Commuting - is this normal?

[Parsley]

I've just started a new job based in the City. My door to door commute should be 45 minutes and when it's working well, it is. I have to get back at a certain time as I have childcare commitments. So far, the journey in has been fine. However, out of 5 journeys home, 2 have been severely disrupted. One by a trespasser on the line (held things up for nearly an hour) and today, there was a points failure. I was about 40 minutes late home. Is this usual?

I drove to my last job and yes, traffic could be a pain but at least I could take another route if there were problems. I'm despairing of the train service at the moment... is this just a blip?

[Ladygooner]

I was stuck at London Bridge too tonight - thankfully I can't remember the last time we were delayed like tonight. Nbr 40 bus is always a good fallback

[Nick B]

You can probably blame me Parsley, it was only a couple of weeks ago when i mentioned how good the trains have been from London Bridge back to ED. Then been stuck in both the situations you mention since! But other than that, I've had very few problems over the last year heading back between 5.30 to 6.30. Hopefully just a blip.

[Sue]

Parsley Wrote:

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> out of

> 5 journeys home, 2 have been severely disrupted.

> One by a trespasser on the line (held things up

> for nearly an hour) and today, there was a points

> failure. I was about 40 minutes late home. Is

> this usual?

>

xxxxxxx

I think you've just been unlucky - trespassers on the line and points failures are not normal things ....

[SteveT]

I was talking to a well travelled lady friend a few weeks ago and she thinks we have the most unreliable trains she has ever had the misfortune to have to rely on.

It is bordering on third world for unreliability.

[Louisa]

Parsley if I were you, I would take advantage of the good housing stock and cheap prices in up and coming SE4 (especially around Telegraph Hill area of New Cross/Brockley). The East London Line is up and running from Brockley station now, and i'm sure it would be a hell of a lot quicker to take that route into canary wharf and jump the tube!

Louisa.

[JohnL]

Overground (east london line) is pretty fast - I catch the 443 bus to New cross then the overground/jubilee to Canary Wharf and it takes about 45 mins. But there were Overground delays last week !!!

Louisa Wrote:

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> Parsley if I were you, I would take advantage of

> the good housing stock and cheap prices in up and

> coming SE4 (especially around Telegraph Hill area

> of New Cross/Brockley). The East London Line is up

> and running from Brockley station now, and i'm

> sure it would be a hell of a lot quicker to take

> that route into canary wharf and jump the tube!

>

> Louisa.

[Parsley]

I agree the East London Line would be good for Canary Wharf, but I'm going to the City. Near Moorgate.

Louisa - you must have been reading my mind, I have been considering a move out of ED. Perhaps even to the wilds of Brockley. Unfortunately, I have a flat to sell before I do this and so far, not so good on that front.

To Sue, Ladygooner and Nick B, I'm glad you think this has been bad luck. I used to commute to the Strand. (Sometimes on the 176 and sometimes to Charing Cross (changing at London Bridge). I don't ever remember it being this bad.

[Louisa]

Parsley - i've noticed flats struggling around here too. I think when the property bubble burst a bit the less affordable areas became slightly more affordable, and ED kind of drifted off the radar a little for many, and clearly the relatively poor transport links do not help the situation. My neighbours have had their flat on the market for just shy of a year and a half now! SE4 is lovely, good community spirit, stunning looking period homes with quiet tree lined streets, I can see why it has been such a hidden gem for so long and the East London Line will no doubt make it all the more attractive, get in while you can I say!

Louisa.

[Smiler]

40 bus a good alternative, or any of the buses from the City to Camberwell then change. Or train from London Bridge to Denmark Hill, then bus down. Is horrible not being able to get home on time to collect kids.

[cate]

Think if you are within easy reach of Peckham Rye station you will be OK as that is getting East London line. The flats/properties in that area, Ondine, Marsden, Muschamp, seem to go quickly.

[Bic Basher]

I travelled up to Canary Wharf from the Harvester end of LL today. 30 mins including the bus to Forest Hill, then 25 mins on the ELL and Jubilee. A bargain at ?1.30 on Oyster too.

[Loz]

SteveT Wrote:

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> I was talking to a well travelled lady friend a

> few weeks ago and she thinks we have the most

> unreliable trains she has ever had the misfortune

> to have to rely on.

>

> It is bordering on third world for unreliability.

Do you mean the UK or ED in particular? If you mean ED, you should have been around about 5 years ago when pretty much nothing was on time and cancellations were common.

At the moment, the ED-LB service is not too bad at all.

[Clazza]

Whilst I miss things about ED, moving to Brockley 2 years ago has been great. Much better transport East Line now means getting to Canary Wharf in 15-20 mins or else London Bridge. Nunhead gets you to Victoria or else on Thameslink to St Pancreas etc. Loads of choices.

[Medley]

Another option is to get the ELL to Shoreditch and then walk to Moorgate. GF did this yesterday and reported well on it but we're within toddling distance of the ELL so that's a bit of a different situ.

[Stat Man]

Parsley,

In response to your initial post, I agree with Sue and Nick in that you have just been unlucky so far. For I long time I commuted from Essex to Surrey and the trains south of the river are much more reliable than the inept service put on by National "Express" out of Liverpool St. I still use Southern trains every day and find them pretty good most of the time. I wouldn't give up on the trains after a couple of bad runs.

[Jeremy]

The trains have been unreliable over the last few weeks (in both directions), but I'm hoping it's just a blip.

In general, the service is usually fairly good. Serious problems like yesterday are very rare.

[kford]

I'd suggest getting a bike or a scooter. Takes me 25-30 mins to Baker Street in any conditions. Even a cycle only takes 35-40 mins, compared to 55 on the train and tube.

[Louisa]

Oh no please dont encourage more motorbikes or cyclists onto the road, they really do make me very bloody angry! Keep to the trains people, they will improve (6)

Louisa.

[PaulR]

I do love it when someone starts ranting about cyclists and irrationally blowing a gasket - it always cheers me up and reminds me why I enjoy commuting by bicycle and riding at weekends. Thank you for that Louisa. I saw a rural fox the other weekend - I was riding along beautiful country lanes in Oxfordshire at about 3am - as well as a deer and a badger. Thank goodness I did see them - if they hand't been there to keep me awake I might have dozed off and fallen off my bicycle and I wasn;t even wearing a helmet. It's a disgrace. Something must be done.

[randombloke]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Oh no please dont encourage more motorbikes or

> cyclists onto the road, they really do make me

> very bloody angry! Keep to the trains people, they

> will improve (6)

>

> Louisa.

Having commuted for a number of years and having recently become a convert to riding a 125 motorcycle I can say without fear of contradiction that the 'bike beats public transport hands down every time.

As an example: in the month prior to purchasing the bike I was late 5 times out of 20 when using either the bus or the train. Using the bike I was not late on a single occassion over two months. If the system could be relied on then I'd use it, but the fact is the public transport infrastructure in London is rubbish.

Hot, overcrowded, unreliable and overpriced. That can apply to the tube, buses or trains, all of which I have tried over the years.

On the bike, even if the traffic is appalling my journey time varied by a maximum of 5 minutes, 30 mins from East Dulwich to Fleet St door to door. On public transport it could vary from about an hour up to 2.5-3 or indeed 6 hours during the snow in December last year.

Sadly, it's a no-brainer.

[Diego]

Louisa Wrote:

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> Oh no please dont encourage more motorbikes or

> cyclists onto the road, they really do make me

> very bloody angry!

> Louisa.

Temper Temper....

Two wheelers are a blessing to this city and beneficial on all fronts (climate, congestion, overuse of public transport etc etc).

[PeckhamRose]

'Sadly' it's a no brainer?

SADLY?

It's a great way to get around and people like Louisa are to be ignored.

Motorcycle it, and then when you get to work you've already had a motorcycle ride that day.

And no more passing round colds and flu on public transport!

[bil]

The East London line is easily obtainable from ED. There are lots of buses to Forest hill and then the journey to the city is fast from there.

Telegraph hill is lovely (the SE14 part) i.e. larger houses near the park and hilly fields area in SE4 is also great. There are a few delis, bars and restaurants in Brockley but ED has so much more to offer and I guess that is reflected in the house prices despite ED having relatively poor transport links. On the other side of telegraph hill is New cross road which is not such a pretty sight.

I hope your commute gets easier

[randombloke]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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> 'Sadly' it's a no brainer?

> SADLY?

>

> It's a great way to get around and people like

> Louisa are to be ignored.

> Motorcycle it, and then when you get to work

> you've already had a motorcycle ride that day.

> And no more passing round colds and flu on public

> transport!

"Sadly" because we have such a rubbish transport system. Not "sadly" that I have to ride a motorbike which is great fun.