Northern Rail

Last night, the 17:52 train from Manchester Picadilly to Buxton had only two carriages.  The train was so crammed with passengers, that several couldn't get on.

The train was a bit less crowded after Levenshulme and Heaton Chapel (why they didn't wait for the 18:08, I have no idea), but the train filled back up to bursting at Stockport. 

At Stockport, a blind lady got on with her guide dog.  How she must've felt, cramming onto a train like that, I have no idea.  Somehow, her dog managed to avoid everyones feet.

PLEASE ADD ANOTHER COACH!!!

I've always hated getting the Buxton trains.  I've recently moved, and now I'm forced to use them, and every single evening, they're overcrowded almost to the point of passengers not being able to fit on the train. 

The 17:52 is usually less crowded than the 18:21, as it has more carriages, but yesterday, with the half term holidays boosting the amount of passengers, Northern Rail decided to REDUCE the amount of carriages on the 17:52 from 4 down to 2, resulting in several passengers (at least ten that I saw, including myself) not being able to get onto the train, and the train was absolutely rammed with passengers.

It was extremely annoying for me, as it meant waiting another 30 minutes and then having to cram myself into the 18:21 train along with the other sardines passengers. 

Why won't Northern Rail add another carriage?  Just one more carriage would make a MASSIVE difference.  The 18:21 usually arrives late at 18:23, and then it takes at least 5 minutes to squeeze everyone aboard.  Then at each station, more time is lost while people try to escape from where they've had to stand or sit, and then more people have to cram aboard.  I've seen a few people who couldn't get to the doors in time, and were stuck on the train as the doors closed and the train left the station.

Aside from anything else, what are the health and safety issues of a train that's so full that people can't move? 

After looking online at a route from Horwich Parkway to Leeds, I was told to get a train to Bolton, then to Manchester Victoria, then to Leeds.

I got to the station 5 minutes before the scheduled time, waiting for the train. After it was 10 minutes late, I texted the live departures service, which informed me that only coaches ran from Horwich on a Sunday.

I was informed by another passenger at the station that they had seen a coach pull up at the bus stop nearby at about 2:05pm (the time scheduled for the train). I recognise my problem for not looking properly and assuming it was a train and not a coach, but there was an absolutely shocking oversight of the people working on the coach (who absolutely MUST have seen the people on the platform waiting for the train), stood in the cold waiting for a non-existent train, and not even having the common sense to ask if anyone would be waiting for the train to Bolton/Manchester.

I'd accept this oversight if it was a larger station, but as it would only go towards Blackpool (stopping at Preston) and Manchester (stopping at Bolton), and both services needed coaches to their respective destinations, so some sense should have applied to ask who was heading to Manchester.

There also was no signs regarding the railworks on the Sunday (and thanks to the coach driver we now know that this will be on Sundays for the foreseeable future).

So instead of what would have been a (just under) two hour journey not 4 months ago (I had made this journey in August a few times), took me 4 and a half hours. As a result, I ended up being late for a deadline that I had been set.


The lack of notices is poor foresight (especially on an unmanned service), but the fact someone has driven the coach and not even acknowledged the fact there was about 10 people on the platform is outrageous. By the time the next coach came there was only two of us left at the station, as the others had left to presumably pursue other transport.


tl;dr I can accept one oversight (having made one myself) but multiple oversights is not good enough.

The overcrowding on this train was a Serious health and safety issue. The trains should be managed better and more carriages provided especially when there are concerts at the MEN. It was a disgrace.

For the second day running Northern has run this service with just 2 ancient carriages. This must be the busiest commuter train of the day and is half the size of a standard train. What goes on in their minds? And to the woman who argued with me that  I could move up further there was a fat bloke overhanging one side of the aisle and a bloke with extra long legs turned into the aisle on the other side, unless they both chop their legs off I couldnt move any further - Dont have a go at me, have a go at the guard and the train management! To the guard who asked us to persevere and have consideration for fellow passengers who wanted to get on - GET REAL IT'S YOUR FAULT!!!!!

God what a dismal service today.  7.51am Poynton to Manchester cancelled and the 8.15 delayed by 15 minutes.   

After several weeks of not using the train, on Monday I bought a weekly traincard and caught the 8:09 from Disley to Manchester Piccadilly, which is shceduled to arrive at 8:39 and connects comfortably with the 8:46 Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport service - it takes me less than a minute to walk from platform 9 to platform 11.

On Monday 17th October, the train arrived at 8:49, so I was forced to use the 9:06 service to Manchester Airport (stopping at East Didbury) and hence was 20 minutes late to work.
On Tuesday 18th October, the train arrived at 8:48, so again I was forced to use the 9:06 service to Manchester Airport (stopping at East Didbury) and hence was 20 minutes late to work.
On Wednesday 19th October, the train managed to arrive at 8:44, so I was able to make the scheduled connection despite the unexplained delay.
On Thursday 20th Ocober, the train arrived at 8:46; Although the 8:46 had not left, as I was walking quickly across the platform to catch it, the guard closed the doors and the train left. Once again, I was forced to use the 9:06 service to Manchester Airport (stopping at East Didbury); however, this time, the train for this service did not arrive until 9:12, hence it did not leave until 9:16, making me 30 minutes late!

So far this week, the 8:09 Disley to Manchester Piccadilly service has been at least 5 minutes late in arriving four days out of four. I will be very surprised if it manages to arrive on time on Friday!

Why publish a timetable which, it seems, is simply never acheived?

Having already failed to catch the 8:46 service, which closed it's doors as I was walking across the platform, the train for this service did not arrive until 9:12, hence left at 9:16/ Once again, no explanation was given.

This train is scheduled to arrive  at 8:39, which normally allows me to connect with the 8:46 to Manchester Airport, which stops at East Disbury, my intended destination. Having been late the previous three days, I was not especially surprised when, on this occasion, the train arrived at 8:46. Although my connecting train had not actually left, while walking towards it, the guard closed the doors, leaving me standing on the platform as the train left. No explanation was given, just the usual perfunctory apology.

This train is scheduled to arrive  at 8:39, which normally allows me to connect with the 8:46 to Manchester Airport, which stops at East Disbury, my intended destination. Having been late on two consecutive days already this week, on this occasion the train arrived at 8:44, so I was actually able to catch the 8:46. No explanation was given, just the usual perfunctory apology.