NRT feedback

My review of the May National Rail Timetable appeared in RAIL 829, and a copy was sent to the Head of NRT Timetable Production six weeks ago. In that review I said the NRT had improved, but that Chiltern Railways’ Table 115 is useless owing to the major error of omitting the hourly Aylesbury service via Princes Risborough, therefore destroying the overall off-peak pattern at many intermediate stations.

I also said that if their proposals still go ahead of removing mileages and First Class, catering, operator and reservation symbols, then the whole will - at a stroke - be rendered almost useless.

Five months ago, I had also sent a copy of the details in the National Rail Routeing Guide, which refer to the shortest route always being permitted. They say: “The shortest route is calculated by reference to the mileages shown in the National Rail Timetable ... these appear in the station column at the beginning of each table.”

I have just received a reply totally ignoring my point about the requirements of the Routeing Guide, but saying that Table 115 “refers on to Table 114 which has greater detail ... we will endeavour to obtain feedback from Chiltern Railways for the Dec 2017 NRT.”

What shocking admissions: firstly that the NRT team doesn’t know that Table 114 is only for services via Amersham and has nothing whatever to do with Princes Risborough; and secondly the implication that Chiltern Railways has to date shown no interest in correcting its own table.

Once again, I can only end by saying that British Rail would not have tolerated this.