News
Train driver ‘refuses to depart’ for Manchester Piccadilly due to ‘unsafe overcrowding’
The incident came just days after the announcement that the HS2 to Manchester leg is to be cancelled
A train driver in London refused to depart for Manchester Piccadilly because he deemed the cabins too overcrowded to be considered safe, it has been reported.
The incident happened on Saturday October 7th, just days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak axed the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the HS2 train at a conference in the city.
The high speed service, which was due to be completed in 2025, was designed to reduce capacity on the West Coast Main Line.
According to reports, the driver had said: “The train’s going nowhere until passengers leave.”
A picture, tweeted by Channel 4 correspondent and author Symeon Brown, shows a carriage with full seats and passengers standing in the aisle waiting to leave.
It was an Avanti West Coast train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly on Saturday morning, it is understood.
In a tweet Mr Brown said: “This week the PM cancelled the HS2 from London to Manchester that would reduce overcrowding.
“Today I’m on a train for Manchester with the driver refusing to depart as ‘it’s unsafe’ due to overcapacity.
“’The train’s going nowhere until passengers leave’, he says”.
Just 10 minutes after his first tweet, Mr Brown added: “10 minutes after I took that picture there was twice as many people standing in the walkway.”
A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said the overcrowded train was due to ‘severe weather’ which saw cancellations because of floods in Scotland and parts of Northern England due to heavy downpours.
They said: “We asked some passengers to leave this service as the train was busy as a result of the severe weather.
“In some circumstances when services are overcrowded a train will not depart for safety reasons and it would be requested that some customers board another service.
“Those affected would be able to get the next available train.
“Due to the extreme weather conditions on Saturday October 7th, services were severely impacted across the entire rail network.
“As a result, trains have been busier than normal. We thank our customers for their patience and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
At the Conservative Party conference in his speech on Wednesday, Mr Sunak ended days of speculation when he announced he was scrapping the entire northern leg of the HS2 train, which he claimed would save £36 billion.
He promised to reinvest the money into improving train and transport networks up north.
The announcement brought an end to over a decade of hope and promises to align the north with the south and make it possible for people, including businesses, to travel between Manchester and London in just an hour and 10 minutes.
It was hoped the train would free up crucial space on Avanti West Coast Main Line trains.
However, the government have said the new HS2 trains will still travel into Manchester, but will join the West Coast Main Line from Birmingham to Manchester. It added that the journey time will still be cut.
We’re pleased to announce that Proper Manchester is rebranding as Finest City Guides.
As part of this change, the Proper Manchester brand, including its social media channels, will transition to the Finest City Guides name.
This is a rebrand of the existing platform rather than a new or unrelated business. The same team behind Proper Manchester will continue to operate Finest City Guides as we develop the platform under its new identity.
Previous name: Proper Manchester
New name: Finest City Guides
Our social channels and other brand assets will be updated to reflect the Finest City Guides name as part of this transition.
More from Finest City Guides coming soon.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
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