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CJB October 21st 08 12:14 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Yesterday evening - Monday 20'th - in the middle of the rush hour -
the LED departure board system at Paddington went u/s. THOUSANDS of
commuters ended up milling around with no-one knowing which platforms
their respective trains were departing from. The hapless staff knew
even less, and there wasn't a gold-braided manager in sight. Naturally
Paddington being one of the least organised of our major stations,
train departures never have regular departure platforms - unlike say
Amsterdam where the platforms are timetabled and rarely switched - no-
one knew what the hell was going on. PA announcements were made but
the wonder of this station is that the acoustics are perfect for
echoes and so the announcements were indistinct as usual. Even the
staff had a problem repeating what had just been announced. The BTP
were in attendance - not to help out - but to ward off irate commuters
from approaching the FGW gate line staff. CJB.

John B October 21st 08 12:33 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Oct 21, 1:14*pm, CJB wrote:
Yesterday evening - Monday 20'th - in the middle of the rush hour -
the LED departure board system at Paddington went u/s. THOUSANDS of
commuters ended up milling around with no-one knowing which platforms
their respective trains were departing from. The hapless staff knew
even less, and there wasn't a gold-braided manager in sight. Naturally
Paddington being one of the least organised of our major stations,
train departures never have regular departure platforms - unlike say
Amsterdam where the platforms are timetabled and rarely switched - no-
one knew what the hell was going on. PA announcements were made but
the wonder of this station is that the acoustics are perfect for
echoes and so the announcements were indistinct as usual. Even the
staff had a problem repeating what had just been announced. The BTP
were in attendance - not to help out - but to ward off irate commuters
from approaching the FGW gate line staff. CJB.


Reading a CJB piece on FGW is a bit like reading an Andrew Gilligan
piece on Ken Livingstone, isn't it?

I had an excellent set of journeys on FGW over the weekend (London -
Reading, Aldermaston - Reading, Reading - Bristol, Bristol -
London).

All the trains were on time, and while the absence of departure LEDs
at Aldermaston was a bit disconcerting (I hate being at a country
station with a limited service and having no idea whether it's running
OK or not), the automatic tannoys did a reasonably good job of making
up for it.

The refurb HSTs have comfortable seats, and the table trays are
definitely laptop-sized. Although they are, definitely, too damn
bright. The night setting of 50% would probably be about right for
daytime; a 25% setting would work for night; saving 100% for
interrogating fare-dodgers. Also, have they really turned the tiolet
in coach A into a staff-only bog (and if so, err, why exactly?). And
was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new
trains, but why on earth have they fitted the old-fashioned slamming
doors to them?'

Although the weekday off-peak single fare of GBP14 to Reading is a bit
thieving. And why on earth does the line from Banbury to Oxford need
closing quite so often - what're they doing to it, compared with the
mainline...? (or is it just that it's 2-track rather than 4-track, and
so total closure is the only option)

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

[email protected] October 21st 08 03:01 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
.. Also, have they really turned the tiolet
in coach A into a staff-only bog (and if so, err, why exactly?). And
was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new
trains, but why on earth have they fitted the old-fashioned slamming
doors to them?'


As a FGW staff member I can reassure you that they have not turned the
toilet in coach A into a staff only one. It is actually a trolley
storage cupboard for the ill fated buffet removal program. As the
buffets are to stay the toilet will be reinstated - eventually


Neil Williams October 21st 08 08:56 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:14:22 -0700 (PDT), CJB
wrote:

Yesterday evening - Monday 20'th - in the middle of the rush hour -
the LED departure board system at Paddington went u/s. THOUSANDS of
commuters ended up milling around with no-one knowing which platforms
their respective trains were departing from. The hapless staff knew
even less, and there wasn't a gold-braided manager in sight. Naturally
Paddington being one of the least organised of our major stations,
train departures never have regular departure platforms - unlike say
Amsterdam where the platforms are timetabled and rarely switched - no-
one knew what the hell was going on.


Do they deliberately not use fixed platforms, like the farce at Euston
that results in the race every time a train is called?

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Barry Salter October 21st 08 10:22 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Neil Williams wrote:

Do they deliberately not use fixed platforms, like the farce at Euston
that results in the race every time a train is called?


Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.

At least that's what I was told by someone who used to work at Euston.

Cheers,

Barry

D7666 October 21st 08 10:54 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Oct 21, 1:14 pm, CJB wrote:

Yesterday


One day you might post something positive instead of these endless
moans.

Is your real name Henry Law perchance ?

--
Nick

826[_2_] October 21st 08 11:07 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 21 Oct, 23:54, D7666 wrote:
On Oct 21, 1:14 pm, CJB wrote:

Yesterday


One day you might post something positive instead of these endless
moans.

Is your real name Henry Law perchance ?

--
Nick


He's got another letter in Rail Professional.

Neil Williams October 22nd 08 05:31 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter
wrote:

Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.


This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. Platform
alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not
generally cause "chaos".

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Chris Tolley October 22nd 08 06:28 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Neil Williams wrote:

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter
wrote:

Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.


This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. Platform
alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not
generally cause "chaos".


Euston isn't the ideal place to do that kind of thing. The only
interchange between platforms (assuming the subterranean tunnels are off
limits) is via the concourse, which is at a different level, and Euston
probably has a fair proportion of longer-distance travellers with
luggage, who will not only be slower than average, but will also get in
the way of others making their way from platform X to Y. With just a bit
of bad luck, chaos (for once) could turn out to be the best word to
describe the result.

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p12198536.html
(50 011 at Birmingham New Street, 1979)

David Hansen October 22nd 08 07:48 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:33:26 -0700 (PDT) someone who may be John B
wrote this:-

The refurb HSTs have comfortable seats,


I travelled on one recently. I thought that it was generally a good
job, though they should have installed wi-fi.

However, the ridiculous seat backs not only cut off the view, they
also make it more difficult to walk along the train. BTW the view is
not some fancy optional extra, observation by fellow passengers has
some effect on what is now called anti-social behaviour and the
police have been trying to get councils to design out hidden spaces
for decades. I suggest that this is far more important for
passengers as it is something they may experience every day, a crash
is something most passengers never experience.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

The Real Doctor October 22nd 08 07:59 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 22 Oct, 06:31, (Neil Williams)
wrote:
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter

wrote:
Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.


This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. *Platform
alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not
generally cause "chaos".


In Germany they are sufficiently confident in their system to print
the platforms on the Abfahrt (departure) and Ankunft (arrival)
posters, and on www.bahn.de tickets. I have only once had a platform
change ... and that was because the preordained track was up for
renewal.

Is there any reason at all, except incompetence, why British railways
could not do the same?

Ian

Neil Williams October 22nd 08 11:24 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 22 Oct, 08:59, The Real Doctor wrote:

Is there any reason at all, except incompetence, why British railways
could not do the same?


German stations usually have more platforms than UK ones - but Euston
is a bit of an exception, as it could quite happily work with fewer
than the 17 it has.

Notably, the commuter operation practically never has platform
alterations, and the diagrammed platforms are displayed well in
advance. This allows one to go to the platform at leisure and spread
along it ready for the train to arrive. Far better.

Neil

David Cantrell October 22nd 08 11:38 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Tue, Oct 21, 2008 at 11:22:02PM +0100, Barry Salter wrote:

Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.

At least that's what I was told by someone who used to work at Euston.


One would think that the same would apply at Victoria then, but trains
there pretty much always leave from the same platform every day.

--
David Cantrell | Nth greatest programmer in the world

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed
(and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an
endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary" -- H. L. Mencken

John B October 22nd 08 12:22 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Oct 22, 12:38*pm, David Cantrell wrote:
Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.


At least that's what I was told by someone who used to work at Euston.


One would think that the same would apply at Victoria then, but trains
there pretty much always leave from the same platform every day.


....as also happens on the commuter platforms at Euston. The general
pattern in London termini seems to be that commuter trains leave from
the same platform whilst intercity trains vary; I'm not sure why this
is.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

Robert[_2_] October 22nd 08 01:17 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 2008-10-22 12:24:43 +0100, Neil Williams said:

On 22 Oct, 08:59, The Real Doctor wrote:

Is there any reason at all, except incompetence, why British railways
could not do the same?


German stations usually have more platforms than UK ones - but Euston
is a bit of an exception, as it could quite happily work with fewer
than the 17 it has.

Notably, the commuter operation practically never has platform
alterations, and the diagrammed platforms are displayed well in
advance. This allows one to go to the platform at leisure and spread
along it ready for the train to arrive. Far better.

Neil


For the last three years I have lived and worked in Munich and I can
confirm that the number of platforms available in the Hauptbahnhof (the
2 'wing' stations as well as the main hall) means that long distance
trains are ready for boarding for up to 30 minutes before departure.
(Apart from, of course, those that work to and from Salzburg and
reverse in the Hbf). At Muenchen-Pasing however there is one island
platform for the trains to and from both the Garmisch-Partenkirchen /
Innsbrück and to Buchloe / Kempten / Oberstdorf routes. Any delay and
trains have to be switched around - as this is an island the change is
not difficult, but you should listen to the complaints!

At Paddington in the peaks, because of the limited number of platforms
the longer distance trains have to turn round in about 15 to 25
minutes, or less if an arriving train is delayed. Effectively only
platforms 1 to 10 are available of which 6 and 7 are reserved for the
Heathrow Express, i.e. there are only 8 usable platforms. Muenchen Hbf
has more than 3 times as many.

So to reach German levels of boarding time the number of trains leaving
any platform in a given period has to be reduced. However to maintain
the same capacity, some other work has to be done. Either:

a) the trains, and therefore the platforms, have to be lengthened -
possibly also further down the line
b) if the trains are not lengthened then the number of platforms has to
be increased. As the station and its roof is listed this means that
station can only be widened.

However the simplest solution to increase dwell times to reduce the
number of trains and do nothing else - if ticket prices have to be
increased to match demand and supply then this is also the most
economic.

If (a) or (b) is selected, then someone (i.e., I and my fellow
taxpayers) will have to fork out serious money.

I'll chose the scramble for the trains...

By the way - Network Rail manages Paddington, not fGW. Complaints,
please, to the correct address.
--
Robert


Mark Goodge October 22nd 08 06:51 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:28:12 GMT, Chris Tolley put finger to keyboard
and typed:

Neil Williams wrote:

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter
wrote:

Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case sets
need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services "always"
departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more chaos if
they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all of the
regulars off of the "wrong" platform.


This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. Platform
alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not
generally cause "chaos".


Euston isn't the ideal place to do that kind of thing. The only
interchange between platforms (assuming the subterranean tunnels are off
limits) is via the concourse, which is at a different level, and Euston
probably has a fair proportion of longer-distance travellers with
luggage, who will not only be slower than average, but will also get in
the way of others making their way from platform X to Y. With just a bit
of bad luck, chaos (for once) could turn out to be the best word to
describe the result.


It's always struck me that Euston is particularly badly designed, in
this respect. Given that the concourse is at a different level to the
platforms anyway, why not put the concourse *over* the platforms,
instead of well to the rear of them? That not only allows for multiple
routes down to each platform instead of just the one, but also makes
the walking distance from concourse to train considerably shorter and
gives you more concourse space.

I know that having the concourse above the tracks can lead to a rather
claustrophic platform area (compared to the airiness of, say, Kings
Cross), but Euston doesn't exactly feel spacious to begin with so a
lower roof over the platforms would hardly be a great loss.

Mark
--
http://www.railwaystations.info - creating a pictorial record of British railway stations

[email protected] October 22nd 08 09:32 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
In article e.net,
(Mark Goodge) wrote:

On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:28:12 GMT, Chris Tolley put finger to keyboard
and typed:

Neil Williams wrote:

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:22:02 +0100, Barry Salter
wrote:

Allegedly the "farce" you mention at Euston is deliberate, in case
sets need to be swapped for whatever reason. If the peak services
"always" departed from the same platforms, then it'd cause even more
chaos if they did need to swap a set out, as they'd have to get all
of the regulars off of the "wrong" platform.

This is probably the reason, but it isn't a good one. Platform
alterations happen all the time in other stations, and do not
generally cause "chaos".


Euston isn't the ideal place to do that kind of thing. The only
interchange between platforms (assuming the subterranean tunnels are
off limits) is via the concourse, which is at a different level, and
Euston probably has a fair proportion of longer-distance travellers
with luggage, who will not only be slower than average, but will also
get in the way of others making their way from platform X to Y. With
just a bit of bad luck, chaos (for once) could turn out to be the
best word to describe the result.


It's always struck me that Euston is particularly badly designed, in
this respect. Given that the concourse is at a different level to the
platforms anyway, why not put the concourse *over* the platforms,
instead of well to the rear of them? That not only allows for multiple
routes down to each platform instead of just the one, but also makes
the walking distance from concourse to train considerably shorter and
gives you more concourse space.

I know that having the concourse above the tracks can lead to a rather
claustrophic platform area (compared to the airiness of, say, Kings
Cross), but Euston doesn't exactly feel spacious to begin with so a
lower roof over the platforms would hardly be a great loss.


Wasn't the space above the tracks needed for parcels when Euston was
redesigned?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Neil Williams October 23rd 08 09:40 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 22 Oct, 19:51, Mark Goodge
wrote:

It's always struck me that Euston is particularly badly designed, in
this respect. Given that the concourse is at a different level to the
platforms anyway, why not put the concourse *over* the platforms,
instead of well to the rear of them? That not only allows for multiple
routes down to each platform instead of just the one, but also makes
the walking distance from concourse to train considerably shorter and
gives you more concourse space.


It could also allow all platforms to be extended to 12 cars+, which
would be a real benefit.

Neil

Boltar October 23rd 08 10:45 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Oct 21, 1:33 pm, John B wrote:
was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new


"Normals"?

B2003

Chris Tolley October 23rd 08 02:50 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Boltar wrote:

On Oct 21, 1:33 pm, John B wrote:
was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new


"Normals"?


People who merely use the trains rather than taking an interest in them.

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9633118.html
(60 056 at Bridgend, 2 Jul 1999)

David Cantrell October 23rd 08 03:56 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 05:22:29AM -0700, John B wrote:
On Oct 22, 12:38=A0pm, David Cantrell wrote:
One would think that the same would apply at Victoria then, but trains
there pretty much always leave from the same platform every day.

...as also happens on the commuter platforms at Euston. The general
pattern in London termini seems to be that commuter trains leave from
the same platform whilst intercity trains vary; I'm not sure why this
is.


The longer distance trains from Victoria are also predictable. Not to
quite the same extent as the local stoppers, but still very much
predictable.

--
David Cantrell | Cake Smuggler Extraordinaire

Seven o'clock in the morning is something that
happens to those less fortunate than me

TimB October 23rd 08 04:08 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Oct 22, 2:17 pm, Robert wrote:
On 2008-10-22 12:24:43 +0100, Neil Williams said:

On 22 Oct, 08:59, The Real Doctor wrote:


Is there any reason at all, except incompetence, why British railways
could not do the same?


German stations usually have more platforms than UK ones - but Euston
is a bit of an exception, as it could quite happily work with fewer
than the 17 it has.


Notably, the commuter operation practically never has platform
alterations, and the diagrammed platforms are displayed well in
advance. This allows one to go to the platform at leisure and spread
along it ready for the train to arrive. Far better.


Neil


For the last three years I have lived and worked in Munich and I can
confirm that the number of platforms available in the Hauptbahnhof (the
2 'wing' stations as well as the main hall) means that long distance
trains are ready for boarding for up to 30 minutes before departure.
(Apart from, of course, those that work to and from Salzburg and
reverse in the Hbf). At Muenchen-Pasing however there is one island
platform for the trains to and from both the Garmisch-Partenkirchen /
Innsbrück and to Buchloe / Kempten / Oberstdorf routes. Any delay and
trains have to be switched around - as this is an island the change is
not difficult, but you should listen to the complaints!

At Paddington in the peaks, because of the limited number of platforms
the longer distance trains have to turn round in about 15 to 25
minutes, or less if an arriving train is delayed. Effectively only
platforms 1 to 10 are available of which 6 and 7 are reserved for the
Heathrow Express, i.e. there are only 8 usable platforms. Muenchen Hbf
has more than 3 times as many.

So to reach German levels of boarding time the number of trains leaving
any platform in a given period has to be reduced. However to maintain
the same capacity, some other work has to be done. Either:

a) the trains, and therefore the platforms, have to be lengthened -
possibly also further down the line
b) if the trains are not lengthened then the number of platforms has to
be increased. As the station and its roof is listed this means that
station can only be widened.


or c) put in some underground platforms and call it Crossrail.
Tim

Charles Ellson October 23rd 08 05:22 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Boltar wrote:
On Oct 21, 1:33 pm, John B wrote:
was amused by the 'normals' getting off saying 'I like these new


"Normals"?

If you have to ask ......

Robert[_2_] October 23rd 08 07:21 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 2008-10-23 17:08:42 +0100, TimB said:

On Oct 22, 2:17 pm, Robert wrote:
On 2008-10-22 12:24:43 +0100, Neil Williams said:

On 22 Oct, 08:59, The Real Doctor wrote:


Is there any reason at all, except incompetence, why British railways
could not do the same?


German stations usually have more platforms than UK ones - but Euston
is a bit of an exception, as it could quite happily work with fewer
than the 17 it has.


Notably, the commuter operation practically never has platform
alterations, and the diagrammed platforms are displayed well in
advance. This allows one to go to the platform at leisure and spread
along it ready for the train to arrive. Far better.


Neil


For the last three years I have lived and worked in Munich and I can
confirm that the number of platforms available in the Hauptbahnhof (the
2 'wing' stations as well as the main hall) means that long distance
trains are ready for boarding for up to 30 minutes before departure.
(Apart from, of course, those that work to and from Salzburg and
reverse in the Hbf). At Muenchen-Pasing however there is one island
platform for the trains to and from both the Garmisch-Partenkirchen /
Innsbrück and to Buchloe / Kempten / Oberstdorf routes. Any delay and
trains have to be switched around - as this is an island the change is
not difficult, but you should listen to the complaints!

At Paddington in the peaks, because of the limited number of platforms
the longer distance trains have to turn round in about 15 to 25
minutes, or less if an arriving train is delayed. Effectively only
platforms 1 to 10 are available of which 6 and 7 are reserved for the
Heathrow Express, i.e. there are only 8 usable platforms. Muenchen Hbf
has more than 3 times as many.

So to reach German levels of boarding time the number of trains leaving
any platform in a given period has to be reduced. However to maintain
the same capacity, some other work has to be done. Either:

a) the trains, and therefore the platforms, have to be lengthened -
possibly also further down the line
b) if the trains are not lengthened then the number of platforms has to
be increased. As the station and its roof is listed this means that
station can only be widened.


or c) put in some underground platforms and call it Crossrail.
Tim


Absolutely, it would help a little bit more if Heathrow Express also
went underground. The reason I didn't mention Crossrail was that
earlier in the thread there was a suggestion that the inability to
offer consistent platform allocation and longer boarding times was
partly due to incompetence. I was trying to show that this was not
necessarily the case.

Anyway, if we assume that the traffic using Platforms 11 to 14 at
Paddington is transferred to Crossrail and the platforms could be
converted to accommodate longer trains that still gives a total of only
14 platforms compared to the 36 surface platforms in Munich. There is
also an underground island platform on the S-Bahn which pumps out 28 to
30 trains per hour in each direction in the peaks for the local
traffic; the surface platforms really are used for the outer-suburban
and long distance trains only.

So even with 14 full length platforms at Paddington it will be
difficult to match German long distance dwell times. And Munich has a
population of only 1.35 million compared to London's 10 million.

I think we'll still have to rush....
--
Robert


Mizter T October 23rd 08 08:17 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 

On 23 Oct, 20:21, Robert wrote:

On 2008-10-23 17:08:42 +0100, TimB said:

(snip)

For the last three years I have lived and worked in Munich and I can
confirm that the number of platforms available in the Hauptbahnhof (the
2 'wing' stations as well as the main hall) means that long distance
trains are ready for boarding for up to 30 minutes before departure.
(Apart from, of course, those that work to and from Salzburg and
reverse in the Hbf). At Muenchen-Pasing however there is one island
platform for the trains to and from both the Garmisch-Partenkirchen /
Innsbrück and to Buchloe / Kempten / Oberstdorf routes. Any delay and
trains have to be switched around - as this is an island the change is
not difficult, but you should listen to the complaints!


At Paddington in the peaks, because of the limited number of platforms
the longer distance trains have to turn round in about 15 to 25
minutes, or less if an arriving train is delayed. Effectively only
platforms 1 to 10 are available of which 6 and 7 are reserved for the
Heathrow Express, i.e. there are only 8 usable platforms. Muenchen Hbf
has more than 3 times as many.


So to reach German levels of boarding time the number of trains leaving
any platform in a given period has to be reduced. However to maintain
the same capacity, some other work has to be done. Either:


a) the trains, and therefore the platforms, have to be lengthened -
possibly also further down the line
b) if the trains are not lengthened then the number of platforms has to
be increased. As the station and its roof is listed this means that
station can only be widened.


or c) put in some underground platforms and call it Crossrail.
* Tim


Absolutely, it would help a little bit more if Heathrow Express also
went underground. *The reason I didn't mention Crossrail was that
earlier in the thread there was a suggestion that the inability to
offer consistent platform allocation and longer boarding times was
partly due to incompetence. I was trying to show that this was not
necessarily the case.

Anyway, if we assume that the traffic using Platforms 11 to 14 at
Paddington is transferred to Crossrail and the platforms could be
converted to accommodate longer trains that still gives a total of only
14 platforms compared to the 36 surface platforms in Munich. There is
also an underground island platform on the S-Bahn which pumps out 28 to
30 trains per hour in each direction in the peaks for the local
traffic; the surface platforms really are used for the outer-suburban
and long distance trains only.

So even with 14 full length platforms at Paddington it will be
difficult to match German long distance dwell times. And Munich has a
population of only 1.35 million compared to London's 10 million.

I think we'll still have to rush....


I'm not really up to date with this - was there not some possibility
(should it actually really happen) that Crossrail might eat the
Heathrow Express service altogether (longer journey times offset by
the fact that Crossrail doesn't stop at Paddington)? I take it as a
given that Crossrail would eat up Heathrow Connect.

Robert[_2_] October 23rd 08 08:34 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 2008-10-23 21:17:43 +0100, Mizter T said:


On 23 Oct, 20:21, Robert wrote:

On 2008-10-23 17:08:42 +0100, TimB said:

(snip)

For the last three years I have lived and worked in Munich and I can
confirm that the number of platforms available in the Hauptbahnhof (th

e
2 'wing' stations as well as the main hall) means that long distance
trains are ready for boarding for up to 30 minutes before departure.
(Apart from, of course, those that work to and from Salzburg and
reverse in the Hbf). At Muenchen-Pasing however there is one island
platform for the trains to and from both the Garmisch-Partenkirchen /
Innsbrück and to Buchloe / Kempten / Oberstdorf routes. Any delay an

d
trains have to be switched around - as this is an island the change is
not difficult, but you should listen to the complaints!


At Paddington in the peaks, because of the limited number of platforms
the longer distance trains have to turn round in about 15 to 25
minutes, or less if an arriving train is delayed. Effectively only
platforms 1 to 10 are available of which 6 and 7 are reserved for the
Heathrow Express, i.e. there are only 8 usable platforms. Muenchen Hbf
has more than 3 times as many.


So to reach German levels of boarding time the number of trains leavin

g
any platform in a given period has to be reduced. However to maintain
the same capacity, some other work has to be done. Either:


a) the trains, and therefore the platforms, have to be lengthened -
possibly also further down the line
b) if the trains are not lengthened then the number of platforms has t

o
be increased. As the station and its roof is listed this means that
station can only be widened.


or c) put in some underground platforms and call it Crossrail.
* Tim


Absolutely, it would help a little bit more if Heathrow Express also
went underground. *The reason I didn't mention Crossrail was that
earlier in the thread there was a suggestion that the inability to
offer consistent platform allocation and longer boarding times was
partly due to incompetence. I was trying to show that this was not
necessarily the case.

Anyway, if we assume that the traffic using Platforms 11 to 14 at
Paddington is transferred to Crossrail and the platforms could be
converted to accommodate longer trains that still gives a total of only
14 platforms compared to the 36 surface platforms in Munich. There is
also an underground island platform on the S-Bahn which pumps out 28 to
30 trains per hour in each direction in the peaks for the local
traffic; the surface platforms really are used for the outer-suburban
and long distance trains only.

So even with 14 full length platforms at Paddington it will be
difficult to match German long distance dwell times. And Munich has a
population of only 1.35 million compared to London's 10 million.

I think we'll still have to rush....


I'm not really up to date with this - was there not some possibility
(should it actually really happen) that Crossrail might eat the
Heathrow Express service altogether (longer journey times offset by
the fact that Crossrail doesn't stop at Paddington)? I take it as a
given that Crossrail would eat up Heathrow Connect.


I really don't know. I, also, have always assumed that Crossrail would
take over Heathrow Connect and the rump of the local services to Slough
as well as those to Maidenhead (and Reading?). But what happens to the
Greenford service? If it reverts to being a shuttle will it turn round
at Ealing Broadway or in the old milk dock at West Ealing?
--
Robert


Graham Harrison October 23rd 08 08:46 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 

I really don't know. I, also, have always assumed that Crossrail would
take over Heathrow Connect and the rump of the local services to Slough as
well as those to Maidenhead (and Reading?). But what happens to the
Greenford service? If it reverts to being a shuttle will it turn round at
Ealing Broadway or in the old milk dock at West Ealing?
--
Robert


West Ealing apparently

http://www.ealing.gov.uk/services/tr...014508995.html

and item 21.17 (page 4) in
http://billdocuments.crossrail.co.uk...tEalingStn.pdf



Paul Scott October 23rd 08 08:58 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Robert wrote:

.......But what
happens to the Greenford service? If it reverts to being a shuttle
will it turn round at Ealing Broadway or in the old milk dock at West
Ealing?


It does become a shuttle into a new bay platform at West Ealing, there's
stacks of detail on the Crossrail information website:

http://tinyurl.com/65r3r9

pp 7/8 refers, very large file though unfortunately.

HTH

Paul S




Robert[_2_] October 23rd 08 09:36 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 2008-10-23 21:58:52 +0100, "Paul Scott"
said:

Robert wrote:

.......But what
happens to the Greenford service? If it reverts to being a shuttle
will it turn round at Ealing Broadway or in the old milk dock at West
Ealing?


It does become a shuttle into a new bay platform at West Ealing, there's
stacks of detail on the Crossrail information website:

http://tinyurl.com/65r3r9

pp 7/8 refers, very large file though unfortunately.

HTH

Paul S


Thanks for the information. I'll read it tomorrow...
--
Robert


John B October 23rd 08 10:25 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Oct 23, 4:56*pm, David Cantrell wrote:
One would think that the same would apply at Victoria then, but trains
there pretty much always leave from the same platform every day.

...as also happens on the commuter platforms at Euston. The general
pattern in London termini seems to be that commuter trains leave from
the same platform whilst intercity trains vary; I'm not sure why this
is.


The longer distance trains from Victoria are also predictable. *Not to
quite the same extent as the local stoppers, but still very much
predictable.


Aye, but the longest-distance Victoria trains are comparable in
journey time to the longest-distance London Midland trains ex-Euston,
not VWC.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

Paul Weaver October 23rd 08 11:54 PM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On 23 Oct, 23:25, John B wrote:
On Oct 23, 4:56*pm, David Cantrell wrote:

One would think that the same would apply at Victoria then, but trains
there pretty much always leave from the same platform every day.
...as also happens on the commuter platforms at Euston. The general
pattern in London termini seems to be that commuter trains leave from
the same platform whilst intercity trains vary; I'm not sure why this
is.


The longer distance trains from Victoria are also predictable. *Not to
quite the same extent as the local stoppers, but still very much
predictable.


Aye, but the longest-distance Victoria trains are comparable in
journey time to the longest-distance London Midland trains ex-Euston,
not VWC.


Hmm, LM EUS-Crewe next year, but anyway

Victoria's longest (Littlehampton?) are longer than the Long Buckby
and beyond trains from EUS.

EUS - Northampton aren't bad (hour-long trips), and anything further
is "Long distance", given the throughput.

Neil Williams October 24th 08 05:26 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:25:00 -0700 (PDT), John B
wrote:

Aye, but the longest-distance Victoria trains are comparable in
journey time to the longest-distance London Midland trains ex-Euston,
not VWC.


ISTR that EUS-BHM on LM takes not all that dissimilar an amount of
time as EUS-MAN on VT.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.

Paul Scott October 24th 08 08:27 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
Paul Weaver wrote:
On 23 Oct, 23:25, John B wrote:
On Oct 23, 4:56 pm, David Cantrell wrote:

One would think that the same would apply at Victoria then, but
trains there pretty much always leave from the same platform
every day.
...as also happens on the commuter platforms at Euston. The general
pattern in London termini seems to be that commuter trains leave
from the same platform whilst intercity trains vary; I'm not sure
why this is.


The longer distance trains from Victoria are also predictable. Not
to quite the same extent as the local stoppers, but still very much
predictable.


Aye, but the longest-distance Victoria trains are comparable in
journey time to the longest-distance London Midland trains ex-Euston,
not VWC.


Hmm, LM EUS-Crewe next year, but anyway

Victoria's longest (Littlehampton?) are longer than the Long Buckby
and beyond trains from EUS.


Wrong 'hampton - it must be Southampton via the Arun Valley and Chichester
that is the longest Victoria service?

Paul



David Cantrell October 24th 08 11:29 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 08:21:59PM +0100, Robert wrote:

So even with 14 full length platforms at Paddington it will be
difficult to match German long distance dwell times. And Munich has a
population of only 1.35 million compared to London's 10 million.


So in summary, the solution to London's transport problems is to bomb
the city flat and start again? Being utterly destroyed and completely
rebuilt ignoring a whole load of legacy Victorian crap certainly seems
to have worked wonders for the German railways.

--
David Cantrell | top google result for "topless karaoke murders"

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human.
At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear
shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house.
-- Robert A Heinlein

David Cantrell October 24th 08 11:33 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 04:54:05PM -0700, Paul Weaver wrote:

Victoria's longest (Littlehampton?) are longer than the Long Buckby
and beyond trains from EUS.


I think Hastings is a little further, at least in terms of journey time.
There may be some longer ones on the eastern side, I'm not so familiar
with them.

--
David Cantrell | Reality Engineer, Ministry of Information

If I could read only one thing it would be the future, in the
entrails of the ******* denying me access to anything else.

Neil Williams October 25th 08 10:39 AM

Shenanigans at Paddington
 
On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:27:08 +0100, "Paul Scott"
wrote:

Hmm, LM EUS-Crewe next year, but anyway


LM EUS-LIV now. Not very frequent, but there is at least one a day
M-F.

Neil

--
Neil Williams
Put my first name before the at to reply.


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