Train journey times from ED to LB

[Lowlander]

The 08:09 from ED was 1 minute early arriving into LB this morning - and I got through the barriers within 2 minutes.

1 journey out of 9 this week went ok!

[James Barber]

Hi Jeremy,

Network Rail decided to change the balance between through and terminating platforms. To achieve this change is immensely disruptive.

They could have restored the originally closed 2 terminating platforms and then added through platforms. This would have been much less disruptive and not involved the loss of grade II listed structures. But I'd guess it would not have resulted in as much retail under the station. It feels like travel is now considered less important to Network Rail than shopping. So station design involves ensuring passengers pass as many shops as possible - hence St.Pancras being placed so very far after the rebuild from its tube station.

[Jeremy]

James Barber Wrote:

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> It feels like travel is now considered less important to Network Rail than shopping.

Interesting conclusion. It also seems like the (much needed) Peckham Rye redevelopment is largely driven by the urge to develop new retail units.

Also interesting comment about the listed structure. I remember thinking before the works that the existing platform roof/structure could look wonderful if it was restored. No such luck! But to be frank I'd be happy with a concrete windowless carbuncle if the service was reliable.

It all seems such a shame, given the improvements we've seen to the service over the years. Now to have it all taken away... and I suspect will never be the same again.

[michael_FH]

Jeremy Wrote:

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>

> Also interesting comment about the listed

> structure. I remember thinking before the works

> that the existing platform roof/structure could

> look wonderful if it was restored. No such luck!

The roof will be restored. You will just have to go to Aberystwyth to see it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-22706442

I am sure that it will be better maintained for a few tourists in Wales than it was for millions of commuters in London.

[jomou]

This is also causing chaos at the other end of the line. I commute to West Croydon and it's a constant mystery as to whether my train will actually turn up, whether it will leave on time, leave late or simply be cancelled. Often when it does actually run, they make it into a fast train to London Bridge. These cancellations and changes to fast trains are almost never announced over the PA. Thankfully, Croydon is a relatively quiet station so we're spared the overcrowding.

The advice to check with the train operator before travelling is a joke when the website shows different information to the station display screens, and usually both are wrong. Announcements over the PA at West Croydon are virtually nonexistent. I literally shed tears of frustration yesterday evening. Disruption would be so much easier to bear if they would just tell us in an honest and timely way what is actually going on.

[lpool]

To be clear re Charing Cross trains. They will not be stopping at London Bridge. I believe trains to Cannon Street will still call at London Bridge.

My advice is to use alternate London stations until the problems at London Bridge are resolved. There is a scheme in place that allows you to travel to an alternative connecting station using existing ticket. If using a season ticket you may need to the ticket office and get them to update it with correct codes that allow the ticket to function on connecting routes such as London Underground. Details as follows:

Southern and Thameslink passengers with a season ticket bought before 10 November 2014 that expires after 4 January 2015 should go to their local Southern or Thameslink ticket office for their ticket to be reissued. You do not need to do this if you have the Southern Key or a Travelcard valid in zone 1. Further information can be found on Southern and Thameslink?s websites.

[woodland]

There are no trains between London Bridge and Charing Cross until next August .... that's over a year of no way of getting to work easily for me and many others and it will mean more people on the already crushed overground/jubilee line and or local buses... It makes my bike start to look more and more appealing.

[Annasfield]

James Barber Wrote:

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> A lady from Gipsy Hill has started a petition

> demanding that the fare increase be delayed until

> they get these services back to some semblance of

> normal running:

> https://www.change.org/p/sign-this-petition-about-

> the-shambolic-londonbridgetrains

Signed. They should also be offering refunds to people impacted

[Earl Aelfheah]

Fundamentally, these are suburban rail services, which make their money from kent season ticket holders/commuters. If they could, the companies wouldn't stop at inner London stations at all. We're always, therefore, going to have to fight to keep the minimum of service here in zone 2. It's the reason we need a high frequency, tube station, designed to serve an urban population.

[grabot]

Rararah you've stated what I've always suspected is true. In North London, based on this map http://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/pay-as-you-go-tarrifs-national-rail.pdf it appears that TFL have some dominion over the majority of lines. I wonder if the situation in South London would be better if this was also the case down here...

[Jeremy]

rahrahrah Wrote:

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> We're always, therefore, going to have to fight to

> keep the minimum of service here in zone 2. It's

> the reason we need a high frequency, tube station,

> designed to serve an urban population.

Don't necessarily agree to that, since I've lived in the area we've see big improvements. More frequent trains at more regular intervals, later running trains at night, more regular Sunday service (although the weekend closures have been the one constant fixture).

IMO a once-every ten minute rush hour service (i.e. the one we're supposed to have) is perfectly good enough.

[Southeast Twenty Stu]

They cut the service and we fought to have it returned to what it had previously been (I.e. 6 trains an hour). The service is only at the same level it was a decade ago, and only due to local pressure. In that time, passenger numbers have increased significantly.

[Sqiggles]

I bit more coordination for the South London transport system would be useful. Having already given up on the LB trains, the thameslink trains were up the spout this morning so I went to Brixton to get the tube. I then had to queue for 10 mins to get into Brixton tube station because they are replacing the escalators!

[SteveUK1978]

Trains from ED were fine this morning for the 8.10am, shows they can work at least! Arrived "on time" 16 mins later.

The Jubilee Line was noticeably busier going Westbound. Had to let 3 trains go before got on one - that only normally happens when there are delays or a big gap between trains which wasn't the case as they were coming through every 1-2 mins. When I got on, it was packed behind me as well so that, I guess, is the new normal.

[Zebedee Tring]

One of the reasons that westbound Jubilee Line trains are busier at LB is because more people are changing from Overground to Jubilee at Canada Water. Tfl website has flagged this up.

[Southeast Twenty Stu]

There should definitely be more regular buses to Brixton from ED - considering it's the nearest tube station.

[SteveUK1978]

Does anyone know how easy (or otherwise) it is to get on the Victoria Line from Victoria in the mornings? Is the train packed and hard to get on like the Jub Line. If ED / LB is becoming impossible, I may try that as an alternative route from Denmark Hill.

[simonethebeaver]

As a bus rather than train user, I am now looking forward to chaos tomorrow morning as the trains try to cope with additional demand. Does anyone know which, if any, local bus routes are affected? I've tried the TfL website but unhelpfully they list the affected operators rather than routes, and I've never been canny enough to notice which operators I'm using.

[srisky]

SteveUK1978 Wrote:

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> Does anyone know how easy (or otherwise) it is to

> get on the Victoria Line from Victoria in the

> mornings? Is the train packed and hard to get on

> like the Jub Line. If ED / LB is becoming

> impossible, I may try that as an alternative route

> from Denmark Hill.m

From my husband's experience, it's difficult as they often hold passengers back on the concourse in the underground to prevent overcrowding on the platform. So add another 10min onto your journey. Not sure how busy the tubes are once you make it onto the platform - I assume(!) there will be quite a few people alighting at Victoria. Neither of us are regular tube commuters so this may be par for the course.

[BrandNewGuy]

SteveUK1978 Wrote:

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> Trains from ED were fine this morning for the

> 8.10am, shows they can work at least! Arrived "on

> time" 16 mins later.

That had all gone to pot by the 8.30, which crawled along and then terminated at South Bermondsey. Frustratingly this was announced just after leaving QRP so no opportunity for people to hop on the Overground. Completely useless.

[StraferJack]

Re Victoria Station in rush hour

When I use this, I need to hop on an eastbound district line service - I can't face Victoria tube in rush hour so I wander down to St James and have an easy hop on from there

[BigED]

Simonethebeaver - Unless you want the 185 or the 37, it's pretty grim. All of the followingt operators and their routes are likely to be affected:

Abellio - 40, 484, P13

Arriva - 176, 197

Go Ahead - 12

From the article I saw on the Independent website, London Central was not listed as one of the affected companies which should mean that the 37 and 185 are running as normal. But I wouldn't bank on it. And I suspect they might be quite busy. And slow.

Still, I'm all in favour of workers in key public services being able to withdraw their labour following a democratic vote without Cameron/Osborne's proposals for gerrymandering trades union ballots, so I'll just shuffle along with everyone else and take a good book to read.

simonethebeaver Wrote:

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> As a bus rather than train user, I am now looking

> forward to chaos tomorrow morning as the trains

> try to cope with additional demand. Does anyone

> know which, if any, local bus routes are affected?

> I've tried the TfL website but unhelpfully they

> list the affected operators rather than routes,

> and I've never been canny enough to notice which

> operators I'm using.

[MarkE]

BigED Wrote:

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> From the article I saw on the Independent website,

> London Central was not listed as one of the

> affected companies which should mean that the 37

> and 185 are running as normal. But I wouldn't

> bank on it. And I suspect they might be quite

> busy. And slow.

Not that I have any alternative detail to the contrary, but the tfl website does include London Central (perhaps mistakenly): https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/bus-strike

[simonethebeaver]

Thank you for the information, if not thank you for the bad news! I shall be leaving home at 6am, to get to work for 10.

[BigED]

Ah, so it does. A full house. Or clean sweep. Or whatever. I shall be leaving home at 9 with the hope of missing the worst of the crush and getting to work for 11. It'll be fun - let's face it, the trains have been running perfectly recently so a couple of dozen extra passengers couldn't possibly make a difference, could they? What? Eh?

MarkE Wrote:

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> Not that I have any alternative detail to the

> contrary, but the tfl website does include London

> Central (perhaps mistakenly):

> https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/bus-strike