Was scrolling down my Twitter feed and found this:
158849 is in a special yellow livery celebrating the Tour de France visiting Yorkshire this weekend.
Presumably, judging by the tweet, it's on the York - Hull and Hull - Doncaster routes today.
That train hasn't stopped at Stocksfield for years... it certainly wasn't in the May 2012 timetable, or any since - don't know about before that...
EDIT: Just gone back through some old timetables since December 2004. The 1730/1740 ish departure from Stocksfield towards Newcastle WAS IN the timetables up to that issued in September 2010; it WAS NOT IN the timetable issued 3 October 2011. So it got taken out at either December 2010 or May 2011 (sorry, can't put my hand on them right now)... wasn't there a big recast of the National Rail Timetable about then, resulting in a more 'clock face' timetable up the Tyne Valley and elsewhere? Could that be the explanation?
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-e...er-7351311
Relevant to TPX too.
(02 Jul 2014, 1:19 pm)eezypeazy wrote [ -> ]That train hasn't stopped at Stocksfield for years... it certainly wasn't in the May 2012 timetable, or any since - don't know about before that...
EDIT: Just gone back through some old timetables since December 2004. The 1730/1740 ish departure from Stocksfield towards Newcastle WAS IN the timetables up to that issued in September 2010; it WAS NOT IN the timetable issued 3 October 2011. So it got taken out at either December 2010 or May 2011 (sorry, can't put my hand on them right now)... wasn't there a big recast of the National Rail Timetable about then, resulting in a more 'clock face' timetable up the Tyne Valley and elsewhere? Could that be the explanation?
2010 would tie on with the original end date of the initial 6 year contract awarded in 2004.
The contract was extended in May 2010.
Coincidence?
According to Northern Rail and the British Transport Police on Twitter, there's queues of up to 3 hours for trains at Leeds bound for Harrogate because of the Tour de France.
Platform 8 at York for trains to Harrogate is also incredibly busy.
Edit at 16:35: Northern also had a 7-coach chartered train from DRS operating on the Leeds - Harrogate route, hauled by a Class 57.
Just reading on twitter that Northern hired in a HST for a working from York.
No idea who's it was, destination etc
edit: Going solely by photos I have seen, diesel locomotives were hired in - which were pulling ex Virgin mk3 coaches.
(26 Jul 2014, 11:28 am)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]To be fair, I'm not surprised about Teesside Airport, with 8 passengers a year it's hardly worth saving!
How many trains stop there though?
Not many.
The Battersby Junction one is interesting - it is only because of the need to change direction, that the station is still there.
Even if they close the station or decide to not use it, the train will still need to stop whilst the points are changed and the driver changes ends.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battersby...ay_station
(26 Jul 2014, 11:47 am)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]How many trains stop there though?
Not many.
Yeah, but the Arriva Sky Express from Darlington failed, and so did the Arriva 12. I doubt the train will be that much help!
(26 Jul 2014, 12:13 pm)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]Yeah, but the Arriva Sky Express from Darlington failed, and so did the Arriva 12. I doubt the train will be that much help!
Apparently the train station is about 15 minutes walk away from the terminal, I think the Arriva 12 also stopped serving Teesside Airport due to security reasons.
(26 Jul 2014, 12:13 pm)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]Yeah, but the Arriva Sky Express from Darlington failed, and so did the Arriva 12. I doubt the train will be that much help!
I don't get what you mean.
Numbers using the station are at a low - but only a couple of trains a day actually call there.
(26 Jul 2014, 1:06 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]I don't get what you mean.
Numbers using the station are at a low - but only a couple of trains a day actually call there.
Sorry, was a bit confusing!
Nobody was using the bus services to the airport, so they got cancelled. If nobody is visiting by frequent bus service, surely having a frequent rail service makes no difference, because nobody would use that either?
(26 Jul 2014, 1:06 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]I don't get what you mean.
Numbers using the station are at a low - but only a couple of trains a day actually call there.
Aye this is it. Most regular users are season ticket holders, which have to be from point A to point B. It's pointless getting a season ticket if you've potentially got to wait a couple of hours for a train home. In Blaydon and Dunston's case, there'd probably be a lot more demand if it was a T&W Metro stopping there, and not a NR train.
(26 Jul 2014, 3:45 pm)BJ10VUS wrote [ -> ]Sorry, was a bit confusing!
Nobody was using the bus services to the airport, so they got cancelled. If nobody is visiting by frequent bus service, surely having a frequent rail service makes no difference, because nobody would use that either?
No worries, just wasn't sure.
As an airport, it is struggling.
Not many commercial aircraft use the facility, so passenger numbers (regardless of how many trains stop), are going to be low.
However, if only a handful of trains do stop there each day, it is hardly going to encourage those who could use it, to actually use it.
I think each station on that list needs to be looked at as a bigger picture.
(26 Jul 2014, 3:54 pm)aureolin wrote [ -> ]Aye this is it. Most regular users are season ticket holders, which have to be from point A to point B. It's pointless getting a season ticket if you've potentially got to wait a couple of hours for a train home. In Blaydon and Dunston's case, there'd probably be a lot more demand if it was a T&W Metro stopping there, and not a NR train.
Northern did say that Blaydon and Dunston would feature additional trains serving.
I think those two stations will struggle for passengers as long as there is a regular bus service in the area.
(26 Jul 2014, 5:02 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]No worries, just wasn't sure.
As an airport, it is struggling.
Not many commercial aircraft use the facility, so passenger numbers (regardless of how many trains stop), are going to be low.
However, if only a handful of trains do stop there each day, it is hardly going to encourage those who could use it, to actually use it.
I think each station on that list needs to be looked at as a bigger picture.
Think it's 2 a week, one for each platform.
The terminal is nowhere near the station and indeed, nowhere near any houses either.
(26 Jul 2014, 5:02 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]Northern did say that Blaydon and Dunston would feature additional trains serving.
I think those two stations will struggle for passengers as long as there is a regular bus service in the area.
The frequency and fares make using Northern Rail completely unappealing, when there's a frequent Blaydon Racers bus which only takes a few minutes longer...
(26 Jul 2014, 5:03 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Think it's 2 a week, one for each platform.
The terminal is nowhere near the station and indeed, nowhere near any houses either.
Two a week?!
Just checked on the CrossStinky app and none of: Durham Tees Valley, Teesside Airport or Middleton St George appear on the list of station names.
No idea what else it could come under.
If you can't book tickets to the station...
(26 Jul 2014, 5:25 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]Two a week?!
Just checked on the CrossStinky app and none of: Durham Tees Valley, Teesside Airport or Middleton St George appear on the list of station names.
No idea what else it could come under.
If you can't book tickets to the station...
Yes it's the 1020 Darlington-Metrocentre and 1050 Metrocentre-Darlington both on Sundays
(26 Jul 2014, 5:49 pm)tyresmoke wrote [ -> ]Yes it's the 1020 Darlington-Metrocentre and 1050 Metrocentre-Darlington both on Sundays
I was looking at the Metrocentre-Darlington journey, just last week as part of a trip out.
Will make sure I don't get off a few stops too early
(26 Jul 2014, 5:25 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote [ -> ]Two a week?!
Just checked on the CrossStinky app and none of: Durham Tees Valley, Teesside Airport or Middleton St George appear on the list of station names.
No idea what else it could come under.
If you can't book tickets to the station...
it comes under Tees-side Airport.