A day out

I ventured out on a train trip today, to Gravesend, to meet a mate of long-standing and see how The Bench cafe was performing.  It was my first train trip since my heart problem was diagnosed.  Had a most enjoyable day.  The highlight was seeing the 'new' London Bridge station.  Amazing change and a huge improvement on the old infrastructure.

BML2 Update

http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/211-department-for-transport-denies-indecisiveness-over-capacity-time-bomb.html

The government plans to spend millions on HS2, yet states GWR electrification is paused, does nothing about the Brighton line capacity issues, etc., etc.

Afternoon on Spa Valley Railway

Enjoyed a ride on the Spa Valley Railway yesterday.  First time I had been along the route all the way from Tunbridge Wells to Eridge.

At Eridge there is no run-round facility the consequence of which is that a locomotive has to sit in one of the two platform roads whilst a train makes a journey from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells and back.

Uckfield-Lewes Update

Latest from BML2


http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/198-south-s-new-main-line-gathers-pace.html

Day Trip to Lewes

Used my over 65 bus pass today for a day out.  Decided to visit  Lewes to explore the route of the closed railway in the town,  The railway crossed the High Street on a viaduct and then bridged the river close to Harvey's Brewery and then struck out for Uckfield.

The line's closure had more to with the political machinations of the  pro-road East Sussex County Council than a post Beeching railway closure.

The railway stood on land the Council wished to use to build an inner by-pass.  Named Phoenix Way, the by-pass only advanced a few yards before petering out in the  narrow roads of Lewes .  An expensive folly.

BML2 Update.

Interesting:

http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/196-network-rail-reveals-bml2-as-fastest-alternative-route.html

BML2

Encouraging news:

http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/194-hm-treasury-gives-green-light-to-brighton-main-line-2-study.html

HST2 on track?

The general election result probably killed off serious opposition to HST2.  Sporadic skirmishes will continue, but the battle has been lost.  However, we can but hope that austerity cuts makes HST2 look like an expendable luxury.  Kick the project into the long grass for a few years.

There is much that can be done  to alleviate capacity and speed issues using existing infrastructure. A few suggestions:

1. Re-open the old Great Central line between Rugby and High Wycombe and build a link to the former London & North Western line.  Some services could be diverted off the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to London Paddington and passengers could change at the latter for Crossrail.  There will be no connection at Euston for Crossrail.

2. Re-open the Bedford-Northampton line and extend Thameslink services to Rugby and down the Trent Valley to Stafford.

3. Increase usage of the Midland Line to Sheffield and West Yorkshire.  One way to reduce considerably travel time between London St Pancras and Sheffield would be to send trains for Sheffield via the Erewash Valley Line. The argument used against this is that trains need the Derby stop for revenue purposes.  The answer surely is to extend trains beyond Sheffield to Rotherham, Wakefield and Leeds and offer much cheaper fares from Leeds and Wakefield to London than on the old Great Northern line via Doncaster to Kings Cross.

Exciting times on heritage railways (2)

My first post on this subject was posted on 9th April 2012.

A few snippets:

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Through services from Pickering to Whitby.  Network Rail track used from Goathland to Whitby.  New platform at Whitby for use by NYMR trains.

Swanage Railway

Now linked to Network Rail and through running possible.

Bluebell Railway

Has made it to East Grinstead and through running to Network Rail possible.

Rother Valley Railway

A great deal of development at Robertsbridge and rebuilding of bridges on the line striking out to Tenterden.  Short siding connection with Network Rail at Robertsbridge. However no link yet between the Rother Valley Railway and the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

Spa Valley Railway

Opened to Eridge.  No physical link to Network Rail

Great Central Railway

The two sections of the railway (Ruddington to Loughborough and Loughborough to Leicester) to be joined once the new bridge over the old Midland Railway at Loughborough is built.

Festiniog Railway and West Highland Railway

New platforms at Porthmadog to simplify through running.

Sheffield-London by train

Once there was a variety of routes used by through trains from Sheffield to London.  The Great Central ran trains via Nottingham Victoria and Leicester Central to Marylebone.  The Great Northern ran services via Retford to Kings Cross and also via Nottingham Victoria and Grantham.

The Midland ran trains via Derby and Leicester, via the Erewash Valley line to Trent and thence to Leicester and  via Nottingham and Melton Mowbray to St Pancras.

Now the only though trains run via Derby and Leicester to St. Pancras.  The Great Central route closed in the 1960s and whilst there was a service via Retford to Kings Cross for a short time it too was withdrawn. British Rail ran a Sheffield-Nottingham-Leicester - St Pancras service for a number of years but now all London-Nottingham trains terminate at Nottingham. Most of the current London-Sheffield services terminate at Sheffield: at one time most were extended to Leeds, some continuing to Bradford or to Carlisle and thence to Glasgow (Thames Clyde Express) or Edinburgh  (The Waverley).

Under privatisation there is now no competition for London traffic to Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.

Railway signals

When I was nowt but a lad I liked watching trains.  A short walk to line side would be rewarded with a succession of goods trains interspersed with passenger trains to far-away destinations  London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Bristol,  Leeds to name but a few.  Acquisition of a map of  railway lines soon provided me with a detailed knowledge of the location of towns and cities.  Then came the Beeching Report, followed by the axing of  many lines, although one large system, the Midland and Great Northern Joint, closed in 1959.

The trains and steam locomotives fascinated me: Streaks, Jubilees, Crabs, A3s, Black 5s, 8Fs, Compounds, Directors...the list could go on and on.  What I was not aware of then was the thermal inefficiency of steam locomotives and the waste associated with their operation.

To keep the show on the road railways use signals to keep trains apart.  When I was a youngster railways used for the most part semaphore signals operated from signal boxes. A box kept in touch with adjoining boxes by bell codes.  Some boxes were very busy with trains passing every few minutes, but others might see only one or two trains an hour.  These signal boxes were known as mechanical boxes.  The signalman operated signals by pulling levers attached to wires which ran to the signal post.  Signals were lit at night by oil lamps.  Foggy weather obscured the signals and the lights, so on foggy days a man would be posted at signals to assist drivers to identify signals and decide if it was safe to proceed.

The advent of colour light signals obviated the need for fog men, although it did not stop all accidents caused by lack of signal sighting.  The Lewisham crash was caused by the failure of a driver and fireman to see two colour light signals.

The railway is now mostly operated by colour light signals from boxes which cover many miles of track.  Far more efficient.

Southeastern shambles.

When the domestic HS1 service was introduced Southeastern reduced the service on the 'historic' line from  Ashford to London via Tonbridge.  Fast and semi-fast trains between  Ashford and Tonbridge were deleted from the timetable. The current service off-peak is every half hour stopping at all stations.   Shades of things to come if HS2 is built?

Although the service is much worse, passengers in West Kent have to pay higher fares  to meet  HS1 costs even though HS1 does not serve West Kent.  The rail companies argue that HS1 has freed up capacity on the historic route thus providing indirect benefit.  Doesn't quite seem like that to passengers from Headcorn, Staplehurst and Paddock Wood and those travelling between Ashford and Tonbridge.

Today I arrived at Ashford station to catch the 16.03 train to Tonbridge.  Change at Tonbridge for an arrival time of 16.59 at Tunbridge Wells. The 16.03 was cancelled.

Not to worry.  Although inconvenient, the next departure from Ashford at 16.33, change at Tonbridge, would see me arrive in Tunbridge Wells at 17.26.

However, the 16.33 was delayed I missed my connection at Tonbridge as the train was running 14 minutes late. Then my luck changed: the 17.22 from Tonbridge to Hastings was running 8 minutes late.  I arrived at Tunbridge Wells at 17.40.

Pity the passengers on the 16.33 from Ashford heading for Sevenoaks and London Bridge. On arrival at Tonbridge the 16.33 was sent forward to London, first stop Waterloo East.

I shall be filling in a Delay Compensation Form.

By train to Gravesend

I travel to Gravesend from Tunbridge Wells via London Bridge.  It is not the cheapest route but there are four trains per hour on each leg of the journey.  The cheapest route is via Paddock Wood and Strood.  However, there is only an hourly service on the line between these two places and it is not unknown for trains to be cancelled.

Earlier this week I arrived at Gravesend station for my return journey and was informed that no trains were running between Gravesend and Dartford as emergency work was being undertaken at Stone Crossing to replace a broken rail.  Passengers were advised to catch the 'replacement bus service' to Dartford.  The result was a 40 minute delay to my journey.

Southeastern missed a wonderful opportunity for some excellent public relations. London bound passengers could have been advised to join the HS1 service without paying the premium fare.

Travel travails

I arrived at Tunbridge Wells station to catch a train to London  Bridge.  From there I planned to board a train to Gravesend.  However a train failure at Etchingham and unspecified electrical problems between Tonbridge and Hastings resulted in my having to board the 'substitute bus service' to Tonbridge.  No delays on the journey to Tonbridge and the prompt arrival of an Ashford - Charing Cross train enabled an arrival at London Bridge forty minutes late.

Coming back from Gravesend I arrived at the station and caught a late running train from Gillingham
to Charing Cross.  To make up time South Eastern  decided to terminate the train at London  Bridge and miss out all timetabled intermediate stops apart from Dartford!

The journey from London Bridge back to Tunbridge Wells was eventful.  The train was crowded as Hastings trains had  been cancelled and passengers for points south of Tunbridge Wells directed onto the trains which normally terminate at Tunbridge Wells.

We rattled along to Sevenoaks where it was announced that the train would not stop at Hildenborough as 'there was no guard on the train'.  I presume the reason for not stopping is that Hildenborough does not have platform staff.

Passengers for Hastings were advised to detrain at Tonbridge where buses would be waiting to take them to their destination.  It was announced that the train would not stop at High Brooms, again for want of a guard. At Tonbridge a guard appeared and the previous announcement was withdrawn.

Lavatory charges

Yesterday I visited Peterborough.  Interesting city with much to see and do.  Excellent theatre and arts centre.  I travelled by rail and all the trains I caught departed on time and arrived on time. Indeed, we ran into London Bridge from Tunbridge Wells without being stopped outside the former station.

Kings Cross has had a makeover and the new building  is a big improvement on what was there before.  My only gripe - 30p to use the loo!  I made my way over to St Pancras - a matter of a few yards - where the loos are free!

See  also:

http://www.itv.com/news/london/story/2013-08-06/fifty-days-till-kings-cross-station-reopens-boris-johnson-mayor-of-london/

Travel by train and feel the strain

Yesterday I attended an event to celebrate the opening of a cafe operated by the community interest company of which I am a director.  Opportunity to meet up with friends and a have few drinks. So, rather than take the car I decided to go by train from Tunbridge Wells to Gravesend.  Big mistake.

I worked out that by catching the 10.39 train from Tunbridge Wells I would connect with a train to Gravesend at London Bridge which would arrive at my destination in good time.

However, I had not factored in the problem of buying a ticket at Tunbridge Wells station.  I refuse to use the ticket machines having had problems in the past.  I joined the queue in the ticket office, or to be precise the end of the queue outside the office, at 10.25.  By the time I paid for my ticket the 10.39 was long gone.

Only one person on duty in the ticket office.  However a second person then appeared having returned from a 'break'.  Of course staff need a break but in this instance the queue had formed behind one passenger whom it took a good ten minutes to serve.  No flexibility shown by the staff, a case of sod the passengers.

I have completed and posted a complaints form but I shall not be holding my breath in the expectation of any improvement in 'customer care' by South Eastern.

UPDATE: 16th May.

I have received a reply:

Thank you

Southeastern Customer Relations, PO Box 63428, London, SE1P 5FD

Tel: 0845 000 2222

Ref: 598288 / 465846

Dear Mr Hopkinson

Thank you for your comments card dated 26 April 2013.

I'm sorry to hear that when you travelled from Tunbridge Wells station, there was a queue at the ticket office window. I can appreciate how frustrating this would have been. Please accept my apologies for this and for the inconvenience that this caused you.

We do aim to ensure that our ticket offices are manned as advertised, so that they're able to meet expected passenger demand. At busy periods, we also expect them to do everything possible to keep queues to a minimum.

Whilst this is the case, as a commuter network, we operate a turn up and go service. This means that any passenger can turn up at anytime, at any station, purchase a ticket and join the first available train. This can mean that, despite our best efforts, there may be occasions when queues are unavoidable. It's for this reason that we do ask passengers to allow enough time before their trains due to allow them to purchase their tickets.

I can appreciate your concern about the queues on this occasion, especially as it meant that you missed your train. To ensure that the issues you've raised are fully addressed, I've brought your comments to the attention of our station management team. They'll be able to investigate what happened on this occasion. They'll also be able to take appropriate action to make sure that our staff do everything possible to keep queues to a minimum.

Once again, my apologies for the difficulties you experienced on this occasion. I hope that your experience with us is more positive and trouble free.

Yours sincerely

Allan Bradshaw

Customer Relations Officer

Southeastern

Wealden Line Campaign

Latest news:

http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/115-story-adonis-champions-brighton-s-main-line-2.html

Of roads, railways and airports

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement included provision for £270 million to alleviate traffic hot spots and congestion bottlenecks on locally and nationally agreed priority schemes.  Will any of this be spent on improving the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury?

The Autumn Statement also included a commitment to extend the proposed HS2 line  to the North West and West Yorkshire.  However, it begs the question, when will the money be spent?  Delicious sense of timing with the courts currently hearing cases seeking judicial review of the proposals for the HS2 line between London and Birmingham.

See:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/9731680/Passenger-numbers-blow-apart-case-for-HS2-train-line.html

The future airport capacity of  London and the South-East has been kicked into the long grass, at least until after the next general election.  Hence the comments of Willie Walsh

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9722527/Politicians-afraid-of-airport-expansion-claims-Willie-Walsh.html

Meanwhile Kent County Council is pressing the claims of Manston Airport:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20606478

More rail news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20557061

http://www.itv.com/news/london/update/2012-12-09/east-london-line-extension-complete

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-20626854?

Latest from Wealden Line Campaign

http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/98-story-bml2-a-good-idea-says-industry-voice.html

Well come on Councillor Jukes (Leader, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) and Councillor Carter (Leader, Kent County Council), lets see some action!

Latest from the Wealden Line Campaign

Good read:

http://www.wealdenline.co.uk/the-news/211-rail-professional-features-brighton-main-line-2.html

http://content.yudu.com/A1zxn1/RPDec12/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railpro.co.uk%2F%2520