Trains, planes and automobiles

[andrew08]

Got an Uber back from VP on Saturday to Edgbaston. Got surged to an eye watering £48. Still painful when it was split into 4. I think the No 11 will get a chance for the first time this millennium next time.

[N'ZMAV]

Transport around the West Midlands in utter dog shit.
I live in Blakedown, if there's a sunday game then I'm fucked as only 2 trains stop by me in the whole afternoon on a sunday

[SoccerHQ]

I tried Witton again on Saturday. Had a booked seat on the 1750 to Euston. From Trinity Upper left as the final whistle blew. Hotfoot it with 9 year old dragged behind. Queue back past the bus stop. Got on 4th train. We were lucky as the 1645 was half an hour late giving an extra one. Each train was going out full to the brim and they had 4 coaches each which is better than the past when they were 3. Then it took 35 minutes to get to New Street. So missed the 1750. 1810 came in already full of West Ham fans. Stood in aisle to Milton Keynes where I hit lucky and got a seat. Horrible at Euston with Brighton and West Ham fans. Plenty of police. Next time I will take my time leaving, catch a bus and stay in town overnight.

From upper Trinity it's honestly quicker to get into town walking up towards Walsall road and getting whichever bus comes from 5 ish. Should be no later into central brum than half 5 and then short walk to New street so shouldn't be in danger of missing train.

Honestly wouldn't risk getting the train in these times on matchday with the 20 minute gap you get between two of the services.

[darren woolley]

They should bring back the special trains from Witton that would make sense.

[robleflaneur]

It's not public transport anymore,it's run for the benefit of the company's shareholders .You can't get an Arriva bus back from Birmingham to Tamworth after about 5pm on a Sunday,thank you Deutsche Bahn. Saturday services have been cut.So went for the train first time for West Ham,got back to Lichfield,all trains cancelled to Tamworth.
There is or was a dedicated Villa bus but not in midweek.
I remember staying in a small town in Bavaria about the size of Kingsbury,with our accommodation we had free rail travel to Freiburg and a train back after 11pm.Or in Austria, included in chair lift pass ,along the valley we flagged down a train at a tiny stop and also loaded on our bikes.
That's how public transport should work.

[Flamingo Lane]

Guided by previous posts on the topic I decided this Saturday to walk to Aston station after the game and catch the 65/67 bus back into the city centre, rather than the 7 bus from Witton Road (which was how I'd got there, and how I'd usually try to depart).  At the 65/67 stop there was a good deal of annoyance from those in the queue as a couple of buses sailed on by (both full), but other buses did come fairly soon after, assisted by the bus lane. My own frustration was tempered by four things: first, the sight of the huge queues of people on the opposite side of the road, waiting to get into the railway station; second, the number of motorists in their own vehicles, moving absolutely nowhere; third, we'd won; and finally, it wasn't raining. 

[DeKuip]

Good article, and although I agree that it’s not the fault of the club, is there more that the they could be doing to improve the situation?
Whenever there’s problem on the playing side millions of pounds are thrown at it.
A fortune is taken in TV money and the club has just benefitted enormously from HS2 at Bodymoor Heath. We must be in a position of some power financially to make a few things happen here and there - even if it’s just a case of paying for some trafffic police and persuading the local transport providers to increase the service.
At the very least the club should be telling us why they can’t do anything about it this time.

[Pat McMahon]

I tried Witton again on Saturday. Had a booked seat on the 1750 to Euston. From Trinity Upper left as the final whistle blew. Hotfoot it with 9 year old dragged behind. Queue back past the bus stop. Got on 4th train. We were lucky as the 1645 was half an hour late giving an extra one. Each train was going out full to the brim and they had 4 coaches each which is better than the past when they were 3. Then it took 35 minutes to get to New Street. So missed the 1750. 1810 came in already full of West Ham fans. Stood in aisle to Milton Keynes where I hit lucky and got a seat. Horrible at Euston with Brighton and West Ham fans. Plenty of police. Next time I will take my time leaving, catch a bus and stay in town overnight.

From upper Trinity it's honestly quicker to get into town walking up towards Walsall road and getting whichever bus comes from 5 ish. Should be no later into central brum than half 5 and then short walk to New street so shouldn't be in danger of missing train.

Honestly wouldn't risk getting the train in these times on matchday with the 20 minute gap you get between two of the services.

I was in the upper Trinity by the Holte on Saturday but was slow in getting out. I walked up to the Walsall road and then into town, without a bus passing by. Like swdbvf I missed the 5:50 and got the 6-14 which got into Euston after 9 - change of drivers mid route and they were delayed from previous trains. I got home at 10, so 5 hours to travel 115 miles.  Chatted to some decent Brighton fans on the train and they weren’t getting home till after 11. I am dreading the Leicester game as the Sunday service to London after West Ham was apparently a nightmare. I may stay over and take the Monday off next week. Man City is a complete no no.

When we were young Everybody I knew used public transport, mainly buses, to get to Villa Park. Nobody drove and there were hordes of people walking down Aston Lane. There were lines of buses, notably the 7 to town and the 11 to every suburb in Brum to ferry people away after the game. Now you barely see a bus within a Tonev shot of Villa Park.

 That HS2 line to Brum will be really welcome but the final leg to Villa Park will still be shit. Surely a few extra trains to shuttle fans away is not beyond the wit of the rail companies?

[Jean Quereue-Quereue]

Not a solution for those who find matchdays thirsty work but those hire scooters are around the ground and can legally use the cycle lane into town along the Walsall Road.

[Drummond]

'build it and they will come...' unless it's in Aston after 5.

[Hillbilly]

Sadly, driving is faster, cheaper, more convenient and safer.

It's fundamentally none of things.

[London Villan]

Give a better option then?

[AV82EC]

I tried Witton again on Saturday. Had a booked seat on the 1750 to Euston. From Trinity Upper left as the final whistle blew. Hotfoot it with 9 year old dragged behind. Queue back past the bus stop. Got on 4th train. We were lucky as the 1645 was half an hour late giving an extra one. Each train was going out full to the brim and they had 4 coaches each which is better than the past when they were 3. Then it took 35 minutes to get to New Street. So missed the 1750. 1810 came in already full of West Ham fans. Stood in aisle to Milton Keynes where I hit lucky and got a seat. Horrible at Euston with Brighton and West Ham fans. Plenty of police. Next time I will take my time leaving, catch a bus and stay in town overnight.

From upper Trinity it's honestly quicker to get into town walking up towards Walsall road and getting whichever bus comes from 5 ish. Should be no later into central brum than half 5 and then short walk to New street so shouldn't be in danger of missing train.

Honestly wouldn't risk getting the train in these times on matchday with the 20 minute gap you get between two of the services.

I was in the upper Trinity by the Holte on Saturday but was slow in getting out. I walked up to the Walsall road and then into town, without a bus passing by. Like swdbvf I missed the 5:50 and got the 6-14 which got into Euston after 9 - change of drivers mid route and they were delayed from previous trains. I got home at 10, so 5 hours to travel 115 miles.  Chatted to some decent Brighton fans on the train and they weren’t getting home till after 11. I am dreading the Leicester game as the Sunday service to London after West Ham was apparently a nightmare. I may stay over and take the Monday off next week. Man City is a complete no no.

When we were young Everybody I knew used public transport, mainly buses, to get to Villa Park. Nobody drove and there were hordes of people walking down Aston Lane. There were lines of buses, notably the 7 to town and the 11 to every suburb in Brum to ferry people away after the game. Now you barely see a bus within a Tonev shot of Villa Park.

 That HS2 line to Brum will be really welcome but the final leg to Villa Park will still be shit. Surely a few extra trains to shuttle fans away is not beyond the wit of the rail companies?

Theoretically HS2 will make the position better as all the Avanti and some Cross Country trains clogging up New St won’t be there anymore leaving more room for local services like those from Walsall and Lich. The only issue then is having to walk from New St to Curzon St.

[ChicagoLion]

That is the first tangible benefit from HS2 I have seen.

[London Villan]

To be fair it's one of the massive benefits, freeing up loads of paths for more local trains. Just going to be 10 years before we see those benefits - which isn't great for next Wednesday's game or Boxing Day.