Chairmans Blog

The TransPennine Express (TPE) trains from Manchester Airport to Glasgow and Edinburgh provide a great service. Friendly crews, great class 185 3-coach 100mph diesel trains and brilliant scenery over Shap, then Beattock to Scotland.

However, travelling at weekends is not for the faint-hearted!

I’ve used this service a few times during the week and at weekends. During the week it’s excellent. At weekends it is what the Department for Transport (DfT) term “crowded”, that’s what any reasonable person would call “swamped”.

This weekend, an ordinary, non-holiday, no special event weekend, my wife and I travelled out on Friday afternoon, returning on Sunday afternoon. Travelling out on the 1316 from Manchester Piccadilly it was very busy in particular from Oxford Road, but nobody got left behind and there was very little standing north of Carlisle on our 3-coach, 181 seater train (this includes the tip up seats).

Coming back on the 1309 from Edinburgh was quite different! We left Edinburgh very full indeed, stopping a few minutes later at Haymarket. We were in Haymarket 4 minutes whilst people attempted to board. Whilst we were there the train manager announced that for those who wanted a seat or just more space the next train was in 3 hours’ time and was usually less busy. We left about 10 people on the platform who decided to change their plans. Once we’d departed the train manager apologised for the cramped conditions, suggesting that those who were finding these trying and who had flexible tickets could get off in Carlisle 1 hour and 20 minutes later, there being a following Virgin train only 20 minutes after us from Glasgow which would get them to Manchester with a change at Preston only ½ an hour later. I decided to count the passengers and managed it, though it took some time! 278 all together on a train with 181 seats.

Things thinned out a bit at the Lockerbie stop 1 hour later, and then at Carlisle, but started getting worse again from Penrith. About 40 tried to get on there, many with rucksacks having been walking / hiking in the Lake District with around 10 deciding to wait for a later train. The train manager rescued a blind person from the platform finding him a tip up seat which someone kindly gave up. Oxenholme, the Lake District came next. Here around 5 got off and around 50 attempted to board. This took some time with about 10 including 2 ladies with prams deciding not to bother, with all this loading time causing us to leave 8 minutes late.

Lancaster was worse. Around 70 attempted to board and we became swamped. We left around 20 on the platform, leaving 10 minutes late. The train manager did his best to soothe people over the PA with announcements about alternative trains from Preston. Here the traincrew including the trolley steward left, being replaced with a new traincrew and trolley steward. We left 7 minutes late in a similarly “wedged” state, appearing to have left quite a few on the platform. At Chorley there were 20 on the platform, and around half decided not to bother. 30 attempted to board at Bolton, with around 10 left behind and we left 8 minutes late. Then followed Manchester Oxford Road, then Piccadilly where we detrained only 8 minutes late leaving quite an empty train to continue to the Airport.

I appreciate TPE are doing their best with trains that were designed for the trans-pennine routes with an average travel trip of around 1 hour, not the 3½ hours to/from Scotland. I know they haven’t any extra trains, and indeed a decision was recently taken by Government not to proceed with the order for extra coaches for their trains due to the announcement of the Liverpool-Manchester electrification due in 2013.

The “history bit”. This route from Manchester to Edinburgh and Glasgow used to be part of the Cross Country franchise operated by Virgin using 4 and 5-coach Voyager trains. When the Cross Country franchise was relet, the DfT wanted to use these Voyager trains to cover London to North Wales services. They “prevailed upon” TPE to add this service to their TPE franchise, 3-coach class 185 units to be used, these having been switched off the Manchester-Hull route, being replaced on that with 2-coach class 170 units, all but one being transferred from South West Trains. Thus the very crowded at weekends 4 and 5-coach trains were replaced by 3-coach trains.

You can see the result. And this wasn’t even a weekend with a special event on. (I’ve actually been on worse in the northbound direction). We hear we’re being encouraged to travel by train by the Government. On this route, I’ve seen no evidence of this encouragement.

As I said at the beginning, it’s a great route and a great train service from some very helpful traincrew. But using it at weekends is not for the faint-hearted. At least make sure you reserve a seat if there’s one available.