Greater Anglia Timetable: What would you do?

[TheBigD]

Was it a passenger service or ECS? I was told ALL trains booked to call at Cambridge MUST stop at Audley End due to a bylaw for trains to pass over the land. Similar to Stockport Viaduct & only trains I've known in last few years where the Liv.St-Norwich IC services during the Ipswich Tunnel blockade of 2004 which ran via the yard not platforms.

In passenger service... Ran for a good few years,0456 off Cambridge... Ran from 2008 through to 2015 if I've got my dates right... Now runs about 15 minutes earlier and stops though...

I seem to recall reading elsewhere that the Stockport situation was a myth, albeit a widely believed myth...

 

[AlanFry1]

I'm surprised you haven't said Tottenham Hale rather than the far far bigger & busier White Hart Lane

Don't quite see the demand to be frank with you haha

 

[dk1]

In passenger service... Ran for a good few years,0456 off Cambridge... Ran from 2008 through to 2015 if I've got my dates right... Now runs about 15 minutes earlier and stops though...

I seem to recall reading elsewhere that the Stockport situation was a myth, albeit a widely believed myth...

I've read that about Stockport but eas told the Audley End take by a very long standing Union official. Is odd when you look at how many trains call at this place.

 

[AlanFry1]

I do not think legally that you can not stop at Audley End.

There's a law against not stopping trains at Audley End? News to me

 

[Bald Rick]

I do not think legally that you can not stop at Audley End.

Sorry that's not correct.

Check the 0803 from Liverpool Street

 

[dk1]

Sorry that's not correct.

Check the 0803 from Liverpool Street

Nice one. I will throw this one right back at the Fenland folk that filled me with this info :roll:

 

[sjoh]

Sorry that's not correct.

Check the 0803 from Liverpool Street

and the corresponding 16:[57?] return.

 

[Ianno87]

Was it a passenger service or ECS? I was told ALL trains booked to call at Cambridge MUST stop at Audley End due to a bylaw for trains to pass over the land. Similar to Stockport Viaduct & only trains I've known in last few years where the Liv.St-Norwich IC services during the Ipswich Tunnel blockade of 2004 which ran via the yard not platforms.

There must be a specific exemption for the 0803 Liverpool Street-Cambridge then...

 

[AlanFry1]

and the corresponding 16:[57?] return.

That calls

 

[A Challenge]

Maybe its excluding 1tpd but not allowing (for example) 1tph in each direction?

 

[lord rathmore]

On the rural side...

Sudbury - Most trains are planned to operate through to Colchester Town, hopefully given the new units are bi-mode the services will be combined with the existing Colchester -Walton-on-the-Naze

East Suffolk Line - Whilst there's an extra morning Ipswich-Lowestoft service planned, with a bit of timetable tweaking an extra It's about 20 minutes from Woodbridge to Saxmundham so with a bit of tweaking 3 trains in total in the Peak hour could be squeezed in like they do in the morning.. It may mean stabling the unit on the Leiston branch for a while until you can get it back to Ipswich... I don't think the freight operates to Leiston any more


Agree with much of your proposal but the Leiston branch will be fully utilised for Sizewell C construction traffic if/when this gets the go ahead.

 

[Class 170101]

Leiston is in use. A train has been here in the last couple of weeks.

As for Woodbridge to Saxmundham - firstly does it really need three per hour in the peak but secondly if it does why not eliminate some of the lesser used stops to speed up the journey, thirdly introduce an intermediate block signal in each direction to reduce the block time and then finally a passing loop as been proposed at various times at Wickham Market to shorten the block section and allow trains to pass.

 

[TheEdge]

Leiston is in use. A train has been here in the last couple of weeks.

There is a minuscule amount now. With the completion of that stage of the decommissioning of Sizewell A now done the few trains that go down there are nothing more than route refreshers.

As for Woodbridge to Saxmundham - firstly does it really need three per hour in the peak but secondly if it does why not eliminate some of the lesser used stops to speed up the journey, thirdly introduce an intermediate block signal in each direction to reduce the block time and then finally a passing loop as been proposed at various times at Wickham Market to shorten the block section and allow trains to pass.

You'd be surprised, the East Suffolk is very busy in the peak (and can be even off peak), its not unknown for trains, even 3 cars, to leave people behind. As to skipping stops, which ones? With the exception of Brampton they are all a minimum of 50k passengers, Beccles, Halesworth and Saxmundham all clear 100k and Woodbridge is over 200k. That bit of Suffolk is prime rich commuter belt, Saxmundham onwards will all be busy in the peak.

A passing loop at Wickham Market is all but confirmed, I believe its part of the agreement to go ahead with the construction of Sizewell C.

 

[dk1]

There is a minuscule amount now. With the completion of that stage of the decommissioning of Sizewell A now done the few trains that go down there are nothing more than route refreshers.



You'd be surprised, the East Suffolk is very busy in the peak (and can be even off peak), its not unknown for trains, even 3 cars, to leave people behind. As to skipping stops, which ones? With the exception of Brampton they are all a minimum of 50k passengers, Beccles, Halesworth and Saxmundham all clear 100k and Woodbridge is over 200k. That bit of Suffolk is prime rich commuter belt, Saxmundham onwards will all be busy in the peak.

A passing loop at Wickham Market is all but confirmed, I believe its part of the agreement to go ahead with the construction of Sizewell C.

Very well explained mate. Totally agree.

 

[Class 170101]

Oddly I was thinking of reducing calls at Wickham Market.

 

[JW16]

Have GA actually made any publicly available proposals regarding the December 2019 timetable?

Is there a public consultation process?

 

[berneyarms]

Have GA actually made any publicly available proposals regarding the December 2019 timetable?

Is there a public consultation process?

Just what was published when the franchise was awarded:

http://maps.dft.gov.uk/east-anglia-franchise/

Use the drop down menu to select the different areas.

 

[LAX54]

Just what was published when the franchise was awarded:

http://maps.dft.gov.uk/east-anglia-franchise/

Use the drop down menu to select the different areas.

All of which in reality is a 'wish list' and parts may never come to fruition !

 

[bspahh]

A few days ago, the Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles talked about improving internet access along the train routes. He also said that that the Ely North junction remained the biggest priority for the franchise to open up the region’s railways. That won't be by 2019, though.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/gre...d_business_leaders_at_norwich_event_1_4876557

 

[AlanFry1]

Just what was published when the franchise was awarded:

http://maps.dft.gov.uk/east-anglia-franchise/

Use the drop down menu to select the different areas.

A bit worrying that White Hart Lane isn't mentioned on the greater Anglia route.

 

[Kite159]

A bit worrying that White Hart Lane isn't mentioned on the greater Anglia route.

Why would a minor London Overground managed station feature on the GA route map when GA services don't call there?

 

[Trainfan344]

Why would a minor London Overground managed station feature on the GA route map when GA services don't call there?

Because it's the biggest station in London, obviously.

 

[Wivenswold]

I'd like to give allocating these new trains a go, being a numbers freak and having a disability that's finished off my social life.

I've tried importing the National Rail timetables to Excel, which was a spectacular failure, likewise the working timetables. Aside from starting from scratch is there any way of cut and pasting timetables into a format that can be played around with?

 

[30907]

There must be a specific exemption for the 0803 Liverpool Street-Cambridge then...

Sorry to demolish another railway myth, but going back to the 50s, the up and down Fenman were nonstop from and to Cambridge, and random other trains skipped Audley End.

I think the regular Audley End stop came in with the interval timetable (xx36 off LST) that prevailed in the 60s and 70s.

 

[43074]

All of which in reality is a 'wish list' and parts may never come to fruition !

This is all in the Abellio franchise commitment, thus Abellio are in default of their contract if they fail to implement their improvements within the agreed timescales.

I agree some of it looks like it comes from a wish list, the Colchester Town to Sudbury is asking for trouble, whilst I'll be very interested to see how they implement the promised journey time reductions, e.g. Cambridge in 58 mins via the West Anglia route and Ipswich in an average of 64 mins, but when it happens it'll be great for the region I suppose. I suspect there'll be winners and losers though...

 

[Ianno87]

This is all in the Abellio franchise commitment, thus Abellio are in default of their contract if they fail to implement their improvements within the agreed timescales.

I agree some of it looks like it comes from a wish list, the Colchester Town to Sudbury is asking for trouble, whilst I'll be very interested to see how they implement the promised journey time reductions, e.g. Cambridge in 58 mins via the West Anglia route and Ipswich in an average of 64 mins, but when it happens it'll be great for the region I suppose. I suspect there'll be winners and losers though...

Cambridge in 58 minutes?! The existing 0803 ex-Liverpool Street (calling only Tottenham Hale) manages it in 65 minutes today.

 

[AS43]

Cambridge in 58 minutes?! The existing 0803 ex-Liverpool Street (calling only Tottenham Hale) manages it in 65 minutes today.

That train does have 8.5 minutes of recovery time built into its schedule, and might be able to make up a bit more time if it didn't follow the (invariably late) 0758 Cambridge as far as Harlow. I concede that would only give a theoretical best time of 56ish minutes, going flat out with no delays at all.

Quite how they intend to make this a regular, reliable part of the new timetable with current infrastructure is anyone's guess!

 

[Kite159]

It currently takes around 10 minutes to cover the last 6 miles from Tottenham Hale to Liverpool Street.

Those headline times will be great for those passengers making end to end journeys, not so great for those stations they would fly past where previously they would have called.

 

[dk1]

It currently takes around 10 minutes to cover the last 6 miles from Tottenham Hale to Liverpool Street.

Those headline times will be great for those passengers making end to end journeys, not so great for those stations they would fly past where previously they would have called.

I think you'll find it will be an additional hourly service on the WA route to Cambridge so everyone's a winner.

 

[Ianno87]

That train does have 8.5 minutes of recovery time built into its schedule, and might be able to make up a bit more time if it didn't follow the (invariably late) 0758 Cambridge as far as Harlow. I concede that would only give a theoretical best time of 56ish minutes, going flat out with no delays at all.

Quite how they intend to make this a regular, reliable part of the new timetable with current infrastructure is anyone's guess!

The 8.5 no doubt includes 3-4 minutes of Engineering Allowances which cannot be removed. I'd be staggered if they were claiming an 8 minute improvement on the *peak* journey time given that the folk of Audley End and Bishop's Stortford would also like to be able to get to work, and there's no peak capacity south of Broxbourne to transfer these stops into an additional service.