Mid Cornwall Metro - Newquay, St Austell, Truro & Falmouth

[whole diary]

[Noggin]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train.  And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.

1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time

It also raises the ratio of full-fare adults to discounted students/school kids/OAPs

[Witham Bobby]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train.  And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.

1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time

I rearely even consider the Cotswold line services when I travel to London on business.  It's nominally an hourly service, but the days when all the trains run are few.  The thought of cancellation (or amendment to stop short of destination, which is somehow called an amendment, not a cancellation) just puts me off.  "More (newish) trains needing repair"  "shortage of traincrew"  "congestion"  "a fault on this train".  It's just hopeless for anyone with a busy schedule

So it's usually a Chiltern service from Warwick or Oxford for me, and a car journey to get to the station and back

[Witham Bobby]

The entire South West so easily feels constrained in capacity and services. Makes me wonder what the optimum levels of both might be.

Mark

There is a psychology in passenger use of public (rail) transport ... the higher up this list, the more likely people are to take the train.  And I would suspect that where a service frequency moves lots of people's planning from one category to another, it results in a sharp rise in passenger numbers.

1. Just turn up at the station to travel
2. Plan your day and make a minor adjustment to catch the best train
3. Work out your trains, then plan your day around them
4. Look at the trains to see if they work for you
5. Don't even thing about the train - be amazed if it runs at a useable time

I rearely even consider the Cotswold line services when I travel to London on business.  It's nominally an hourly service, but the days when all the trains run are few.  The thought of cancellation (or amendment to stop short of destination, which is somehow called an amendment, not a cancellation) just puts me off.  "More (newish) trains needing repair"  "shortage of traincrew"  "congestion"  "a fault on this train".  It's just hopeless for anyone with a busy schedule

So it's usually a Chiltern service from Warwick or Oxford for me, and a car journey to get to the station and back