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Agreed, for me the Rainham Thameslink service was dead on arrival, it’s a slow duplicate of other more useful services, I don’t see why the rest of the North Kent line should be lumbered with a poor service for the sake of a few customers at four stations west of Charlton.
Agreed, for me the Rainham Thameslink service was dead on arrival, it’s a slow duplicate of other more useful services, I don’t see why the rest of the North Kent line should be lumbered with a poor service for the sake of a few customers at four stations west of Charlton.
The NK semi-fast from the late 70s (when it was upped to half-hourly) ran via Lewisham - journey time West of Charlton with only a Lewisham stop would be the same as all stations via Greenwich.
There are plenty of valid criticisms of the TL service but this one isn't particularly convincing.
Nothing on that route is especially fast - the first stop New Eltham services via Sidcup are the quickest these days (to Dartford) but it has always changed. Bexleyheath has never had a faster service, really, otherwise that would likely be the one.
Rainham should switch to Epsom - I think that's fairly well agreed upon, at least within this squabbling pit. Keeps it 'Southern' and way less messy. Especially now that Maidstone is also back to a SE service.
Rainham should switch to Epsom - I think that's fairly well agreed upon, at least within this squabbling pit. Keeps it 'Southern' and way less messy. Especially now that Maidstone is also back to a SE service.
That doesn't come 'for free' though. Presumably there would need to be some stock transferred from Southern to Southeastern to enable a different service to run from London Bridge to Rainham (although this could just be an adjustment to the existing plans for such a transfer in the great 379 > 387 > 377 cascade), a transfer of traincrew from Thameslink to Southeastern at Gillingham, possibly transfer of some Southern traincrew at Epsom to Thameslink and route knowledge between Sutton and Epsom.
Has anyone asked Thameslink's planning department if this is under consideration?
The NK semi-fast from the late 70s (when it was upped to half-hourly) ran via Lewisham - journey time West of Charlton with only a Lewisham stop would be the same as all stations via Greenwich.
There are plenty of valid criticisms of the TL service but this one isn't particularly convincing.
Really? Because in the 80s until the early 00s it was possible to do LB to Abbey Wood in under half an hour, in its final years the old NK semi fast was ridiculously padded out so LB to Abbey Wood was 35 minutes, ironically the fastest time was when the NK semis were briefly rerouted to via Greenwich, calling at Greenwich only, of course these the Greenwich line commuters would not allow for a fast train by passing Westcombe, Maze or Deptford these days.
Either way the Thameslink Rainham is still far slower since they’ve padded out that service so much now.
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The rerouting of Rainham trains to Epsom is something I’ve only ever seen on forums, the closest I’ve ever heard of a change is someone reevaluating the Rainham service post opening of the EL, again that was on a forum
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Nothing on that route is especially fast - the first stop New Eltham services via Sidcup are the quickest these days (to Dartford) but it has always changed. Bexleyheath has never had a faster service, really, otherwise that would likely be the one.
Rainham should switch to Epsom - I think that's fairly well agreed upon, at least within this squabbling pit. Keeps it 'Southern' and way less messy. Especially now that Maidstone is also back to a SE service.
I think the main thing is to make a faster service from Medway/Gravesend to Abbey Wood, which is what many in Medway want, I don’t think it matters so much if West of Abbey Wood is faster.
Could the Rainham be swapped out for Maidstone? Has that been considered at all I wonder?
That doesn't come 'for free' though. Presumably there would need to be some stock transferred from Southern to Southeastern to enable a different service to run from London Bridge to Rainham (although this could just be an adjustment to the existing plans for such a transfer in the great 379 > 387 > 377 cascade), a transfer of traincrew from Thameslink to Southeastern at Gillingham, possibly transfer of some Southern traincrew at Epsom to Thameslink and route knowledge between Sutton and Epsom.
What happened to the stock that used to run from Charing Cross to Gillingham? Has another route gained longer or more frequent trains? I am aware that some some class 465s have gone, but haven't they been replaced by an equal number of class 707s? SWR and Southern have both lost a significant number of units but I don't think South Eastern has. On the face if it, they should have plenty of units.
I think the main thing is to make a faster service from Medway/Gravesend to Abbey Wood, which is what many in Medway want, I don’t think it matters so much if West of Abbey Wood is faster.
Could the Rainham be swapped out for Maidstone? Has that been considered at all I wonder?
A lot of people commuted before Crossrail and still do - ajnd it doesn't help for every single journey. Abbey Wood access is of course very important, but people from Dartford for instance, still want quicker services to London.
And many people still work in London Bridge, South Bank, around Charing Cross/Aldwych, Blackfriars etc- which Crossrail doesn't serve well and the legacy routes still have a place.
Rainham/Maidstone is interchangeably random. The SE network shouldn't have been brought into TL at all. Exceptions obviously being the Orpington/Sevenoaks routes.
What happened to the stock that used to run from Charing Cross to Gillingham? Has another route gained longer or more frequent trains? I am aware that some some class 465s have gone, but haven't they been replaced by an equal number of class 707s? SWR and Southern have both lost a significant number of units but I don't think South Eastern has. On the face if it, they should have plenty of units.
Southeastern didn't have a lot of stock before hand, unless more units have moved to store it's a small net vehicle increase for the 707s. Beckenham Junction to Blackfriars moved to Southeastern from Thameslink (peak time only service), more trains to Gravesend, some longer trains and extended running times roughly balanced out in 2018. More recently Maidstone East to Charing Cross additional services, some longer trains, extension of 2pth from Bromley South to Orpington and a pair of 377s transferred to Southern means there are several shorter trains around at peak times even with the net vehicle increase.
Even if stock could be found, trying to add more crossing moves at Lewisham will cascade quickly onto lots of other services and probably needs a substantial rewrite to make it work.
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