Tonight on the train was a customer update newsletter from South West Trains. Tim Shovelled pointed out that in 1996 South West Trains carried 100 million passengers a year and now it's 220 million. He also said the network is one of the busiest in Europe.
This got me wondering. What is the ranking order in terms of business, of the following lines or sections of line:
* West coast mainline
* East Coast mainline
* Thameslink core
* Reading and/or Great Western mainline
* South West Trains mine line between Surbiton and Waterloo and/or all of the South West Trains area.
* Anything else I've missed above that is busier than the above list
Some may not be fair comparison as I've included the whole network, being unsure of which parts are the busiest.
My point is, if the SWT network is one of the busiest, then surely there should be infrastructure projects on going to increase capacity. I don't just mean adding additional carriages as Reasing/Thameslink core and possiblybthe West Coast mine line are not solely about adding more carriages.
There are some additional platforms at Waterloo, which will store trains at least but they still use the same tracks once they leave the Waterloo area.
There is talk of what may happen in the future and I'm sure it will happen but when it does, how many people will South West Trains be carrying then or will their simply be suppressed demand for some years, once the additional carriages have filled up?
South West Trains do a good job overall, just that if if it's the busiest then surely infrastructure should be invested in to reflect numbers using the service.
If that isn't required now, what makes the other areas require such upgrades now?
I'm no expert so enlighten me if I've got anything wrong.
Looking at the timetables there appear to be 24 peak arrivals on the fast line between 08.00 and 09.00 including those joining the fast line at Berrylands (including two that arrive at 08.46, one from Exeter and one fast from Surbiton WTF???????)
08.01 Portsmouth via Eastleigh
08.06 Basingstoke Slow fast from Farnborough
08.08 Main line fast from Winchester
08.11 Portsmouth Direct Line
08.13 Guildford New Line fast from Surbiton
08.14 Yeovil
08.16 Main line fast from Winchester
08.19 Woking slow fast from Surbiton
08.22 Alton
08.24 Portsmouth Direct Line
08.26 West Byfleet slow fast from Surbiton
08.29 Basingstoke Slow fast from Woking
08.32 Portsmouth Direct Line
08.34 Portsmotuh via Eastleigh
08.36 Woking slow fast from Surbiton
08.38 Basingstoke slow fast from Woking
08.41 Portsmouth Direct Line
08.46 Exeter
08.46 Woking slow fast from Surbiton
08.50 Main Line Fast from Winchester
08.52 Alton
08.55 Portsmouth Direct Line
08.59 Farnham (Alton Line)
09.00 Basingstoke Slow fast from Woking
I'm sure thats not matched by any other railway line. It is down to I guess the grade separation and pairing of the tracks minimising conflict. Its an absolutely staggering number.
My post crossrail and flyover timetable suggestion a few pages back would allow 7 of those (2 from Bas 4 from Woking, 1 from Guildford New) to go onto the Slow Lines all the way to Waterloo. My proposals amount to 7 extra train paths per hour (1 to Soton fast, 2 Salisbury, 4 Basingstoke and 1 Guildford) keeping it at to 24 per hour (although it would actually need 25 per hour not 24, due to the extra Farnham train I hadn't allowed for and it would be 5 Portsmouth fast 1 Guildford fast - not 4 Portsmouth fast 2 Guildford past as I put it).
For the record the slow lines have 18 arriving between 08.00 and 09.00 making a total of 42 arrivals in Waterloo on the two main line tracks between 08.00 and 09.00
Therefore my proposed post crossrail timetable has slightly fewer peak hour arrivals at Waterloo as currently takes place. Hardly
"unachievable and ideal world scenarios" deserving of an
"adenoid voice". With flyovers at Woking and Basingstoke; that number of trains could be sustained throughout the peak rather than just in the busiest hour (the flyovers would also be needed to push the extra trains south of Woking).
I guess the question is, if you grade separated Woking and Basingstoke and added ETCS signalling, how many trains could you get up the fast in the peak direction of flow during the peak hour and down in the evening peak. 28 + 16 up the slow does not seem unreasonable, given the number of platforms at Waterloo.