First the good news. Despite strike action there will be a limited rail service this Saturday and next.
Now the bad. West Midlands Railway: ‘Walsall vs Grimsby – trains will not call at Bescot Stadium for 2 hours before and after the match for safety reasons.’ They say that the same will apply to the Colchester game, the reason being that there will be insufficient staff to provide and manage security.
Blues, Coventry and the Baggies are similarly affected.
Absolute ball ache for me. Usually jump on the train at Cannock, straight to the ground and back, nice easy day.
Firstly I assume the trains will still be running from Walsall to Rugeley?
Secondly, do the buses still run from the ground to the Town? I head a rumour they had stopped but haven’t caught one for a while.
Hourly Walsall to/from Rugeley.
Last one outta Walsall is 18.29.
Where you had those times from mate?
Just checked trainline and they are different.
Only the diamond service 45 from outside the ground.
If you walk up to the Delves, the number 4 service is extremely frequent or if you walk the opposite way to the Wednesbury Road, the number 11 goes into the town centre.
Trains from Cannock to Walsall tomorrow
depart xx:20 per hour - last through direct service to Bescot departs 12:20 (arr. 12:41). Other than that it’s train to Walsall and other means to ground.
Trains to Cannock from Walsall
xx:29 per hour - last train of day departs Walsall at 18:29. No direct through service from Bescot post match so will need to make way into Walsall.
There is a number 45 bus operated by Diamond - leaves Bradford Place at xx:10 and xx:40 taking 8 minutes to outside the ground. Post match, it departs outside the ground at xx:27 and xx:57 back into Walsall
Thank you!
National Rail app mate.
Will be fine as long as they don’t cancel it last minute. I had this happen last season one game.
I assume trains will call at Tame Bridge, where fans may choose to alight. Couldn’t they just close that instead and transfer staff from there to Bescot?
There are no platform staff at Tame Bridge or Bescot anyway, only in the ticket offices, so it’s a bit of a red herring. With a reduced service, and especially with four West Midlands clubs at home, they’re discouraging all football supporters from travelling through New Street so that the trains that do run aren’t completely overwhelmed.
Thanks for clarifying that.
Apart from the trains (when they run) it’s surprising how poorly connected Bescot is, especially in comparison with FP where the football specials (127) ran a shuttle service, with buses queuing outside the Street End at the end of the game.
I was tempted to say this is a job for the SLO and the Club to make representations, but the reality is life has moved on and it’s the age of the car.
Yes I saw the same, meeting with friends in Bloxwich for prematch drinks and was looking at jumping on the train as just 10mins to Bescot and saw not trains after 12 until after 3.
Regardless of what they say I’m sure they just do this so their strikes cause the maximum troble for people to put pressure in negotiations.
Watching Mick Lynch this morning, i didn’t have much sympathy for the train drivers and their strike, if it is run like the old Walsall council days, or British leyland and the coal industry, then it DOES need shaking up to make it more efficient.
But what the government tell you and what he tells you are complete opposite ends of the scale
The government says that they have offered 13% pay rise, but don’t tell you it is over the next 4 years, and they have to streamline staff to the tune of around 2300, and it won’t stop at that.
The government tell you that they are losing 10 million pound a day, what they don’t tell you is that while they MAY be losing that, the owners and shareholders are still making a profit?
I think this strike will be going on for a while yet
Surely the purpose of strikes is to cause the maximum possible disruption? Probably best to take the discussion of rights and wrongs, depending on where you come from, to the slagging off thread in off topic?
A few years back, I often used to get the train from Wellington to Walsall centre for nights out etc, changing at Wolverhampton for a direct connection that took just a few minutes to do the 6 mile journey.
Needed to use the train for the Rochdale pre-season game and now the only available train between the 2 goes via New Street (and Bescot) and takes the best part of an hour.
Like many other journeys, it’s not quicker or any cheaper than using the car (and much less reliable) so hardly surprising that they haven’t managed to persuade more people to swap over.
The trains really a becoming a nightmare
Since I got a car I realised how much our train services truly suck. Poor services, often late or cancelled, dirty, very few staff to help
Suprised anyone can rely on them for work, I’d just be late all the time
Yep people won’t forget it. I used to travel every game via train but now just jump in the car, they’re only harming themselves, f uck em