Chiltern Mainline: Nice & Fast!

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Passengers have been deserting Virgin and LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) in their droves. Passengers on Chiltern Mainline are up 53% - a jaw dropping figure in the current economic climate.

Nicely done quoting a figure like that without context. The 53% refers to Solihull station only. The only source of that figure I can find is from a blog post (see below). Even then that is way more than the increase in official station usage figures. The latest figures released in February 2012 for the year to April 2011 show that Solihull's footfall was 1,535,210. Up from the previous year's figure of 1,487,994. An increase of 6.99%. Now of course passengers using Chiltern at Solihull could have increased by 53% and that could be over a different time period than station usage statistics, but without a source it's difficult to take Btline's figure seriously. Particularly when he states that the 53% refers to Chiltern Mainline.

Some services are now so packed that Anytime fares will have to increase by ^10 later this year to prevent sardine conditions, albeit a modest increase compared to Virgin's sky high prices and draconian restrictions.

That really is badly out of context. How can you compare Chiltern's Anytime fare with Virgin's 'sky high prices and draconian restrictions'? The correct comparison is with Virgin's Anytime fare which has no restrictions, draconian or otherwise.  I'll  slightly concede the point about 'sky high' though. ^154 (Virgin Anytime Return) is a bit steep compared to ^95 (Chiltern Anytime Return). BUT if you're comparing price only then London Midland comes out on top with an Anytime Return of ^65.

Do note also that Chiltern's Anytime Return has gone through two price increases since September 2011. From May 20th it will have increased ^20 from ^75 to ^95. That's a 26.7% increase in just 8 months, and you call it modest Btline? Over the same period Virgin's Anytime return will have increased by 3.6% and London Midland's by 0%.
(Fares information from previous, current and the next National Fares Manuals)

What was your source please?

Btline's source appears to be a blog post here: http://birmingham2london.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/more-good-news-from-chiltern-railways.html There's very little information as to who the writer of the blog is.

Btline appears to have lifted text, rewritten bits of it and hasn't attributed the source. Fine if Btline wrote the blog post himself, borderline plagiarism if he didn't.  

I can find no direct information from Chiltern Railways regarding the list of improvements Btline lifted from the blog post so until such time as Chiltern explicitly state all these improvements are coming it would, I believe, be merely conjecture.

I suspect a bastardised press release / briefing.

Although as always with BTLine, slightly exaggerated.....(e.g. headline % only at one station, not in total)

Slightly exaggerated? You are too kind ChrisB.

[ChrisB]

Btline's source appears to be a blog post here: http://birmingham2london.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/more-good-news-from-chiltern-railways.html There's very little information as to who the writer of the blog is.

I know & can vouch for the blogger.....

Btline appears to have lifted text, rewritten bits of it and hasn't attributed the source. Fine if Btline wrote the blog post himself, borderline plagiarism if he didn't.  

Borderline plagiarism I reckon. I read the blog just after it was posted last night and conversed with him about it. THe only thing I didn't do was ask him his source as I assumed Chiltern had put out a press release. Assuming you've checked Chiltern's website press release page and there's nowt there, I'll ask him tonight - I'm sure he'll be informative about it....

[Btline]

Sorry, forgot to add the link. http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidlands/news/317382-chiltern-plans-mainline-growth-but-warns-fares-will-rise.html

Don't you think it's an excellent achievement? Have scanned the above, but it seems rather negative to me.
I think these passengers rises are amazing, and relevant to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) territory with the forthcoming Evergreen 3!

[JayMac]

For those that don't wish to go through the full registration process (which is free) to read the full article Btline has just linked to, I've taken the trouble.

From TheBusinessDesk.com

CHILTERN Railways^ Mainline services to London have continued to prove popular with Birmingham^s business community with the company seeing a 41% year-on-year growth in passenger numbers in the six months since launch.

Such is the growth, that the rail company has announced it will introduce extra capacity on the service from later this year.

However, it has said ticket prices will have to rise in order to fund a programme of improvements.

Figures released by the company show passengers using the Mainline service from Solihull and Warwick Parkway have also grown during the first six months, up by a respective 53% and 32% year-on-year.

Improvements planned for the remainder of this year include:
^    A new, completely refurbished additional ^Silver^ train will be operational from December.
^    Chiltern^s current intercity-style silver trains will be refurbished and fitted with automatic doors.  The first of these updated trains will arrive later this month.
^    Silver trains will be lengthened by a carriage by the end of the year providing 70 more seats per train.
^    Free Wi-Fi on the silver trains will be upgraded to ensure faster connections.
^    Onboard catering will be overhauled.
^    Birmingham Moor Street will gain a bar/restaurant.
^    Car parks will be expanded accommodate the growth in passenger numbers. 
o    A new parking deck at Solihull will open this month, creating 163 additional spaces.
o    A new parking deck will also open at Warwick Parkway, delivering 222 additional spaces.  To provide sufficient capacity during the build, Chiltern has already opened a temporary car park at the station.
^    All West Midlands to London services available via the company^s smartphone app, allowing passengers to move away from paper tickets altogether.

Thomas Ableman, Chiltern^s commercial director, said: ^We^re absolutely delighted to announce our 2012 improvements at the same time as publishing record results. 

^Mainline was created in Birmingham by the business community and our figures prove this type of service is what the market wants.  Our 2012 improvements are in response to customer feedback and we^ll continue to listen and innovate as Mainline grows.^

As with the ^250m investment in Mainline, the 2012 improvements will be funded without taxpayer support.

However, the company said that as it received no Government subsidy, it would have to put up peak fares in order to support the new investment.

This means the Anytime ticket for passengers arriving in London before 10am will increase by ^10 to ^95 (^90 from Leamington Spa) from May 20.  The firm said it still believed the new ticket offered value for money.

Off-peak and super off-peak fares are not affected by the changes and remain at ^50 (^45 from Leamington Spa) and ^25 respectively.

No reason now to doubt the veracity of the story and the list of upcoming improvements, but as yet, and as far as I can ascertain, Chiltern haven't said anything or issued a press release. A slightly obscure Business website seems a bit of a strange place to have these improvements announced.

You'll also note I've not selectively rewritten or quoted out of context and I have included the source. It's not difficult. 

[Btline]

You'll note I have included the source. it's not difficult. 

Sorry, I forgot. I was too excited by the proposals and jawdropping figures! 

I prefer summaries - who wants to read all the spin in that article. Glad you believe me now.

[JayMac]

Glad you believe me now.

I believe the article now that I've read it at source. I didn't believe your additional hyperbole and lack of context for facts and figures.

If you get a little excited about things like this, do please consider this forum's wider readership. Much better to be factual and accurate and quote source material then add your personal opinions.

Are you also excited about the jawdropping price increase on the Birmingham to London Chiltern Anytime Return? Up 26.7% since September 2011..... 

You'll note I have included the source. it's not difficult. 

Lawks. Even I'm being selectively rewritten..... 

[TonyK]

This is excellent news, and shows what can be done without demanding public cash - I hope. I am perplexed by the logic that too many passengers must mean higher fares. OK, you have to lease a new carriage to get an extra 70 seats per train, which costs money, but unless I've missed something, you get 70 extra fares per train.

[JayMac]

OK, you have to lease a new carriage to get an extra 70 seats per train, which costs money,

Will it cost Chiltern money though? The current Mk3 spares they intend to use are already owned by Chiltern's parent company Arriva Trains UK^▸ (United Kingdom), the UK arm of DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) Regio.

[Btline]

The mouth watering car parking expansions will also get bums on seats! People will switch to rail if they know they can park without the stressful drive around, searching for a space, mopping their brow as the departure time approaches...

Chiltern currently get passengers from Shropshire at Warwick Parkway, who knows where they'll extend their sphere now...!

[inspector_blakey]

Btline, you are Tom Ableman, and I claim my five pounds.

[Southern Stag]

OK, you have to lease a new carriage to get an extra 70 seats per train, which costs money, but unless I've missed something, you get 70 extra fares per train.

Useful extra capacity in the peaks but off peak the 70 extra seats aren't needed in my experience. I recently travelled on one of the Loco Hauled 'Silver Trains' which are being lengthened for a round trip from London to Birmingham and back. I took the 1337 service from London Marylebone and it was very lightly loaded, that was despite some very cheap fares, my ticket was 25p each way. The 1555 return service was much busier, but still plenty of seats to go round.

[JayMac]

Btline, you are Tom Ableman, and I claim my five pounds.

<Like> 

http://www.transportxtra.com/magazines/new_transit/news/?ID=23374

[Btline]

you're wrong

i actually work for fgw my love

 

[JayMac]

you're wrong

i actually work for fgw my love

 

Very good riposte. Even matching the style and poor grammar. Made I laugh. 

OK, you are 'maryfgw' and I want the fiver. 

[Ollie]

Glad you believe me now.

Are you also excited about the jawdropping price increase on the Birmingham to London Chiltern Anytime Return? Up 26.7% since September 2011..... 

Seems as if Btline missed it ;P