The Anonymous Widower

Northern Electrics Increase Services

Today the Class 319 trains started running services from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria and Wigan North Western.

I took the pictures when I rode the 07:20 train from Liverpool to Manchester and some later when I returned to Manchester.

When I was travelling to Preston on the Sunday from Liverpool, my Class 156 train on the slow line between Wigan North Western and Preston was passed on the fast line by a Class 319 doing about a hundred. I estimated it was going fast as a couple of minutes later a Class 390 Pendolino roared past.

So it got me thinking, as to why some of the Wigan North Western services from Liverpool don’t go to Preston, as the tracked are electrified.

Then today, a student in Burnley asked me the same question, because as he said, it would make travelling from Burnley and Blackburn to Liverpool a lot easier.

There’s probably a very good reason, why they don’t!

I also asked a driver how they liked the Class 319s. He replied by saying they were waiting for more services to start out of Manchester.

He also said they were a bit bouncy on Chat Moss, where Network Rail had had trouble putiing up the overhead wires.

I have a feeling, that as Northern Rail get a few more Class 319 trains, they may do a bit of reorganisation of services around Preston.

Suppose :-

1. All Northern Rail trains between Liverpool Lime Street and Preston were to be run via Wigan North Western to a frequency of at least twice an hour by Class 319 trains. This might release some Class 156 trains.

2. The Blackburn service via Accrington, Burnley and Todmorden is extended to Preston and possibly to Blackpool North to connect with the Liverpool trains.

3. The Colne to Blackpool South service would also connect.

4. As more lines get electrified, the services would be optimised.

There’s also probably a good reason, why during the closure of the Farmsworth Tunnel, that the service via Todmorden isn’t extended past Blackburn to Preston. It could probably be something as simple as that when they planned the closure, the Todmorden Curve didn’t exist.

May 18, 2015 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Electrification, Manchester, Northern Rail, Trains