On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Mizter T wrote:

What will be the case is that those who regularly make use of the Kent
high-speed service to get into London will find that it won't be running
at all during that fortnight (or however long i will be).

Hang on, hang on. There will be nothing but Javelins stopping at Stratford
North, we know that, but is it the case that there won't be anything else
just passing through? Is it not the case that the Kentstars will be
running non-stop from Ebbsfleet to St Pancras? Do we know this for sure?

tom

--
Only men's minds could have mapped into abstraction such a territory

On 30 Jan, 14:16, Tom Anderson wrote:

On Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Mizter T wrote:
What will be the case is that those who regularly make use of the Kent
high-speed service to get into London will find that it won't be running
at all during that fortnight (or however long i will be).

Hang on, hang on. There will be nothing but Javelins stopping at Stratford
North, we know that, but is it the case that there won't be anything else
just passing through? Is it not the case that the Kentstars will be
running non-stop from Ebbsfleet to St Pancras? Do we know this for sure?


Eurostars will be passing through non-stop, of course. The
'Kentstars' [1] aka the class 395 train sets for the Kent high-speed
service are all going to be busy being employed to run the very high-
frequency Olympic Javelin service between St. Pancras - Stratford
Int'l - Ebbsfleet. This was *always* the plan - there will be no Kent
high-speed service for this time. Appropriate high-speed trains cannot
be magicked out of thin air.


-----
[1] 'Kentstars' are potentially a horrendously misleading moniker
given the existence of Bombardier's Electrostar and Turbostar family
of trains and also the (apparently informal) nickname that's given to
the new class 378 Electrostar trains for London Overground of
'Capitalstar'.

In message
s.com, at 06:03:49 on Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Mizter T
remarked:

the commuters of Kent will likely want their class 395 trains back!
Indeed I can already foresee the complaints that they'll have them
taken away for a few weeks (at least two)

I rather suspect that everyone not intimately connected with the running
of the games will be best off sat at home for that fortnight, and not
trying to swim against the various tides.

I wouldn't say that spectators aren't "intimately connected with the
running of the games" but I don't think they'd do very well at all
sitting at home for that fortnight.

I think that most of the spectators would be better off sitting at home,
but that's another story.

I understand broadly where you're coming from but I there'll be plenty
of stuff going on in London during those two weeks that will be
attracting the crowds, both Olympic events and associated happenings -
people will be coming into and travelling around London to get to
these places.

Lemmings.

What is the case is that the transport plans are predicated on there
being fewer regular commuters - but this is hardly a ridiculous
presumption as that's always what happens during the summer. I
understand at least part of the expectation is that people who may
otherwise have gone off elsewhere on holiday will stay around in
London to watch the show.

I'd go to an event if it was within half an hour of here I lived (by
whatever means of transport - mainly legs). I would have done that if
the rowing had transpired to be in Nottingham.

Travelling any further is either going to result in extreme discomfort,
HUGE hotel bills, or both.

What will be the case is that those who regularly make use of the Kent
high-speed service to get into London will find that it won't be
running at all during that fortnight (or however long i will be). If
they're coming into London for work or leisure they'll obviously have
to do so on the slower, 'classic' services.

If they come into London during those two weeks for any leisure *other*
then the Olympics, then they really are stark raving mad.

It'll be interesting to see how people will be dissuaded from using the
Jubilee and Central lines to get to Stratford from central London.

Making the Javelin free? (I'm sure I've seen some suggestions that a
Javelin trip would be bundled in with the entry tickets).
--
Roland Perry

On 30 Jan, 15:00, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
s.com, at 06:03:49 on Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Mizter T
remarked:

the commuters of Kent will likely want their class 395 trains back!
Indeed I can already foresee the complaints that they'll have them
taken away for a few weeks (at least two)

I rather suspect that everyone not intimately connected with the running
of the games will be best off sat at home for that fortnight, and not
trying to swim against the various tides.

I wouldn't say that spectators aren't "intimately connected with the
running of the games" but I don't think they'd do very well at all
sitting at home for that fortnight.

I think that most of the spectators would be better off sitting at home,
but that's another story.

'Being there' is different to watching it on television. But I think
we have fundamentally differing opinions on the whole matter, and
we're never going to agree on it so perhaps i's best left at that!


I understand broadly where you're coming from but I there'll be plenty
of stuff going on in London during those two weeks that will be
attracting the crowds, both Olympic events and associated happenings -
people will be coming into and travelling around London to get to
these places.

Lemmings.

Killjoy.


What is the case is that the transport plans are predicated on there
being fewer regular commuters - but this is hardly a ridiculous
presumption as that's always what happens during the summer. I
understand at least part of the expectation is that people who may
otherwise have gone off elsewhere on holiday will stay around in
London to watch the show.

I'd go to an event if it was within half an hour of here I lived (by
whatever means of transport - mainly legs). I would have done that if
the rowing had transpired to be in Nottingham.

Travelling any further is either going to result in extreme discomfort,
HUGE hotel bills, or both.

A day trip means large hotel bills can be avoided, though the large
rail fare might be unavoidable (I'm guessing that cheapo Advance fares
might be in short supply given the demand). "Extreme discomfort"?! A
day trip? OK, it'll likely be hot but lots of people like being out in
the summer. I've no reason to imagine the seating at events will be
horrendously uncomfortable. And I bet that there will be free water
fountains.


What will be the case is that those who regularly make use of the Kent
high-speed service to get into London will find that it won't be
running at all during that fortnight (or however long i will be). If
they're coming into London for work or leisure they'll obviously have
to do so on the slower, 'classic' services.

If they come into London during those two weeks for any leisure *other*
then the Olympics, then they really are stark raving mad.

It'll be interesting to see how people will be dissuaded from using the
Jubilee and Central lines to get to Stratford from central London.

Making the Javelin free? (I'm sure I've seen some suggestions that a
Javelin trip would be bundled in with the entry tickets).


I understand that is the basic plan.

On 30 Jan, 14:16, Tom Anderson wrote:
Hang on, hang on. There will be nothing but Javelins stopping at Stratford
North, we know that, but is it the case that there won't be anything else
just passing through? Is it not the case that the Kentstars will be
running non-stop from Ebbsfleet to St Pancras? Do we know this for sure?

There are only three platforms for them at St Pancras, with a
relatively tiny concourse. I'd think they'd dedicate the whole lot to
Olympic punters. Possibly ditto for Ebbsfleet.

U

In message
, at
07:38:12 on Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Mizter T remarked:
I think that most of the spectators would be better off sitting at home,
but that's another story.

'Being there' is different to watching it on television. But I think
we have fundamentally differing opinions on the whole matter, and
we're never going to agree on it so perhaps i's best left at that!

I don't mind the athlete's family and friends going along to watch in
person, but is there really a need for everyone else to, as well?

I understand broadly where you're coming from but I there'll be plenty
of stuff going on in London during those two weeks that will be
attracting the crowds, both Olympic events and associated happenings -
people will be coming into and travelling around London to get to
these places.

Lemmings.

Killjoy.

I've been to too many "big events", and all you end up doing is
submitting yourself to extreme discomfort in order to see something
happening far too far away.

A day trip means large hotel bills can be avoided

Depends where you are going to and from, I suppose. Somewhere like
Sheffield is the "middle" of the country, and I wouldn't recommend
commuting to Stratford from there.

--
Roland Perry

On 30 Jan, 16:32, Mr Thant wrote:

On 30 Jan, 14:16, Tom Anderson wrote:

Hang on, hang on. There will be nothing but Javelins stopping at
Stratford
North, we know that, but is it the case that there won't be anything
else
just passing through? Is it not the case that the Kentstars will be
running non-stop from Ebbsfleet to St Pancras? Do we know this for sure?

There are only three platforms for them at St Pancras, with a
relatively tiny concourse. I'd think they'd dedicate the whole lot to
Olympic punters. Possibly ditto for Ebbsfleet.


The intensive service on the CTRL between Ebbsfleet and St. P needs to be be
accommodated as well of course - not too much space for extra trains in
there I would have thought. Also the lines and platforms at Ebbsfleet will
be busy with trains being reversed, which probably precludes there cut-down
Kent Domestics service temporarily terminating at Ebbsfleet (i.e. from the
rest of Kent). Plus there are only so many of the class 395 train sets -
well, 29 to be precise, and I suspect that most of not all of the Javelin
services will presumably be using two of the five-car units coupled
together.

Interesting thought about Ebbsfleet also perhaps becoming a Eurostar no-go
zone. I would think that probably wouldn't happen - the station interior
isn't that big but there's plenty of space for people to spill out onto
(including covered areas) - but we shall of course see what transpires.

In article , (Roland
Perry) wrote:

I don't mind the athlete's family and friends going along to watch
in person, but is there really a need for everyone else to, as well?

I'm surprised you've never been to a major event in person and realised
quite how different it is to watching on telly.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In message , at 05:36:53
on Sun, 1 Feb 2009, remarked:
I don't mind the athlete's family and friends going along to watch
in person, but is there really a need for everyone else to, as well?

I'm surprised you've never been to a major event in person and realised
quite how different it is to watching on telly.

I have, but the pain and anguish getting to/from the event means I'm
extremely reluctant to do it any more.
--
Roland Perry