Unusual Scheduling Weekend 6-7 June: Surbiton, Kingston and New Malden

Because of engineering works, there are no services between New Malden and Surbiton on the weekend of 6-7 June. A replacement bus has been laid on between the two stations, some of which also call at Berrylands en route. On Saturday, the half-hourly Shepperton and Kingston Loop via Kingston services are augmented by a half-hourly Waterloo to Hampton Wick service. All services call at New Malden. The additional service presumably goes from the down across to the up at the country end of Kingston, and runs 'wrong line' into the up platform at Hampton Wick, then reverses to go up to Waterloo. On Sunday, services are the same, only the Shepperton service is hourly.

This means that Kingston this weekend has a generous service to and from Waterloo — six trains an hour via Wimbledon and two an hour via Richmond on Saturday; five trains an hour via Wimbledon and two an hour via Richmond on Sunday — more than the four plus two on weekdays.

I'm sure that I've not seen this scheduling before. Normally, when the line through Surbiton is closed for maintenance, the bustitution from Surbiton goes to Kingston, and no additional services to and from Waterloo are laid on. What makes this more of a puzzle is that the only services coming up to Surbiton are half-hourly Hampton Court and Guildford via Woking, so there won't be the usual large numbers of passengers to move from Surbiton.

I think the same applies next weekend too.

Presumably SW have decided that removing 4tph between New Malden and Waterloo will lead to overcrowding.

30907 said:

Presumably SW have decided that removing 4tph between New Malden and Waterloo will lead to overcrowding.

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They don't suually worry about that - removing half the servuice to Kingston every time there's a match at Twickenham.

But there is some kind of music event taking place at Hampton Court next weekend, and if there are no direct trains from Lodon to hampton Court, Hampton Wick is next best (and when i passed the area yesterday there were signs directing festival goers to use the "kingston" gate to the Home Park, wich is actually in Hampton Wick

norbitonflyer said:

But there is some kind of music event taking place at Hampton Court next weekend, and if there are no direct trains from Lodon to hampton Court, Hampton Wick is next best (and when i passed the area yesterday there were signs directing festival goers to use the "kingston" gate to the Home Park, wich is actually in Hampton Wick

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Kingston would be a more suitable station than Hampton Wick for this event, as it has much better access; the latter station has steep and narrow staircases up to the platforms, and is unsuitable for disabled people. It's only a slightly longer walk from Kingston station to the Kingston gate into Home Park. I doubt that the festival's attendance would require two additional trains each hour all day to and from London.

Dr_Paul said:

Kingston would be a more suitable station than Hampton Wick for this event, as it has much better access; the latter station has steep and narrow staircases up to the platforms, and is unsuitable for disabled people. It's only a slightly longer walk from Kingston station to the Kingston gate into Home Park. I doubt that the festival's attendance would require two additional trains each hour all day to and from London.

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Quite so, but it's easier to reverse trains at Hampton Wick, so that's where they terminate

norbitonflyer said:

Quite so, but it's easier to reverse trains at Hampton Wick, so that's where they terminate

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Since the move of the signalling control from Feltham PSB to Basingstoke ROC, there is now a signalled move from platform 2 at Kingston into Hampton Wick platform 1.

Also there isn't a way to terminate services at Kingston from the New Malden direction and then depart from Kingston pt 2 going east as there aren't any crossovers on the east side of Kingston station.

The same service pattern was or will be in operation on Saturday 30th May, Saturday 13th, Sunday 14th, Saturday 27th, Sunday 28th June.

On Saturday 20th June, due to Royal Ascot and Rugby at Twickenham, the line through Berrylands is open so the Hampton Court services will be going to Hampton Court and not to Hampton Wick.

On Saturday 4th July the Shepperton services are terminating at Hampton Wick.

On Saturday 13th June at about 11:15, the double decker RRBs arriving at New Malden from Surbiton were full and standing, so the normal service pattern of 6tph between New Malden and Waterloo would have been needed.

norbitonflyer said:

Quite so, but it's easier to reverse trains at Hampton Wick, so that's where they terminate

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That's true; I noted this in my original post, as there's no way to get from the down to the up line at Kingston except by using the facing crossover at the country end of the down platform on to the up line, which effectively takes a ten-car train into Hampton Wick station. I was making the point that Kingston is a more convenient station than Hampton Wick in respect of passenger access.