Annual timetable changes

[whole diary]

[Zoe]

the coming 'Summer' timetable as compared with the same timetable of 10 years ago.

Why do people keep calling it that?  We stopped doing Summer/Winter timetables in 2004 due to an EU^» (European Union - about) directive.

[RailCornwall]

There really should be a 365 day timetable in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), I know it wont happen for decades but the lack of consistency is annoying. Identical service patterns would be so useful, albeit with some pre 0800 and post 1900 adjustments at weekends.

[willc]

But there isn't a 365-day timetable in the rest of Europe either, eg ski-ing services in the winter, holiday services, motorail, etc in the summer.

In France, SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) still issues what it calls Winter and Summer timetables, running December-start of July and July-December, although the latter contains many trains which only run until the end of August.

[Zoe]

Due to EU^» (European Union - about) law though we can only have a single annual principal timetable change now in December.  The May change is a subsidiary change.

[TerminalJunkie]

Due to EU^» (European Union - about) law though we can only have a single annual principal timetable change now in December.

Which EU Law would that be, then?

[Zoe]

Which EU^» (European Union - about) Law would that be, then?

Directive 2001/14/EC.

[vacman]

It's a load of crap, basicly the timetable should be like it used to be, summer being late May bank holiday to the end of September and winter the rest of the time as changes to the services are required in most parts of the country to cater for summer flows, if we had a 365 day timetable then there would be loads of dated trains which do actually confuse lots of people!

[Zoe]

It's a load of crap, basicly the timetable should be like it used to be, summer being late May bank holiday to the end of September and winter the rest of the time as changes to the services are required in most parts of the country to cater for summer flows, if we had a 365 day timetable then there would be loads of dated trains which do actually confuse lots of people!

I agree with you on this but unfortunately the EU^» (European Union - about) did not.  I can't see it ever going back to the old system now.

[RailCornwall]

No I think you misunderstand me Trains should run as timetabled throughout, if it can be done in Switzerland between 0800 - 1900 then the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) can do it as well. It'd give much more choice at weekends. I don't want dated trains at all in timetables. It might actually get the country moving too.

[Btline]

Another reason to leave the EU^» (European Union - about).

What right do Brussels have to tell us when to change our timetable? NR^» (Network Rail - home page)/ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) should decide on a format that is most beneficial to Britain.

[Zoe]

NR^» (Network Rail - home page)/ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) should decide on a format that is most beneficial to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

NR/ATOC have no say over Northern Ireland.

[TerminalJunkie]

Which EU^» (European Union - about) Law would that be, then?

Directive 2001/14/EC.

Does that directive (which, by the way, is not an 'EU Law', unless you've been reading the Daily Mail) actually specify the change shall be in December?

Annex III suggests not:

ANNEX III

Schedule for the allocation process

1. The working timetable shall be established once per calendar year.

2. The change of working timetable shall take place at midnight on the last Saturday in May. Where a change or adjustment is carried out after the summer it shall take place at midnight on the last Saturday in September each year and at such other intervals between these dates as are required. Infrastructure managers may agree on different dates and in this case they shall inform the Commission thereof.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Which EU^» (European Union - about) Law would that be, then?

Directive 2001/14/EC.

Does that directive (which, by the way, is not an 'EU Law', unless you've been reading the Daily Mail) actually specify the change shall be in December?

Annex III suggests not:

ANNEX III

Schedule for the allocation process

1. The working timetable shall be established once per calendar year.

2. The change of working timetable shall take place at midnight on the last Saturday in May. Where a change or adjustment is carried out after the summer it shall take place at midnight on the last Saturday in September each year and at such other intervals between these dates as are required. Infrastructure managers may agree on different dates and in this case they shall inform the Commission thereof.

Sorry, TerminalJunkie (and John R, for going off-topic again), but that original wording in the directive was amended - see http://www.unece.org/trans/main/ter/terdocs/l_28920021026en00300030.pdf 



Edit note:  Just for clarity, I've now split these particular posts into this new topic, rather than leave them competing with IndustryInsider's excellent summary of the changes in services in the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) area over the past 10 years, at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=4587.0 

[stebbo]

So the EU^» (European Union - about) interferes in domestic train timetables, does it? I know a way for Alistair Darling to save ^40million per day.....

Get some serious track upgrades for a fraction of that.

[RailCornwall]

Rightly so, So that international timetabling providers and bookers (such as DBAHN's excellent one) can change once a year. Makes things much easier.