In article ,
(Walter Briscoe) wrote:

6) The Circle Line T-Cup service is a joke and whoever designed such an
absurd timetable should be locked up and the key thrown away, any
passengers with luggage traveling clockwise from Paddington (Circle)
have to travel one stop to Edgware Road and haul their luggage up and
across the staircase to the adjacent platforms for a connecting service
towards the east, there are also no lifts at the station. Under the
previous and genuine Circle Line service there was no need to change. I
would imagine that LUL's intention is to have all airport passengers
use the H&C platforms which are miles away from the mainline concourse
that Heathrow Express service arrive. If it ain't broke, don't fix
it...?
Why the pejorative language? In normal service, Circle line trains
terminate at Edgware Road platform 2 and there is a cross platform
connection for continuing eastbound services. You might make a Freedom
of Information Act request on the regularlity of failure to meet this
normal service expectation. You may want to look at the working
timetables now available at
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reques...und_line#incom
ing-257325. The relevant timetable is at
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reques...ttach/10/Cnh27
..pdf. I suggest you download it, rather than read it from a
browser - that runs poorly with Foxit and I expect Adobe Reader won't be
comfortable with it either. That document takes a bit of analysis to
understand. Since the introduction of the teacup Circle service,
reliability has increased at the cost of a service reduction and there
is a substantial increase in service between Paddington and Hammersmith.
Only strangers would go east beyond Edgware Road from Paddington via the
Lawn ticket hall. It is worth the pain of walking to catch trains from
Hammersmith at Paddington (Suburban) platform 16. This will continue to
be a mess until new facilities are in place.

Unfortunately strangers get no help from the signs on Paddington's Main Line
platforms by the look of it. My wive was caught out the same way when
arriving from Tenby the other day. You need to take the footbridge, easier
if getting off an HST from the standard class accommodation.

--
Colin Rosenstiel