On Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:11:09 +0000, Steve M
wrote:

Jack Taylor wrote:
Steve M wrote:
Not true. There are only a few quieter stations anywhere else on the
network, and certainly none as close to Central London as Olympia.
There are around 400 entries and 400 exits during the AM peak (0700
to 1000) which, if divided between the 12 or so trains which run
during this period, give around 30 per train, or 5 per carriage. Off
peak, the numbers are lower.

Sorry - but that doesn't square with my observations on many afternoons, on
non-exhibition days, when there is a constant stream of (mainly) business
passengers feeding into both LUL and Overground services. I'd estimate at
least double those figures from about 15:30 onwards. I can't speak for the
morning peak, as I've never used it that early, apart from on Saturdays,
when I've experienced the kind of numbers that you suggest.



Fair enough, but those are the official 2006 figures (which now seem to
be available to the public on the TfL website). Perhaps during the off
peak, all the trains between 1000 and 1500 are empty, with everyone
piling on between 1500 and 1600? Saturday numbers show as 921 across
the whole traffic day.

How accurately do the entry/exit figures reflect passenger numbers?
Presumably anyone interchanging between Silverlink (as it was then)
and LUL with a season ticket/through ticket wouldn't get recorded...

I was surprised to see that the usage references for Kensington Olympia refer to 2006. Since then the London Overground has been added linking Clapham to Watford and particularly North West London to South West London. All this hard work has added a greater audience for the trains running to and from and through Kensington Olympia. With the plans for redevelopment of Earls Court, I think we can anticipate a greater usage of Olympia and greater demand for train services. I also think that is people were sure the service wouldn't be cut arbitrarily - which it is - there would be an even larger local audience for it

The proposal news item from LU/TfL announcing their plans to remove the week day service from December 2011 provides the distances to and from other local stations to Olympia - so you will be able to estimate how long it is to walk.

As a regular user of the Kensignton Olympia District Line service I know that I will miss the week day service tremendously and particularly late at night, in the winter, when it is raining and when I am carry shopping or luggage. So pretty much all the time. Good luck with the walking, let me know which feels like the safest route.