dk1
Veteran Member
Except with Intercity services. They had wasted space taken up with the loco & DVT.Certainly not on the GEML which was operating at maximum capacity south of Shenfield with 12 car trains at the height of the peak.
Except with Intercity services. They had wasted space taken up with the loco & DVT.Certainly not on the GEML which was operating at maximum capacity south of Shenfield with 12 car trains at the height of the peak.
And the result of a survey will depend on the question asked. The standard public reaction to overcrowding tends to be “Why don’t they run more trains / put more carriages on?” rather than “why don’t they pack more seats into the carriages they’re already running?”
Yes, I know that isn’t going to work everywhere…..
Even interval full half hourly frequency on Norwich Intercity off-peak.For anyone who uses the service, be careful. On the Southend line, we were promised a 20 minute all day service from today and it was indicated in the spreadsheets they uploaded on the website.
During the off peak period it's still a half hourly service towards London, and a 20/40 minute service away from London. So during the day it's actually worse than before if you just miss the xx55 departure from London.
Not sure if they've done the same on the mainline/ West Anglia side.
Thank you. I am heading upto Norwich later in the week so that is good to know. I am so glad a friend messaged me as I checked the spreadsheet on the website and presumed it would be correct. The irony is I would have been late to drive a train on the Shenfield metro service if I had trusted that.Even interval full half hourly frequency on Norwich Intercity off-peak.
All gone very quiet in that front.Is the transfer of the remaining 745/1s to the GEML still on the cards? If so, I wonder whether that will be last piece of the jigsaw coinciding with the withdrawal of the Renatus fleet.
There were at least three single 720s out on the main line during the four hours I was around today ( roughly 11.00 to 15.00 ), which were on both Braintree and Southend services. The majority of services were 10 cars, but there also appeared to be more 321 diagrams than a couple of weeks ago.Sounds like there was a number of 5 car class 720s services on the Southend line tonight, which lead to major overcrowding.
Thanks, I guess priorities are elsewhere at the moment with the slow drip of Aventras. Who knows, maybe they're being given 2 diesel packs each in order to work through to Norwich via Cambridge.All gone very quiet in that front.
Haha, that wouldn’t be a bad thing considering the overcrowding experienced some weekends recently on that route.Thanks, I guess priorities are elsewhere at the moment with the slow drip of Aventras. Who knows, maybe they're being given 2 diesel packs each in order to work through to Norwich via Cambridge.
I'm joking before anyone quotes that elsewhere.
Doesn't surprise me. Some pairs of dusty bins were full and standing from Stratford to Shenfield autumn last year. That was on a 10 minute peak frequency so a single 720 on a 20 minute frequency would be worse.Sounds like there was a number of 5 car class 720s services on the Southend line tonight, which lead to major overcrowding.
The problem being of course that with only 5 and 10 as options it is difficult to get it right on all services. The 1633 does a Braintree before and an Ipswich before that. You would imagine loadings to even out as people get used to knowing which are the short trains. 1633 / 1654 are arguably shoulder peak trains.It would again appear that Greater Anglia do not have enough available trains top operate 10 car trains at rush hour. Reports that the 16:33 and 16:54 Liverpool Street to Southend Vic are only 5 car trains and are completely overcrowded.
Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book. Most of them are not enthuasists, who just want to get a train home at a time convenient to them.The problem being of course that with only 5 and 10 as options it is difficult to get it right on all services. The 1633 does a Braintree before and an Ipswich before that. You would imagine loadings to even out as people get used to knowing which are the short trains. 1633 / 1654 are arguably shoulder peak trains.
To be fair, commuters are not thick. When the LTS had to ground the new class 357s they shipped in the three car class 310s that used to run in Birmingham. The commuters would spread along the whole length of the platform for a 12 car train. As soon as they saw a blue unit in the train approaching Fenchurch Street the people near the ramp would move 20 metres closer to the buffer stops.Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book. Most of them are not enthuasists, who just want to get a train home at a time convenient to them.
Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book.
Some might be put off just enough to see if a later train has more capacity. I appreciate that not everyone has that flexibility.Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book. Most of them are not enthuasists, who just want to get a train home at a time convenient to them.
Well of course they should have had all (or almost all of the 133 720s) in service by now before older trains were stood down. They are getting slaughtered on Social Media at the moment as in addition to the Southend Vic problems many of the peak GEML trains this week have become 8 x 321 whereas last week they mostly all were 10 x 720s, plus the continuing lack of through services to the branches is adding to the woes. More petitions and complaints going in to MPs. Most of which is not directly their fault but the reputation of the industry’s competence is being trashed by all the short term changes.The problem being of course that with only 5 and 10 as options it is difficult to get it right on all services.
Fair enough, I'd say your probably right. Excuse my tone in previous post, realised it came across a bit agressive.Some might be put off just enough to see if a later train has more capacity. I appreciate that not everyone has that flexibility.
I take my original post back, have underestimated regular commuters.I think it’s pretty common - has been for regular commuters wherever I have commuted (and not just me!).
for Example in the ‘old’ Thameslink days, no regular commuters ever bothered to catch the 1732 from Kings Cross Thameslink as it was always a 4 car, and always crush loaded leaving Farringdon. The only people who turned up for it were occasional travellers, often heading to Luton airport. Invariably they had to wait for the next one.
I was on the 17:00 from Liverpool Street yesterday which wasn't that well loaded to be honest. I was surprised to see that the 17:02 which was boarding next door was far more busy and a colleague for Chelmsford said it only got busier at Stratford and the back five carriages were very busy to say the least. What's more perplexing is that GA are selling cheap advance fares (£14/£18) on the 17:02 stopper, despite the heavier loading than on the 745 which doesn't stop until Manningtree where no advance fares are for sale. Don't think GA have got this right.
Odd but as I was told last week - patience! Manningtree was added as a late change last Friday otherwise there was no service from Liverpool St to Harwich for nearly two hours.The 1700 isn't even showing as running next week yet - how odd ? Extra stops or Manningtree being removed ?
You’d be very surprised indeed as to how interested the GEML commuters are & how they are tweeting their MPs with train formation info & feedback on a daily basis.Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book. Most of them are not enthuasists, who just want to get a train home at a time convenient to them.
You've not commuted have you?Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book. Most of them are not enthuasists, who just want to get a train home at a time convenient to them.
Do you really thing passengers memorise how many coaches a train is booked to have? Seems completely ridiculous to expect them to in my book. Most of them are not enthuasists, who just want to get a train home at a time convenient to them.
I commute to milton Keynes 5 days a week by train.You've not commuted have you?
My wife constantly moans about short forms and quotes how long her train was and she couldn't give a stuff about trains beyond wanting them to be sufficiently long enough for the passenger load and on time. She, like so many commuters I've observed, know to check the number of carriages before taking up their spot for a 4, 5, 8, 10, 12 car consist.
Commuters are creatures of habit and are finely tuned to notice any day to day differences in their journey experience. Even more so during times of change.