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News Archive for 2009
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New
Year's Eve
The last trains on
our line on the evening of 31 December will be the 19:51 from
Manchester Piccadilly
(Davenport 20:09) to Buxton and the 20:27 from Buxton (Davenport
21:08) to Manchester Piccadilly.
Congratulations
Heidi Mottram,
Managing Director of Northern Rail, as been awarded the OBE for
services to the rail industry. We understand she will be leaving the
railway in March to take up a new job as Chief Executive of the
Northumbrian Water company - 31
December
Sunday
27 December: reduced train services
The bad old days are with us again: Northern Rail
announce, at short notice, that they will be "operating an
amended timetable or bus replacement service on some routes in the
North West on Sunday 27 December due to a shortage of available
conductors."
The first train to Manchester from Davenport will be at 09:59 and from
Manchester to Davenport, the last train will depart Manchester
Piccadilly at 19:52.
The following services will be entirely replaced by buses, running
times unknown: Manchester – Blackburn and Clitheroe, Liverpool –
Manchester Airport via Earlestown, Liverpool – Manchester via
Warrington, Manchester – Chester via Altrincham, Manchester –
Manchester Airport stopping services, Manchester – Chinley – Sheffield
local trains.
As far as we know, Stagecoach buses are running
their normal Sunday service.
New
Houses on Oakfield Road
Work has begun on the construction of two 'dwelling
houses' on Oakfield Road opposite the garages. To see what they will
look like, visit the Stockport
Planning
database - 24 December
Christmas
trains (or lack of)
No trains will run in our area on 25 or 26 December, and
on 24 and 31 December, services will finish early. The last trains on
our line on the two 'eves' will be the 19:51 from Manchester Piccadilly
(Davenport 20:09) to Buxton and the 20:27 from Buxton (Davenport
21:08) to Manchester Piccadilly. There are also some bus replacements
for the last trains of the day in each direction between Christmas and
New Year.
Buses: For New Year's Eve revellers, Stagecoach
Bus Route 192 Manchester - Hazel Grove will have a 'special
service' running until 04:00. Route 192 will also operate on Boxing Day
and New Year's Day, although no
other local bus routes through Davenport will be running on
these two Saturdays. There are trains on New Year's Day,
though.
Above, Davenport station on the morning of 20 December.
Trains have kept running pretty well though the recent snowfalls,
although signalling problems are reported on the Bolton-Preston line on
22 December. Always check the live
departures. In the case of Hazel Grove - Preston trains, you need
to check the incoming train to Hazel Grove that calls at Davenport an
hour earlier to see if it is on its way from Preston, as Hazel Grove -
Preston trains do not get their actual time recorded until they leave
Hazel Grove. - 22 December
Advice:
If you are heading to Manchester for the Christmas Market,
etc. we strongly advise you
to catch the trains at xx.37 from Davenport, which start from
Hazel Grove, rather than those from Buxton which can become extremely
crowded.
New
timetable: New
timetables began nationally
on 13 December 2009. There are only a few changes on our line (see below), but do check the Journey Planner
before travelling.
Electrification
mania: Transport
Minister Lord Adonis, in recent announcements, has outlined plans for
electrification of several lines in the North West:
Liverpool - Manchester via Rainhill
Preston - Manchester via Bolton
Huyton - Wigan
Preston - Blackpool
The Minister's
statement is available on the Parliament website. What it means for
us is that we will have to put up with gross overcrowding of the
present diesel trains until about 2014, as a proposed order for new
diesels for us has been cancelled. Second-hand electric trains will
work the new electric services, this freeing up more diesels for other
lines such as to Buxton, and the Stockport - Hazel Grove
electrification, currently almost disused, can be brought back into
play.
Very nice, but we need extra trains
now. On Sunday morning 13 December conditions on the trains into
Manchester we disgraceful, with 100 or so people standing on a 2-car
train. We rang Northern Rail who assured us that every available
carriage was in service, so ... hard cheese, basically. - 14 December
The
Friends
of Cale Green Park present:
CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK
Sunday 6th December, Cale Green Park, 1:00pm – 4:30pm
ELMFIELD BRASS BAND • Tea, Coffee & Homemade Cakes • Face Painting
• Craft Stalls •Tree of Wishes • Tree of Light
Special Attraction: Rudolf the Rodeo Reindeer (Seasonal Rodeo Ride)
Join us for a seasonal Sunday afternoon in the park. Listen to the
band playing, sing Christmas carols, enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of
home made cake, make a wish, buy a raffle ticket and/or buy something
from the Craft Stalls.
Sponsored by Cale Green Park Residents’ Association and Community
Foundation for Greater Manchester (Grassroots Fund)
New in our Local History section
We have a new feature based on the
account book of 'The Alders', a house which once stood on The
Crescent in Davenport, including a complete replica of all the entries
which cover the period 1899-1917. It was the home of the four unmarried
daughters of Henry Coppock, Stockport's first Town Clerk. - 20 November
New timetable available
The new timetable for our line, effective from 13 December, can now be
found in PDF format on the Network
Rail
website. Changes are fairly minimal: the annoyances for
Davenport passengers, such as the shortage of evening through trains
from Oxford Road, still remain, as does the departure time for
Manchester at 14:05 when all the others are at xx:07 or 08. Indeed, an
additional trap has been introduced, in that the 16:37 is moved to
16:35.
One change which is noticeable is that the railway no longer provides a
train at 15:47 from Buxton, which has been a long-standing commitment
for the use of schoolchildren. Since the introduction of the Class 180s
on the Hazel Grove service, this has been achieved by terminating the
15:47 from Buxton at Hazel Grove, with passengers changing there to the
16:33 180-worked train to Preston. The 16:04 Hazel Grove to Barrow has
been run by a train arriving empty at Hazel Grove from the the
Stockport direction, and the train from the 15:47 from Buxton has
waited in Hazel Grove sidings before heading off empty to Stockport
later.
From 14 December, the equivalent train will start from Buxton 20
minutes earlier at 15:27, in the standard pattern, and continue through
to Barrow, departing Hazel Grove at 16:04, removing the need for the
two empty movements. Much simpler for the railway, but any schoolkids
who cannot make the 15:27 will have to wait at Buxton until 16:25. - 14 November
Stations Made Easy
The National Rail Website now includes, in its information for each
station, a map and pictures intended to assist people of restricted
mobility in judging whether they can use the station. Go to their stations
page, search for the station you want and select 'Stations made
Easy, from the options.
Here is a link to Davenport's
page: the problem with this kind of information is maintaining it
accurately for so many stations. For example, Davenport's waiting room
'automatic doors' have not been automatic for many months now and show
no sign of being repaired - not that a wheelchair-bound person could
ever get from the street as far as the waiting room. The Manchester
platform is totally inaccessible by wheelchair, even with help; there
was some discussion at one time about making a extra way in, possibly
from the Crescent Close area, but this is unlikely ever to occur. (The
Manchester-bound platform at nearby Woodsmoor does have have level
access, by a rather devious route.) - 10
November
Metrolink news (updated)
Metrolink trams in the City Centre are now back to normal
operation.
Steam alert!
A steam-hauled charter train 'The Tin Bath' will be passing (non-stop)
through
Davenport station on Sunday morning 18 October, scheduled to pass
Stockport at 11:48 on the way to Sheffield. It will be double-headed by
two 'Black 5' locomotives 45231 and 45407. The train runs in a circular
route from Manchester Victoria, and will not pass our way on the return
trip. More
timing details.
'Leaf Fall Timetable' from 5 October
Monday 5 October is the 'first day of autumn' in railway terms, which
means some slight changes to the timetable on our line until 12
December. Trains will be leaving Buxton generally five minutes earlier
than normal, and running slightly earlier from stations down to Hazel
Grove, to allow for possible 'adhesion problems' due to leaves on the
line. Times at Davenport station are unchanged (in theory, at least...)
Arrival times at Buxton will also be a few minutes later than
previously. Oddly, no allowance is made for the existence of the large
trees overhanging the line in the Davenport area: let us hope that the
special Rail Head Treatment Train, which will be running each day to
clear the rails, does its job well.
Ride for Ryder in Stockport 19 September
Sue Ryder Care is encouraging
you to cycle into Stockport’s historic Market Place for a fun day out
on Saturday 19 September
from 11am - 3pm, organised by Stockport Market Traders
Federation with support from Stockport Council.
Cyclists arriving at St
Petersgate Bridge will receive a certificate as thanks for
participation and be able to enjoy a fun-filled day that will include a
Dr Bike cycle doctor, Danny Zapparelli’s cycle circus, bicycle security
marking by the local police and much more, in addition to enjoying
Stockport’s traditional market, the Underbanks area and Stockport’s
town centre.
Cycle fitness fundraising
activities will include 'How far can you cycle in a minute?' with
support from Decathlon Stockport and a spin class provided by Stockport
Sports Trust.
Ride the Goostrey Music Train (next event)
On Wednesday 14 October, well-known local 'folkie' Geoff Higginbottom
will be performing traditional and contemporary folk music on the 19:04
train from Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe as far as Goostrey. The train
will call at Levenshulme (19:09), Heaton Chapel (19:12),
Stockport (19:16), Cheadle Hulme (19:20), Handforth (19:24), Wilmslow
(19:27), Alderley Edge (19:30) and Chelford (19:34), before arriving at
Goostrey. The music then continues at the Red Lion pub, Goostrey,
before returning on the 22:01 departure from Goostrey back to
Manchester Piccadilly.
Geoff Higginbotham's style is described as 'very varied encompassing
traditional and contemporary folk played on guitar with an emphasis on
crowd participation'.
No need to book in advance – just buy a return ticket to Goostrey (if 2
of you are travelling together you can save money with Northern Rail’s
‘duo’ ticket offer). For further details, please contact 0161 218
1515 or 07800 618 147.
Metrolink (finally)
running to Altrincham again
'Metrolink services on the
Altrincham line are now operating
in full, following the completion of work to repair damage to overhead
power equipment between Timperley and Navigation Road.'
'Services to two stops - Altrincham Interchange and Navigation Road -
had been suspended following a mechanical fault on Wednesday 1
September, but trams
are now running on the full length of the line to St Peter’s Square
every 12 minutes.'
The expected re-opening of the lines in the Cuty Centre between St
Peters Square, Piccadilly and Victoria is now said to be Novermber
2009. - 8 September
No trams to Altrincham
For the whole of August, Metrolink are suspending their Manchester -
Altrincham and Eccles services (details),
as well the the existing closure of the
city centre stations. Bus replacement services will be running, and it
is worth noting that Navigation Road and Altrincham stations can be
reached by an hourly train from Stockport. It is hoped that these
trains will be expanded to four coaches for the duration of the work.
Bus news
Assorted changes to the local bus network: as usual Stagecoach have
adopted their summer schedule on route 378, with some buses running
slightly earlier at intermediate points.
Route 372, Stockport - Woodsmoor - Bramhall North Park Road, which is a
'tendered' service paid for by the Passenger Transport Authority, has
passed from Stagecoach to Bakerbus of Biddulph, Staffordshire, who also
took over the Stockport - Poynton - Macclesfield earlier this year.
See the GMPTE website
for details.
Not mentioned here before is that daytime journeys on Route 374, Hazel
Grove - Stockport via Davenport, now run through to and from Reddis,
calling at the other end of Stockport town centre for Sainsbury's etc.
However, fare-paying passengers for Sainsbury's and Tesco will find it
much cheaper (after 09:30) to travel to Stockport station by train from
Davenport and use the free Stockport Shuttle bus which departs from
Stockport station entrance. - 27 July
Retro Railtours news
Our friends at Railtours are running an excursion to Ravenglass and
Carlisle on 29 August, which picks up at Manchester Victoria (08:50)
and is planned for haulage by two Class 20 diesel locos. A premier
Dining option is available, which includes a First Class seat,
breakfast and a 3-course evening meal.
See the Retro
Railtours website for details. -
27 July
New local website
The Friends of Hallam Gardens, a support group for one of our local
parks, now have
their own website, which is well worth a visit. - 8 July
Engineering work disruptions
All trains are running on the Buxton line on Sunday 14 June, but there are some
changes to times: in particular, trains may leave Buxton earlier than
normal. A PDF timetable is available
from
Northern
Rail.
On Sunday 21 June, a different
revised timetable will apply, with the first two morning trains
replaced by buses over the Stockport - Manchester section. Timetable
available.
On Sunday 28 June, there will
be a different timetable again! This time the first four trains of the
day will be replaced by buses over the Hazel Grove - Manchester section
(Timetable
here.)
On Saturdays 20 and 27 June,
the 22:56 Buxton - Manchester (23:36 at Davenport) train will terminate
at Stockport with a bus connection forward.
From Monday to Thursday, 22 to 25 June,
the
last
train
of
the
day
from
Buxton
will
be
replaced
by
a
bus
between
Hazel
Grove
and Manchester, calling at Davenport 23:49.
The above shows the planned situation as of 14 June: things may change
- do check the Journey Planner of the Northern Rail Engineering page if
travelling at the above times! Note:
Northern
Rail
have
officially
informed
us
(see
item
below)
that Davenport's replacement bus stops
are the ones at Cale Green Park. If you have any trouble with buses
stopping elsewhere, please let us know so we can pass on the
information to Northern. - 14 June
Steam Train operator ceases trading
Past-Time
Rail inform us on 4 June:
'This
is
to
notify
you
that
for
reasons
beyond
our
control,
we
have
had
to
cease
trading
and are regrettably in
the process of appointing a Liquidator who will be writing in the next
7-10 days,to those of you who had current bookings. Most passengers who have paid by Credit
Card will be able to claim a refund from the Credit Card Company in due
course. We anticipate that the refund will only be processed
after the
Liquidation has commenced in a few weeks time. If you paid by
Debit
Card or cheque you will become a Creditor.
'Our offices are now closed.
We have traded for many years and many
passengers have travelled with us. We are truly sorry for the
disappointment and any inconvenience caused by this sad news. In
the
circumstances there was unfortunately no more that we could do.'
Among the trains now cancelled, unless they are picked up by another
operator, are the 'Buxton Spa Express' excursrions scheduled to pass
through Davenport, and the 'Cotton Mill Express' regular day trips from
Manchester Victoria.
Bus stops -
Northern Rail
replied to our letter (below):
Thank you for your e-mail, which I received recently. The pick up and
drop of points for Davenport are as follows: For Hazel Grove the bus
stop is on Bramhall Lane opposite the entrance to Cale Green Park. The
bus stop for Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly is located on Bramhall
Lane adjacent to the entrance to Cale Green Park.
I have passed your comments to Ms. J Clayton in our marketing dept. She
will consider your request.
[That's all ... so far]
A Letter sent to
Northern Rail
1 June 2009.
Dear Customer Relations,
I have raised the following issue with local management and also at
'meet the manager' sessions yet nothing has been done, perhaps you can
help by passing it on to someone who might take action.
It is quite common for bus replacement services to operate between
Manchester and Hazel Grove line stations, on Sundays or late at night
on weekdays - this week we have both.
However, adequate information is not provided to passengers about these
buses and where to catch them.
At Davenport, a timetable is posted on a noticeboard that very few
passengers pass when the station is not staffed, as it is located
between the two entrances to the station. No information at all is
provided about which bus stops are served by the buses at Davenport:
there are stops both north and south of the station. Which one is for
the railway bus? The timetable poster states that this information is
on the 'Making the Railway Simple' poster at the station - but this is
not the case.
As for Woodsmoor station, where the buses go nowhere near the station,
as they run direct along Bramhall Lane, the information is given on the
'make it simple' poster there outside the ticket office, but this is
very hard to find, especially if travelling towards Buxton.
Can I suggest that when you produce a timetable poster for buses,
simple details of the stopping points should simply be included at the
bottom of the same poster, and indeed on all timetables for use when
required, and that these posters are prominently displayed on each
platform of unstaffed stations, even if it means covering up the clever
railcard advertising. (First North Western, your predecessors, did do
this.)
I am a regular user of, and supporter of, your services, and am
generally very pleased with them, but I do think this issue needs to be
dealt with as a matter of urgency. Getting left behind by the bus
replacing the last train of the day would not be an experience anyone
would want.
I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
Charlie Hulme
Festival on the Mid-Cheshire Line, 31 May
On Sunday 31 May our friends on the Stockport - Knutsford - Chester
line are organising a family day of fun centred on their trains and
stations. The Mid Cheshire Line Festival celebrates the UK's Community
Rail Month with live bands and musicians on the 11.08 and 13.08
departures from Chester to Plumley and the 11.47 and 13.47 departures
from Altrincham to Delamere.
Music ranging from folk, jazz, blues and traditional will continue
until late afternoon at the Golden Pheasant Inn at Plumley and at Delamere Forest's Visitor Centre, where
there will also be face painting for the kids - and then more music on
the trains back to Chester and Altrincham.
More details on the Mid-Cheshire
line
website.
Report on recent public events
report by Charlie Hulme
With Mr Cain of the Friends of Davenport Station, I attended the
morning
Transport seminar run by GMITA (Greater Manchester Integrated Transport
Authority) on Monday 11 May.
Short presentations were given by people from the various transport
companies, including (pictured above) Lee
Wasnidge, Northern's new Area Director, West (front) and Paul Salveson, head of community and
regional strategies (next to him.) They are clearly (and rightly in my
view) proud of Northern Rail's recent performance, while apologising
for the very bad time at the start of the new timetable during the
winter. Punctuality and reliability is looking good with the parameters
which have been forced on then: four-coach trains on peak time Buxton
trains have become more common recently, although there is a
worrying tendency for little 'Pacers' to appear on Hazel Grove trains.
After the meeting, which was conducted much better by the new Chairman
of GMITA than previous events, I asked them if there is any possibility
of improvements in December 2009 to the evening timetables for
Davenport passengers, in particular the lack of through trains from
Oxford Road in the evenings, but they were not encouraging. They
suggested we should press Stockport Council to make representations.
I was also able to 'have a go' at the head of Metrolink (who has come
from Australia to take up the role.) I asked him why the timetabled
departure times of all trams are not posted at stations, which would be
especially helpful to people who were making connections with trains.
He was very dismissive insisting that they prefer to work on a
'headway' system and that is OK because there will always be a tram
along in 'a few minutes.' I couldn't make him understand that when
travelling from Stretford to Davenport in the evenings I have to allow
12 minutes longer than I would if I knew the departure time of the tram.
Watch the GMITA website
for the dates of further public meetings.
Saturday 16 May saw me on
the Buxton
Line 'Folk Train.' The 'Klemzmer Kollective'
were playing on the train departing Davenport at 12:09. For this
train Northern had provided a single two-car Class 150 train, of which
the band and their instruments were occupying one bay of seats. As a
result, a number of passengers had to stand for a good part of the
journey - and personally the long instrumental works didn't do much for
me. I have enjoyed the evening trains to Goostrey, which run at a
less-busy time with a longer (Class 323 electric) train; I wonder if
lunchtime is really the best time for this on a busy line such as ours.
The idea was that the bands would play on the train and then in The Dome, Buxton (the old Devonshire
Hospital dome, now part of the University campus) near the
station, where a 'Community Rail Day' was being held. This consisted of
a few stands with people sitting at them with leaflets etc., and a
smattering of visitors. By the time I had visited all the stand twice,
the band or bands had not started playing as promised, so I left. Two
things, however, rescued the event from my point of view: (a) I hadn't
realised that The Dome (a remarkable piece of architecture) includes a
public café, and (b) I find that I have won the free draw
organised by Northern Rail for a free ticket to anywhere in their
network!
Next: Sunday 17 May to the
grounds of Quarry Bank Mill, Styal where Northern Rail had a stand at
Victorian Day.
This coincided with the introduction of a train service
(very two hours) for Styal station on Sundays and the launch of a new
line-guide for Crewe-Manchester line featuring discounts at attractions
including Quarry Bank Mill. 2009 is the centenary year of the Styal
line.
The 'heritage
bus' which met trains at Styal station turned out to be one of the
early experimental Seddon 'midibuses' which were used on the
short-lived circular service 376 in the 1970s, a circular route from
Hazel Grove station to the Five Ways area via various residential roads
whose residents campaigned against it as it might run over their kids.
Similar vehicles ran on the original Manchester Centreline service.
Again, visitors to the railway side of the event, including
some interesting displays by the Hazel Grove Model Railway Society and
other local enthusiasts, were thin on the ground, as were passengers on
the bus. These community events are a great idea, but somehow
people in this area are reluctant to venture out without their cars.
(The athletics even in Deansgate on the same day probably didn't help
this one, either.)
Styal's newly-restored Garden was looking good...
Passenger train up the 'Midland Line'
The Mid Cheshire Rail Users
Association 'Great Eastern Express' excursion from Chester to
Peterborough
on 9 May provided the rare sight of a passenger train on the line from
Northenden to Hazel Grove High-level Junction, passing under Bramhall
Lane along the Davenport / Bramhall boundary. The picture, kindly
supplied by Greg Mape, shows
the morning train, with a Class 67 diesel each end, passing the old
station at Cheadle, now a pub and restaurant, the Cheshire Line Tavern;
in the background, occupying the old goods yard and shed, is the Golden
Days Garden Centre. The line is normally used only by trains carrying
limestone products from the Peak District.
Middlewood Way Closure
Cheshire East Council inform us that 'The Middlewood Way will be closed
to all users from Poynton Coppice car park to Middlewood Railway
Station from Monday 11th of May for approximately 10 weeks for major
surfacing works. During this period there will be no access to
walkers/cyclists or horse riders. We are sorry for any inconvenience
caused.'
Walkers will still be able to use the path from the station up to the
canal to reach Higher Poynton, but cyclists are going to have more
difficulty; however we are assured that the exit from the station
to Middlewood Road, along the path by the old station house, will
remain
available during the work, so cycles can be walked along here and
ridden along the road to Poynton Coppice to re-join the Way. - 9 May
'Jolly Sailor' reborn
Davenport's local pub, the Jolly Sailor, after a period of uncertainty
in which the lease was for sale, re-opens on 21 April after a quick
refurbishment. We are promised a 'grand reopening party' at 7pm on
Tuesday 21 April. Let's hope the people of Davenport continue to
support what is one of our very few community facilities.
On the subject of alcohol: most noticeable at the moment is the sheer
number of outlets in Davenport now competing to sell us the stuff to
take home (not to drink in the street, or on the station, the
shopkeepers will no doubt assure us.). In the main shopping area on
Bramhall Lane we have CostCutter, Spar and tastefully-named Bargain
Booze. Then opposite the station we have the St George's Convenience
Store (or Deane's Newsagent as us oldies still think of it). Down by
the Jolly Sailor, cut-throat competition has broken out between the old
Post Office, which now sells strong drink as well as grocery items, and
the Thresher Off-Licence next door, which has now hit back by branching
out into selling bread, milk, etc. If you want to have a haircut, then
go home and get drunk, Davenport is the place for you .... - 20 April
One to avoid
Passengers on Platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly attempt to board the
overcrowded 2-coach 16:21 to Buxton on Wednesday 15 April. Your
reporter, as well as the two ladies with pushchairs and children, were
unable to board and were left behind to wait half an hour for the
16:51, which starts from Platform 11 and has plenty of room in its four
coaches.
Bus cutbacks
Some changes to Stagecoach Manchester's bus routes in our area from 19
April include the reduction of route 378 Bramhall - Stockport from four
to three per hour; now that the Government 'kick-start'
funding has run out. Patronage has increased since the service was
increased from two per hour, but revenue will only justify three per
hour.
Also, Stagecoach has lost the Cheshire County Council contract to run
route 191, with the
result that the peak hour through 191 services from Middlewood via
Hazel Grove and the A6 to Manchester will no longer run, the route now
being Stockport - Middlewood only all day, run by Baker Bus of
Staffordshire (!) and re-numbered 391, with still no Sunday service.
Meet the Manager
Northern Rail managers will be
on hand at Hazel Grove station on Tuesday 7 April from 16:00 to 18:00
to listen to your comments on the train service.... and no doubt people
will have comments to make (assuming they get back from work in time
with the limited train service.)
Metrolink tram shutdown
There will be no Metrolink Tram service between Manchester Piccadilly
and Victoria or St Peters Square from 6 April for several months,
while the tracks are re-laid. A wholly inadequate bus service
will be on offer, but for most travellers the normal free buses from
outside Piccadilly station, or a train to Deansgate, will be a better
bet. There is an information
leaflet (PDF) from Metrolink.
Timetable trials and tribulations
The timetable inflicted on our line from December 2008 is
unsatisfactory in many ways, including the fact that their attempt at a
'clockface' timetable includes tricks to catch out the unwary. One
little trick is that the trains from Buxton to Manchester Piccadilly
during the daytime off-peak call at Davenport at 08 minutes past the
hour, except one which leaves three minutes earlier at 14:05! Why, we
have no idea, but don't be caught out.
Another absurdity occurs on Saturdays. A train, outside the normal
pattern, leaves Manchester Piccadilly at 17:09 for Hazel Grove. Useful,
you might think, except that it stops in platform zero at Stockport for
about ten minutes, and then does not
stop at Davenport or Woodsmoor! When it finally leaves Stockport
at 17:32 it is only three minutes in front of the 17:21 from Manchester
which does call here. Weird.
Under pressure from passengers, a small change has been made to the
Monday - Friday timetable, in that the 16:23 from Preston, which calls
at Oxford Road at 17:19 and Piccadilly at 17:23, now calls at Hazel
Grove instead of running non-stop from Stockport to Disley. Jolly good
for the people of Hazel Grove, but still no help for Davenport
passengers who still have no through train from Deansgate or Oxford
Road for two hours during the evening peak.
'Integrated transport' news
We understand that the Greater
Manchester Integrated Transport Authority (as we now have to call
the PTA) have been discussing the problems with the new timetable with
the railway companies. Let us hope that Councillor White, who is a
member of the Authority as well as a Davenport councillor, has been
able to get something done about the faults in the timetable for our
line.
Here is an extract from the minutes of their Network Committee minutes
for February 2009:
Northern Rail explained that a
number of operational difficulties were experienced in introducing the
new timetable. These included a lack of time to provide training to
maintenance and train crew staff on those additional train units that
had been introduced to operate revised and expanded services was a
major factor in the poor delivery of the new timetable. For example, on
15 December, 123 trains were cancelled by Northern Rail due to crew
shortages.
A large number of passenger complaints had been received by Northern
Rail, 1944 in the 3 weeks to 3 January 2009, compared to 430 in the
corresponding period a year earlier. A significant proportion referred
to services north of Bolton and on the Hazel Grove/ Buxton route.
Given that the new timetable was designed to ensure that services were
reliable and robust, a Member requested greater information as to the
causes of those problems experienced. In response, the Interim Service
Delivery Director undertook to discuss the matter with senior Northern
Rail officials and write to Members with a detailed response.
Members commented that by identifying the root causes of those problems
experienced with the introduction of the December 2008 timetable,
provision may be made in the December 2009 timetable to address such
problems.
On the live music train to
Goostrey
On Thursday 19 March, we had a very enjoyable evening on the Crewe line
'music train,' The Andrews Brothers performed Country
and Folk songs, with some fine guitar work, on the 19:04 ordinary
service train from Manchester Piccadilly
to Crewe as far as Goostrey. This
train calls at Stockport at 19:17, making a good conection with the
19:08 from Davenport. Two of us were
travelling together, so we save 25% off the cost of your journey with
a Duo ticket. Buying a ticket was problematic; as is so common these
days the train conductor did not come through the train on leaving
Davenport so we had to pay at the bottom of the stairs at Stockport,
with just a few minutes for the connection, but we did make it. - 24 March
On arrival at Goostrey, we all walked to the very pleasant Red Lion
pub, a
short 7-8 minute walk from the station, where food is available if
desired, and listed to the band again (and won a Wayfarer ticket in the
free raffle!) before returning on the 22:05
departure from Goostrey, with live music playing again. Not
such a good connection back from Stockport to Davenport,
unfortunately. We walked home, but other options might be to stay on to
Manchester and listen to more music before returning on the last Buxton
train, or some might want to join and leave the train at Cheadle Hulme
station. There is no charge for a music, except that a hat is passed
round in the pub for donations to the band.
More details at the Crewe
to
Manchester community rail website. The next Folk Train
will be on 16 April. Highly recommended; Thursday evening Folk Trains also
take place on the Glossop line.
The idea has been tried on the Davenport line, but on Saturday
lunchtimes, which somehow seems a less appropriate time to be drinking
beer and enjoying folk music.
Steam train - 29 March
A steam excursion train hauled by locos 76079 and 45407 will (we hope!) be passing through
Davenport on Sunday 29 March on the way to Penistone. It comes
our way in the outward direction only, and will take the curve at Hazel
Grove on to the Sheffield line. Some times to hand: Manchester
Victoria d 11.10, Stockport pass 11.43, Hazel Grove
pass 11.51, Chinley North Jc pass 12.10, Hathersage a
12.30 d 12.32 Sheffield a 12.58. The operator is Past-Time Rail.
NO Steam Train
through Davenport on 15 March...
Passengers who had booked on Past-Time Rail's 'Buxton
Spa
Express' steam-hauled excursion this year from Manchester
Victoria to Buxton, advertised for Sunday 15 March, received a letter
on 11 March informing them that the the train has been cancelled due to
insufficient bookings.
Further runs are scheduled for Sundays 12 July and 29 November, and
passengers have been offered places on these. Better luck next
time, perhaps. - 12 March
'Spotlight on Davenport'
Good to see the customised newspaper from the Passenger Transport
Executive which came through all our letterboxes the other day: it is
just the kind of thing that's needed. We enjoyed the little story by
their reporter Bill Lancashire, obviously keen on the Plain English
writing style:
It was just after 10 o'clock in
the morning when I walked onto the platform at Davenport station and I
thought to myself, "Well, this is very neat and tidy, but where is
everyone? Why is it so deserted?" Then the passengers started to
arrive. They knew that the next train to Manchester was at 8 minutes
past and all of a sudden there was quite a knot of people gathered. It
was then I realised just what a popular little station it was. I only
had time to speak to a few of them before the train arrived - bang on
time - and before I knew it, I had the station to myself again.
No wonder it is so popular, because during the 'rush hour' there are
trains to Manchester every quarter of an hour or so, while throughout
the rest of the day they run about every half hour. Best of all, it
only takes around 19 minutes before you're stepping off in Piccadilly.
Try to do that in your car! It's such good value too. An off-peak
return to Stockport costs only £1.20, and to Manchester only
£2.60, which is a lot less than it can cost to park your car in
town. Many trains continue through Piccadilly to Oxford Road,
Deansgate, Salford and some as far as Bolton and Preston, while heading
in the other direction you can go to Hazel Grove and all the way to
Buxton.
Very good: if a pity there are not a few more trains in the evening
'rush hour' ... and we would advise discerning passengers to eschew the
'8 minutes past' train, which is very often crowded with people from
the Buxton direction, and aim for the '37 minutes past' ones which
start from Hazel Grove during the day.
Also "... the station also has its own website..." - fame at last! - 27 February
Cheshire Day Ranger improved
One thing that we learned from Spotlight
is that the Cheshire Day Ranger ticket, introduced last year but not
valid on our line, has now had its range greatly improved and includes
the whole of the Buxton line as well as some other stations in Cheshire
that were missed originally. For £18 (£9 children,
£11.90 railcard holders, £3.40 for children travelling with
family railcard holders) you can spend a day (outside the Mon-Fri
morning peak) travelling at will, as far as Stoke-on Trent, Shotton and
New Brighton. travelling.
Full details on the Northern
Rail
website.- 27 February
Welcome to Ken, our new
regular stationmaster at Davenport station.
Model Railway Show in Chapel-en-le-Frith
A good excuse for a scenic train ride is the Model Railway Exhibition at Chapel
High school, Long Lane, Chapel-en-le-Frith on Saturday 21 and Sunday 22
February from 10am to 5pm each day. There will be around 20 working
layouts together with demos, Mamod display, Night Riviera photographic
display and several traders. Also, Buxton model engineers are
putting on a display of 'big stuff'. Refreshments are available
and it is on the level so no problem for the disabled. Admission
is £4 Adult & £2.50 concessions. The organisers
make donations to various local charities every year from proceeds and
support Blythe House
hospice.
The off-peak day return fare to Chapel from Davenport is £6.10,
but two adults can travel together using a 'Northern Duo' fare for just
£9.10. The exhibition venue is easy to reach from the station,
about 10 minutes walk down the lane towards the town. There's a train
every hour on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are valid for break of
journey, so you could book to Buxton for £7.40 return (11.10 for
a Duo) and call at the exhibition on the way, before or after
visiting the restaurants and other attractions of Buxton. - 19 February