Richard J. wrote:
jaz wrote:

"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...

...or lack of. I can get from South Kensington to Luton in an hour
almost exactly, but today it took me about an hour and a half from
High Wycombe to Gloucester Road (a shorter distance). Why? Not
because the Chiltern is that much slower (fast trains from Wycombe
to Marylebone take around 35 minutes, from Luton to KXTL around 30
mins).

I had heavy (wheeled) luggage so I didn't want to go down to the
Bakerloo at Marylebone (down escalator closed), so I went to Edgware
Road for the Circle instead... and waited for about 25 minutes.

I know the Circle has problems with all the flat junctions but don't
they timetable them to account for this?

I was wondering whether the Circle suffers from understaffing, low
train reliability or something else.


At the moment the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines are suffering
from stock shortage due to problems with the C stock trains which are
causing many cancellations to services as well as T/Op availibility.


Trains being withdrawn to clean the graffiti off perhaps?

Dave should have been advised to take a Wimbledon train and change at
Earl's Court, but such advice is either non-existent or unintelligible at
many Circle stations.

....and I would have done if not for having to lug a suitcase up and down
the stairs at Earl's Court to change lines.

Although yes, information at Paddington is particularly poor. Edgware Rd
wasn't too bad; gave 5-minute warning of a Circle train (but obviously
this was after waiting for 20 minutes...)

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7