Weekend Rail Stories

Warley coincided with the BBC Clothes Show Live at the NEC, attracting vast crowds. A lot of these people would be those who don't travel by train on a regular basis; the sort of people who won't use the train again if they have a bad experience on one the few times they do use the train.

So how did the railway manage? These are my experiences travelling between my home in Cheadle Hulme and the NEC.

Cheadle Hulme to Birmingham International

I tried to book a seat two days earlier, and found that my first choice of train, one running direct from Macclesfield to Birmingham International, was already fully booked. So I booked a seat an earlier service, involving a change at Birmingham New Street. This meant getting up half an hour earlier to arrive about ten minutes ahead of the next train.

Turned out I could have had that extra half hour in bed after all; I got to Macclesfield to hear the announcement that the Manchester to Birmingham Virgin Voyager was running late 'awaiting driver' (Had he overslept?). It then predictably got stuck behind the same all stations stopper I would have been on had I been making from my original choice of train.

Now twenty minutes late, they announced that passengers for Birmingham International should change at Stoke on Trent. I realised that the connecting train would be the very one which was already fully booked, and would be standing room only. Since I'd booked a seat though to New Street, I decided to stay put.

Stuck behind another local between Wolverhampton and Brum, the shiny red and silver train managed to lose even more time by the time it arrived at the subterranean hellhole otherwise known as Birmingham New Street.

I hate this station! Birmingham may well be a lovely city, but my overwhelming impression of the place is this dismal, claustrophobic underground car park of a railway station. Truly the armpit of the entire British railway network. And on a busy day like this, with milling crowds attempting to get to the NEC, you don't see it at it's best. The next departure to Birmingham International turned out to be a very late running Northhampton semi-fast that should have left half an hour earlier. It turned out to be a six car 323, meaning those who saw it pulling in could sprint to the far end of the platform and get to the empty coaches at the end first.

Birmingham International to Coventry

All the hotels near the NEC were either full or outside my price range, so I ended up booking a room a few miles down the line in Coventry. Just after six o'clock, the platforms are Birmingham International were full of Clothes Show Live crowds heading home. The first two southbound trains were a Pendolino for London, and a Voyager for Bournmouth. Both were a few minutes late, and announced as not making their advertised stops at Coventry. The Coventry passengers ended up on the all stations local, and pretty much filled the three coach 323. It turned out that both long-distance trains did call at Coventry after all, but were pretty much wedged full leaving Birmingham International with people making longer journeys. The 'not stopping at Coventry' line was to keep the local Coventry passengers off them, a tactic that made sense when the railway was attempting to cope with extreme crowds.

Coventry to Birmingham International

The next morning was the one time things went really pear-shaped. I arrived at about 9:45 to find a large crowd milling around the platform. Turned out two consecutive trains had been cancelled, with the 9:32, one of the ubiquitous 323s having failed. The next train was the 10:04, originating from Northhampton, and running several minutes late. When the four car class 321 arrived it was already full and standing, and there was no way everybody was going to get on. I decided that I didn't want to become a squashed sardine and decided to wait for the 10:32. Meanwhile the 10:04 didn't depart, and just sat there with a passenger density sometimes referred to as 'Indian'. It was still there when the stock to form the 10:32, another 3-car 323, arrived from Birmingham, and the portion of crowd who couldn't or wouldn't squeeze onto the 10:04 boarded it. 10:32 came and went, and still the 10:04 didn't move. Then came the announcement that the 321 had also failed, with the brakes jammed on. Everybody got off, and naturally attempted to board the train I was on, which now became as Indian as the 10:04 had been. Finally it departed, making perfunctory stops at four intermediate stops despite the train being way too full for any further passengers to board. When we got to International, the 321 was right behind us! Evidently they'd unfrozen the brakes and got it going again. Not a good day for the railway. How many victims will go by car next time?

Birmingham International to Cheadle Hulme

This time everything ran to time, and the length and frustration of the journey was caused not by delays or breakdowns, but the complete failure to timetable sensible connections. We had the delights of a half hour wait at Stafford, and another 45 minutes at Wilmslow, waiting for the dreaded rail replacement bus. (And now I find out that Stockport and Cheadle Hulme will be closed on Sundays until March!) As well as bad connections, there was severe overcrowding on some trains; a 4 car Voyager is not adequate for a Birmingham to Manchester run.

Verdict: Could do better. No more than a C Minus, I'm afraid. I think it's worth juggling resources for large events like this weekend. Why not draft in a some commuter stock that's normally standing idle at weekends to work relief services on busy routes? I'm sure a 100mph class 321 could work a Birmingham to London or Birmingham to Manchester relief. 3+2 seating commuter stock might not be ideal for a 2hr journey, but it sure beats standing in the vestibule of a Voyager.