I think it's a separate BFR-BFR in the opposite direction around the loop of those southern services we have now (i.e. clockwise am, anticlockwise pm) giving the 4tph in both directions around the loop as you suggest. I think those southern services to/from LBG will stay as they are.
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Thameslink Services/Timetable from May 20th 2018
- Thread starter blakey1152
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I think it's a separate BFR-BFR in the opposite direction around the loop of those southern services we have now (i.e. clockwise am, anticlockwise pm) giving the 4tph in both directions around the loop as you suggest. I think those southern services to/from LBG will stay as they are.
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Bit like Horsham getting late trains but nothing continuing to Chichester
swt_passenger
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The definition in the consultation is:
“Route SN3.11:
London Blackfriars – Peckham Rye – Herne Hill – Streatham – Wimbledon – Sutton
Serving: London Blackfriars, Elephant & Castle, Loughborough Junction, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill, Streatham, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Hackbridge, Carshalton and Sutton.
Trains will generally continue to Wimbledon and London Bridge as Route SN3.12.
Route SN3.12:
London Bridge– Peckham Rye – Mitcham Eastfields – Sutton
Serving: London Bridge, South Bermondsey, Queens Road Peckham, Peckham Rye, East Dulwich, North Dulwich, Tulse Hill, Streatham, Tooting, Haydons Road, Wimbledon, Wimbledon Chase, South Merton, Morden South, St Helier, Sutton Common, West Sutton and Sutton.
Trains will generally continue to Mitcham Eastfields and London Blackfriars as Route SN3.11”
I make that a 2tph service between Blackfriars and London Bridge in each direction.
26 weekday Cambridge<-> Brighton services from what I can see. Do you know what the other 5 weekday ones are?
I noticed a couple of extra late night / early morning services. For example, the 23:22 from Sevenoaks, terminating at London Blackfriars at 00:33.
bramling
Veteran Member
The 1841 going north from Cambridge is usually packed to the rafters. As it is the only train going to Waterbeach and beyond between 1822 and 1900 (and the latter is an XC usually with only two coaches!) there's a *lot* of people trying to get on at Cambridge as well as lots of people already on the train, and the train drops from 12 coaches to 4. All the more difficult now to get on at Cambridge as many people who would previously have got off at Cambridge now stay on until Cambridge North.
Not uncommon in the peak to encounter full trains when trying to go north. But this one is particularly irritating because the 8 coaches it drops at Cambridge then run ECS to Ely immediately after it!
I see from May they are intending to actually run this ECS move as a passenger train. I don't know why they aren't already - but this is a good move nevertheless.
Not uncommon in the peak to encounter full trains when trying to go north. But this one is particularly irritating because the 8 coaches it drops at Cambridge then run ECS to Ely immediately after it!
I see from May they are intending to actually run this ECS move as a passenger train. I don't know why they aren't already - but this is a good move nevertheless.
The 1739 is also utterly rammed. Last May they added the 1744 to Ely running immediately behind it, which is very pleasant if you only want Ely. Good to see they're going to do this an hour later as well.
On a similar note, the 0815 and 0845 southbound from Ely in the morning (both of which have come from King's Lynn) are horribly full. I've often wondered if they'd be able to squeeze in an extra departure from Ely around either of those times, joining with the original service at Cambridge. I see that from May, the 0815 has moved to 0825. I wonder if this is the first step towards doing that, and it's just not all in the timetable yet?
On a similar note, the 0815 and 0845 southbound from Ely in the morning (both of which have come from King's Lynn) are horribly full. I've often wondered if they'd be able to squeeze in an extra departure from Ely around either of those times, joining with the original service at Cambridge. I see that from May, the 0815 has moved to 0825. I wonder if this is the first step towards doing that, and it's just not all in the timetable yet?
Hopefully so. In my occasional experience, the 0917 is now full and standing on leaving Ely most mornings too. The 0948 isn't quite as bad, though a lot busier than when it used to start at Ely rather than back at Lynn. What used to run that from Ely now runs ECS from Ely at 0930 to Cambridge [1], which is also quite annoying. Though currently there don't appear to be any earlier ECS moves from Ely that which could be pressed into service.
[1] Well, the carriage sidings, but I'm fairly sure there is the capacity to run it into Cambridge station and back out again at that time in the morning, if they were willing.
Well, I see that there's an 0735 from Cambridge to King's Lynn: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G46600/2019/05/29
And the back half of that seems to go into the sidings: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W29911/2019/05/29/advanced
Then there's an 0812 from Cambridge to King's Lynn http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G46602/2019/05/29, the back half of which seems to sit in platform 8 to form the front half of the 0849 back to King's Cross http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G46608/2019/05/29
So the back half of the 0735 to King's Lynn could instead continue to Ely, arriving into platform 3 just after the 0800 Greater Anglia to Liverpool Street has departed, and form an 0815-ish back to Cambridge to become the front half of the 0849 to King's Cross. Meanwhile the back half of the 0812 to King's Lynn could disappear into the sidings instead of the train that's now going to Ely and back.
Now, how do I apply for that job as a timetable planner?
And the back half of that seems to go into the sidings: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W29911/2019/05/29/advanced
Then there's an 0812 from Cambridge to King's Lynn http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G46602/2019/05/29, the back half of which seems to sit in platform 8 to form the front half of the 0849 back to King's Cross http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/G46608/2019/05/29
So the back half of the 0735 to King's Lynn could instead continue to Ely, arriving into platform 3 just after the 0800 Greater Anglia to Liverpool Street has departed, and form an 0815-ish back to Cambridge to become the front half of the 0849 to King's Cross. Meanwhile the back half of the 0812 to King's Lynn could disappear into the sidings instead of the train that's now going to Ely and back.
Now, how do I apply for that job as a timetable planner?
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The screen on platform 3 needs replacing. The display is repeated twice.
And the display on platform 4 also appears to be faulty with Southern services to Victoria appearing to stop at xx##****$$¢%% rather than East Croydon.
Once again, I’m on the stupidly-late first Sunday train from Ely @ 0857. Once again, it is full and standing from Ely. At least 20 people standing in this carriage alone.
If the first train of the day is this busy, there needs to be an earlier one - particularly given there is a francise requirement to do so. Are GN ever going to do something about it (let me guess, no).
Edit : add anothet 25 pax at Waterbeach and another 25 at Cambridge North and this is like high-peak commuter train loading. Ridiculous.
If the first train of the day is this busy, there needs to be an earlier one - particularly given there is a francise requirement to do so. Are GN ever going to do something about it (let me guess, no).
Edit : add anothet 25 pax at Waterbeach and another 25 at Cambridge North and this is like high-peak commuter train loading. Ridiculous.
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37047
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Yeah, the Sunday morning service on that line is ridiculous. It's ludicrous that I can't be in Cambridge before 9am let alone London. Only saving grace for me is that starting in King's Lynn, I do get a seat.
So are these new screens something developed for the wider network, just introduced first with Thameslink?
evergreenadam
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Cambridge has the worst peak time overcrowding of any city or town outside London, as revealed by the overcrowding statistics released by DfT for Autumn 2017 when Cambridge, Brighton and Reading were surveyed for the first time. At least the statistics will now be available in future years to monitor the problem and provide the evidence needed to challenge the TOCs to provide more capacity.
https://assets.publishing.service.g...file/728526/rail-passengers-crowding-2017.pdf
Which, incredibly, they’ve even done this morning, despite the fact nothing else has gone south from Ely for almost an hour and the platform is full with people trying to get to Cambridge, who probably won’t all fit on the next train when it finally arrives. What a time to run 4 empty carriages to exactly where everyone is trying to get to...
You beat me to it 
I was also on the platform at Ely at that time this morning - I couldn't believe it when they didn't run that train in service! Not only had previous trains been cancelled as you mention, but the 0948 was also already showing as cancelled. So they could have run it as either a "delayed" 0917 immediately, or waited for approx 15 minutes and then run it in the path of the cancelled 0948!
I was also on the platform at Ely at that time this morning - I couldn't believe it when they didn't run that train in service! Not only had previous trains been cancelled as you mention, but the 0948 was also already showing as cancelled. So they could have run it as either a "delayed" 0917 immediately, or waited for approx 15 minutes and then run it in the path of the cancelled 0948!
bramling
Veteran Member
Looks like Thameslink about to go up the wall due to a fatality in the Norwood area. Be interesting to see how this one pans out.
A handful of cancellations, and a few more trains delayed, but generally running ok.
Indeed so. So if you have a train - with a driver - about to go from A to B, and a load of delayed passengers wanting to go from A to B, wouldn't you work out it may be a good plan just for today to run that train in service rather than running it ECS?
Unless of course you're Great Northern...
The Box Photter
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Presumably their logic is that "We don't get paid for running that train with passengers, so we'll fill it with fresh air instead". Their monumental stupidity as a train operator is exceeded only by their gargantuan arrogance.
bramling
Veteran Member
Notwithstanding the possibility that no one in control thought if it, it may be the case that the train is booked to go straight into the sidings with the driver then booked to do something else. Spending an extra few minutes going via the platforms could quite possibly then delay that something else. On the other hand if the driver is booked to finish the he may well refuse.
Kite159
Veteran Member
More to do with limits into how many EMUs can operate north of Cambridge?
The driver of the 1636 off Gatwick Airport was giving it the full easyJet pilot experience of passenger information not only apologizing for the delay at EVERY stop, apologizing for the emergency stop at Hendon and giving revised ETA for EVERY station stop. Initially I thought it was useful and informative, but in the end we couldn't shut him up and I couldn't wait to get off. The carriage was in hysterics as the next bing bong chimed. I thought any minute now and he's going to be describing the 'scenery' for passengers looking out the left hand windows. Full marks for trying, but less is more.
causton
Established Member
Were they even introduced first with Thameslink? ScotRail have had a few up there for a while too. And other TOCs will be getting them soon
Were they even introduced first with Thameslink? ScotRail have had a few up there for a while too. And other TOCs will be getting them soon
I don't get up to Scotland too often and didn't realise they'd been spotted up there too! Thanks for the info !
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