Neil Williams wrote:
On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:13:31 +0100, "John Rowland"
wrote:


They do exist alright, they control when the drivers work, have lunch breaks
and go home. Mess that up and you are paying a hell of a lot more overtime
than if you mess around a couple of Silverlink drivers.


Perhaps so, but that's irrelevant to the passenger, who should take
priority here. Most LUL passengers are turn-up-and-go, and so to them
the timetable doesn't matter. Most passengers for a half-hourly heavy
rail service are not.

Anyhow, we're talking about a few minutes here and there, not hours on
end. That really shouldn't, unless the diagrams are far too tightly
planned, end up in the payment of masses of overtime.


I think it is unfair to blame LU for what goes on on that line.


I'm not *blaming* LUL. I just suggest that the punctuality or
otherwise of their services should be secondary to ones that need,
from a passenger perspective, to run to time. To be honest, I'd be
more inclined to lose the SS service completely and run the Bakerloo
through to Watford - it'd simplify the whole sorry mess. The
Harlequin Line, NLL and the likes are an embarrassment to a capital
city, TBH.

TfL are set to direct the Silverlink Metro services soon, and they are
seriously considering re-extending the Bakerloo to Watford and
re-assessing the Silverlink services - they consider that there is an
over-supply of service to central London between Wealdstone and Queen's
Park. Some services from Watford might be diverted down the West London
Line.

The money (and stock) saved from any cuts to the Silverlink Watford
service would be used to augment North London Line services, which
desperately need an improved frequency.

At the risk of self-promotion:
http://www.alwaystouchout.com/project/66

Interestingly, a cut to Watford-Euston services would place the future
of Kilburn High Road and South Hampstead in doubt... and Kilburn High
Road is already "temporarily" closed because of the fire. At one point,
it was considered that future orbital services from the ELL would run
via Camden Road, Primrose Hill, South Hampstead and Kilburn High Road to
Willesden Junction, but that could be some way off.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London