The Ealing Ghost Bus (sham bus service to force rail closure)
- Thread starter Orang Utan
- Start date
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Yes, I read about this a little while ago.
There are actually quite a few rail services around the country that run for this reason.
They are known as "parliamentary services".
I was a little surprised to hear about this one because I wouldn't have thought running a bus substitute would count in legal terms.
Either way, it is of course somewhat ridiculous.
There are actually quite a few rail services around the country that run for this reason.
They are known as "parliamentary services".
I was a little surprised to hear about this one because I wouldn't have thought running a bus substitute would count in legal terms.
Either way, it is of course somewhat ridiculous.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
mrsfran
Well-Known Member
It says that at the bottom of the article.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
Yes... I realised that after I read the article through.
The article doesn't really explain why a bus is run in this case, rather than a train, though.
Yes will they reinstate the service when they have done the work on the tracks/whatever?
Also what about the 80 people per train a day who used to travel from Birmingham to Brighton? Will that service be reinstated when they manage to get new trains
teuchter
je suis teuchter
No, it's not to do with work on the tracks. It's to do with a re-setting of the Crosscountry trains timetable as I understand it.
They will travel by a different route, avoiding London - probably changing at Reading or somewhere like that. Possibly it is quicker to go that way. As I understand it, the trains that used to run this route did so because it meant better long-distance services without changing trains. For example, you used to be able to go directly from Clapham Junction or Guildford(?) to places like Edinburgh. You can't anymore because it has been decided that removing this benefit allows changes to the timetable that make it better in other ways.
There's been a bit of criticism over the changes to the crosscountry trains times. Lots of journeys that you used to be able to do directly now require a change at Birmingham or nearby. I've heard that the crosscountry service used to be referred to as "Grannyrail" because it was good for older passengers who found changing trains (or going via London) stressful. These passengers don't mind if the journey takes a bit longer, if it means they can stay on one train for the whole journey and not have to worry about lugging bags around or missing connections.
I would seriously be up for that. Though we'd proper freak the driver out probably.
AnnO'Neemus
Is so vanilla
OMG! Can't believe how long that's been going on for! 
Leafster
.
I actually used this train service once last year to get from East Croydon to Kensington Olympia. My normal train was delayed and spotted it on the adjacent platform. I would have said there were far more than 80 people on it. Perhaps the figure quoted are those going all the way from Brighton to Birmingham.
I have to say that it took much longer to get from East Croydon to Kensington Olympia than the service I normally use.
PacificOcean
Unhinged User
I am puzzled by this as Wandsworth Road is my local station at my mums and there has never been a service to Ealing from there as far back as I can remember.
FabricLiveBaby!
Live Baby Fabric!
Blatently sounds WELL fun!!
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
was the title of this thread edited or do I have a bad memory?
Leafster
.
I don't think the bit in brackets was there before.
editor
hiraethified
That was me! I changed it to give a bit more detail and hopefully stop duplicate threads. It could probably be improved on though...
Oh, I'll add tags too.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Ah - I thought I'd got all coherent and sensible and forgot about it
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I don't understand this either. As far as I can remember the CrossCountry service which has been ceased used to run East Croydon-Clapham Junction-Kensington Olympia-Reading. The only bit of that route you can't do now is Kensington Olympia to Reading, so I can see why they might run a sham replacement service for that bit.
The CrossCountry services never stopped at either Ealing or Wandsworth Road So I don't see why the bus takes this route.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
I think "rail closure" is misleading. As far as I know no track has been closed. It should really say "service cessation".
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
No complaints from me
King Biscuit Time
Well-Known Member
How does something class as a parliamentary train though.
Six trains a day between Sheffield and Cleethorpes? Surely people would use that during the summer, unless it doesn't actually call at any stations, or you're physically barred from getting on.
Six trains a day between Sheffield and Cleethorpes? Surely people would use that during the summer, unless it doesn't actually call at any stations, or you're physically barred from getting on.
19sixtysix
Life as viewed from a Gay Gorbals Garret
Travel cards should be valid on this service?
Party with alcohol on this train service.
Party with alcohol on this train service.
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
I've got that train actually (although not for a few years), it stops at Gainsborough's second station - a platform with a bit of concrete in a bit of industrial wasteland
