The Anonymous Widower

London And Newcastle In A Day By Lumo

On Monday, the weather for yesterday in the North-East seemed set fair, I was able to get tickets on Lumo both ways for a reasonable price and the new Northumberland Line had opened.

So I decided to go for it.

My outward journey was on the 10:45 and the return was on the 17:52, which gave me more than enough time to take a train to Ashington and back.

I took these pictures as I arrived in and changed cmy trains at Newcastle.

Note.

  1. The weather in Geordieland was gorgeous.
  2. Is there another station in the UK, with an approach with such a large number of bridges over a large river.
  3. I took the bridge pictures from the lobby of the train.
  4. The blue railway bridge is on the East side of the train.
  5. The modern road bridge is on the West side of the train.
  6. In The Bridges of Newcastle, there are more pictures of Newcastles’s bridges.
  7. To change trains, I had to cross from one side of the station to the other on a stiff bridge without lifts.
  8. The Northumberland Line trains run every thirty minutes.

These are some further thoughts on Newcastle station, which I will write later.

Timings Going North

The train left Kings Cross at 10:45½, which was just thirty seconds late.

It arrived in Newcastle at 13:48, which was four minutes late.

The journey time had been three hours and two and a half minutes.

Timings Going South

The train left Newcastle at 17:52, which was on time.

It arrived in Kings Cross at 21:17, which was thirty-three minutes late.

The thirty-three minute delay, must raise the possibility of delay repay.

It does!

Three Hours London Newcastle?

These timings must raise the possibility of a sub-three hour time. on the train, between London King’s Cross and Newcastle stations.

The digital signalling that is currently being installed, with perhaps a few timetable tweaks should do it for both Lumo and LNER.

Could The Trains Absorb The Airline Passengers?

Consider.

  • In 2023, 437,735 passengers flew between London Heathrow and Newcastle airports.
  • This is just 1,200 passengers per day.
  • A five-car Class 803 train has 403 seats.

It would appear that a few extra trains and some targeted marketing, could convert London and Newcastle into an all-electric train route.

Seats

Train seats are a bone of contention to many rail passengers these days.

I first rode on Lumo to Scotland in 2021 and wrote about it in London To Edinburgh On Lumo, where I was fairly complimentary about the seats.

They certainly are better than some train seats I have ridden in.

Am I Tired Today?

Not particularly! But I wasn’t very energetic during my four hours in the North.

Tickets For Onward Journeys

The main purpose of my trip was to ride the Northumberland Line to Ashington.

I made the mistake of not buying my ticket for the second train in London, as I hadn’t realised that my train from London and the Ashington train used different sides of the station.

  • It was a stiff walk for me between trains.
  • In order to buy a ticket, you need to pass through the barriers twice to get to the ticket office or a machine.
  • There was no ticket facilities on the far side of the station, where the Lumo train arrived.
  • The ticket machines didn’t accept contactless cards.
  • Information was lacking.

The outcome was that I nearly missed my train to Ashington.

So to be sure of catching your connection, if you are changing trains at Newcastle, make sure you buy your tickets before you leave your first station.

 

December 19, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council’s Concerns Over Suggested Tunnel Charges

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Concerns have been raised by a county council over suggested charges at the Silvertown and Blackwall tunnels in London.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Kent County Council (KCC) said the proposed charges could impact on the county’s traffic, including at the Dartford Crossing.

The council said although it supported TfL’s ambition to improve journey reliability and reduce air pollution, it believed the proposed changes could “significantly affect” drivers from Kent.

I can’t see that the charges on the two tunnels won’t affect drivers habits.

Thirty years ago, before satellite-navigation had been invented, when my family and myself lived in East Suffolk, if I was returning from Brighton or Gatwick, I would make a choice about, whether to use the Dartford Crossing or the Blackwall Tunnel. Sometimes traffic was so bad, that I had to take the longer Western route using the M11 and the A14.

I didn’t really bother about the toll on the Dartford Tunnel, as it was then, but often the free Blackwall route was quicker.

In those days, I was relying on radio reports, but now with satellite-navigation, drivers will be taking more intelligent decisions, that take account of tolls.

The BBC article also says this.

The council says Kent drivers make up 10% of the Blackwall Tunnel’s users.

So it looks like the drivers of Kent will be paying tolls to London.

These are my thoughts.

How Can The Tolls Be Avoided?

There will still be two free crossings, to the East of Tower Bridge; the Rotherhithe Tunnel and the Woolwich Ferry, but how long will they remain free, if they drain money from the tolled tunnels?

What About The Trains?

Trains from somewhere like Ebbsfleet international station can be used.

Ebbsfleet international station has a lot of parking, but at some stations parking is distinctly limited.

I doubt though, that Transport for London have done a professional survey of the amount of parking that is needed.

They tend to believe if people live out of London, that parking for trips to London is not a Transport for London problem.

Are there any plans to increase the train frequencies, if more people use them?

Note that Off Peak Day Return tickets can be purchased with a Railcard, from Dartford to London for under a tenner, and from Ebbsfleet international to London for under fifteen pounds.

If Built, Will The Lower Thames Crossing Help?

The first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the Lower Thames Crossing, describes it like this.

The Lower Thames Crossing is a proposed road crossing of the Thames estuary downstream of the Dartford Crossing that links the counties of Kent and Essex, and its proposed approaches. If built it would pass through the districts of Thurrock and Gravesham, supplementing the Dartford route. The approximately 14.3-mile (23.0 km) route is being assessed by the Planning Inspectorate.

As it is likely to cost nine billion pounds and take six years to build, I can’t see the current Government building it.

But it would certainly make it easier for traffic to go between the Channel Tunnel and North of London.

Conclusion

I can see the UK muddling through, when we should be bold and create the transport infrastructure for the Twenty-First Century.

For instance, I would extend the Elizabeth Line in the North-East to Southend and in the South-East to Ebbsfleet and Gravesend. With the existing cross-platform interchange at Whitechapel, I believe, it could pick up much of the cross-river passenger traffic close to London.

I also feel that there will need to be improved connections between the fast-expanding London Gateway freight port and the Channel Tunnel.

September 18, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bedford And Bletchley For £1.30 Return

I am not talking, rubbish, but that is the ticket price, I was charged to go between Bedford and Bletchley stations today.

Note.

  1. I bought the two tickets from the machine at Bedford station.
  2. I did get £0.70 pence off for my Senior Railcard.

These are some more pictures I took along the route.

Note.

  1. Platform 1a at Bedford station is electrified.
  2. The train was a Class 150 train, that had had a quality refurbishment.
  3. The stations were neat and tidy.
  4. The flyover and the extra platforms at Bletchley station seemed ready for the East West Railway.
  5. There were several level crossings.
  6. Platform 6 at Bletchley station is electrified.
  7. Trains took over fifteen minutes to turn at both ends of the journey.
  8. Bedford and Bletchley is 16.2 miles
  9. The train was moderately full both ways.

This press release from London Northwestern Railway is entitled London Northwestern Railway: Full Timetable To Resume On Marston Vale Line As £1 tickets Launched.

This is an extract.

The full hourly train service will resume on Monday 19 February. To celebrate its return and encourage passengers to return to the route, LNR is also announcing a major ticket offer today. For three months from Monday, a single journey between any two stations on the Marston Vale Line will cost just £1 (50p for children). The promotion represents a discount of up to 90% on the usual fare, depending on the journey.

Jonny Wiseman, LNR customer experience director, said: “The return of the full timetable to the Marston Vale Line is fantastic news and marks the end of a frustrating period for our customers.

“Our focus now is on encouraging passengers to make full use of their local train service, which is why we have reduced the cost of a trip on the line to £1 for the next three months.

When were tickets between Bedford and Bletchley, last this price?

Will Bedford And Bletchley Be Electrified?

It is not a question of will, as the route already is.

  • Platform 1a at Bedford is already electrified.
  • Platform 6 at Bletchley is already electrified.
  • The schedule gives battery-electric trains sufficient time to charge, whilst the driver changes ends at the two terminal stations.
  • Bedford and Bletchley is just 16.2 miles.
  • There is even electrified track from Platform 6 at Bletchley station to Bletchley depot, which is being extended.

All it needs is a small fleet of battery-electric trains, which have a 25 KVAC  overhead capability.

These pictures show a Class 321 Renatus.

Note.

  1. The trains were recently refurbished by Greater Anglia.
  2. In Eversholt Rail And Vivarail To Develop Class 321 BEMU, I talked about how Eversholt Rail planned to get Vivarail to convert the Class 321 Renatus trains into battery-electric multiple units.
  3. The Class 321 train is a 100 mph four-car train.
  4. Four-car trains would future proof the route for many years.
  5. Thirty trains were converted to the Renatus specification.

These trains converted to battery-electric multiple units could certainly handle Bletchley and Bedford services.

Could Four-Car Battery Electric Multiple Units Handle The Next Phase Of East West Rail?

It is likely, when the East West Rail opens that this could be the service.

  • Oxford and Milton Keynes – 2 tph – Calling at Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow and Bletchley
  • Oxford and Bedford – 2 tph – Calling at Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley, Woburn Sands, Ridgmont and Bedford St Johns
  • Bletchley and Bedford – 2 tph – Calling at Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill, Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise, Ridgmont, Lidlington, Millbrook, Stewartby, Kempston Hardwick and Bedford St Johns

Note.

  1. tph is trains per hour.
  2. I have assumed that the existing Bletchley and Bedford service is doubled in frequency.
  3. I estimate that Oxford and Milton Keynes Central is 41.6 miles.
  4. I estimate that Oxford and Bedford is 54.7 miles.

This would mean the following.

  • Oxford and Bletchley would have a frequency of 4 tph.
  • Bletchley and Bedford would have a frequency of 4 tph.
  • Oxford station would have to charge and turn 4 tph.
  • Bedford station would have to charge and turn 4 tph.
  • Bletchley station would have to charge and turn 2 tph.
  • Milton Keynes Central station would have to charge and turn 2 tph.

There would need to be some form of charging at Oxford.

But Oxford station has two North-facing bay platforms.

These platforms could be electrified or fitted with a Vivarail/GWR Fast Charger.

As it takes less than fifteen minutes to fully-charge a train, two platforms could charge eight tph.

February 20, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Excursion To Retford And Worksop

Today’s excursion was designed to be simple.

  1. Take an LNER train or a Hull Train to Retford station.
  2. Travel to Worksop station, have a look and take a few pictures.
  3. Travel back to Retford and take the first train back to London.
  4. In one if my two visits to Retford, have a look and take a few pictures.
  5. Talk to passengers and railway staff about what they felt about FirstGroup’s Proposed Sheffield Service, that I wrote about in FirstGroup Applies To Run New London To Sheffield Rail Service.

These were my thoughts and observations.

LNER’s Improved Ticketing

These pictures show the tickets that I bought.

Note.

  1. I bought my ticket to Retford from the Ticket Office at King’s Cross station.
  2. The ticket seller gave me a well-designed folder for the tickets.
  3. I was also able to buy my return ticket between Retford and Worksop on the LNER train to Retford. I’ve tried doing that before and it wasn’t allowed.

Making ticketing easier must be a good thing for passengers, staff and LNER.

£24.75 With A Railcard From King’s Cross to Retford

  • The second picture shows my ticket to Retford.
  • It cost me just £24,75 with my Senior Railcard.
  • I also bought it about half-an-hour before the train left.
  • I bought the ticket in the Ticket Office.
  • I got a forward-facing window seat with an unrestricted view.

How much would the 145 mile and nearly three-hour journey have cost in a car?

I Missed My Connection At Retford Station

These pictures show my train to Worksop station in Platform 3 at Retford station, as I approached from the South.

Note.

The Northern Trains’s Class 195 train arriving on Platform 3 on the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.

  1. I arrived in Platform 2 at Retford station at 12:50
  2. There were three lifts or sets of stairs to negotiate between Platform 2 and Platform 3.
  3. It must take at least five minutes between the two platforms.
  4. One of the lifts was out of order and was being serviced by an engineer.
  5. There was no way, I could have caught the connection, which left at 12:51.
  6. At least one other passenger, had to wait the one hour and fifteen minutes I waited for the next train, which arrived at 14:03.

I feel that there needs to be a timetable adjustment here, so that as many passengers as possible avoid the long wait.

Retford Station

At least the long wait allowed me to take a lot of pictures and have a cup of coffee in the Costa Coffee on Platform 1.

Note.

  1. The toilets were immaculate.
  2. The Costa Coffee had friendly and professional staff, but only rudimentary gluten-free options.
  3. The station is fully step-free with four lifts.
  4. Platforms 1 and 2 on the East Coast Main Line can take a pair of five-car Class 802 trains, as Hull Train demonstrated.
  5. The Hull Train in Platform 2 was using the electrification.
  6. The station is in very good condition.
  7. The station is Grade II Listed.

This Google Map shows the station.

Note.

  1. The red arrow in the South-East corner are the low-level Platforms 3 and 4.
  2. The red arrow in the middle marks the low-level Platforms 1 and 2.
  3. Network Rail’s yellow Mobile Maintenance Train is visible in the siding opposite Platform 2.
  4. There is space around the platforms.

The station may have development possibilities. Especially, as there are signs of To Let over some of the buildings.

Ambitious Renewable Energy

Retford and Worksop are only eleven minutes away but there were a large wind farm and solar farms between the two stations.

Note.

  1. I was a bit slow on the uptake and missed the large wind farm.
  2. The strong sun was reflecting on the windows.
  3. They weren’t the best of photographs.

I had intended to take more and better pictures on the way back, but circumstances intervened.

This Google Map shows the wind and solar farms.

Note.

  1. The Sheffield and Lincoln Line going across the map.
  2. There are solar panels North and South of the railway.
  3. This is the Walkers Wood Solar Farm, which has a nameplate capacity of 27 MW.
  4. H M Prison Ranby is at the top of the map.
  5. The scars of the wind turbines are to the West of Babworth and the crematorium.
  6. At the moment, I can’t find any reference to the wind farm.

These wind and solar farms are probably a classic place to position a battery.

Prisons And Recycling

Worksop Station

I took these pictures during the time I spent at Worksop station.

Note.

  1. The station is not step-free, although you can cross the tracks using the level-crossing.
  2. The station has a pub and a cafe.
  3. There are train services to Leeds, Lincoln, Nottingham and Sheffield.
  4. The station is in very good condition.
  5. The station is Grade II Listed.
  6. The platforms are long enough to handle a Class 802 train without any modification.
  7. Hull Trains could run their Sheffield service to Worksop station without any new infrastructure.
  8. Lidl are developing a site on the other side of the level crossing.
  9. There are 100 car parking spaces.

The station may have development possibilities.

Worksop Station Cafe

These pictures show the Worksop station cafe.

Note.

  1. It is run by two ladies; Jo and Lyndsey.
  2. As one is coeliac, there were lots of gluten-free cakes.
  3. It was cosy and warm on a cold day.

This is definitely one of the better station cafes.

A Double Incident

My journey back to the capital was I suspect untypical.

  • I’d arrived at Worksop at 14:14 and finally left at 16:38 on a train for Retford and Lincoln.
  • The delay was because someone had been hit by a train between Barnsley and Sheffield, which resulted in cancelled trains.
  • When I arrived at Retford at 16:49, there was an LNER train in the platform.
  • It was the 15:15 from Leeds and I was told by LNER staff to catch it and get my ticket on the train.
  • The train finally left Retford for London 69 minutes late at 17:07.
  • We arrived in Peterborough at 19:27, where the train was now 170 minutes late.
  • The delay was because someone had been hit by a train at Newark, which results in delays everywhere.
  • LNER decided to give up on the train and all passengers were put on other trains.
  • I got on the 14:30 from Edinburgh, which arrived in King’s Cross at 20:22, which was 96 minutes late.

Worse things happen at sea.

I am adding this a day after my trip to the North.

This article on the BBC is entitled ‘Major Disruption’ After Person Hit By A Train.

These are the first three paragraphs.

Train services on the East Coast Main Line have been seriously disrupted after a person was hit by a train in North Yorkshire.

Network Rail said the incident happened just before 07:00 GMT between York and Thirsk, with emergency services attending the scene shortly afterwards.

The line was blocked, resulting in delays and cancellations.

Three in two days us three too many.

January 9, 2024 Posted by | Design, Food, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Gatwick Airport – 23rd November 2023

I went to Gatwick Airport to see the new railway station.

Note.

  1. As at Reading and Leeds stations, space has been created by building a wide concourse over the tracks.
  2. The experience certainly seemed better.
  3. Most platforms have up and down escalators and lifts.
  4. There were still a few things  that needed to be finished.

But for me, as a man with a Freedom Pass and a Senior Railcard, the ticketing to Gatwick is still a pain.

  • If I go to Heathrow or London City, I use my Freedom Pass to get to the Airport.
  • If I go to Eurostar, I use my Freedom Pass to get to St. Pancras station.
  • If I go to Stansted, I use my Freedom Pass to get to Liverpool Street station and buy a ticket for Stanstead Express.

If I go to Gatwick, Luton or Southend airports, I use my Freedom Pass to get to a station with a Booking Office and then buy an extension ticket from the Zone 6 boundary to the airport.

I believe there are three solutions.

Make It Possible To Link A Bank Card To A Freedom Pass

It should be possible to do something like the following.

  • Touch in at Moorgate.
  • Take the Elizabeth Line to Farringdon.
  • Take Thames to Gatwick Airport.
  • Check out at Gatwick Airport.

The credit card associated with the Freedom Pass would then be charged the fee for between the Zone 6 boundary and Gatwick Airport.

The credit card would be entered through the Freedom Pass web site.

On a related matter I believe that the Freedom Pass web site could be a nice little earner for Transport for London, by doing the following.

  • Selling rail tickets on a best-priced basis. Savings are to be had by selling tickets for Freedom Pass holders from the Zone 6 boundary.
  • Managing Railcards.
  • Selling Transport for London merchandise.

Nobody would pay more than they do now, but Transport for London would pick up some commission from selling tickets.

Develop A Flexible App That Works With A Freedom Pass And Phone Payments

Similar to the first option, but the app charges accordingly.

Put Gatwick Airport In Zone 6

The management of Gatwick Airport might like to attract more travellers, so they would pay from the Zone 6 boundary for Freedom Farm users.

Conclusion

I would find the first two options acceptable, providing the charges were no more than now!

November 24, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Collecting National Rail Tickets

I took this picture at the Elizabeth Line entrance at Tottenham Court Road station this morning.

Transport for London are telling people they must go to a National Rail station to pick up National Rail tickets.

There are good reasons, why some passengers like to pick up their tickets at the station, where they enter the rail network.

If I go to Gatwick, as I have a Freedom Pass, I need to buy a ticket from East Croydon to Gatwick.

My normal way to get to Gatwick would be to take a bus to Moorgate and get the Elizabeth Line or the Metropolitan Line one stop to get Thameslink.

But I wouldn’t pass a ticket machine.

I count download the ticket to my phone, as my left hand can’t be relied on to retrieve it.

A better solution for me and many others with a Freedom Pass would be to link it to a bank card, so that the extra could be automatically charged.

Conclusion

Transport for London have no imagination.

October 7, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 5 Comments

Two New Stops On The West Midlands Metro

I went to Wolverhampton to see the two stop extension of the West Midlands Metro.

T took these pictures of the two stops and the frontage of Wolverhampton station.

Note.

  1. Piper’s Row stop is by the bus station.
  2. Wolverhampton Station stop is by Wolverhampton station.
  3. Wolverhampton station has orange detailing.
  4. Trams lower their pantographs at Piper’s Row, when going towards the station and raise them on their return.
  5. Pictures 11-14 show the pantograph being lowered.
  6. Batteries are used between the two new stops.
  7. Passengers enter and leave the tram at Wolverhampton station in its siding.

I have a few thoughts.

Battery Extensions

The West Midlands Metro now has battery-powered extensions at both ends of the line.

The Birmingham extension goes through the City Centre to Edgbaston Village.

  • The Wolverhampton extension goes to the station.
  • The extensions don’t have any catenary.
  • Batteries are charged on the long central section.

How many other tramways in the world could follow the example of the West Midlands Metro to extend their networks?

Simple Ticketing

The West Midlands Metro charges five pounds for an all-day, all-zone ticket, which is bought from the conductor.

As I did, it enables you to get on and off as many times as you need.

Site-Seeing

The windows and the seating arrangement is not good for taking pictures.

Good Connections

The West Midlands Metro has good connections to buses and trains.

Conclusion

These two extra stops make the West Midlands Metro, one of most useful tram lines I’ve ridden.

 

 

 

September 21, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 4 Comments

53 Train Stations To Benefit From Tap-In Tap-Out Rollout

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news story from the UK Government.

This is the sub-heading.

Passengers across the South East of England will benefit from ‘Pay As You Go’ technology by the end of December 2023.

The news story has these three bullet points.

  • £20 million of government funding marks the first phase of the government’s commitment to extend Pay As You Go to a further 200 stations in the South East
  • The department is also working with Great British Railways transition team (GBRTT) to agree Pay As You Go pilots in the Greater Manchester and the West Midlands by the end of the year
  • Both form part of the government’s plan to make fares and ticketing simpler and more convenient for passengers

If I look at the list of 53 stations to be added in this first phase, several are ones I have regularly used.

  • Beaconsfield
  • Bletchley
  • Bricket Wood
  • East Tilbury
  • Gerrards Cross
  • High Wycombe
  • Kempton Park
  • Southend Central
  • Southend East
  • St Albans Abbey
  • Staines
  • Windsor & Eton Riverside

With the Government saying that this list of stations in the South East, will rise to 200, I suspect that the number of listed stations, where I go regularly will increase.

At present, if I go to a contactless station like Gatwick Airport, which is outside of the Freedom Pass area, I have to buy an extension ticket, either before I board the train or I have to get off somewhere like East Croydon and tap-out with my Freedom Pass and tap-in with my bank card.

Surely, a better system, would be to be able to link a bank card to my Freedom Pass. This would enable my bank card to be charged excess on my Freedom Pass.

 

July 5, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

Ten-Car Hull Trains

On Friday, about eleven in the morning, I was standing on the platform at Finsbury Park station, when unusually I saw a pair of Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains go through as a ten-car train.

A few minutes later, I took a train to King’s Cross, where I took these pictures.

Note.

  1. The four platforms are numbered from 1 to 4 from the right.
  2. The Hull Train is in platform 3.
  3. The fourth picture clearly shows the 11:18 Hull Trains service has ten carriages.

Hull Trains were also selling tickets on the train.

Hull Trains Timetable On April 29th 2023

These trains ran South.

  • Beverley-Kings Cross – 0557 – 5 cars
  • Hull-Kings Cross – 0824 – 10 cars
  • Hull-Kings Cross – 1033 – 5 cars
  • Hull-Kings Cross – 1330 – 5 cars
  • Hull-Kings Cross – 1531 – 5 cars
  • Hull-Kings Cross – 1836 – 5 cars

And these trains ran North

  • Kings Cross – 0727-Hull – 5 cars
  • Kings Cross – 0948-Hull – 5 cars
  • Kings Cross – 1148-Hull – 10 cars
  • Kings Cross – 1448-Hull – 5 cars
  • Kings Cross – 1748-Beverley – 5 cars
  • Kings Cross – 1948-Hull – 5 cars

Note.

  1. The ten-car trains only run to Hull.
  2. The daily number of seats between Hull and London has been increased by 16.7 %.
  3. Four trains are needed to run 5 x five-car and 1 x ten-car trains in each direction.

I can see this timetable being used on other busy days.

April 29, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 11 Comments

New Express Bus Improves Links Between Skelmersdale And Liverpool

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Lancashire County Council.

This is the sub-heading.

A new bus service launched this week makes it quicker and easier to travel between Skelmersdale and Liverpool using public transport.

And these are the first two paragraphs.

The 319 Trainlink service, operated by Stagecoach on behalf of Lancashire County Council, runs between Skelmersdale Concourse, Kirkby railway station and Kirkby bus station for onward transport links into Liverpool reducing the travel time between Skelmersdale and Liverpool Central Station to under 50 minutes.

The express service, which launched on Sunday 22 January, operates every 30 minutes throughout the day Monday to Saturday, and every hour in the evening. There is also an hourly service on Sundays. Buses are timed to connect with Merseyrail train services from early ’til late.

Note.

  1. Once the new Headbolt station opens, it will serve that station.
  2. The express bus service has started two days before Merseyrail introduce their new Class 777 trains.
  3. I hope the quality of the buses are up to that of the new trains.
  4. The service is probably the best that can be done, until a train service is built.
  5. There will be integrated fare options between Skelmersdale and Liverpool.

Transport planners need to do more to use buses to extend train services.

January 24, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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