North London Line

[alexjames]

Apologies if this has been raised before but I can find no trace via the search facility.

I'm only a very occasional user of the NLL and just the Highbury to Frognal stretch. Having noted that some new rolling stock has arrived, I thought I'd try it on the slight probability that it might move faster than the toxic train sets that ran before. No joy, just as painfully slow as before.

I assume that its down to the state of the track/signalling but does anyone have further and better particulars?

 

[General Zod]

TBH you've actually done quite well to complete a journey on the NLL considering the weather ! I would have been very vary of attempting a journey if the NLL was still being run by Silverlink.

 

[NSEFAN]

Hopefully the snow in London won't be quite so bad, although I hope something runs tommorow, as I was planning a trip there!

The Gospel Oak - Stratford section will be closed for several months next year. I presume this is to allow work to take place for a higher frequency / quicker service?

 

[A60K]

Hopefully the snow in London won't be quite so bad, although I hope something runs tommorow, as I was planning a trip there!

The Gospel Oak - Stratford section will be closed for several months next year. I presume this is to allow work to take place for a higher frequency / quicker service?

Yes
- platform lengthening as well, the blockade being more efficient and quicker than continuing weekend closures.

 

[Minstral25]

Excellent idea to do the blockade especially as they have to take down a bridge in Dalston to fit the new platforms and I don't see how they could do it without full closure.

Have to admire the decision making at TFL though - replace totally full standing room trains running every 10 minutes in the peaks, 15 off peak just as full with one bus every 20 minutes!!

Hmm Bright managers!!

 

[A60K]

Have to admire the decision making at TFL though - replace totally full standing room trains running every 10 minutes in the peaks, 15 off peak just as full with one bus every 20 minutes!!

Hmm Bright managers!!

Realistically many of the passengers will switch to other rail routes though, or local buses. It will be quicker for most passengers to do a V shaped journey into and out of Central London than go on a RR bus which will need to go around the houses and get stuck in North London traffic.

And for those local journeys where a bus would still be quicker, then they'll get often take an ordinary bus instead - there's no point walking 5 minutes to the station to get a bus which will take you 20 minutes to get to another station where to have to walk another 5 minutes to get to your final destination. Instead you'll just get the local bus from on your street direct to your destination in 25 minutes.

In my experience the users of RR buses are often those irregular travellers who don't know how to use a map and timetable to plan an alternative route, and don't realise that the RR bus is the worst possible option.

I would expect TfL to give plenty of publicity to alternative routes, and as many of the regular NLL passengers as possible will be advised to take alternative scheduled rail or bus services.

 

[jopsuk]

But a "V" via central London is more expensive, isn't it (if by rail/underground)? On the other hand, using service buses will be cheaper.

That's a point actually- are RRS services in London charged as if they were rail or underground services, or bus services? What happens about Oyster?

 

[A60K]

But a "V" via central London is more expensive, isn't it (if by rail/underground)? On the other hand, using service buses will be cheaper.

That's a point actually- are RRS services in London charged as if they were rail or underground services, or bus services? What happens about Oyster?

They operate the same fare scales as what they replace - so the ELW bus for instance (replacing part of the East London Line) does not accept bus passes, and a valid Underground ticket, Travelcard or Oyster PAYG (at Underground rates) is required.

Some journeys will be more expensive, but IIRC TfL announced in their press release about the NLL closure that some alternative rail routes will be charged less than normal - it should be on the TfL site hopefully.

 

[jon0844]

On the railway, it's rare for tickets to be checked at all for rail replacement services. The driver simply doesn't care and just wants to drive.

The TOCs are usually keeping their staff on the ground to guide passengers and don't care either.

While you can't discount fares when you have put on a RR service, if the TOC wanted to score some worthwhile PR points - they should consider giving some sort of discount voucher against a future journey (with that TOC) as a voluntary compensation for someone who is likely to be sitting on a bus for a LOT longer than the train.

 

[Greenback]

That's a good idea, but the TOC's seem to think that their customers should be grateful for the inconvenience of a RR bus, as it means the line is being improved! Having booked to London on 28 Dec, including a bus from Neport to Bristol Parkway, I have had four separate emails from FGW telling me how wonderful the closure of WSevern tunnel Junction is this Christmas, as its all part of the brilliant enhancements for the Ryder Cup at Newport! They seem very proud of their hourly replacement coaches, never mind the inconvenience of alighting from a nice warm train, struggling in the cold with bags across to some poxy bus, then getting cold again at Bristol later on! I think they feel they should me extra for this, judging by the tone and content of their messages!

 

[jon0844]

What happens when the rail replacement buses won't convey wheelchairs or buggies? If you've been on a train and it then stops and you need to get a bus, how do they deal with this? Do they just leave you there or arrange a taxi?

What if there's nobody around to help (as seems to happen on some Rail Replacement Services)?

I guess the TOC will say that it advertised the rail replacement service in advance (it may be in the small print in the larger timetable books, or a little symbol on the timetable that you will immediately know means there's planned engineering work between 2143 and 0054 on every other Thursday starting from Easter, but only if the weather is right.)

 

[Greenback]

Down here they do have large posters displayed well in advance of engineering works. There's also the bus sign and exclamation mark 9warning sign!!) on the East Coast booking engine, so yes, I;m sure TOC's will say that the customer has been warned in advance. The posters say specifically that heavy luggage, dogs, prams and bicycles cannot be carried.

For us, the alternative is via Hereford for any destinations South and East of Newport!

 

[jopsuk]

Once managed to persuade a coach driver to put my bike in the hold of his vehicle- it was an emergency replacement (soft rails in the New Forest)- the alternative would have technically been littering or fly tipping it- this was in Bournemouth about six and a half years ago, and I've never been there since!

 

[Minstral25]

Realistically many of the passengers will switch to other rail routes though, or local buses. It will be quicker for most passengers to do a V shaped journey into and out of Central London than go on a RR bus which will need to go around the houses and get stuck in North London traffic.
.

I'd like to see the "V" replacement route from Stratford to Dalston (Dalston has no other railway station until the East London Line opens in May 2010)

Yes there are local buses but they are already jammed in the mess created trying to build the new East London Line!

It's going to be fun - maybe I should invest in a bike!

 

[87015]

It's going to be fun - maybe I should invest in a bike!

Certainly sounds like it could be 'fun' - its already heavily rumoured that NR aren't going to be ready and the dates are going to slip before the blockade has even begun....