collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Posts

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Trains, planes and automobiles  (Read 9975 times)

Offline LeeB

  • Member
  • Posts: 31141
  • Location: Standing in the Klix-O-Gum queue.
  • GM : May, 2014
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #60 on: November 24, 2021, 03:47:01 PM »
How about car sharing? Someone on Twitter was offering  lifts from Hunters Moon. It's a start.

I'm up for that, I'm on my own in the car from Castle Brom, I'd happily give others a lift, apart from the phantom farter.

Offline Border villan

  • Member
  • Posts: 1253
  • Location: Guarding Offa's Dyke.
  • Carrying out missionary work on the Welsh border.
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #61 on: December 02, 2021, 12:27:11 PM »
Last night.
7.30 train from Walsall cancelled, drove faster to get to the earlier train as the next scheduled one misses ko. Catch train at just gone 7.00. Arrive at Witton at 7.23 to be told by West Midlands Trains finest that the 22.08 is the last train to Walsall and the 22.30 and 23.35 have been cancelled. Get to ground too early and freeze.

Leave 10 minutes before final whistle to catch the last train at 22.08, …. 22.15, …. 22.20, … then at 22.25 the train arrives, I could easily have stayed until the end. Sit on train where upon another of West Midlands Trains best then announces that the train will be waiting for 5 minutes so those at the match can catch it.

Absolute shite from the train company.

Offline algy

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5010
  • Age: 41
  • Location: Gogledd Cymru
  • GM : 23.03.2025
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #62 on: December 02, 2021, 12:40:56 PM »
A fleet of shuttle buses into town would seem to be a short term solution. Regular specials to towns around the city ie:Tamworth, Lichfield, Redditch, Bromsgrove should also be added but the question is by who? WMPTE don't seem interested and then there's the issue that all these buses would add to traffic congestion unless a dedicated route could be found. It's a pickle for sure and is becoming a major H&S issue as well as a nightmare for travellers. It needs some out of the box thinking and it's going to need big investment. We are becoming a victim of our own success and this whole subject could become a huge stumbling block for our progression as a football club. The potential at Aston Villa is huge but given the current transport malaise does anyone think that expanding Villa Park would get council approval? No chance. Andy Street where the fuck are you?
Think this is about right.

Realistically, any changes to the trains will take at least 5 years to come in to place.  Timetables are generally decided in 5 year blocks, I think with current one along the lines of 2021-2025, then 2026-2030 being the next one - from memory, might be wrong but it's something like that.  So before 2026, there ain't nothing happening, and realistically those proposals will already be quite a way down the line so 2031-2035 might be more realistic for any significant improvements there.  Building new railway infrastructure, however simple, takes bloody ages.  See HS2 for details.

It's odd that Aston hasn't really been included in the metro expansions (there's the A34 extension, but I'd expect that would have a low impact).  Again, you're looking at many years of work to get anywhere there.

To me, buses/coaches are the only way to approach the problem over the next 5-10 years, maybe with a long term plan to move that traffic to rail once HS2's been built.  "Rail replacement" shuttle buses from Aston/Witton to New Street Station would make sense to me.  Wouldn't be a silver bullet, but it would ease things off a bit in the short term.

Offline Pat Mustard

  • Member
  • Posts: 711
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #63 on: December 02, 2021, 12:50:24 PM »
Shuttle buses are definitely the best solution for now, I can't work out why it doesn't happen already.  They have them in place at Edgbaston when there are major fixtures on, it surely can't be beyond the wit of the club and the city to sort this out?

Offline astonvilla82

  • Member
  • Posts: 2053
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #64 on: December 02, 2021, 03:53:06 PM »
Wasn't extra trains and buses laided on for the rugby a few years ago at Villa Park

Offline astonvilla82

  • Member
  • Posts: 2053
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #65 on: December 02, 2021, 04:06:21 PM »
Had a email from Andy Street concerning problems about the train and Aston station, he acknowledged that there were a major problem, saying that train operator put it down to lack of staff at the station, which I corrected him on, he did say that when major events are on they should plan for such occasion,I left 15 minutes early for Aston,ran all the way and arrived about 10.03 easy access to get the train, but couldn't say about later

Offline SaddVillan

  • Member
  • Posts: 1383
  • Location: Saddleworth
  • 1000 ft up in the hills gazing down on Manchester
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #66 on: December 02, 2021, 04:10:23 PM »
Lived in Yardley till I left to go to Uni in the early 70s.

Saturday about one o'clock catch the bus into town and catch the match special from The Minories.

Post match, stroll down  Witton Lane and join the queue for on of the Number 11C specials that were lined up along  Aston Lane and head home  through Erdington and Stechford to the Yew Tree.

Getting home post match midweek was equally convenient.

Why can't our esteemed Mayor gave a word with WMT and get something similar organised?

Would the fact that the buses are now run for a profit havecan influence on:the probable response from Firstbus?

Offline Holte L2

  • Member
  • Posts: 2321
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #67 on: December 05, 2021, 09:16:11 AM »
For anyone on the cross city line today, massive issues between Longbridge and new street so keep an eye on the trains. Loads of trains cancelled.

Offline Chris Smith

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 35613
  • Location: At home
  • GM : 08.01.2025
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #68 on: December 05, 2021, 09:47:12 AM »
For anyone on the cross city line today, massive issues between Longbridge and new street so keep an eye on the trains. Loads of trains cancelled.


Cheers for the tip off, will keep an eye that.

Offline saunders_heroes

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 15484
  • GM : 25.02.2025
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #69 on: December 05, 2021, 09:53:21 AM »
The cross city line was completely fucked yesterday due to an electrical fault. I really hope they have it sorted today because it’ll carnage trying to get to the match.

Offline Chris Smith

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 35613
  • Location: At home
  • GM : 08.01.2025
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #70 on: December 05, 2021, 10:31:10 AM »
The National Rail app is reporting that the trains started again from around 10:00.

Offline astonvilla82

  • Member
  • Posts: 2053
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #71 on: December 05, 2021, 07:26:39 PM »
No problem with train or buses tonight, absolutely fantastic, brother picked me up yippee

Offline Border villan

  • Member
  • Posts: 1253
  • Location: Guarding Offa's Dyke.
  • Carrying out missionary work on the Welsh border.
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #72 on: December 06, 2021, 12:10:26 PM »
How lucky can all of us who use the train to get to the Villa have been on Sunday. West Midland Trains managed to have a fully staffed service with no cancellations on a day when Sunday pay rates apply, how touching.

Offline sirlordbaltimore

  • Member
  • Posts: 2845
Re: Trains, planes and automobiles
« Reply #73 on: December 06, 2021, 04:38:06 PM »


I'm that fucked off with the shambles of a train service West Midlands Railway provide, and their total disinterest in answering questions and offering any apologies that i've decided from here on i'm just not buying a ticket. Absolutely no point so i'll just get on and off their trains to and from Witton without one. Worked a charm on Sunday


 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal