Commuting to Plymouth by rail

[brianusa]

Can someone enlighten me on commuting by rail into Plymouth from Devon or Cornwall nowadays, please?   How far is an acceptable commute distance and are the services adequate?   What about the stock; are they sufficient enough to accommodate passengers or is overcrowding the order of the day?   Are long distance trains used as well as local services during commute times?   Is the Gunnislake service adequate for the area?   Will there be enough demand from Tavistock when the line eventually gets extended?

 

Appreciate any info.

 

Brian.

[Kris]

When I used the train to get in to Plymouth on a regular basis it was frequently overcrowded. It was a mix of HST's and 150's 

[Cornish Triang Paul]

From Cornwall its 150 or 153 on the locals although HSTs also stop at most stations along with a few XC Voyagers on early or late trips. Many people commute esp. from Truro eastwards. From 2017 the timetable goes every 30 mins. There are currently breaks in the afternoon timetable.

Yes there is overcrowding subject to each journey time and seasonal variations. This should hopefully improve when new TT kicks in but I doubt it !

[floss_4]

From 2017 the timetable goes every 30 mins. There are currently breaks in the afternoon timetable.

 

Can that be done with the existing signalling or does it require the new system to be up and running in some form?

[Not Captain Kernow]

You can run a half-hourly service with the existing signalling as far as I know.  If it is to be a stand-alone half-hourly service with the through trains in addition to this that is where it gets trickier.

[Gwiwer]

Gunnislake is a single 150 which can be very busy on the peak-time trips; usually it's comfortably loaded.  Current signalling and track work permit only a single unit on the branch giving a roughly 2-hourly service though it's times as near as possible to suit peak traffic flows.  Commuting is heavy as the road options are poor, circuitous and there is no effective bus service.  Decent use is made of Devonport, Dockyard and Keyham - it's not just North Road that sees the traffic.

 

Down the main line you have 150 / 153 and occasional HST calls at Ivybridge and almost everything serves Newton Abbot and Totnes.  There's a limited amount of commuter traffic from Ivybridge though the station is poorly sited for the town and has no linking bus service any more.  The town centre and residential areas are fairly well served by buses direct to Plymouth city centre and with competitive fares; most regulars seem to use the buses.  With rail stations at both ends of the trip not ideally suited to business users it's no surprise the re-opened station hasn't fared as well as hoped.  it's possible to commute from Totnes and I dare say a few do it but there are closer places also with decent bus connections rather than rail and more firmly within the commute "belt"

 

Up the main line from Cornwall has basically been covered above.  Local stations to Liskeard see mostly 150 / 153 1, 2, 3 or 4-car trains with a few HST calls.  They are typically very busy at most times with standing not uncommon.  From a farther west you have the HST and Voyager services and locals formed of 150 / 153 stock.  In general if it goes to Plymouth, Exeter or Bristol it's a unit; if it goes further it's an HST / Voyager.  There's regular commuting to Plymouth from all points right back to Penzance though more common from Truro and Snozzle up.  It can be surprisingly busy; even a 2+8 HST can sometimes be full and standing by Snozzle.  Afternoon trains back down are likewise often very busy at peak times though thin out as you head west.

 

Remember Plymouth (North Road) station isn't well situated for some parts of the city and some users consider the transfer to and from buses there to be fussy.  There are generally good bus links into central Plymouth from Saltash, Callington, Liskeard, Yelverton, Tavistock, Ivybridge, Yealmpton and Kingsbridge plus some from farther afield which can also be considered for commuter use.

[brianusa]

Thanks all for the info.  Some surprising, some not so but its been a while since we travelled by train when back home on holiday.

 

Brian.

[Reorte]

Remember Plymouth (North Road) station isn't well situated for some parts of the city and some users consider the transfer to and from buses there to be fussy.  There are generally good bus links into central Plymouth from Saltash, Callington, Liskeard, Yelverton, Tavistock, Ivybridge, Yealmpton and Kingsbridge plus some from farther afield which can also be considered for commuter use.

I used to have to travel to school in Plymouth on the bus from Yelverton. It was busy and the roads were busy then, and I can't imagine they've got any better since. I'd have used the train if it was still there.

[Gwiwer]

The road out to Yelverton and Tavistock is very busy and prone to serious delays if blocked as there is no diversion available.  However in recent years bus lanes have been installed and bus priority created at key points which helps with service reliability.  It's far from perfect but in my opinion it's better for the bus user than it was perhaps 30 years ago despite heavier traffic.

[Xerces Fobe2]

When the Cornish make the Royal Albert Bridge a drawbridge you may find that your journey time may increase!

 

XF

[floss_4]

_{I have often wondered if a park and ride station at Trerulefoot would work. This could be in place of Menheniot which seems very poorly used. It would be even more viable when the service goes half hourly. Also it is situated at a major road junction which seems to be roughly the start of regular traffic queues each morning.}

[Siberian Snooper]

When the Cornish make the Royal Albert Bridge a drawbridge you may find that your journey time may increase!

 

XF

 

If we don't beat 'em to it.

[brianusa]

_{I have often wondered if a park and ride station at Trerulefoot would work. This could be in place of Menheniot which seems very poorly used. It would be even more viable when the service goes half hourly. Also it is situated at a major road junction which seems to be roughly the start of regular traffic queues each morning.}

 

 

Hard to believe traffic builds up for that distance!  But then I can only remember the ferry back up in Torpoint!!

 

Brian.

[Gwiwer]

Trerulefoot might work as a park and ride location if the train service were better.  Currently it's about once an hour and by the time those trains reach that area there's no guarantee whatsoever of getting a seat.

 

Once the half-hourly Cornwall - Plymouth service is introduced there might be scope to offer something but even so if it is to meaningfully assist in road traffic reduction we need to think about taking a couple of hundred cars off the road.  Of those perhaps 150 are trying to reach Plymouth between 07.30 and 09.00 and might be carrying 200 - 250 people.

 

Providing parking for 300 cars might be possible at Trerulefoot.  Having two or three suitably-timed trains stop there each morning peak (and again each evening) isn't beyond the bounds of possibility though unless they start at Liskeard there might not be room for those car users to board and sit comfortably.  

 

Trerurlefoot isn't going to win many customers if they have stand for their trip into (and potentially out of) Plymouth rather than sit in their cars.

 

Menheniot need not be the loser in this.  It is a very quiet location with the few trains calling not always doing any business. The village of the same name lies over a mile away by narrow lane and is itself very small.  Perhaps it is lucky to still have a rail service at all but there's no real need to axe those few stops if Trerulefoot part and ride came about.

[Branksome71B]

_{I have often wondered if a park and ride station at Trerulefoot would work. This could be in place of Menheniot which seems very poorly used. It would be even more viable when the service goes half hourly. Also it is situated at a major road junction which seems to be roughly the start of regular traffic queues each morning.}

The road junction at Trerulefoot should help relieve road traffic. Turn left (coming up from Liskeard) to access Plymouth via the bridge or straight ahead for Torpoint Ferry. It depends on which part of Plymouth needs to be reached.

I used to commute from Looe in the 1970s by driving to Menheniot and then by train to Plymouth (no train from Looe to get me to work by 08:30). I worked on Bretonside and walked from North Rd. Rail journey time was 30mins for 14miles, trains were all stations provided by 3 car DMU and always full & standing to and from Saltash. The speed restriction over the Albert Bridge will always have a detrimental effect to journey time and North Road is inconveniently sited being in a predominantly residential area. Getting off a full train to try and board a full bus is no fun. If a substantial number of road commuter journeys commence further West perhaps looking at the site of the demolished Doublebois or developing Bodmin Road Parkway station may be suitable as Park & Ride with some services starting/terminating there.

The magic trick, wherever a Park & Ride is considered for commuters in Cornwall, is convincing potential passengers to use Public Transport in an area where it has been thin on the ground for decades.