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Author Topic: Night Riviera to be reduced for eight weeks due to engineering work - Jan 2022  (Read 12753 times)
bobm
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« on: January 17, 2022, 14:04:39 »

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Suspension of service
Monday 24 January – Thursday 17 March

Overnight engineering work every Monday to Thursday, Monday 24 January - Thursday 17 March, will see the line between Exeter St David and Teignmouth closed.

During these eight weeks, as part of its plans to improve the resilience of the line between Dawlish and Holcombe, Network Rail will be building a 209-metre extension to the existing rockfall shelter north of Parsons Tunnel.

We always work with Network Rail to minimise the impact of their work. Traditionally, this might mean reducing services at weekends. However, with fewer customers using this service at present due to Covid, carrying out the work during the week will cause less disruption.

Our Night Riviera Sleeper is extremely popular, providing an important link between London and Devon & Cornwall, and we are sorry for the disruption this vital work will cause. We look forward to its completion, when we can welcome back the world-famous Night Riviera Sleeper into full service.
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grahame
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« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2022, 14:42:18 »

In these current times of us not being able to trust what we are told - is the engineering work convenient excuse to save running the sleeper on quieter nights?

The London-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes past midnight
Would a 30 minute earlier departure from Penzance - 20:45 rather than 21:15 and 22:45 rather than 23:15 from Plymouth really make a difference to people?  That would mean it was NOT the last train of the day through Dawlish. Personal sleeper over the years would have welcomed not having to wait around until some late hour.

The Penzance-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes to five in the morning
Would an arrive at Plymouth at 06:30, and Penzance at 08:45, ruin the service? That would put it past Dawlish about an hour later, well after the local service has started.

Even if the last and first local trains are buses, how bad would an 8 p.m. sleeper from Penzance, 10 p.m. from Plymouth, and an 07:30 arrival into Plymouth, 09:30 into Penzance be?
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ChrisB
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« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2022, 15:33:37 »

A hell of a time to reach PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) though….no thanks
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grahame
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« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2022, 15:43:23 »

A hell of a time to reach PAD» (Paddington (London) - next trains) though….no thanks

Ah - but das thumbtwiddlin at Reading which the sleeper already does could be extended, surely, with no change to Paddington arrival time.
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bobm
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« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2022, 16:34:15 »

In these current times of us not being able to trust what we are told - is the engineering work convenient excuse to save running the sleeper on quieter nights?

The London-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes past midnight
Would a 30 minute earlier departure from Penzance - 20:45 rather than 21:15 and 22:45 rather than 23:15 from Plymouth really make a difference to people?  That would mean it was NOT the last train of the day through Dawlish. Personal sleeper over the years would have welcomed not having to wait around until some late hour.

The Penzance-bound train passes Dawlish at 10 minutes to five in the morning
Would an arrive at Plymouth at 06:30, and Penzance at 08:45, ruin the service? That would put it past Dawlish about an hour later, well after the local service has started.

Even if the last and first local trains are buses, how bad would an 8 p.m. sleeper from Penzance, 10 p.m. from Plymouth, and an 07:30 arrival into Plymouth, 09:30 into Penzance be?

Just to note the sleeper only leaves at 21:15 on a Sunday - it is 21:45 the rest of the time.   Leaving an hour earlier but aiming for a same time arrival in London might have an effect on staff hours.
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broadgage
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« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2022, 05:52:28 »

This looks like another attempt at closure by stealth, or if closure cant be achieved at least an attempt to obtain a larger subsidy to keep the service running.

It seems that the sleeper COULD run during the engineering work with relatively minor alterations to the timings, but why bother ? Simpler to just cancel and hope that passengers fly or drive instead, don't worry about the climate emergency that is now last years news.

has the survey been done yet to show that most passengers don't use the sleeper, and that those do would find a not sleeper preferable.
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A proper intercity train has a minimum of 8 coaches, gangwayed throughout, with first at one end, and a full sized buffet car between first and standard.
It has space for cycles, surfboards,luggage etc.
A 5 car DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) is not a proper inter-city train. The 5+5 and 9 car DMUs are almost as bad.
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« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2022, 07:59:11 »

No it doesn’t!
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Jamsdad
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« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2022, 19:31:35 »

I really find this partial suspension illogical, and as a regular sleeper user very very annoying. It would not be a big deal to run a bit earlier, I doubt that may  Cornish sleeper passengers would object to a slightly earlier departure,  or indeed for the down service a slightly later arrival.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2022, 21:15:57 »

As Bobm said, it might well be to do with staffing hours.  I believe they are stretched to near maximum already for the sleeper crews.
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« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2022, 21:32:30 »

As Bobm said, it might well be to do with staffing hours.  I believe they are stretched to near maximum already for the sleeper crews.

At the risk of making a very unpopular suggestion - on these middle-of-the-week days, could the sleeper start from / end at Reading, with passengers able to join early / leave late there rather like as at Paddington, and connect into/outof London on a train to suit there journey.  It's not like having to change in the middle of the night.
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« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2022, 23:14:50 »

As Bobm said, it might well be to do with staffing hours.  I believe they are stretched to near maximum already for the sleeper crews.

At the risk of making a very unpopular suggestion - on these middle-of-the-week days, could the sleeper start from / end at Reading, with passengers able to join early / leave late there rather like as at Paddington, and connect into/outof London on a train to suit there journey.  It's not like having to change in the middle of the night.

The staffing hours might be extended even further if you did that, depending on where the crews were based.
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« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2022, 23:24:09 »

The staffing hours might be extended even further if you did that, depending on where the crews were based.

On reflection, yes, I guess so.  I was thinking of the train hours, but of course the crews aren't necessarily based in the Reading Traincare Depot
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2022, 17:00:42 »

A move to a later arrival in Plymouth Westbound would make it a far more attractive proposition to those visiting the largest & most strategically significant City in the South West.

Just now its arrival is far too early.
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Jamsdad
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« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2022, 19:44:25 »

That make a lot of sense, Plymouth lost out when they stopped detaching one of the sleeper coaches there to allow for a civilised getting up time.The problem would then be maintaining he connection with the Scillonian at Penzance.
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grahame
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« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2022, 20:45:00 »

That make a lot of sense, Plymouth lost out when they stopped detaching one of the sleeper coaches there to allow for a civilised getting up time.The problem would then be maintaining he connection with the Scillonian at Penzance.

Interesting - how much traffic comes off the sleeper to the Scillies (and vice versa?)   I do know that the small islands off Mallaig bring a surprising number of connecting passengers to and from the train, and suspect there could be a similarity.
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