Hourly service

The timetable gaps of over an hour (Mon – Fri southbound from Morpeth between 09.32 and 10.50 and between 16.50 and 18.32) should be eliminated.

To give an minimum of an hourly service throughout the day

The draft timetable put forward under Options 1 and 2 of the ABT Phase 1 proposal addressed these gaps (see objective 6.1)

Evening service

There is currently only one (recently introduced) local train after 18.30 and a regular service throughout the evening up till midnight should be provided.

Allows evening travel to and from Newcastle by train.

Option 2 of the ABT Phase 1 proposal would deliver this (see objective 6.1)

Sunday service

There is currently no local Sunday service except for December. A regular Sunday service should be provided.

Allows Sunday travel to Newcastle and MetroCentre by train and connection at Newcastle to a wide range of inter-city services.

December service introduced by Northern Rail (for Christmas shoppers) from 2006 onwards

All trains to stop at Manors

Currently only a few peak hour trains stop here

The demographics of the Manors area have changed. The station now serves a major university campus (Northumbria) and several call centres. Neither students nor call centre workers travel in conventional am and pm peak periods. The station also serves the Artists Quarter, Biscuit Factory, Laing Gallery, Quayside & Millennium Bridge (for access to the Baltic and the Sage) and provides a Metro interchange for the Coast line. NB: Nexus report a 40% increase at Manors Metro station compared to 2.4 passenger growth across the Metro network overall (see Nexus Press Release 6 Jan 09)

Under consideration by Northern Rail.

Signpost Manors Station Entrance

The entrance is from what appears to be a private company’s car park and is not signposted from the street or from the nearby Metro station. The entrance to the Metro station by contrast is highly visible.

Currently, if you don’t know where Manors National Rail station is, you won’t find it. It is accessed from what appears to be a private company’s car park is not advertised or signposted from the main road. Although the National Rail station is only a few yards from the well signposted Metro station entrance, the route between the two entrances is not signposted. The potential for Metro interchange is not exploited. (Metro interchange at Central Station requires a further change at Monument for those travelling on the Coast line)

Raised with Northern Rail who acknowledged the problem and seemed sympathetic.

Clockface departures

(Trains should depart at the same minutes past the hour throughout the day). Key issues are the northbound 13.03 from Newcastle which should ideally depart at 13.15, and minor variations of up to one minute for Cramlington times on several services)

An easy to understand and remember timetable promotes use of the service.