Supertram Summer Engineering Works - Spring lane

[Gleadly 11]

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but my daily work-related journey is "Gleadless Townend to Granville Rd" & "Granville Rd to Gleadless Townend". I then walk between Granville Rd & my workplace at the bottom of The Moor.

 

I tried walking between work at the bottom of The Moor & Arundel Gate using the "Club Class" B1 service when all of this started, but found that this took as long, or even longer, to get home than relying on the "Sponsored By Poundland & Ryanair" B2 service at the bottom of Granville Rd.

 

Thanks anyway!

 

Have you tried the 51 bus?

 

From Gleadless Townend to Staples.

From Cumberland Street to Gleadless Townend.

[GleadlessLad 12]

Have you tried the 51 bus?

 

From Gleadless Townend to Staples.

From Cumberland Street to Gleadless Townend.

 

Yes - I have used the 51 in the past but found it very unreliable & a weekly bus ticket was more expensive than a weekly tram one - First don't do a "51 only" discounted weekly ticket.

 

Also as I use the tram for going out at the weekend it made sense to buy an annual "Tram Only" Megarider pass (£500...) at the start of this year - before the public knew that the tracks were going to be replaced.

 

Hence for the above reasons I'm currently a "captive passenger"

[mediamark 10]

Hi folks,

 

From Monday, I'll be a daily user of the tram from Halfway to the train station.

According to the Supertram website, there's no mention of engineering work after the 20th, tomorrow.

 

So, is the blue route / Spring Lane back to normal?

 

Regards

Edited October 19, 2013 by mediamark

[top fella 10]

Hi folks,

 

From Monday, I'll be a daily user of the tram from Halfway to the train station.

According to the Supertram website, there's no mention of engineering work after the 20th, tomorrow.

 

So, is the blue route / Spring Lane back to normal?

 

Regards

 

According yo a member of staff the trams will not be back on until at least the 24th.

[gribz 10]

According yo a member of staff the trams will not be back on until at least the 24th.

 

Having driven down there today, I would say the 24th is really, REALLY, optimistic..

[SYorksDeano 10]

Hi folks,

 

From Monday, I'll be a daily user of the tram from Halfway to the train station.

According to the Supertram website, there's no mention of engineering work after the 20th, tomorrow.

 

So, is the blue route / Spring Lane back to normal?

 

Regards

 

TravelSouthYorkshire ‏@TravelSYorks 18 Oct

Just had an update from #Stagecoach Supertram the Park Spring works are now scheduled to end on the 27th Oct.

[GleadlessLad 12]

This evening’s fiasco.....

 

According to Supertram’s website today, replacement buses were running between Spring Lane & Hillsborough this weekend due to work on the tracks at Shalesmoor.

 

Hence I boarded the tram at 18:05 at Townend, then tram replacement bus B2 at Spring Lane – which sat there for over 5 mins before going anywhere. B2 set off, stopped at Angel St for nearly 10 mins before proceeding directly to Shalesmoor….! Hence completely by-passing the West St / University of Sheffield stops. I had to get off at Shalesmoor (this was the first B2 bus stop after Argos at Angel St) & walk all the way up Hoyle St / Netherthorpe Rd to the top of West St to the University Of Sheffield Tram Stop which was my original destination.

 

Absolutely appalled!

 

Re. the blue route being back to "normal" from Monday - no chance of that whatsoever I'm afraid! Supertram are currently quoting - somewhat optimistically in my opinion given the state of Park Grange Rd - "the end of October".... Their original assurance was 12 weeks from 1 July i.e. 23 Sept - but then "there are lies, damn lies & Supertram promises...."

[NorthernStar 11]

I don't mind the fact that the work has to go ahead but the lack of information on routes is deserving of an award for bad management - would it have shot the budget to send someone around putting up some cheap laminated photocopied signage informing customers on tram stops and informing staff the lads working on the tracks of what is going on and the alternatives available.

 

Today I wanted to get into town but after asking a conductor on a tram on Friday what the plan was I was told that she thinks they are working on Shalesmoor this weekend but not to quote her on it because she wasn't sure, so today I asked the lads working on the tracks at shalesmoor where I could find an alternative way into town and got the reply "dunno mate - no idea they don't tell us owt". So ended up walking, a bit irritating with a tram pass in my pocket.

[WillPS 10]

27th. Mmmmkay. Will be so good when it actually happens...

 

Having driven down there today, I would say the 24th is really, REALLY, optimistic..

 

You drove *down* there?!

[mediamark 10]

Thanks for the replies....sounds like I should set my alarm earlier than I was planning!

 

What's the deal with the B1 / B2 buses?

Which do I need to get into town?

 

Cheers

[GleadlessLad 12]

Thanks for the replies....sounds like I should set my alarm earlier than I was planning!

 

What's the deal with the B1 / B2 buses?

Which do I need to get into town?

 

Cheers

 

Both B1 & B2 depart for town from Spring Lane.

 

B1 - the "Express Bus" - goes directly to town, it doesn't stop until it reaches Castle Square.

 

B2 also goes to Castle Square, but stops at the bottom of Granville Rd & also outside the railway station.

 

& the same heading back out of town to Spring Lane.

 

There are usually five or six B1s for every B2 - & B2 generally seems to "run at times to suit the individual driver's imagination".

 

On some mornings (circa 7:45am) both B1 & B2 are at Spring Lane to meet passengers when the tram from Halfway arrives - but B2 then doesn't go straight out, there's a 5 or 10 minute wait. On other mornings at the same time it does go straight out. Another regular scenario at the same time of day at Spring Lane is three B1s & no B2 at all - which can be seen waiting some distance away, not accepting passengers - & then eventually trundles up 10 minutes or more after getting off the tram.

 

In the evenings (after about 19:00?) there's no B1, just B2. There also seems to be a minimum 10 minute wait between the arrival of B2 at Spring Lane & a "connecting" tram to Halfway at all times.

 

 

Good luck!

[kdhurst380 10]

Anyone criticising people complaining obviously drive/don't rely on the tram network.

 

It's a surprising amount of incompetence, inefficiency and terrible communication, the complete opposite of how the system usually runs.

 

We all accept that this kind of work is essential, I use the tram 5 days a week, at least twice a day, more often than not 6 or even sometimes 7, so I feel assured that the tracks are being looked after thus preventing any potential accident.

 

What I and many others won't accept, is how everything has been handled from a PR point of view, lack of communication and transparency, the poor substitute services that roughly stick to timetable, and staff that don't even pretend to care.

 

Ok, I won't tar them all with the same brush, many of them have actually been very helpful, seen quite a few confused people getting to the station on a tram without realising it's going no further and staff have been very clear and polite in telling them where to go/what to do. But, some of the examples I've seen that have been bad, have been really bad, and attitudes displayed towards passengers have been that of contempt, and acting as if their presence and advice is a gesture of goodwill.

 

Either way, I sincerely hope that lessons have been learnt. People have a right to feel aggrieved, we pay good money for the services provided, and when the ordinary service is suspended, we have the right to expect a suitable replacement that causes us minimal inconvenience. People use these systems to get to and from work/education. They have to be reliable.