Keep up to speed on the questions asked from our Worcester Foregate Street Whistle Stop Tour.
Thank you to everyone who managed to come and speak to us at our Worcester Foregate Street Whistle Stop Tour. If you didn’t manage to get there do not worry, we have compiled some of the most popular questions asked right here for you.
Why don’t you reduce your timetable further to avoid ad hoc cancellations?
We have given this serious consideration. However, due to the split in the Snow Hill Lines route south of Tyseley, if we reduced the timetable below its current level of four trains per hour it would mean some stations would receive only an hourly service.
Why are trains cut short at Worcester Shrub Hill when the demand is at Worcester Foregate Street?
Services may terminate early for a variety of reasons including train faults or issues with the availability of train crew. In the Worcester area, services are typically terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill because both the depot (where trains are housed and repaired), and the train crew depot – (where staff report for duty) are situated there. If a service, which could not continue its journey, was to continue to Worcester Foregate Street, it would block platforms causing significant further disruption. Any decision to terminate a service early is never taken lightly and only as a last resort for the overall benefit of our services as a whole.
What are you doing to manage rail replacement buses and gaps in service of 1hr+ during cold/dark winter nights?
In recent months we have increased the number of bus and coach operators we work with to give us the widest possible selection of companies to help provide road transport when needed. One significant agreement in the Worcester area has been reached with First Bus whose services cover areas of our network where road replacement transport options have previously been limited.
Why don’t you cancel trains off-peak and move the drivers around to protect busy trains?
If we are forced to cancel a service, we always consider the likely impact on customers and try to avoid the most popular trains. When making these decisions we also consider the impact of cancellations on the physical location of our trains and where they need to go next as well as on our staff, who may not be able to change their rostered working pattern at short notice.
If you would like to attend a Whistle Stop Tour event, keep an eye out on our Whistle Stop Tour webpage and our Facebook or Twitter social accounts.