29 Dec 2014, 10:22 pm
#800
(29 Dec 2014, 9:46 pm)Drifter60 Are we confident that 2/2A will be 15 PVR? Just currently Silver Arrows is 8 and SimpliCity 5 so that's only 13. I wouldn't think GNE would go for merging services if it increases PVR by 2?
As we know, one of the main purposes of these revisions has been to improve the reliability of services in the Sunderland area. This has been achieved by increasing the running time and layover periods. Services 2A/2C currently have 13 minutes layover in total, and service 42 currently has 1 (with recovery time built in at Park Lane). I had therefore expected that the recovery time and layover periods would therefore have to be in excess of 14 minutes, so as to improve reliability.
Therefore, without looking at the timetables, I had expected (quite confidently) that the re-routing via Toward Road instead of via Ryhope Road (for City Centre bound 42s) would add a few minutes on to the running time and immediately eat into the layover period time. It appears that I perhaps overestimated the amount of time the revised route would eat into.
On reflection, having reviewed the timetables, the revised service(s) have 5 minutes layover at each end with recovery time built in at the City Centre. This is actually a decrease in overall layover time, and there is not a great deal of recovery time in the revised timetable either. That said, I can't see Go North East being able to justify a 15 minute layover period at each end of the route to make up the PVR of 15, especially with services 2/2A presumably retaining their through-route for passengers in Washington.
I'd imagine therefore that the PVR will remain the same as present (PVR 13), with the current service 42 benefiting from more layover gained from the current 2A/2C services.
