Will train delays through Wimbledon be reduced?

[Steveo77]

I was just wondering what impact the signalling works currently being undertaken at Wimbledon will have on trains running through that station.

I'm planning on moving to one of the stations on the SWT route which runs through Wimbledon and have noticed that SWT seem to be mostly be ok until they hit Wimbledon and then that station seems to be the start of the bottleneck into London.

will train delays be significantly reduced as a result of these works or am I just dreaming??

 

[Feathers44]

I was just wondering what impact the signalling works currently being undertaken at Wimbledon will have on trains running through that station.

I'm planning on moving to one of the stations on the SWT route which runs through Wimbledon and have noticed that SWT seem to be mostly be ok until they hit Wimbledon and then that station seems to be the start of the bottleneck into London.

will train delays be significantly reduced as a result of these works or am I just dreaming??

I was about to reply and then realised that I don't know anything about any signalling works!

I assume this is unrelated to the point replacement works going on at the weekends at the moment?

 

[swt_passenger]

The works taking place this and next month are like for like renewals of the junctions west of the station that allow for trains to change between fast and slow lines.

I'd expect they will have absolutely no effect on day to day operations once complete, as those junctions are not used in the normal timetable.

It isn't a resignalling, that's happening much later, and I'd assume it will be delivered either in conjunction with Crossrail 2 (CR2) or the alternative 5th tracking from Surbiton to Clapham Jn. I'd predict that today's problems are trivial compared to what it will be like when CR2 or 5th tracking starts probably around 2020 though...

 

[Feathers44]

The works taking place this and next month are like for like renewals of the junctions west of the station that allow for trains to change between fast and slow lines.

I'd expect they will have absolutely no effect on day to day operations once complete, as those junctions are not used in the normal timetable.

It isn't a resignalling, that's happening much later, and I'd assume it will be delivered either in conjunction with Crossrail 2 (CR2) or the alternative 5th tracking from Surbiton to Clapham Jn. I'd predict that today's problems are trivial compared to what it will be like when CR2 or 5th tracking starts probably around 2020 though...

I shall take this as confirmation that I'm not going mad! Good.

 

[455driver]

I'm planning on moving to one of the stations on the SWT route which runs through Wimbledon and have noticed that SWT seem to be mostly be ok until they hit Wimbledon and then that station seems to be the start of the bottleneck into London.

In all my years of driving trains in and out of Waterloo I had never noticed that!

 

[Steveo77]

sorry I meant the points replacement works not signals.

I am only commenting from the view of a passenger and that view is that trains in the morning peak are queuing up to get through Wimbledon on their way to Waterloo and one slight problem with one train has a knock on effect across the whole SWT network.

I travel for now on the southern network (have done so for many years) and the congestion and delays coming into London honestly doesnt appear to be as bad.

 

[Olaf]

In all my years of driving trains in and out of Waterloo I had never noticed that!

Trains noticeable slow on the approach to Wimbledon from the west in the morning peak. I am assuming that this is more to do with the problem of platform crowding and dispatch at Wimbledon than with signalling.

 

[455driver]

Trains noticeable slow on the approach to Wimbledon from the west in the morning peak. I am assuming that this is more to do with the problem of platform crowding and dispatch at Wimbledon than with signalling.

And nothing to with the train in front being a stopper!
Are you talking fast or slow lines?

 

[HarleyDavidson]

The timetable has been slowed down yet again to try and deal with performance issues, which yet again it fails to do quite abysmally.

Instead of removing a couple of services they added one and it just screws the others up, that's 2J90, which is short formed gets sent non stop to London or is delayed by congestion gets sent non stop to London.

The average speed now for so called semi-fast services between Surbiton & Waterloo (2Gxx & 2Fxx) is now just 35 mph, down from 45 mph & down from 50 mph a few years ago. Soon it'll be quicker to jump out & push the darn thing there.

Still I'll just toddle along dong as they want in the latest driving handbook and not keep pressing the AWS cancel button all the time, so I'll drop back until I get greens and sod the service & timetable. If they want us to be safe & do as it says that's fine by me, but they can't have both.

And from what I've been hearing they've only been able to do approximately 50% of the work this time, so it has been booked for the same time next year (Jan - Feb '16)

 

[Olaf]

And nothing to with the train in front being a stopper!
Are you talking fast or slow lines?

Suburban lines, morning peak.

Seems to result in bunching of trains at the station. It is not apparent at the either the prior stops, nor at Earlsfield. It could also be due to trains from teh Epsom branch running late.

If you are at the rear of the train near the steps you will witness the platform staff having difficulties dispatching trains with people charging down the stairs.

However, since the work on the platforms, the trains seem to halt further up the platform but I do not know if there has been an improvement due to that, nor whether it would be permanent improvement given that the trains are to be lengthened.

 

[Bedpan]

The timetable has been slowed down yet again to try and deal with performance issues, which yet again it fails to do quite abysmally.

Instead of removing a couple of services they added one and it just screws the others up, that's 2J90, which is short formed gets sent non stop to London or is delayed by congestion gets sent non stop to London.

The average speed now for so called semi-fast services between Surbiton & Waterloo (2Gxx & 2Fxx) is now just 35 mph, down from 45 mph & down from 50 mph a few years ago. Soon it'll be quicker to jump out & push the darn thing there.

Still I'll just toddle along dong as they want in the latest driving handbook and not keep pressing the AWS cancel button all the time, so I'll drop back until I get greens and sod the service & timetable. If they want us to be safe & do as it says that's fine by me, but they can't have both.

And from what I've been hearing they've only been able to do approximately 50% of the work this time, so it has been booked for the same time next year (Jan - Feb '16)

When I lived in Esher as a lad in the late 50s and 60s the journey time to Waterloo was 20 minutes, now its 31 minutes. Fast from Surbiton to Waterloo in those days but there was a slow from Hampton Court following behind at Surbiton so easy to change to that if you wanted intermediate stations.

The OP said that Wimbledon was the start of the bottleneck but actually it IS the bottleneck after services from the branches have slotted in at Hampton Court Junction, New Malden and Raynes Park.

 

[Steveo77]

well I was planning on moving which would have resulted in using this awful part of SWT.
Now decided against it and will continue with my journeys on Southern.
much better.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Wise move. Well it maybe the lesser of two evils.