Replacement train service to Windermere

Image: © Ian Taylor Taken: 18 Jun 2018

West Coast Railways class 57, 57316, waits at Oxenholme (Platform 3) with the 14.39 to Windermere on the first full day of operation of a temporary shuttle service. A class 37 is on the rear of the train, which consists of 3 Mark 2 coaches. See Image for a photo of the train at Windermere. Trains on the Windermere branch are normally operated by Northern (Arriva). When a new timetable was introduced in May 2018, a large number of Northern services were cancelled or delayed. The reasons for this are still being debated, but the following issues are surely relevant - insufficient trained drivers, insufficient trains, failure to complete electrification between Preston and Manchester via Bolton, and an on-going dispute about one-man operated trains. Consequently, an emergency timetable was implemented. One feature of this was the suspension of all trains on the Windermere branch, to be replaced by buses. Hence, after 2 weeks with no trains and test runs on 17 June, this West Coast Railways service was introduced. It continued for 4 weeks. Northern started their own temporary shuttle service on 2 July.

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