Paul Corfield wrote on 09 October 2010 23:11:36 ...
On Sat, 09 Oct 2010 22:22:08 +0100, wrote:

In ,
Paul wrote:

I'm also a bit surprised by the track comments too - a fair amount of
track work has been done on the District so it's not as awful as it used
to be. Again it's not a brand new formation like the ELLX but I wouldn't
describe it as on the edge of collapse.

My main complaint is the sheer slowness of the trains. They crawl along
even when not being held up (which they often are - yes I know the
junction doesn't help).

Yes, nothing is too terrible but the total package is not great. It
looks and feels just like old trains running on old infrastructure. Even
the old trains on the Paris metro seem to bustle along with a lot more
purpose.

Very true. In particular the MP59 (1959-vintage rubber-tyred trains)
rattle and bounce along in a very satisfying way. I suspect the noise
and ride quality give the impression of more speed than is actually the
case.

Mind you, the District's D stock is not short of power, but I agree that
there seems a lack of urgency about the service. Three times recently
I've been on a District train where the driver has announced that it's
running early and will be held for a minute or two. I'm used to that on
the Piccadilly, but not previously on the District. Have they caught
the Picadilly disease and slowed down the timetable?
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)