No trains next Sunday, probably

Next Sunday, 17th March, trains are replaced by buses, or at least we think they are.

 

The National Rail website refers only to engineering work between Manchester and Stalybridge, and to buses replacing trains between Victoria and Stalybridge, and last time we looked, neither Marsden nor Slaithwaite was situated between Manchester and Stalybridge.

However Northern Rail, who ought to know whether or not their trains are running, have produced a timetable showing hourly buses between Victoria and Huddersfield. As seems to be usual practice now when replacement buses are provided, the bus stops are on Manchester Road, which Northern Rail insist on referring to as Marsden and Slaithwaite “town centres”.

 

Metro, characteristically, either don’t know about it or don’t think that the travelling public need to know about it. Or maybe they don’t think Marsden and Slaithwaite are in their area.

 

Link to Northern Rail’s timetable is at

http://www.northernrail.org/pdfs/trackworks/5110_with_maps.pdf

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BBC Two: Summer Madness

BBC Two The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track

Summer Madness

Episode 2 of 6

Documentary following the staff, passengers and police officers on the railways in and around Leeds during summer. This is the most challenging season for staff, when binge drinkers, cable thieves and trespassers all threaten to delay the trains.

For driver Jason, driving the trains on the ‘Real Ale Trail’, a pub crawl by train, is the most dreaded shift of the week as drunken party-goers fill his carriages and begin to stumble across the tracks to catch their trains but the real- alers think of it all as harmless fun.

Elsewhere, when a teenager is killed after trespassing on the track, British Transport Police officer Craig has the difficult task of breaking the news to the boy’s mother.

To add to the challenges for the staff running the trains in and out of Leeds, it is the wettest summer in a century and flooding brings the network to a standstill. With costly fines for every minute of delay, just one day of flooding costs the industry over a million pounds and ruins thousands of passengers’ days.

upcoming broadcasts of Summer Madness

Broadcasts

BBC HD Tue 19 Feb 2013

21:00

 

BBC Two Tue 19 Feb 2013

21:00

 

BBC Two Thu 21 Feb 2013

23:20

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qyfq8

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Strange goings-on in Marsden

Spotted, lunchtime Saturday 2nd February on Marsden station, some workmen who appear to be engaged in the task of lengthening platform 1. Compare this photo with the photo at the top of this page.

 

 

Not that we’re complaining. Hopefully they will move on to lengthening the other short platforms along the route, including those at Slaithwaite.

Perhaps it will enable Northern Rail to run longer trains at busy times. Let’s hope so.

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Next meeting of SHRUG

The next meeting of SHRUG will be at the Uppermill Civic Hall at 7.45 p.m. on Tuesday, 12th February, 2013.

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