XC to serve Bath Spa from May timetable change.

[whole diary]

[readytostart]

From the timetable change in May CrossCountry are to run a train a day from Bath Spa to Edinburgh via Bristol, though there is no return working.

Train departs Bath at 0609, arriving Temple Meads 0620 and departing 0627 and then calling at Parkway, Cheltenham, New Street, Tamworth, Burton, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Alnmouth, arriving Edinburgh Waverley at 1305.

This service replaces the current 0615 from Bristol, the later departure time presumable counteracted by the removal of the call at Gloucester.

[readytostart]

Further digging has revealed an extra Gloucester to Stanstead Airport service, departing GCR^» (Gloucester - next trains) at 0710 calling: Cheltenham, Ashchurch, Bromsgrove, University, New Street, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge, Audley End and Stanstead.

Can anyone remember the last time a direct service ran from the likes of Bath to Birmingham or Cheltenham to Cambridge etc?

[Timmer]

Can anyone remember the last time a direct service ran from the likes of Bath to Birmingham or Cheltenham to Cambridge etc?

Yes, in the early 90s IC^▸ (Inter City) used to run an early morning service (loco & coaches) from Reading to Manchester via Bath that also called at Oldfield Park and Keynsham!

Reading 6.05
Didcot 6.20
Swindon 6.44
Chippenham 6.59
Bath 7.13
Oldfield Park 7.15
Keynsham 7.22
Bristol arr 7.31 dep 7.57
Bristol Parkway 8.07
Cheltenham 8.40
Birmingham New Street arr 9.25 dep 9.35
Wolverhampton 9.51
Stafford 10.06
Stoke on Trent 10.25
Macclesfield 10.43
Stockport 10.58
Manchester Picc 11.03

At times of planned engineering work between Bristol and Taunton, a couple of diverted Sunday services have been timetabled to call at Bath Spa but it was a couple of years back when major engineering work took place over a couple of weeks that most XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services to/from the Southwest called at Bath making the Bath Spa departure board interesting reading showing destinations such as Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds on weekdays.

[moonrakerz]

My first thought on this news was - WHY ??

Is there suddenly a huge number of expatriate Scots wishing to return direct to their homeland from Bath ?
Or large numbers of BANES residents wishing to flee to the promised land?
Are XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) hoping to corner a large percentage of the morning commuter traffic from Bath to Bristol ? - at 0609, I think not.
How will the rolling stock get to Bath ? Empty ? or are XC trying to get the highly lucrative Bristol to Bath commuter traffic at 0530 each morning ?

OR - is this just another way to enable a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) to "tick a box" on page 435 of their franchise agreement ?

Weird !

[JayMac]

Appears to be an ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services) raid. Expect the sevice to cease when AXCs^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) cap-and-collar kicks in, in November 2011

[Timmer]

yes definately looks like an ORCATs raid. I wonder if XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) are licensed to operate more regular services from Bath should they wish to like SWT^▸ (South West Trains)?

Of course capacity between Bath and Bristol can be a problem most of the day.

[paul7575]

Not much of an Orcats Raid though. Look at the number of seats per day they are providing and compare it with the seats FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and SWT^▸ (South West Trains) already provide? 

Could just be a cunning plan to get the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) unit out of the way - standing at Bristol between the existing ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) arrival and departure times might prevent something else that is happening in May?

Paul

[John R]

Whilst XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) have their many faults, I think it's a bit unfair to knock them for this. It's providing an earlier first journey opportunity from Bath to Bristol, and will also enable any passengers from the Bath area to have an earlier (and guaranteed) connection to the north.

[JayMac]

A bit of fag-packet maths gives me a guesstimate of 25,000 seats between Bath and Bristol (one-way, weekdays) so one Class 220/221 Vomiter averaging 250 seats gives 1% of the seating capacity.

If ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services) works on a straight percentage basis then 1% of the one-way revenue should give AXC^» (Arriva Cross Country - about) a healthy profit from the inter-available ticket sales on operating just one train. Then add on the revenue from the Advance sales and it begins to make even more financial sense.

[Timmer]

I'm certainly not knocking XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) for providing this new service. Anyone who wants to run extra services from Bath is always welcome as far as I'm concerned.

[moonrakerz]

I'm certainly not knocking XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) for providing this new service. Anyone who wants to run extra services from Bath is always welcome as far as I'm concerned.

Is it really an extra "service" ?

To me it seems just a way of playing the system to get some more money for not really doing very much to benefit the travelling public. As mac says it may make financial sense - but that is all.
I suppose, as all those MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) said: "it's within the rules" !

[super tm]

I'm certainly not knocking XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) for providing this new service. Anyone who wants to run extra services from Bath is always welcome as far as I'm concerned.

Is it really an extra "service" ?

To me it seems just a way of playing the system to get some more money for not really doing very much to benefit the travelling public. As mac says it may make financial sense - but that is all.
I suppose, as all those MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) said: "it's within the rules" !

You could say that the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services from Worcester to Malvern and the occasional service to Brighton fall into the same category

[Btline]

Virgin to Wrexham?

Central Trains' old service to Preston?

I think this is common! But it is GOOD for passengers, every extra service counts, and if it provides a direct train - win!

[smokey]

Of course XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) can then come off with a XC only fare from Bath to BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)), only one train a day, but FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (and SWT^▸ (South West Trains)) would really have to be on the Ball to catch Passengers who can & would by Accident (or design) travel with XC only ticket on a FGW (or SWT) train. XC get a much bigger slice on a XC only ticket (is it 91%)?

XC tickets seem to crop up in odd places, I brought a Ticket from my local station midday from Booking office (No XC trains for many hours) yet I didn't notice the small print till I'd left (XC only) this was a booking clerk error.

[Brucey]

Of course XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) can then come off with a XC only fare from Bath to BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)), only one train a day, but FGW^▸ (First Great Western) (and SWT^▸ (South West Trains)) would really have to be on the Ball to catch Passengers who can & would by Accident (or design) travel with XC only ticket on a FGW (or SWT) train. XC get a much bigger slice on a XC only ticket (is it 91%)?

XC tickets seem to crop up in odd places, I brought a Ticket from my local station midday from Booking office (No XC trains for many hours) yet I didn't notice the small print till I'd left (XC only) this was a booking clerk error.

This is the same with a journey that my dad makes regularly - operated by either SWT or SN.  The SN Only ticket is cheaper.  Booking clerks always give the SN only ticket, unless you specifically ask for the more expensive one.