{"id":3933,"date":"2024-03-15T02:31:06","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T02:31:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/who-would-want-to-run-a-train-company\/"},"modified":"2024-03-15T02:31:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T02:31:06","slug":"who-would-want-to-run-a-train-company","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/camcab.co.uk\/who-would-want-to-run-a-train-company\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Would Want To Run A Train Compa+ny?"},"content":{"rendered":"
One Man Would …<\/span><\/p>\n For the moment we go back a bit. One of the early principles of rail privatisation was that competition should be allowed, nay encouraged, to bring down prices and lift standards – just like it had in the bus industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n You are permitted to laugh like a drain – although fbb has to confess he has neither seen nor heard a drain in a titter let alone convulsive guffaws.<\/p>\n fbb will not be too concerned about the detailed history of Open Access but wll cover three such operations that he experienced first hand.<\/p>\n London Crosslink<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There were six daily departures Monday to Saturday and five on Sundays. Below is an extract of the timetable, showing the service offered on weekdays heading eastbound:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The train was almost empty.<\/span><\/p>\n Wrexham and Shropshire<\/span><\/p>\n fbb’s journey was to the Bus and Coach exhibition at the NEC Birmingham.\u00a0 On the outward journey the train passed through Birmingham International without stopping and was not allowed to serve New Street. The Birmingham stop was at Aston from where fbb caught a local train back to International.<\/p>\n The same process was followed on the return journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n The staff on the train back to Marylebone were amazed as fbb (and chum) were he first pax they had ever picked up at Aston. On the return, the train stopped at International for ten minutes but the doors were kept locked!<\/p>\n The staff were so-o-o-o committed and attentive and the grub was superb – all “boil in thr bag” but truly delicious …<\/p>\n Of course, in order to promote competition (see above), the regulator prevented competition and, largely, prevented passengers.<\/p>\n When Arriva bought Chiltern, they promptly closed the Wrexham service. Many of the staff wept on the last day.<\/p>\n Understandably.<\/p>\n Hull Trains<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hull Trains initially ran three services per day; in response to passenger numbers, this was progressively expanded to as many as seven services per day by December 2006. In addition to increasing service frequency, the number of cars per train was also raised to boost capacity. Hull Trains initially operated a small fleet of three-car Class 170 Turbostar diesel multiple units; six years later, it exchanged these for four-car Class 222 Pioneer DMUs, followed by several five-car Class 180 Adelante DMUs and InterCity 125 HST sets. As of 2022, Hull Trains’ services are operated by a fleet of five Class 802 Paragon bi-mode multiple units .<\/span><\/p>\n fbb has never ridden to Hull other than on local trains from Sheffield.<\/p>\n It’s on the aspirational list, but …<\/p>\n Loony Name – Lumo<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another really daft idea is a day return from Axminster.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n