London Banter - View Single Post

Earl Purple · October 9th 06, 04:25 PM posted to uk.transport.london

wrote:
Second memo to Northern Line controller: why on earth do you choose to
run six trains via Charing Cross in ten minutes, with none via Bank? I
was at Kentish Town at 2210 on Friday night, thinking I'd left ample
time to get to London Bridge by 2249.

choice of 2 lines then. Thameslink changing if necessary. However I
know that Thameslink (now run by First Capital Connect) only care about
the passengers past St Albans- they get fast trains every 4 minutes at
peak hours while local passengers have to wait 16 minutes between
trains (at one point 20 minutes).

At Kentish Town station had an
eight minute wait for a train, which was a Charing Cross one. The next
two were also Charing Cross services. No problem, I thought, I'll
change at Camden Town. Got off at Camden and crossed over, to find
exactly the same situation for trains coming from Edgware. Finally a
Bank train pulled in just after 2230. By Angel it was packed worse
than peak hour. Got to London Bridge, sprinted up to the main
platforms, only got my train as it was four minutes late.

Why do the Northern Line controllers let this sort of situation arise?
It was very annoying for me, but it could have been so easily rectified
by rerouting a couple of the trains via Bank.

Because they have very few braincells when it comes to routing the
trains, or they simply don't care about passengers.

Same happens going North of course. 4 trains in a row on the Barnet
branch followed by 4 in a row on the Edgware branch.