FCC Dec 2010 timetable

[jon0844]

313134 has been confirmed as being renamed City of London,

It was dark, but I am pretty sure that it is the standard livery too - i.e. the original used on the first reliveried trains and not the all-purple one from the 321s. But, I might be wrong!

They do seem more spacious inside with the low seats, but they have been totally changed to the FCC seat covers and it looked very clean inside.

Now, given the amount of new services being strengthened, why is it that the 0834 from Stevenage to Moorgate (which is the 0924 at Finsbury Park) is the single service that stays as 3-car from next week. Not only do I lose FC on my train to FPK, but I will still have to squeeze on a 3 car train!! What's more, I think it's being retimed so will become the 0926 at FPK, so I have a bit more time to wait too - giving time for at least one more service to KGX to get more people on the platform for it!

 

[Aictos]

It was dark, but I am pretty sure that it is the standard livery too - i.e. the original used on the first reliveried trains and not the all-purple one from the 321s. But, I might be wrong!

They do seem more spacious inside with the low seats, but they have been totally changed to the FCC seat covers and it looked very clean inside.

Now, given the amount of new services being strengthened, why is it that the 0834 from Stevenage to Moorgate (which is the 0924 at Finsbury Park) is the single service that stays as 3-car from next week. Not only do I lose FC on my train to FPK, but I will still have to squeeze on a 3 car train!! What's more, I think it's being retimed so will become the 0926 at FPK, so I have a bit more time to wait too - giving time for at least one more service to KGX to get more people on the platform for it!

I'm actually looking forward to using the celebrity 313s (celebrity as they are the only 313s used by FCC with lowback seating), pity the rest of the 313s can't get the same lowback seating,

As I've used the 315s that NXEA have a number of times and because of the lowback seating provided, the interiors do seem to be more spacious never mind the fact that it is a 4 car unit and not a 3 car unit although I do like the Southern interiors.

As far as I am aware, the same 3 car service is the 06.25 Welwyn to Moorgate then forms the 07.20 to Stevenage via Hertford North then the 08.34 to Moorgate via Hertford before heading to Hornsey for stabling/cleaning.

 

[jon0844]

It's a shame that it remains 3-car because a few services come in to Finsbury Park (for King's Cross) in close succession - and therefore a lot of people want to get that train, even though a 6-car that is relatively empty comes not long after (0933, after the 0924, which I think will become 0933 after 0926 from next week).

You CAN nearly always get on due to the number of people who alight, although a growing number of people stay on to change with level access at Highbury & Islington than get off at Finsbury Park - so they better keep an eye on it.
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Tonight, instead of taking my usual train from Old Street all the way home (which all this week is pretty empty, either because the earlier services are lengthened or because people are on holiday), I got off at Finsbury Park to see what the faster services were like.

For a start, the screens were showing the 1803 to WGC before the 1758 to Cambridge (and, as expected, they didn't arrive in that order!) and the 1758 - which now calls first stop at Hatfield for 1814 was surprisingly empty (8-car) but I held out for the 1803 to WGC and that was far from busy too.

Now, I accept people may be on leave/holiday, but if not - I am guessing these extra seats are having a VERY positive effect. There seems to be scope to cope with the odd short formed train or cancellation with the excess capacity, but I wonder if we'll see it going the way of a new road - and filling to capacity in a short time?

But, well done to FCC!

 

[philjo]

This week generally has a different travel pattern than normal due to people either travelling home early (to be able to attend school plays, carol services etc) or staying late for Christmas shopping or work parties etc and I suspect the weather will change people's travel patterns. So it will be early January when we can tell any long term effect from the timetable changes.

I caught the 17:19 from Potters Bar to WGC (16:57 from KX) which used to be a 6-car 313. Today it was a 4-car 365 so a big improvement! I have just checked the timetable and there isn't a "1" shown in the column heading so assume that 1st class is declassified on this service.
Onward Cambridge service was 8-car 321 with plenty of room - previously this was a somewhat overcrowded 4-car 317.

A bit of confusion at WGC as the service I was on previously formed the next KX service from Platform 3. It now goes into the yard, couples to another 365 unit & goes empty back to London & the KX service now starts from Platform 4 using a 6-car 313 that arrives a few minutes before it is due to leave again. Of course the new announcement system doesn't tell you anything about services that start at WGC so staff were having to make a number of manual announcements.

My usual morning service is now an 8-car 321 as well instead of 6-car 313 & also declasssified according to the timetable.

I saw one of the 12-car 365 Kings Lynn trains go past this evening & it looked like the front 4 coaches was very lightly loaded compared to the rear 8 coaches- presumably by habit people joined their normal coach rather than go further down the platform at Kings Cross though I suspect this will change over time once people are used to the longer train. It is the front unit which will actually go forward beyond Cambridge to Kings Lynn anyway.

 

[jon0844]

Besides my morning train no longer being declassified (and they've been gripping on them - but I wasn't in the right coach to see if they're being nice and giving a gentle warning or going in for the kill), there are now more trains to WGC running with FC and no FC service!

In fact, the 1803 (1757) is an 8-car train (321s) that is declassified. In fact, any xx57 xx27 trains not run with 313s will be!

I agree that this week, and definitely next week (although I'm off myself, but will go in a couple of days for shopping/meeting up with people) will not represent how things will be come the first (or second) working week in January.

However, I feel that it should be a lot better. None of the inner suburban trains have ever been that crowded (since the last increase in services and the major timetable change) so this now gives extra capacity and a bit of a 'buffer zone' for future increases in passenger numbers.