Euston around that time off the 16:53 from Milton Keynes so go past it everyday. In my experience the Manchester trains are the busiest Avanti trains at the minute with the Liverpool's being the quitest.

The busiest I’ve had is every set of two seats (or four on the table) had one person. So almost up to 50% of seated capacity taken on the carriage I was in. How the rest of the train looked like, I don’t know. Don’t remember which Euston departure that was, but it was definitely between 16:20/17:20/18:20 about 2.5 weeks ago.

Hopefully the increase in service is before the May timetable as my need to actually travel this trip frequently will cease in about 10 weeks.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I’ve been travelling between Euston and Stockport every weekend for the last 10 weeks (northbound on the 17:20 / 18:20 on a Friday) and southbound on the 11:23 / 12:23 on the Monday. I’ve had a seat reservation on most occasions, but I’ve never sat in that seat and I’ve never been asked for it. I probably won’t bother this weekend with a reservation.

What I would like to know is when is Avanti adding in at least one extra Manchester service. Once an hour is highly inconvenient.

11 days' time.

 

[Bald Rick]

11 days' time.

Don’t count on it.

 

[142blue]

Good Friday for four days

Possibly from April 12

 

[Bald Rick]

Good Friday for four days

True

 

[Goldfish62]

May timetable at the latest. Possibly sooner.

"Stay at home" ceases on 29th March so I'd expect an increase in passengers from then onwards.

With Tier 4 and then lockdown I've been incarcerated since before Christmas and on 29th March I'll be jumping on a train to somewhere, anywhere!