Signalmen at London Bridge
 

Why can't they make their minds up?

On my way in to work, I often arrive at London Bridge, platform 5 at
0800-0801. I then choose to take a train to Cannon Street rather than
get a bus up to my office at Finsbury Circus, or walk.

The 0805 Cannon St train leaves from platform 3. It often arrives at
0802-3. The 0802 Cannon St train leaves from platform 2. It usually
arrives at 0805-7.

So which to which platform should I go? How can I tell? Some mornings
the 0805 will be allowed to leave on time; come mornings it is held
until the 0802 has gone. Sometimes, if the previous train at platform
2 is also late, both will leave before the 0805, which then leaves
five or more mintes late for no apparent reason.

I know it's only a matter of a few minutes, but it can be truly
annoying, especially in light of Connex's "a few seconds... many
minutes" posters about the trains leaving as xx:xx:00.

And then, today on the way home, the 1759 Dartford via somewhere train
from platform 4 was very late (it actually arrived at 1812). The 1809
Dartford via somewhere else and 1812 Sidcup train were thusly delayed
by over 5 minutes each while the 1759 was allowed to hold up the
service. This surely, surely can't have been necessary. And by Hither
Green (the first stop after Bridge on the 1812), it was already 15
minutes late, the delay being blamed on "congestion in the London
Bridge area".

AAAAARGH!

--
James Farrar |
London SE 13 |