What percent of services are being operated compared to pre-Covid?

[Jamesrob637]

ls Chiltern still the most "COVID" of all the operators with only 83% of pre-COVID services?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

LNER reinstated their full pre-virus timetable in mid 2022, I think it was, and have added a couple of extra workings on top as well.

 

[Peterthegreat]

I think it is a very good question. Looking forward to the answers.

 

[Bald Rick]

Define ‘pre Covid’…

Compared to 2017, its 100% (nationwide).

Compared to 2018, its 95%.

Compared to immediately before Covid, it’s 92%.

From 3 weeks time, these numbers all go up 1% or so.


There is variation between TOCs, and Chiltern are indeed at 83%, and are not the lowest. Plenty of others in the range 80-86%.

 

[12LDA28C]

There is variation between TOCs, and Chiltern are indeed at 83%, and are not the lowest. Plenty of others in the range 80-86%.

And yet many bemoan the fact that passenger numbers and revenue is still down compared to 2019 levels, despite the fact that in many cases, less trains are running. If we calculated passenger numbers in relation to service provision, no doubt ridership would be at 110-120% on many routes compared to 2019 figures.

 

[Bald Rick]

And yet many bemoan the fact that passenger numbers and revenue is still down compared to 2019 levels, despite the fact that in many cases, less trains are running. If we calculated passenger numbers in relation to service provision, no doubt ridership would be at 110-120% on many routes compared to 2019 figures.

Or you could argue that train service provision is matching demand.

Dont forget this is simply a count of services operated, and not capacity. In most cases capacity (measured as vehicle miles) is higher than the service provision.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I'd say most London and SE outer operators (SWR, Southern etc.) aren't back at 100% because of some missing commuter trains, especially Mondays and Fridays when there is little to no demand for all of them. However, leisure travel has really bounced back on these operators.

 

[DelW]

SWR must be one of the lower ones. AFAIK, unless there have been recent improvements, off-peak to Reading is 50%, Guildford New Line routes off-peak are 50%, Portsmouth Direct off-peak is 67%. Most metro services are 8-coach vice 10 since the 456s went and 701s failed to arrive.

 

[A S Leib]

Would you compare TPE with its December 2019 timetable (which I think already had lots of cancellations in early 2020?) or with what they were able to run in summer 2019, and would you count next month's reductions or not?

I think Avanti's at ~90% excluding the current short-term reductions; 3 tph to Manchester, 1 tph to Liverpool, 1 tph to Chester (minus ~3 per day), 2 tpd missing for Scotland via Birmingham and only one Birmingham terminator instead of 2 gives 8 tph from Euston in most hours instead of 9.

 

[Goldfish62]

SWR must be one of the lower ones. AFAIK, unless there have been recent improvements, off-peak to Reading is 50%, Guildford New Line routes off-peak are 50%, Portsmouth Direct off-peak is 67%. Most metro services are 8-coach vice 10 since the 456s went and 701s failed to arrive.

Add to that list Hounslow loop services off peak completely withdrawn.

 

[YorkRailFan]

XC must be considerably down, with them only running 4 Newcastle-Reading services and another 3 terminating at York from December 2023, as well as some Manchester-Bristol services.

 

[A S Leib]

XC must be considerably down, with them only running 4 Newcastle-Reading services and another 3 terminating at York from December 2023, as well as some Manchester-Bristol services.

I think Manchester–Bristol's hourly but with a relatively early finish (last southbound leaves Manchester at 17:03) and I think the December 2019 timetable was those services carrying on to Exeter, which only one now and two from next month (both to Paignton) do. There's also seven Cambridge terminators, although Cambridge–Stansted's not a massive part of the XC network.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I think Manchester–Bristol's hourly but with a relatively early finish (last southbound leaves Manchester at 17:03) and I think the December 2019 timetable was those services carrying on to Exeter, which only one now and two from next month (both to Paignton) do. There's also seven Cambridge terminators, although Cambridge–Stansted's not a massive part of the XC network.

The Manchester to SW services are nearly back to 2019 levels, though they only returned this year at the-then May timetable change (it'll be the June timetable change from 2024 onwards).

 

[dk1]

I think Manchester–Bristol's hourly but with a relatively early finish (last southbound leaves Manchester at 17:03) and I think the December 2019 timetable was those services carrying on to Exeter, which only one now and two from next month (both to Paignton) do. There's also seven Cambridge terminators, although Cambridge–Stansted's not a massive part of the XC network.

XC have stated that the Birmingham Cambridge terminators will revert to serving Stansted airport and they will also look at improvements where possible to this route.

 

[route101]

Scotrail certainly. Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk High is every 30 nins off peak. Hourly evening service to East Kilbride. The fast Shotts service has never returned.
Cross country has not returned to every 2 hours to Glasgow and TPE is still lacking in a few services to Liverpool.

 

[Krokodil]

Or you could argue that train service provision is matching demand.

In the case of the NSE area, that's possibly true. At Avanti and TPE on the other hand the timetable is being cut to reflect the ability (or lack of) to deliver the service. Demand is being artificially suppressed here.

 

[ld0595]

Scotrail certainly. Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk High is every 30 nins off peak. Hourly evening service to East Kilbride. The fast Shotts service has never returned.
Cross country has not returned to every 2 hours to Glasgow and TPE is still lacking in a few services to Liverpool.

ScotRail was my first thought too - reduced E-G service was an obvious one but a few others - Cathcart Circle (which will finally be reinstated next month!) has been missing along with some semi fast Ayr services IIRC. I'm sure there's several other lines still below pre-covid frequency.

 

[hux385]

The fast Shotts service is coming back from December (although the 8 minute dwells at Shotts do negate most of the benefits of running fast!). How feasible would it be for ScotRail to re-instate any of their remaining lost frequencies? They should certainly have enough EMUs but do they have enough people trained? It certainly seems like services are getting busier so I would think there's the demmand to be running the remaining services.

 

[MontyP]

Add to that list Hounslow loop services off peak completely withdrawn.

Plus the Dorking and Guildford via Epsom still both only hourly as opposed to every 30 mins pre-pandemic

 

[CR165022]

ls Chiltern still the most "COVID" of all the operators with only 83% of pre-COVID services?

I cant speak for percentages but this is what its like service wise. Going off Marylebone departures off peak.

Pre Covid:
2tph Oxford
1tph Birmingham Moor St
1tph Aylesbury (Via High Wycombe)
1tph High Wycombe
1tph Aylesbury (Via Amersham)
1tph Birmingham Snow Hill
1tph Banbury
1tph Gerrards Cross
1tph Aylesbury Vale Parkway (Via Amersham)

Present:
2tph Oxford
1tph Birmingham Moor St
1tph High Wycombe
1tph Birmingham Snow Hill (Alternates every 2 hours where it terminates at Banbury instead)
1tph Aylesbury Vale Parkway (Via Amersham) (the other 1tph Aylesbury via Amersham still exists but has been removed for a few hours during the middle of the day)

 

[miklcct]

SWR must be one of the lower ones. AFAIK, unless there have been recent improvements, off-peak to Reading is 50%, Guildford New Line routes off-peak are 50%, Portsmouth Direct off-peak is 67%. Most metro services are 8-coach vice 10 since the 456s went and 701s failed to arrive.

Mainline services:
London - Weymouth 2 tph: full service
London - Poole slow service 1 tph: truncated to start at Winchester
London - Portsmouth via Eastleigh 1 tph: full service
London - Portsmouth direct 3 tph: become 2 tph
London - Haslemere 1 tph: full service
London - Exeter 1 tph: full service
London - Salisbury 1 tph: truncated to start at Basingstoke
London - Alton 2 tph: full service
London - Basingstoke 2 tph: full service
Total: 14 tph has now become 11 tph.

Suburban services (via Wimbledon):
London - Chessington 2 tph: full service
London - Dorking 2 tph: become 1 tph
London - Guildford (via Epsom) 2 tph: become 1 tph
London - Guildford (via Cobham) 2 tph: full service
London - Woking 2 tph: full service
London - Hampton Court 2 tph: full service
London - Shepperton 2 tph: full service
London - Wimbledon - Strawberry Hill - Richmond - London 2 tph: full service
Total: 14 tph has now become 12 tph.

Suburban services (via Richmond):
London - Reading 2 tph: full service
London - Windsor 2 tph: full service
London - Richmond - Strawberry Hill - Wimbledon - London 2 tph: full service
London - Richmond - Hounslow - London 2 tph: GONE off-peak
Total: 8 tph has now become 6 tph.

Suburban services (via Hounslow):
London - Hounslow - Staines - Weybridge 2 tph: full service
London - Hounslow - Richmond - London 2 tph: GONE off-peak
Total: 4 tph has now become 2 tph, which renders the line now useless.

Southern cuts which I am aware of:
Victoria - Epsom 2 tph has been merged with Victoria - Dorking 2 tph by running them all slow, which means 4 tph between Victoria - Epsom has become 2.
Victoria - Norbury - Sutton 2 tph off-peak has gone with only the Epsom Downs services still operating, which means 4 tph has become 2.
London Bridge - Sydenham - East Croydon - Coulsdon Town 2 tph: gone
London Bridge - Tulse Hill - East Croydon - Caterham 2 tph: gone
Brighton - Worthing 2 tph: gone

 

[Goldfish62]

Mainline services:
London - Weymouth 2 tph: full service
London - Poole slow service 1 tph: truncated to start at Winchester
London - Portsmouth via Eastleigh 1 tph: full service
London - Portsmouth direct 3 tph: become 2 tph
London - Haslemere 1 tph: full service
London - Exeter 1 tph: full service
London - Salisbury 1 tph: truncated to start at Basingstoke
London - Alton 2 tph: full service
London - Basingstoke 2 tph: full service
Total: 14 tph has now become 11 tph.

Suburban services (via Wimbledon):
London - Chessington 2 tph: full service
London - Dorking 2 tph: become 1 tph
London - Guildford (via Epsom) 2 tph: become 1 tph
London - Guildford (via Cobham) 2 tph: full service
London - Woking 2 tph: full service
London - Hampton Court 2 tph: full service
London - Shepperton 2 tph: full service
London - Wimbledon - Strawberry Hill - Richmond - London 2 tph: full service
Total: 14 tph has now become 12 tph.

Suburban services (via Richmond):
London - Reading 2 tph: full service
London - Windsor 2 tph: full service
London - Richmond - Strawberry Hill - Wimbledon - London 2 tph: full service
London - Richmond - Hounslow - London 2 tph: GONE off-peak
Total: 8 tph has now become 6 tph.

Suburban services (via Hounslow):
London - Hounslow - Staines - Weybridge 2 tph: full service
London - Hounslow - Richmond - London 2 tph: GONE off-peak
Total: 4 tph has now become 2 tph, which renders the line now useless.

Southern cuts which I am aware of:
Victoria - Epsom 2 tph has been merged with Victoria - Dorking 2 tph by running them all slow, which means 4 tph between Victoria - Epsom has become 2.
Victoria - Norbury - Sutton 2 tph off-peak has gone with only the Epsom Downs services still operating, which means 4 tph has become 2.
London Bridge - Sydenham - East Croydon - Coulsdon Town 2 tph: gone
London Bridge - Tulse Hill - East Croydon - Caterham 2 tph: gone
Brighton - Worthing 2 tph: gone

Waterloo - Reading pre-Covid was 4tph for several hours across both peaks, plus latterly Windsor had some additional peak services.

Through Camberley line - Waterloo peak hour services cut from 3 to 2.

In the Hounslow loop also gone is the anticlockwise service off peak. So actually down from 6tph to 2tph. As you say, useless for such a populated urban corridor.

 

[miklcct]

In the Hounslow loop also gone is the anticlockwise service off peak. So actually down from 6tph to 2tph. As you say, useless for such a populated urban corridor.

What were the 6 tph composed of? I have got the map showing the December 2019 service pattern, which only showed 4 tph, consisting of 2 Weybridge services and 2 loop services in each direction.

Remember that 1 clockwise + 1 anticlockwise count as 2 between Waterloo - Barnes, but only 1 through Hounslow and Brentford.

 

[newtownmgr]

West Mids are still down with only 4 ph on the cross city & Snow Hill Lines & Services still missing on both the Hereford & Shrewsbury lines.

Whilst passenger numbers are growing again I can’t see any changes until the Camp Hill line opens.

One of the reasons for not re introducing services as been down to traction training taking place with Worcester,Shrewsbury,Wolves,Leamington & 1 link at New St & Coventry learning 196’s add to that all the depots with electric work will start or have just started learning 730’s which will take 12 months to complete,maybe longer.

Given the ongoing driver shortages on top with many depots having new drivers waiting to resume training post Covid & some legacy training to do (company working flat out to get both done as well as the above traction training). As you can imagine only a certain amount of instructors can be out/detached at any one time whilst trying to run a service & stop them literally falling over each other to use the same resources etc.

The aim is to restore services in the coming years as requested by Transport for the West Mids whilst at the same time having the dft knocking on the door to reduce services/train lengths/costs etc across the whole rail network & threatened cuts to funding doesn’t help.

 

[Bikeman78]

The fast Shotts service is coming back from December (although the 8 minute dwells at Shotts do negate most of the benefits of running fast!). How feasible would it be for ScotRail to re-instate any of their remaining lost frequencies? They should certainly have enough EMUs but do they have enough people trained? It certainly seems like services are getting busier so I would think there's the demmand to be running the remaining services.

It's good for anyone that doesn't travel through Shotts I guess. I'm guessing that the times either end are still the old 156 times and the EMUs run faster, hence the longer dwell in the middle?

 

[JDM1818]

West Mids are still down with only 4 ph on the cross city & Snow Hill Lines & Services still missing on both the Hereford & Shrewsbury lines.

Whilst passenger numbers are growing again I can’t see any changes until the Camp Hill line opens.

One of the reasons for not re introducing services as been down to traction training taking place with Worcester,Shrewsbury,Wolves,Leamington & 1 link at New St & Coventry learning 196’s add to that all the depots with electric work will start or have just started learning 730’s which will take 12 months to complete,maybe longer.

Given the ongoing driver shortages on top with many depots having new drivers waiting to resume training post Covid & some legacy training to do (company working flat out to get both done as well as the above traction training). As you can imagine only a certain amount of instructors can be out/detached at any one time whilst trying to run a service & stop them literally falling over each other to use the same resources etc.

The aim is to restore services in the coming years as requested by Transport for the West Mids whilst at the same time having the dft knocking on the door to reduce services/train lengths/costs etc across the whole rail network & threatened cuts to funding doesn’t help.

I've noticed that Shrub Hill services have suffered particularly because of this... only 1 morning peak service into New Street which is regularly taking on a lot passengers from New street. Changes to the Evening peak trains mean that none of these who travelled from Shrub Hill in the morning can get back there in the evenings.. Most trains continue straight through to Foregate Street until nearly 6pm

 

[newtownmgr]

2 in the morning & yes 1 less in the evening, but more trains from Snow Hill