Ideas to make the Bromley North line more useful

[cle]

Fasts post Hayes could be something like this:

00 - first stop Sevenoaks
04 - first stop Orpington
07 - first stop Swanley (eg Maidstone)
10 - first stop Grove Park

And repeat every 15 mins.

You could have a mix but suggestions on respective order:
2x Hastings, 2x Ashford and on, in the fast
2x Tunbridge Wells extras / Ashford slow
2x Maidstone, 2x Medway/Sevenoaks via Otford
2x Bromley North, 2x inner terminate (Sevenoaks semi?)

The Grove Hill calling path could go to Chelsfield or Chislehurst in the non-Bromley pair, potentially.

I made the times up, but hypothetically. All from Charing Cross. Nothing new in peaks other than 12 vs 8.

 

[465fan]

How would do that without getting into Bromley being painfully slow. It's far and congested going via road, and i don't think theirs space in the embankment to squeeze a single tram line into the route into Bromley South. The you have the problem of crossing the tracks. It's not a quiet semi abandoned line like the Winkle was.

It's a tram. It's already on the road at Beckenham Junction, so it continues on the road underneath Shortlands station and up into Bromley...

 

[PGAT]

It's a tram. It's already on the road at Beckenham Junction, so it continues on the road underneath Shortlands station and up into Bromley...

Easier said than done

 

[30907]

Easier said than done

Swan Hill would be a challenge - turning right and heading towards Bromley South and then up High Street towards the North might be more sensible

 

[Brubulus]

Swan Hill would be a challenge - turning right and heading towards Bromley South and then up High Street towards the North might be more sensible

Beckenham Lane seems to be the easiest route, would be 3.5km in total, then there would be a tram route from Wimbledon to Grove Park. Trams in Sheffield can deal with a 10% gradient, so the hill isn't really an issue.

 

[renegademaster]

It's a tram. It's already on the road at Beckenham Junction, so it continues on the road underneath Shortlands station and up into Bromley...

It would take about 20 minutes to snake through to Bromley, when theirs plenty of local buses that will get you there as quick, and any through passengers from Croydon will get the SL5 anyway

 

[Brubulus]

It would take about 20 minutes to snake through to Bromley, when theirs plenty of local buses that will get you there as quick, and any through passengers from Croydon will get the SL5 anyway

It would save around 10 mins compared to SL5 in peak times, plus would be substantially more reliable than a bus, not to mention the link to Grove Park.

 

[renegademaster]

It would save around 10 mins compared to SL5 in peak times, plus would be substantially more reliable than a bus, not to mention the link to Grove Park.

Bromley Road gets really backed up during peak times, for it not to kill the reliability of the Beckenham kham branch you'd need to ban traffic from it(which is what they did with Addiscombe road, which has a bypass for the main traffic into Croydon ) which Bromley council would never agree to.

 

[Brubulus]

Bromley Road gets really backed up during peak times, for it not to kill the reliability of the Beckenham branch you'd need to ban traffic from it(which is what they did with Addiscombe road, which has a bypass for the main traffic into Croydon ) which Bromley council would never agree to.

Unless you want to effectively ban cars from entering Bromley from the east, I realise Queens Mead Road is the only option, which at 12% is entirely doable in a tram. Cars can be redirected from Bromley road via Crabs Hill.

 

[yorksrob]

But where does it go? Orpington and Sevenoaks are the busiest stations, and well catered for.

Actual Kent Kent (Ashford and beyond) is far better covered now by the Javelins. Would be fresh air along that lovely 4 track straight-away!

I don't think that's true. The stoppers towards Ashford and beyond are reasonably used and London Bridge and Waterloo are important interchanges. I imagine a resurrected Kent Coast express could be very popular.