Easter 2017 travel plans

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

The same on most long distance services, Virgin East Coast, Virgin West Coast, Grand Central, East Midlands Trains all reporting heavily overcrowded services on Twitter.... it just goes to show how the government wants the railways to be run, on a shoestring with barely enough capacity to cope on a normal day.

[didcotdean]

Plenty this morning who seem to be surprised that there are a lot of people travelling on Good Friday.

Comments on 'overbooking' - if a train went off with only those with reservations there would be a lot left behind ... to the casual traveller though maybe the fact that they selected particular service in the online booking should be enough to secure a seat on it. That is how coaches and airlines work after all.

[johoare]

Last night at Paddington they were advising people queuing to pick up their pre-booked tickets that they could just get on the train without picking up their tickets (as the queues were so long) and that they just needed to have their booking confirmation with them instead.

[IndustryInsider]

.....unless of course more people have given up on the train & gone by road instead?

From the numbers milling around that I saw on my travels yesterday (admittedly not on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) routes) that was definitely not the case!

[grahame]

Plenty this morning who seem to be surprised that there are a lot of people travelling on Good Friday.

Astonishing isn't it?  After all, hardly anyone uses the train on Boxing Day ... 

[ellendune]

The same on most long distance services, Virgin East Coast, Virgin West Coast, Grand Central, East Midlands Trains all reporting heavily overcrowded services on Twitter.... it just goes to show how the government wants the railways to be run, on a shoestring with barely enough capacity to cope on a normal day.

Not really a surprise there - that seems to be how they want to run everything!

[plymothian]

It will also help that Easter is later this year, and the school holidays have coincided differently depending on where in the country you are.  The West schools go back Easter Tuesday, but London/East have another week off to go. 
Next week is where I think we may see extra overcrowding as the two - regular school day commuters and returning holiday makers - clash.

[phile]

When I was reading GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Tweets earlier today, there seemed to be a common theme, post after post.  Long distance trains packed to the rafters, people unable to get through to toilets and if they did succeed, passengers were standing inside them for want of space.   Buffet visits out of the question and clambering over luggage to move at all.

[didcotdean]

It has been pretty similar on all the longer distance operators.

Only seen reports from Virgin customers of them not being allowed on the train at the terminus though.

[TaplowGreen]

When I was reading GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Tweets earlier today, there seemed to be a common theme, post after post.  Long distance trains packed to the rafters, people unable to get through to toilets and if they did succeed, passengers were standing inside them for want of space.   Buffet visits out of the question and clambering over luggage to move at all.

..............but as GWR will tell you, there's no need to worry because severe overcrowding does not in the least compromise safety 

[didcotdean]

As a comparator I see that the M4 was completely closed for a period this afternoon between Bath and Chippenham and is still only partially open. Congestion on various stretches of the M5 and A303 as well.

[a-driver]

When I was reading GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Tweets earlier today, there seemed to be a common theme, post after post.  Long distance trains packed to the rafters, people unable to get through to toilets and if they did succeed, passengers were standing inside them for want of space.   Buffet visits out of the question and clambering over luggage to move at all.

..............but as GWR will tell you, there's no need to worry because severe overcrowding does not in the least compromise safety 

But on the plus side we don't take the United Airlines approach when we need passengers to leave the train! 

[TaplowGreen]

As a comparator I see that the M4 was completely closed for a period this afternoon between Bath and Chippenham and is still only partially open. Congestion on various stretches of the M5 and A303 as well.

The M4 was closed due to an emergency - a tanker in flames - I'm not sure how that comparison is particularly valid in the context of Easter being a somewhat more foreseeable event for the railways to plan for?

[a-driver]

As a comparator I see that the M4 was completely closed for a period this afternoon between Bath and Chippenham and is still only partially open. Congestion on various stretches of the M5 and A303 as well.

The M4 was closed due to an emergency - a tanker in flames - I'm not sure how that comparison is particularly valid in the context of Easter being a somewhat more foreseeable event for the railways to plan for?

You can formulate the best plan in the world but, as every operator will tell you, no one has the rolling stock available to cope with the demand. The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) ensures that each operator has barely enough stock to cope with a normal weekday. This is why the picture is the same across the country. Look at Virgin West Coast.  Recently upgraded but when it comes to rolling stock, there's still no spare capacity.

[TaplowGreen]

As a comparator I see that the M4 was completely closed for a period this afternoon between Bath and Chippenham and is still only partially open. Congestion on various stretches of the M5 and A303 as well.

The M4 was closed due to an emergency - a tanker in flames - I'm not sure how that comparison is particularly valid in the context of Easter being a somewhat more foreseeable event for the railways to plan for?

You can formulate the best plan in the world but, as every operator will tell you, no one has the rolling stock available to cope with the demand. The DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) ensures that each operator has barely enough stock to cope with a normal weekday. This is why the picture is the same across the country. Look at Virgin West Coast.  Recently upgraded but when it comes to rolling stock, there's still no spare capacity.

If that's the situation, it's not ideal but the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s have to manage it and the number of tickets they sell.

I do not see GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) complaining about the huge amounts of additional revenue they are happy to trouser by selling virtually unlimited numbers of tickets for trains which they know damn well will be obscenely overcrowded - in fact it makes perfect sense for them to do that rather than providing additional trains - why should they run two trains which are merely full to capacity when they can cram all those people onto one train in cattle truck conditions? - never mind the people who can't reach the toilets (being used as standing space today judging by reports), have panic attacks, stand for hours on end etc etc.

Ultimately, GWR are accountable for the service, they bid for the franchise, they have to manage it. If that means limiting ticket numbers in order that people can travel in something approaching humane conditions, then they need to grow a pair and do so...................although as I said they won't, because there is a perverse financial incentive for them not to do so.

Perhaps one of the experts can advise exactly how much additional capacity will be provided by the new long distance trains and how will it mitigate this annual farce?