Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try Bakerloo to
Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a **** hole.
Firstly you have to exit the Bakerloo/Metro platforms through the barriers
then take the public route to other platforms which are locked out of use
until a few minutes before the train arrives. A couple of regulars thought I
was a pratt try the locked doos until they realised that I haven't used this
station before then the bloody Watford train came into the southbound
platform. Just as well the guy had come to unlock the southbound platforms.
Being a strike day I would have been mega ****ed if I couldn't have caught
the train as would have been the people who got off onto a locked platform.
I also didn't notice any oyster validators. What happens when oyster is
introduced on trains to Watford and will the ex from the Bakerloo and
re-entry to catch the southern train count as two journies.

Kevin

"Zen83237" wrote in message
...
Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try Bakerloo
to Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a ****
hole. Firstly you have to exit the Bakerloo/Metro platforms through the
barriers then take the public route to other platforms which are locked
out of use until a few minutes before the train arrives. A couple of
regulars thought I was a pratt try the locked doos until they realised
that I haven't used this station before then the bloody Watford train came
into the southbound platform. Just as well the guy had come to unlock the
southbound platforms.
Being a strike day I would have been mega ****ed if I couldn't have caught
the train as would have been the people who got off onto a locked
platform.
I also didn't notice any oyster validators. What happens when oyster is
introduced on trains to Watford and will the ex from the Bakerloo and
re-entry to catch the southern train count as two journies.

Can't explain why its such a dump - but the thread 'London Overground from
11 Nov 2007' is currently dissecting the Oyster implications on that part of
the rail network...

Paul

On 10 Nov, 20:05, "Zen83237" wrote:
Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try Bakerloo to
Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a **** hole.
Firstly you have to exit the Bakerloo/Metro platforms through the barriers
then take the public route to other platforms which are locked out of use
until a few minutes before the train arrives. A couple of regulars thought I
was a pratt try the locked doos until they realised that I haven't used this
station before then the bloody Watford train came into the southbound
platform. Just as well the guy had come to unlock the southbound platforms.
Being a strike day I would have been mega ****ed if I couldn't have caught
the train as would have been the people who got off onto a locked platform.
I also didn't notice any oyster validators. What happens when oyster is
introduced on trains to Watford and will the ex from the Bakerloo and
re-entry to catch the southern train count as two journies.

Kevin

I've copy-and-pasted the text below from a response I've just given to
Zen83237 in another thread ('London Overground from 11 Nov 2007')
because I think it addresses his central question (partially at
least)...

I don't think Wembley Central was ever really designed to be used as
it is now. The DC line platforms have always had a very regular
service (both Watford- Euston and Bakerloo) and hence at some point in
the fairly recent past were gated. I'm not sure whether the other
platforms were ever in regular use before the current Southern service
(which started back in Connex South Central days and originally
extended up to Rugby). I'm also unsure of how many of these services
called at Wembley Central at the beginning - this service certainly
calls there more often nowadays than it did.

Lastly unless there were radical changes then platforms 3-6 could not
easily be brought within the gateline at Wembley Central - the
passageway the platforms are accessed from (through doors that are
otherwise locked out of use) is a public passageway that provides
access to offices and shops that (I think) would otherwise not have
access. I guess one way of facilitating this would be to divide the
passageway up, but apart from any other issues given the pretty
infrequent service these extra platforms receive I suspect it just
wouldn't be worth it.

On Nov 10, 8:05 pm, "Zen83237" wrote:
Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try Bakerloo to
Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a **** hole.

The sign at the outskirts says it all:
"Welcome to Wembley Central. Twinned with Port Moresby, the film
Threads and the TV programme The Equalizer, with Edward Woodward. Do
not exceed 99mph. Mayor's office: Hut 8, Zone B, Upper Portakabin. No
riff-raff."

In message . com,
Offramp writes
On Nov 10, 8:05 pm, "Zen83237" wrote:
Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try Bakerloo to
Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a **** hole.

The sign at the outskirts says it all:
"Welcome to Wembley Central. Twinned with Port Moresby, the film
Threads and the TV programme The Equalizer, with Edward Woodward. Do
not exceed 99mph. Mayor's office: Hut 8, Zone B, Upper Portakabin. No
riff-raff."

Wembley Central remains without doubt the most depressing hole I've ever
encountered on London's transport network.

It is also one of only two places in London I've ever felt for my own
safety (which given how big London is and how much of it I've been to
through the years actually says a lot in the capital's favour.)
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

On 12 Nov, 01:00, Ian Jelf wrote:
In message . com,
Offramp writes

On Nov 10, 8:05 pm, "Zen83237" wrote:
Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try Bakerloo to
Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a **** hole.

The sign at the outskirts says it all:
"Welcome to Wembley Central. Twinned with Port Moresby, the film
Threads and the TV programme The Equalizer, with Edward Woodward. Do
not exceed 99mph. Mayor's office: Hut 8, Zone B, Upper Portakabin. No
riff-raff."

Wembley Central remains without doubt the most depressing hole I've ever
encountered on London's transport network.

It is also one of only two places in London I've ever felt for my own
safety (which given how big London is and how much of it I've been to
through the years actually says a lot in the capital's favour.)
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK


It's probably going to be a mistake to ask this but I will - what was
the other place?

I agree Wembley Central is a depressing hole. I'm trying to think
where else in London compares. The old Stratford station was pretty
run down, though I don't recall it being threatening as such - perhaps
in part because it was fairly busy (though nothing like as busy as it
is today).

Lots of suburban stations leave something to be desired, though things
have improved in the past few years (or maybe I'm getting less
critical and am just thankful for small improvements?). I haven't been
there but Stoneleigh station, near Epsom in Surrey, has stuck in my
mind as hardly being the nicest place on earth, after I read about it
on Quin Parker's "Guide to Zone 6" website (now out of date as
Stoneleigh's been shuffled into zone 5):
http://www.quinparker.com/zone6/stoneleigh.php

A photo can be seen on the Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneleigh_railway_station

In message . com,
Mizter T writes
On 12 Nov, 01:00, Ian Jelf wrote:
In message . com,
Offramp writes

On Nov 10, 8:05 pm, "Zen83237" wrote:
Due to Friday's now regular ASLEF strike I have been using the Southern
train from Watford to West Brompton but on Friday decided to try
Bakerloo to
Wembley then the Southern train. Why is Wembley Central such a **** hole.

The sign at the outskirts says it all:
"Welcome to Wembley Central. Twinned with Port Moresby, the film
Threads and the TV programme The Equalizer, with Edward Woodward. Do
not exceed 99mph. Mayor's office: Hut 8, Zone B, Upper Portakabin. No
riff-raff."

Wembley Central remains without doubt the most depressing hole I've ever
encountered on London's transport network.

It is also one of only two places in London I've ever felt for my own
safety (which given how big London is and how much of it I've been to
through the years actually says a lot in the capital's favour.)
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK


It's probably going to be a mistake to ask this but I will - what was
the other place?
Camden Town. And it was only once despite many visits there. I was
about to board a bus when a "youth" tried to barge past me. I
prevented him from doing so and he then threatened to knife me!

I agree Wembley Central is a depressing hole. I'm trying to think
where else in London compares. The old Stratford station was pretty
run down, though I don't recall it being threatening as such - perhaps
in part because it was fairly busy (though nothing like as busy as it
is today).
Yes, the busy-ness thing helps, doesn't it?
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk