Thameslink Services/Timetable from May 20th 2018

[MikeWM]

Still can’t rely on late night services though - currently killing time at CBG as the 2338 to Ely is cancelled - no driver, surprise surprise. Another half hour of my life I’ll never get back.

 

[MML]

Gonna be an entertaining rush hour. Train blocking southbound services through the Core. Currently stuck behind it at Kentish Town. Northbound services uninterrupted.
Driver making lots of announcements, I just wish I could understand what he was saying amongst the crackle and fading sound.

 

[Downthelane]

And we are now in September and the relief driver situation strikes again at Finsbury Park. 08.08 Horsham service blocking down fast and will be sat here for another ten minutes at least.

Oh and it's Pancras....

 

[Failed Unit]

Peterborough- Horsham doing badly this morning. Wonder how long it will take to recover. Reactionary delays to other GN services as one would expect. Going to walk from kings cross. Probably quicker.

 

[philjo]

My 0713 to Cambridge was cancelled as it had terminated at East Croydon due to the problems in the core.
the 0725 stopper was busy as the previous 0649 had also been cancelled.

 

[Kanrakuq]

Peterborough- Horsham doing badly this morning. Wonder how long it will take to recover. Reactionary delays to other GN services as one would expect. Going to walk from kings cross. Probably quicker.

National Rail disruption page currently says it'll all be sorted by 11:00 (i.e. in 80 minutes). Err, nope.

City Thameslink arrivals board is carnage.

 

[neilm]

Disruption until 17:00, but let's face it, the service is stuffed until the end of the day. Shocking service and information this morning. Seems that lack of drivers (in correct locations?) was a real issue this morning, as the broken down train was southbound, services were stuck at Blackfriars and London Bridge in the morning Northbound which means the whole service has fallen apart. Seems crazy that they still do driver changes in the core.

 

[infobleep]

I’ve certainly noticed revenue staff back with a vengeance in the last couple of weeks. Loads of checks last week including twice on one journey on one day.

The service has settled down, although certainly not to a point where it’s fully stable. Cancellations are still happening, but the worst thing is late running from the core especially on the Peterborough service. It really is a lottery whether the service will arrive on time or 20 late. The Cambridge/Brighton isn’t much better, when it runs, although it does currently have a luxurious turnaround time in Brighton which presumably won’t be the case if it goes 2tph. The solution to all this stares us all in the face, how long before the penny drops with Thameslink Programme?

What solution is that? More drivers being trained?

 

[BRX]

What solution is that?

We never seem to quite get the answer to that...

 

[387star]

More GN than TL but why don't 387 inter unit doors open up given there are short stations?

What if someone is in the wrong portion?

Least the coach number is displayed

 

[jon0844]

Another reason for opening the unit gangway doors is for toilet access. On my train from Cambridge to London the rear unit that coupled up had no working toilets (at King's Cross I could see the front unit was fine) and it went back out to Cambridge or King's Lynn 15 minutes or so later. Anyone in the front would have no toilets.

 

[swt_passenger]

More GN than TL but why don't 387 inter unit doors open up given there are short stations?

I don’t think it was ever satisfactorily answered. 387s and many other Electrostars operate with gangways in use elsewhere, and on routes where splitting and joining is routine. I assume GWR have them open, I’ve not been on one for ages.

 

[Failed Unit]

I don’t think it was ever satisfactorily answered. 387s and many other Electrostars operate with gangways in use elsewhere, and on routes where splitting and joining is routine. I assume GWR have them open, I’ve not been on one for ages.

I got a reply from a great northern manager. First then claimed they door said were unsafe. When i challenged them about why identical trains were used on the same franchise, putting passengers lives at risk if that was the case. They responded that staff at Cambridge were not employed by them therefore could not be held accountable for opening them. Very poor state of affairs but makes sense. Cambridge is greater Anglia. Hopefully when we get rid of GTR this will be resolved, as passenger comfort is of no interest to GTR.

 

[Ianno87]

I got a reply from a great northern manager. First then claimed they door said were unsafe. When i challenged them about why identical trains were used on the same franchise, putting passengers lives at risk if that was the case. They responded that staff at Cambridge were not employed by them therefore could not be held accountable for opening them. Very poor state of affairs but makes sense. Cambridge is greater Anglia. Hopefully when we get rid of GTR this will be resolved, as passenger comfort is of no interest to GTR.

GA staff do *not* open the internal doors on the peak services that split/join betweem King's Lynn and Liverpool Street, between the attaching portions.

 

[Failed Unit]

Are doors open on services that don’t split? They never open them on GN irrespective.

 

[Bald Rick]

Disruption until 17:00, but let's face it, the service is stuffed until the end of the day.

Coincidentally, the service was fully recovered, or perhaps ‘unstuffed’, almost exactly at the time of your post. Certainly the evening peak ran very well.

 

[Failed Unit]

Coincidentally, the service was fully recovered, or perhaps ‘unstuffed’, almost exactly a time the time of your post. Certainly the evening peak ran very well.

Still a few Horsham to Peterborough cancelled throughout. 1724 ex Finsbury Park one of them.

 

[whoosh]

387s.

Unsafe to have gangway doors opened - rubbish. This WAS the case with class 317s though, as two split in service and the opening up of their gangways was discontinued afterwards. I expect confusion has occurred with this event.
It's a different type of coupler on the two classes.

The splitting and attaching of Class 387s takes longer when gangway doors and cab doors need opening up. Not by much, but it would either need more time adding in the timetable, or an additional driver to assist. The additional driver option was what they went with in the last timetable, and this worked well. HOWEVER, tying up a driver with assisting attachments/detachments all day when you haven't got enough Drivers to run a service with your new timetable isn't a good use of resources.

Result = Unsatisfactory non-opening of gangways. Especially unsatisfactory on any 387 train longer than 4 cars that is booked to call at Foxton, Shepreth, and Meldreth.

 

[30907]

I thought it was just Saver and SuperSaver tickets where BOJ was prohibited? I don’t remember it being prohibited on CDRs, although I could be misremembering. Vary rarely enforced of course...

You are pretty much correct.

 

[jon0844]

I am sure the 387 gangway issue is down to GA staff not being willing to open them and it being a time issue for a driver to do so. There were initially issues with some GA staff shutting down 700s because they insisted they were not allow to enter the cab of a train.

I don't think GTR can be blamed for this one although the excuse was lame. Maybe trying not to blame another TOC they rely on?

Incidentally I've heard rumours GTR may not dispatch trains at King's Cross in the future with all platforms done by LNER staff? Is that remotely true?

 

[Surreytraveller]

I got a reply from a great northern manager. First then claimed they door said were unsafe. When i challenged them about why identical trains were used on the same franchise, putting passengers lives at risk if that was the case. They responded that staff at Cambridge were not employed by them therefore could not be held accountable for opening them. Very poor state of affairs but makes sense. Cambridge is greater Anglia. Hopefully when we get rid of GTR this will be resolved, as passenger comfort is of no interest to GTR.

That's rubbish. Tonbridge are employed by Southeastern and will do the doors of Southern trains

 

[Failed Unit]

That's rubbish. Tonbridge are employed by Southeastern and will do the doors of Southern trains

Maybe. I find GTR never really look for solutions to problems. But both southern and south eastern are the same parent groups, so maybe they will work together. Greater Anglia don’t do it for there own services so are unlikely to do for someone else’s. I guess they could deploy their own staff at Cambridge but this is unlikely as GTR get no benefit to having the doors open, even if the passengers do.

 

[Agent_Squash]

Maybe. I find GTR never really look for solutions to problems. But both southern and south eastern are the same parent groups, so maybe they will work together. Greater Anglia don’t do it for there own services so are unlikely to do for someone else’s. I guess they could deploy their own staff at Cambridge but this is unlikely as GTR get no benefit to having the doors open, even if the passengers do.

Southern was always much better as it's own (separate) franchise - but it seems the general lack of focus under GTR degrades the service for all.

 

[riceuten]

What solution is that? More drivers being trained?

Heaven forfend - someone would have to pay for that

 

[bramling]

We never seem to quite get the answer to that...

You are warmly invited to have a read through historic posts where there’s quite a bit on the subject. I’m on holiday at the moment and don’t have time to type it all out again!

 

[Surreytraveller]

Maybe. I find GTR never really look for solutions to problems.

That's true. They always try to fob people off rather than deal with things

 

[MML]

Gonna be an entertaining rush hour. Train blocking southbound services through the Core. Currently stuck behind it at Kentish Town. Northbound services uninterrupted.
Driver making lots of announcements, I just wish I could understand what he was saying amongst the crackle and fading sound.

I feel like I've been here before just facing the opposite direction.
Northbound services now at a standstill due to an operational incident at St Pancras. What a marvellous idea having 2 tracks for peak hour services across London. I hope the good folks of Peterborough aren't expecting to see a train anytime soon.

 

[Kanrakuq]

Does anyone know what it was? The National Rail site isn't telling.

 

[OwenB]

Does anyone know what it was? The National Rail site isn't telling.

Someone on Twitter said that a driver went through a red light, not sure if true or just hearsay.

 

[bramling]

I am sure the 387 gangway issue is down to GA staff not being willing to open them and it being a time issue for a driver to do so. There were initially issues with some GA staff shutting down 700s because they insisted they were not allow to enter the cab of a train.

I don't think GTR can be blamed for this one although the excuse was lame. Maybe trying not to blame another TOC they rely on?

Incidentally I've heard rumours GTR may not dispatch trains at King's Cross in the future with all platforms done by LNER staff? Is that remotely true?

On the latter point, I hope not. The old-school dispatch staff there date back to WAGN days in some cases, and really know what they’re doing. Although I noticed what look like agency staff there recently.

(On a personal note I get on well with one or two of them, and have many a time had trains opened up at 0500 in the morning rather than having to stand around!).