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Sir, I am instructed by my Council to complain of the insufficiency of the train service, and the serious loss of time at Wellingborough in the connections with Northampton and Bedford. The following table will show the delay at Wellingborough arising from the present arrangement:-
Trains from Rushden
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to
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Northampton
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Bedford
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Time at Wellingborough
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7.50am
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30 min.
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18 min.
|
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9.40am
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48 min.
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6 min.
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11.40am
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30 min.
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4 min.
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12.50pm
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90 min.
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83 min.
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3.30pm
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15 min.
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9 min.
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5.30pm
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48 min.
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52 min.
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8.05pm
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65 min.
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85 min.
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Trains due at Rushden
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from
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Northampton
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Bedford
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|
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Time at Wellingborough
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8.51am
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3 min.
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35 min.
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10.47am
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39 min.
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17 min.
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12.31pm
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-
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7 min.
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2.38pm
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18 min.
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79 min.
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5.17pm
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81 min.
|
10 min.
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7.6pm
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38 min.
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11 min.
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9.31pm
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65 min.
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58 min.
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The Council fully appreciate the difficulty of arranging the time table for branch lines, but hope that some means may be found of lessening the time spent at Wellingborough in some of the above cases without interfering with the connections of the London trains. As a small matter I may suggest that a few minutes may be saved between the arrival of the down train at Wellingborough at 6.44 and the departure of the Rushden train at 6.55, less than five minutes being found sufficient with other trains.
The insufficiency of the train service is perhaps more noticeable in regard to the Northampton service than the other, and this is more serious, being the county town. Both ways there is a delay at Wellingborough of an hour with two trains, while there is no train from Northampton to Rushden between 1.50 and 6.0 o'clock, except the 3.30 with a stay at Wellingborough of one hour and 21 minutes.
The Council are of opinion that this can only be properly met by an additional train in the afternoon from Wellingborough to Rushden in connection with the 3.30 from Northampton and 3.30 from Kettering. The return train from Rushden would give an additional connection to Bedford by the 4.48 from Wellingborough and to Northampton by the 5.7.
The Council also ask that an additional train may be run in the evening in connection with the 6.20 train from Leicester due at Wellingborough at 7.15.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
(Signed) Geo. S. MASON, Clerk.
To the Manager Midland Railway Company, May 21st. 1898.
To this letter a, formal reply was received saying that the matter was under discussion.
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