While out and about on the DLR today, I couldn't help but notice the
unusual service routings chosen by the operating staff as a result of
the Bank/Tower Gateway - Canary Wharf closure.

The primary routings were Lewisham - Stratford, Lewisham - King George
V, and Canning Town - Beckton. The strange thing though is that the KGV
trains were running between 1/4 and 1/3 full, while the Beckton trains
were absolutely rammed. Seeing a bunch of people in costumes made me
think that something was going on at ExCeL. If so, then why were the
Beckton trains reversing at Canning Town?

Surely it would have been more sensible to run Lewisham - Beckton and
Canning Town - KGV, so that the crowds at Custom House don't have to
pile on to the Jubilee Line or wait for the KGV services to run in.

Also, for the track bashers, the Beckton trains are switching from the
up line to the down line via the centre reversing siding at Canning
Town, while the trains from Lewisham to KGV are running into the inner
up platforms at West India Quay and Poplar and then using the facing
crossover from the inner down line to the outer down line beyond the up
island at Poplar to switch to the flyover. Trains from KGV are using
another facing crossover to switch from the outer up line to the inner
up line to call at the inner up platform at Poplar. Are the Poplar
crossovers considered 'rare' like the Canning Town siding?

In article . com,
TheOneKEA wrote

The primary routings were Lewisham - Stratford, Lewisham - King George
V, and Canning Town - Beckton. The strange thing though is that the KGV
trains were running between 1/4 and 1/3 full, while the Beckton trains
were absolutely rammed. Seeing a bunch of people in costumes made me
think that something was going on at ExCeL. ...

Lots of weird stuff for anime, tv shows, games, robot wars robots and
goodness knows what at the London Expo this weekend:
http://www.londonexpo.com/


- Tony
--
"If you don't know, invent." - Robert Baden-Powell

In article , (Tony
Naggs) wrote:

In article . com,
TheOneKEA wrote

The primary routings were Lewisham - Stratford, Lewisham - King
George V, and Canning Town - Beckton. The strange thing though is that
the KGV trains were running between 1/4 and 1/3 full, while the
Beckton trains were absolutely rammed. Seeing a bunch of people in
costumes made me think that something was going on at ExCeL. ...

Lots of weird stuff for anime, tv shows, games, robot wars robots
and goodness knows what at the London Expo this weekend:
http://www.londonexpo.com/

It was a Manga convention apparently. My younger daughter was there with
a group of friends. She didn't mention any transport issues. They got to
London about 10 am.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article ,
Colin Rosenstiel wrote
In article , (Tony
Naggs) wrote:

Lots of weird stuff for anime, tv shows, games, robot wars robots
and goodness knows what at the London Expo this weekend:
http://www.londonexpo.com/

It was a Manga convention apparently.

It only used one hall, the smallest one I think. Yes, stalls selling
manga, plus US tv & film actors posing for photos and things for many
other types of enthusiast.

My younger daughter was there with
a group of friends. She didn't mention any transport issues. They got to
London about 10 am.

On Sunday the travel was not so great. Cambridge station tried to sell
me a 'One' travelcard: "when is the next train to Liverpool Street?"
"xx:51" "That is an hour's wait, no thanks, could I have a proper
Travelcard, please, so I can catch the bus outside about to leave for
Stevenage."

At least I had seen the poster about the Cambridge to Stevenage
engineering works during the week. In London I found that the DLR was
closed between Tower/Bank and Poplar. Coming back I went via Stratford
to Liverpool Street only to find that the bus station was closed. I
could not find any map to show where the 214 & 205 were supposed to be
running from instead. (Well possibly in WHSmith, but the circle line
tube entrance was nearer.)

- Tony
--
"If you don't know, invent." - Robert Baden-Powell

Tony Naggs wrote:
On Sunday the travel was not so great. Cambridge station tried to sell
me a 'One' travelcard: "when is the next train to Liverpool Street?"
"xx:51" "That is an hour's wait, no thanks, could I have a proper
Travelcard, please, so I can catch the bus outside about to leave for
Stevenage."

At least I had seen the poster about the Cambridge to Stevenage
engineering works during the week. In London I found that the DLR was
closed between Tower/Bank and Poplar. Coming back I went via Stratford
to Liverpool Street only to find that the bus station was closed.

Just a general point, and I'm not sure if it's just me, but has anyone
else noticed the incredible amount of weekend engineering work that's
taking place these days? At Waterloo this weekend and for the next
couple of months at least loads of trains are out or on bus
substitution. My own line between London Bridge and Charlton has been
out the last three Sundays, which has happened fairly often over the
last six months. The line between Lewisham and London Bridge has also
been regularly out over the last six months.

In addition to these that I've directly observed, I keep reading posts
like the above about travellers running into engineering work not just
at one stage of a weekend journey, but at all stages.

My questions a

1. Is there a lot more engineering work going on at the weekends than
there used to be?

2. Is any work being undertaken to see how all this weekend work is
having an impact on weekend leisure travel, i.e. are people who would
otherwise have travelled by rail being put off?

3. What attempts at coordination are made to see that people don't run
into endless engineering work? I know it's impossible to suit
everyone, but again to use a local example, the change at Waterloo East
to Waterloo from SE to SW London is very common, even on weekends, so
large numbers of people are running into multiple engineering work
difficulties.

Patrick

And before anyone says anything, yes, I know engineering work has to be
done. Yes, I know it's generally done on the weekends because this
will (theoretically) cause disruption to fewer people than if it were
done during the week. Yes, I know there is a maintenance backlog due
to years of underinvestment that's all Mrs Thatcher's fault.

But it just seems to me from casual observation that there is an
incredible amount of weekend engineering work going on, and that as a
weekend passenger you're more than likely to run into it on more than
one leg of your journey. This can't be good for promoting public
transport as an alternative to the car.

Patrick

wrote in message
oups.com...

And before anyone says anything, yes, I know engineering work has to be
done. Yes, I know it's generally done on the weekends because this
will (theoretically) cause disruption to fewer people than if it were
done during the week. Yes, I know there is a maintenance backlog due
to years of underinvestment that's all Mrs Thatcher's fault.

But it just seems to me from casual observation that there is an
incredible amount of weekend engineering work going on, and that as a
weekend passenger you're more than likely to run into it on more than
one leg of your journey. This can't be good for promoting public
transport as an alternative to the car.

Patrick


In very broad terms, as well as a maintenance backlog, for the reasons you
have mentioned, there have been significant changes to working practices
which basically prevent use of lines immediately adjacent to worksites, to
improve workforce safety. This causes much greater impact on services,
especially on two track sections. In some areas of the country, lack of
route knowledge also inhibits services running on obvious diversionary
routes, or lack of electrification prevents diversions.

Paul