OT - Train times

[marky]

I don't know whether any of you use the current 08:33 Morecambe to Lancaster train (08:37 at Bare Lane) which gets you there at 08:43? Anyway, I've been checking out the timetable to come into effect on December 14th and it will cease to exist. To get to Lancaster for 9 you'll now have to get a 08:11 service (08:15 at Bare Lane) which will arrive at 08:22. There is a new service at 08:51 (08:55) but that as that doesn't get to Lancaster until 09:03 it's rather pointless. Also, pretty much every service has been re-timetabled, some significantly, and there will now just be 1 rather than 2 lunchtime services from Lancaster to Heysham Port & vice versa.

[campdave]

Not sure whoever runs the service, but there are always rumours that they're trying to do away with it, citing it as unprofitable. Most likely because they rarely check tickets - I'd say that more than 50% of the times I use it, no one comes to check if you have tickets.

Much cheaper (and faster) than using the bus between morecambe and lancaster.

[Freez]

I use the service maybe twice a year, but when I do it's usually when the Bonfire and Fireworks are on at the Castle and it beats standing in traffic for hours. The train both ways is packed, not even any room left to stand, and for the past three years myself and my kids have done it for free as the guard has made no attempt to collect ticket money.
So the stats for the busiest train of the year read with nobody on it and so there is no need for the train!!
Wonder why they do that!

[P/T Indie]

When I used to work in Preston some days I could get all the way to work and back which meant 4 trains for free.

The Morecambe - Lancaster train used to be rammed in the morning with school kids and the guard only used to get make it down about the quarter of the train and no doubt it was the same at 3.30pm when the kids were going home.

[Burnleymad]

When I used to work in Preston some days I could get all the way to work and back which meant 4 trains for free.

The Morecambe - Lancaster train used to be rammed in the morning with school kids and the guard only used to get make it down about the quarter of the train and no doubt it was the same at 3.30pm when the kids were going home.

Would that be when you used to drive your car to Bare Lane, go to work, but when you got back from work, you couldn't remember where you had parked your car that morning.

[P/T Indie]

That's the one

In Germany in a town the size of Morecambe & Lancaster there would be 3 or 4 trains/trams every hour going down that line however quiet the line would be and noone checks the tickets over there either. The thing is they are never that quiet because the services are that good people use them not rocket science really, if you make something good the people will come.

Unfortunatley over here though it's all about profit for private companys so we cut the number of public transport opitions instead of increasing them and then the goverment can't understand why congestion is so bad and we all go in our cars.

[Neil G]

In Holland it's the passenger who has to ensure they have a ticket, a kind of honesty policy if you like, they don't spend a fortune on staff checking every train, tram and bus ticket but if you're on public transport without one when a guard does get on at random and catches you out the fines are high and non payers are humiliated Better than our system where some people don't comprehend if they don't pay for transport then the company has to cut back services and efficiency. In Mexico the local buses drive a circuit both ways so say Lancaster to Morecambe to Heysham, they turn up every five to ten minutes and it costs £1 whether you travel one stop or stay on the circuit all day and it works because people are honest enough to make it work.

[P/T Indie]

[quote="Neil G"]In Holland it's the passenger who has to ensure they have a ticket, a kind of honesty policy if you like, they don't spend a fortune on staff checking every train, tram and bus ticket but if you're on public transport without one when a guard does get on at random and catches you out the fines are high


As I found out in Budapest although I did have a ticket but bought the wrong type of ticket as I couldnt understand the Hungarian instructions twice in a matter of mins and they caught me going there and back

[John]

This is the reason the timetable changes so dramatically in December. Normally the timetables are slightly changed twice a year but because the government has pumped a load of money in to the rail network over the past few years in return they wanted a better run railway. So instead of altering past timetables as has been done for years now they got rid of the old timetable and started a fresh for the first time in a long time. As Virgin Trains is where the most money is made they were allowed to select what time they wanted their trains to run (and in doing so increased the number of trains). Following this the other train companies added their trains to the timetables which means that every companies train times will be different when the new timetables kick in! Hope this makes sense

[marky]

VTF - Virgin High Frequency In other words, all those engineering works over the past 8 years are finally going to provide some benefit Timetables all round the north west have altered (some dramatically) as a result. For example, you will now be able to get a train from Buxton to Morecambe (I can't remember which one). Also, from the sketch I was given, it looks like the same train will be on Morecambe - Lancaster runs most of the day (rather than for a few runs then 'jetting' off somewhere else).

[Splodge]

That means the 8.15 train will be even busier - it is already packed to the gills as it is; if it gets any busier I can see a lot of commuters being left behind at Bare in the mornings.

[marky]

I'll ask around and see if I can get a heads up on the traction for the morning peaks. It could be that the 08:15 will be 3/4 cars but we'll have to see.

[P/T Indie]

When I used to get it a number of years ago it only had one car on!!! talk about rammed in like sardines I hope they have put two on now.

[marky]

I wouldn't guarantee it. The basic route info I saw for the North West had class 153 (the singles) down as main traction from December.

[Splodge]

I wouldn't guarantee it. The basic route info I saw for the North West had class 153 (the singles) down as main traction from December.

I doubt they'd get away with that now, never mind when they get everyone who starts work at 9!