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Supertram problems

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Absolutley agree, Autumn is definitely the busiest period. Every year it's the same. Apart from this year, when reliability has dipped and overcrowding has increased noticebly compared with previous years.

 

What's different about this year?

 

Probably the fact that everyone in Stocksbridge/Deepcar/Wharncliffe Side and Oughtibridge has been forced off the direct 57 bus when they chopped it and cut it down to 1 per hour and now forced to use the tram link and tram at Middlewood.

 

Doesn't help that when they chopped the 57, they now use small single deckers compared to the double deckers that were previously used and now due to chronic overcrowding some buses are leaving people standing for another hour in places like Worrall and Wadsley where there are no alternative services.

 

That's good old Stagecoach for you. Slate First what you want, but at least when they ran the 57/58 they provided a much better and frequent service than what is in place now! :rant:

 

---------- Post added 25-12-2017 at 12:26 ----------

 

Trams will be much more reliable from the end of January .

 

Oh look a pig just flew past the window... :D:hihi:

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Ah, that does make sense. There seem to be three issues compounding: more passengers from the defunct bus services; traffic snarl ups and no contingency to put on extra trams.

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I think the tram timetable change will have some effect on improving timeliness, but at the cost of less services.

 

The driving situation is only going to get worse as I see it. Perhaps if there was some change to the streets at the malin bridge end of Holme lane, that might improve the flow.

 

Unfortunately using public transport in this country is frowned upon. And I get why, the bus shelters don't cover you properly in the rain and it's just not as convenient as jumping into the car outside your house. Even if you're stuck in traffic you're not stuck out on the street waiting.

 

Could they ever improve the shelters (both bus and tram) or is the fear that they would become hangouts for neer do wells like the big old concrete ones became?

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Are they bringing back into service the one that was damaged in the incident at Shalesmoor?

 

That's been back in service for over a year.

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I just checked and that happened in Oct 2015, I'm obviously in a time warp!

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Probably the fact that everyone in Stocksbridge/Deepcar/Wharncliffe Side and Oughtibridge has been forced off the direct 57 bus when they chopped it and cut it down to 1 per hour and now forced to use the tram link and tram at Middlewood.

 

Doesn't help that when they chopped the 57, they now use small single deckers compared to the double deckers that were previously used and now due to chronic overcrowding some buses are leaving people standing for another hour in places like Worrall and Wadsley where there are no alternative services.

 

That's good old Stagecoach for you. Slate First what you want, but at least when they ran the 57/58 they provided a much better and frequent service than what is in place now! :rant:

 

---------- Post added 25-12-2017 at 12:26 ----------

 

 

Oh look a pig just flew past the window... :D:hihi:

 

The smaller buses are because the 57 and 201 routes now interwork to provide a through route Sheffield-Stocksbridge-Chapeltown taking in Fox Valley Retail Park which was apparently a request from passengers. It will be interesting to see if this arrangement continues with the 28 January timetable change.

 

The reduction in daytime frequency was apparently due to insufficient paying passengers for the level of service being provided at Sheffield prices to be viable financially.

 

Compared with when First provided Stocksbridge services there was the 57/58 and at one bit also an X57 or 57a I think at some point - maximum 4 buses per hour. They used old vehicles and the day/week tickets were more expensive than now. Stagecoach provide an hourly 57 and 6 buses per hour on SL1/Sl1a, so 7 per hour in total, albeit it requiring a connection a Middlewod for travel into Sheffield - but then why have buses duplicating the trams and the cost of the extra diesel and extra drivers?

Edited by Andy C

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Compared with when First provided Stocksbridge services there was the 57/58 and at one bit also an X57 or 57a I think at some point - maximum 4 buses per hour. They used old vehicles and the day/week tickets were more expensive than now. Stagecoach provide an hourly 57 and 6 buses per hour on SL1/Sl1a, so 7 per hour in total, albeit it requiring a connection a Middlewod for travel into Sheffield - but then why have buses duplicating the trams and the cost of the extra diesel and extra drivers?

 

No, it was not a maximum 4 per hour pre-Stagecoach. There were 4 per hour in the off peak (2x57 and 2x58), plus the 201. However in the peak there were additional 57 buses - up to every 10 minutes and a half hourly 58a. Then Stagecoach came with a high frequency service and undercut First; as soon as First pulled out Stagecoach put their fares up. However as these are the standard Stagecoach fares, it was not just as a result of Stocksbridge services.

 

Anyway, the business case for the tram was predicated on lower staff costs, lower fuel costs and increased attractiveness. Problems with platform ticketing led to the introduction of conductors, increasing staff costs. Stagecoach cited increased cost of electricity for splitting the tram/bus tickets some years ago. Reduced reliability has affected the attractiveness.

 

Overall the tram is in a mess. Substantial investment is required and at the moment it does not look, from the outside, as though that is justified.

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I'm almost too scared to say this in case I jinx it..........but, a whole working week into the new timetable and.......it's been running like a dream. Every day this week we've set off bang on time from Middlewood terminus. Happy days:)

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I'm almost too scared to say this in case I jinx it..........but, a whole working week into the new timetable and.......it's been running like a dream. Every day this week we've set off bang on time from Middlewood terminus. Happy days:)

 

Almost every tram that I've boarded on the Herdings Park route this week, in both directions, has been late - some by as much as 12 minutes (on a 30 minute frequency).

 

They haven't even managed to run the one timetabled at Gleadless Townend at 7:24am towards town - just 2 stops down from the Herdings terminus & with light traffic - on time; for 4 out of 5 mornings this week it's been late.

 

Some of the Blue Route trams that I've used this week have been late too.

 

So my experience of the new timetable is that it's a bit of a joke & certainly hasn't solved the late tram issues as had been promised!:(

Edited by GleadlessLad

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The traffic situation in the Hillsborough area has been causing problems for trams for sometime now, its got much worse since the bus/tram gate was relaxed by the council, who are desperate to be seen as car friendly, and there can be queuing traffic along Holme Lane from Hillsborough to Malin Bridge, queuing traffic past Hillsborough Interchange bus station and sometimes backed up across Hillsborough corner onto Middlewood Road. In my opinion the problems are also made worse by the constant convoy of 52 and 52a buses trying to pull out of the bus station and turn, blocking the lane of traffic where the tram tracks are in the process - does there really need to be that many buses on the bit between Crookes and Hillsborough?

 

Traffic is always worse at this time of year but in the last few weeks there seems to have been bad traffic on the Parkway, Cricket Inn Road, City Centre, the inner ring road and City Road.

 

It is generally Shalesmoor-Middlewood/Malin Bridge where trams run on street that they have the problems though - you will notice the Purple route doesn't suffer as bad!

 

---------- Post added 16-12-2017 at 18:06 ----------

 

To add, the new timetable from 28th January has longer journey times through Hillsborough and extra layover time between trips at the terminus to reflect that traffic is worse than it used to be, that should improve the reliability of the tram service.

 

when were the tram gate times at Hillsborough relaxed ?

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