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Sunderland railway station.

Zimba said:
You're right and so is Sunderland from Newcastle.

Again this is regional infighting. If someone wants an office with good transport links they should be offered Newcastle City Centre.

If they want an office with good road links and car orientated they should offered Quorum or Cobalt.

If they want an urban style office with want cheaper rates and aren't too bothered about direct links they should be offered Sunderland.

Doing anything else, the only winner is Leeds, Manchester and so on and the person doing it is irrelevant.
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Cobalt is awful, pre covid could take 30mins just to get out of it and then another 30-40mins to get through the Tyne Tunnel. Despite the second tunnel and the work on the A19 still awful now. Then TT2 want to extract money out of you. No public parking other than Northumberland Park metro and a 20-30min walk to get from there. Good road links, having a laugh, then you have to contend with Silverlink retail park, fighting through Christmas shoppers from November. Completely soulless, other than the Village Hotel, imagine booking there for Newcastle and stuck on a business park.
Can't comment on Quorum other than another nightmare to get parked too.

Still maintain, what was the fans museum and in a past life was the railway station should have been the gateway into the city. Decent car park on the Sheepfolds site. Can't believe the car park bottom of Holmeside is not 24x7 with more security. Think someone mentioned they got back from London and it was locked up. Why have a car park for the railway station if not fit for purpose.
 

mackem35 said:
Cobalt is awful, pre covid could take 30mins just to get out of it and then another 30-40mins to get through the Tyne Tunnel. Despite the second tunnel and the work on the A19 still awful now. Then TT2 want to extract money out of you. No public parking other than Northumberland Park metro and a 20-30min walk to get from there. Good road links, having a laugh, then you have to contend with Silverlink retail park, fighting through Christmas shoppers from November. Completely soulless, other than the Village Hotel, imagine booking there for Newcastle and stuck on a business park.
Can't comment on Quorum other than another nightmare to get parked too.

Still maintain, what was the fans museum and in a past life was the railway station should have been the gateway into the city. Decent car park on the Sheepfolds site. Can't believe the car park bottom of Holmeside is not 24x7 with more security. Think someone mentioned they got back from London and it was locked up. Why have a car park for the railway station if not fit for purpose.
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Aye it's crap Cobalt like, I'll give you that. Quorum is probably even worse, least Cobalt has the Village. Better since Silver link was done though mind.

Hate all the out of town business parks, to be honest, they could've been the lifeblood to a lot of cities/towns which we've just lost to benefit nothing, even if they were massively car dependent.

Not sure about Monkwearmouth as the station though, it's a bit out the centre really. Personally think the current site is better if it just wasn't underground.
 
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Zimba said:
Aye it's crap Cobalt like, I'll give you that. Quorum is probably even worse, least Cobalt has the Village. Better since Silver link was done though mind.

Hate all the out of town business parks, to be honest, they could've been the lifeblood to a lot of cities/towns which we've just lost to benefit nothing, even if they were massively car dependent.

Not sure about Monkwearmouth as the station though, it's a bit out the centre really. Personally think the current site is better if it just wasn't underground.
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Few year back totally agree about Monkwearmouth but with the SoL, Sheepfolds, new footbridge and getting rid of the one way system, it's actually a good location and could have had a decent car park right next to it.

Sunderland , railway station makes a good metro stop but if you came up from London, Monkwearmouth is a lovely gateway, rather than that hideous northern entrance. At least now, driving up Holmeside and turning right to take you to the station is better than going up the back lane, back of what was Wilkinsons. Up to me, would pull down most of Blandford Street, the side where the shop burnt down. Landscape it and have a proper, taxi, bus waiting area but that's another story,
 
mackem35 said:
Few year back totally agree about Monkwearmouth but with the SoL, Sheepfolds, new footbridge and getting rid of the one way system, it's actually a good location and could have had a decent car park right next to it.

Sunderland , railway station makes a good metro stop but if you came up from London, Monkwearmouth is a lovely gateway, rather than that hideous northern entrance. At least now, driving up Holmeside and turning right to take you to the station is better than going up the back lane, back of what was Wilkinsons. Up to me, would pull down most of Blandford Street, the side where the shop burnt down. Landscape it and have a proper, taxi, bus waiting area but that's another story,
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Aye some fair points really like, it would make a nice station to be on a looks way and certainly a better impression and I suppose with the new bridge it's not too far either really.

Wouldn't be against it if it all stacked up tbh but I'm sure someone said in the past there's technical issues with it nowadays.
 
PhilY said:
How about taxis or cars? The station now has a decent size car park (long, long needed).

Better regional links would be useful but the priority for the City is more direct national rail connections. I know you don’t want that for Sunderland - and we’ll have to fight against the PTE being made up of blinkered mags which hate our city - but we’ll get there.
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Sure I read the station car park has a 24 hour max stay, surely not?

Need to check it out next time I'm in town
 
bunnyrabbit said:
Because it's so unreliable. It's better to go to Newcastle and get a Lumo or LNER.
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They’ve let me down a lot more times than LNER have.
Lots of Saturdays morning trains from KGX have been cancelled meaning I had to take the Northern service instead as the next train is hours later.

Grand central soon to be stopping at seaham, hopefully that will increase its numbers, even just for a small journey.
 
SAFCTEES said:
They’ve let me down a lot more times than LNER have.
Lots of Saturdays morning trains from KGX have been cancelled meaning I had to take the Northern service instead as the next train is hours later.

Grand central soon to be stopping at seaham, hopefully that will increase its numbers, even just for a small journey.
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The 16.53 today from Kings Cross to Sunderland was cancelled.
 
bunnyrabbit said:
The 16.53 today from Kings Cross to Sunderland was cancelled.
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Imagine if you needed to be somewhere and they did this to you? I’m guessing the next GC train was at least 2 hours later? You wouldn’t use them again.

You’d just get LNER as they’d have several services in the meantime
 
SAFCTEES said:
Imagine if you needed to be somewhere and they did this to you? I’m guessing the next GC train was at least 2 hours later? You wouldn’t use them again.

You’d just get LNER as they’d have several services in the meantime
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The next GC was at 18.23. My mate was meant to be on the earlier one, just got the 18.23. Luckily he was in no rush but he's still getting back to Sunderland 90 minutes later than intended.
 
bunnyrabbit said:
The next GC was at 18.23. My mate was meant to be on the earlier one, just got the 18.23. Luckily he was in no rush but he's still getting back to Sunderland 90 minutes later than intended.
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Btw not sure if he knows about -
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He should be entitled for a partial refund for that. No doubt the staff 'forgot' to mention it though.
 
bunnyrabbit said:
The 16.53 today from Kings Cross to Sunderland was cancelled.
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Be interesting to know who decides what is cancelled. If GC have a mechanical fault, obviously that's down to them. However, track problems, signal failing, imagine GC will be the first to get binned as LNER run more trains and the bigger operator. Never had an issue with GC, issues when on LNER but not much they can do about a barrier issue or someone jumping on the track.
 
mackem35 said:
Be interesting to know who decides what is cancelled. If GC have a mechanical fault, obviously that's down to them. However, track problems, signal failing, imagine GC will be the first to get binned as LNER run more trains and the bigger operator. Never had an issue with GC, issues when on LNER but not much they can do about a barrier issue or someone jumping on the track.
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Not the infrequent services first surely? I'd guess it would be the stuff that's covered by other services like the London to York stoppers. Not fair to inconvenience someone in somewhere like Hartlepool who really have no easy alternative.

or alternatively just terminate LNER services short at either side of the disruption with people jumping on the trains running.
 
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Zimba said:
Not the infrequent services first surely? I'd guess it would be the stuff that's covered by other services like the London to York stoppers. Not fair to inconvenience someone in somewhere like Hartlepool who really have no easy alternative.

or alternatively just terminate LNER services short at either side of the disruption with people jumping on the trains running.
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Class 1 passenger services are treated equally, if the line is blocked, there are too many moving parts and conflicting factors to prioritise specific groups. Whichever train is released in whichever direction is done solely on the operational convenience of doing so. Signallers (and automated signalling systems) just see a Class 1 train and don't really care whether it's open access, or where it's going, or whether there's another one behind it going the same way. If anything, GC having only diesel units means they are more likely to be able to run past a minor dewirement (although typically a full block is made for the work to be done). In theory they could also take non-electrified diversionary routes but this almost never happens on an unplanned basis as the drivers don't usually sign more than their normal route.

When trains have not yet departed their origin, it's up to the train operating company to decide whether to run its train very late or just cancel it and make people wait for the next. LNER are more likely to cancel services in disruption because there is always another one soon and they can choose the lowest impact services to cancel as you suggest. It is up to GC if they cancel their own train. Having fewer trains may mean that cancellations knock on more severely, and involve a longer wait for the passenger.

GC may ask/pay LNER for ticket acceptance and it is often given (e.g. London to Sunderland via Newcastle) or they advise people to buy a ticket for the next LNER and reimburse them.

There is a legal right for the passenger not to be completely stranded, and in that case LNER and Northern are legally obliged to accept GC ticket holders to get them home, including via taxi if no further trains are to run that night. Exercising this right, anecdotally, is not as simple as it should be. Technically the passenger has a right to be rerouted (including on another operator's service) if they will be delayed more than an hour, but it has to be arranged by the TOC; it's up to GC whether they bother doing so, if the passenger even asks, or just tell you to get the next and claim Delay Repay.

GC's Delay Repay, however, is the worst in the industry - the delay has to be 3 hours plus to get 100% back compared to 1 hour on LNER.
 
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Beau Peep said:
Class 1 passenger services are treated equally, if the line is blocked, there are too many moving parts and conflicting factors to prioritise specific groups. Whichever train is released in whichever direction is done solely on the operational convenience of doing so. Signallers (and automated signalling systems) just see a Class 1 train and don't really care whether it's open access, or where it's going, or whether there's another one behind it going the same way. If anything, GC having only diesel units means they are more likely to be able to run past a minor dewirement (although typically a full block is made for the work to be done). In theory they could also take non-electrified diversionary routes but this almost never happens on an unplanned basis as the drivers don't usually sign more than their normal route.

When trains have not yet departed their origin, it's up to the train operating company to decide whether to run its train very late or just cancel it and make people wait for the next. LNER are more likely to cancel services in disruption because there is always another one soon and they can choose the lowest impact services to cancel as you suggest. It is up to GC if they cancel their own train. Having fewer trains may mean that cancellations knock on more severely, and involve a longer wait for the passenger.

GC may ask/pay LNER for ticket acceptance and it is often given (e.g. London to Sunderland via Newcastle) or they advise people to buy a ticket for the next LNER and reimburse them.

There is a legal right for the passenger not to be completely stranded, and in that case LNER and Northern are legally obliged to accept GC ticket holders to get them home, including via taxi if no further trains are to run that night. Exercising this right, anecdotally, is not as simple as it should be. Technically the passenger has a right to be rerouted (including on another operator's service) if they will be delayed more than an hour, but it has to be arranged by the TOC; it's up to GC whether they bother doing so, if the passenger even asks, or just tell you to get the next and claim Delay Repay.

GC's Delay Repay, however, is the worst in the industry - the delay has to be 3 hours plus to get 100% back compared to 1 hour on LNER.
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Thanks for that, answered it perfectly and makes sense really.
 
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