How busy have your trains been?

[HamworthyGoods]

The 9:35 departed Guildford 5 minutes late and arrives into Woking 4 minutes late. It helpfully uses platform 1 so same platform change. However, since it was using platform 1, as booked, it delayed the 9:52, which arrived 2 minutes late and departed a minute late. Before that, it had been on time.

So I wonder if timetable performance is starting to drop now that passengers are starting to return?

Track Circuit Failure ongoing at Haslemere today delaying trains coming up from there.

 

[infobleep]

Not travelling on it but I counted 10 passengers aboard 166201 on the 1101 Reading to Gatwick Airport today as it came over the crossing at Reigate.

Around 15-20 on the return working.

So the bar is possibly set very low.

 

[infobleep]

Track Circuit Failure ongoing at Haslemere today delaying trains coming up from there.

Thanks for that. I didn't see a disruption notice against the train but did wonder if there nay have been some issue but I kind if dismissed it.

 

[JonathanH]

So the bar is possibly set very low.

The bar was most probably 0 - I suspect that the passengers aboard were completely oblivious of the reservation point.

 

[Non Multi]

I've been keeping an eye on car park numbers at one of my local stations west of Slough. I think it's another useful indicator with regards to commuter numbers.

At midday today there were at least 16 cars, plus another 6 in the council overflow parking. Both were full on weekdays (roughly 45 + 38 spaces) pre-pandemic. Last summer it was usually 7 + 3.

 

[MDB1images]

Still seeing day on day increases on Anglo-Scots with Fridays by far the busiest day to travel, not quite pre Covid levels on Fridays but on some trains it's not far off(and that's before the Hotels opened for leisure).

 

[infobleep]

This evening I got the 17:46 Surbiton to Clapham Junction. A reasonable number got off and some got on I didn't count the numbers but it wasn't quiet. This train wasn't running last week so either there is more demand this week, there would have been demand last week if the train was running or both. I'm glad to see it is running again though. I want the railways to do well. I must add it was 12 carriages. So you go from no service to one with 12 carriages

I then boarded the 18:02 Clapham Junction to Littlehampton service. There was a reasonable number wanting to board and people were rushing past me down the stairs, probably unaware of the time it departs. I walked as I know what time it was and knew there was time to board

I walled up the platform and found a carriage with roughly 16 people in it, including myself.

As I've not been on the 18:02 last week I can't say how busy it was. It is kind of peak commuter time.

Once we left East Croydon though there was only 7 in my carriage including myself. So clearly a lot of local journeys that are possible using a fast train on this line.

It's nice to be on a train that doesn't stop at Gatwick Airport. Not too many do this and for a time there was none. Eventually it will return to that state I believe, once the Gatwick Airport works are finished. Next stop Balcombe.

As an aside, no maximum passengers on London buses now. I saw a paper sign lying on the floor this morning. Anyway, that is straying off-topic.

 

[ecoutez]

A few observations:

1. EMR to Luton from St Pancras on Friday 14/05/21 afternoon, 4-coach train, quite busy in standard (e.g. solo traveller had to move to allow family to take a table).
2. Thameslink to Blackfriars, same afternoon, 12-coach train, and appeared to be hauling lots of air. Boarded at the last carriage and had it to myself (note: an error as I missed my transfer as this was the wrong end for a platform switch!)
3. Tubes, Victoria/Northern, surprisingly busy (some standing) on the latter. Pre-pandemic it would have been quiet for a Friday afternoon/evening (when they were usually rammed) but I was not expecting quite as many people.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

09.49 from Epsom - roughly 30 in the last carriage by the time it reached Wimbledon, where I got off to drop something off somewhere.

11.02 Paddington - Bristol TM: rear unit looked fairly full, front unit was virtually empty. I guess that's the reservation system filling it up from the barriers end forwards...?

Various 345s between Paddington and Hayes all broadly similarly loaded regardless of route, generally about 5 - 10 people per carriage.

Services between Liverpool Street / Tottenham Hale / Harlow Town late afternoon / early evening: most seats taken out of London, fairly quiet into London.

18.32 Farringdon - Sutton via Mitcham Junction: Every pair of seats had at least one person in after Blackfriars; emptied out at Tulse Hill and Streatham. Second from last carriage, but loadings in the front six all looked fairly similar as it pulled in to Farringdon.

 

[greyman42]

Travelled from York to London on the 1358 yesterday. There were four passengers in my coach, which was coach C, the unreserved coach.

 

[Kite159]

Various 345s between Paddington and Hayes all broadly similarly loaded regardless of route, generally about 5 - 10 people per carriage.

In my experience those trains tend to be front heavy due to the location of the exits at Ealing Broadway/Southall & Hayes.

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Saturday:

Mostly quiet trains, a couple busy-ish services (one from Marks Tey towards Colchester was busy in coach 5 of 8). Jubilee line back from Stratford to Waterloo around 18:50 got busy (all the shoppers)

Sunday:

Mostly quiet on the Hastings line & the Victoria - Dover via Strood snails, I did see a 395 at Strood which did look busy. A Ramsgate via Maidstone service at Victoria also looked busy, however how much of that was simply Bromley passengers (only 3tph between Victoria - Bromley, which 1 was fast). The 159 inbound got busy at Woking, but that was only a single unit.

 

[Desiro360]

Travelled with Greater Anglia this Tuesday from Felixstowe to Woodbridge and back. Here's my rough count on how many passengers were on each train I travelled on with a friend.

09:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich (4 coach 755) - roughly 10 passengers on the whole unit.

10:17 Ipswich to Woodbridge (4 coach 755) - I reckon there was about 6 people in the coach I was in.

14:18 Woodbridge to Ipswich (4 coach 755) - this train was definitely busier as between 30 and 40 people alighted at Ipswich.

16:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe (3 coach 755) - being in the early evening this train had around 20 other passengers alight at Felixstowe.

So trains in Suffolk are gradually starting to get more passengers but still some way from pre-COVID numbers.

 

[Vinnym]

Made our first train journey on Monday since last November, just a short hop, 16.23, Old Roan to Orrell Park. Platform display stated it was 6 car, however when it arrived it was 3 car. Boarded back carriage I would estimate 80% of seats taken, quite surprised at that. Returned in the 19.33 service, 6 car this time, counted 17 people in the carriage, so pretty quiet. Really surprised that six of these passengers not wearing face covering. I understand that some people have an ex exemption but that seemed quite a high ratio, looks like Merseyrail are not too hot on enforcement.

 

[LowLevel]

Worked a train out of Norwich to Nottingham earlier - between 50 and 60 people on for most of the journey, many of whom were on "full fat" anytime or off peak tickets connecting to the North East and Scotland, no doubt off the oil rigs. Last time I worked the same service I think there was about 10 people on it. A normal loading would probably be about 80 or 90.

Also noted the station car park at Loughborough is now up to 30 odd cars rather than 5.

Certainly seems to be moving up anyway. Need the acid test of getting more people back to work I think.

 

[Scotrail314209]

2017 Glasgow Central- Ardrossan Harbour - 4 car Class 380

One person at every table in the rear two coaches, busy by covid standards. Front two coaches empty.

 

[D6130]

Hebden Bridge - Kendal and back today:

10 39 HBD-PRE (3 car 195) about one third full, but much busier from Burnley and Blackburn.
12 02 PRE-OXN (5 car 397) about a quarter full from Preston, but more than half full from Lancaster.
19 10 KEN-PRE (3 car 195) about half full from Kendal and three quarters from Lancaster.
20 46 PRE-HBD (2 car 158) about three quarters full from Preston, but gradually emptied en route.

 

[davews]

Trip to London yesterday. Morning RDG-WAT around half full, our carriage at one point had every set of seats occupied. Jubilee and Cental line pretty busy. In the afternoon (from 3pm) much quieter but Waterloo almost normal crowds.

 

[PTR 444]

Very busy on the 11:00 SWR from Southampton Central to London Waterloo. Only a 5-car train and quite a few passengers standing, although plenty of double seats with one empty.

 

[Ianno87]

Popped by Cambridge station at (rainy) lunchtime today. People coming and going through the barriers as if it were pre-Covid.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Popped by Cambridge station at (rainy) lunchtime today. People coming and going through the barriers as if it were pre-Covid.

Off-peak/weekend traffic is definitely back with a vengeance in places.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

The WCML was chaos today, didn't even manage to get on a train but the queues at Milton Keynes Central were so huge and stretched all and up and down the street outside the station.

 

[Hadders]

09:02 Stevenage to Finsbury Park this morning lightly loaded although a 12-car train.
09:24 Finsbury Park to Highbury & Islington someone sitting at every double seat and several standees
Central Line from Bank to Oxford Circus at 13:30 train was packed, all seats taken and standees right down the carriage, not just in the door areas. We travelled in the 2nd carriage.

 

[Kite159]

Some busy trains in the Manchester area today, worst I saw was the airport trains from Windermere/Barrow. Doesn't help that some guards close off most of the rear coach so a 2 coach 195 is reduced to 1 and a bit coaches.

XC was busy coming back towards Birmingham, but only to Stoke (timetable has the XC going in front of a Pendo (which goes ahead of the stopper). Made worse as the rear voyager was locked out of use (I presume due to lack of staff)

 

[yorksrob]

St Erth was like Clapham Junction today, which is encouraging !

 

[Failed Unit]

My GTR trains yesterday were loaded like a normal Saturday (without football on)

 

[rg177]

1453 New St-Euston (single 350) this afternoon had every pair of seats occupied with at least one person and quite a few standing. It looked be set to get even cosier after Birmingham Intl where I got off.

At least first class was declassified!

 

[Kite159]

1453 New St-Euston (single 350) this afternoon had every pair of seats occupied with at least one person and quite a few standing. It looked be set to get even cosier after Birmingham Intl where I got off.

At least first class was declassified!

13:53 was just as bad, made worse as the 13:50 Pendo got cancelled from New Street (was starting from International). Although the front few coaches were busy the rearmost coach was quiet

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Pottering around the West Midlands today, a few busy services on the Cross-City line but that was mainly due to single 3 coach units being used rather than doubled up. Likewise a Worcester - New Street service was quite busy (no spare pairs of seats so I stood for the short journey from University to New Street, but that was a single 2 coach 170).

A single 159 was busy when it rolled into Basingstoke, people standing in the vestibules but there was spare seats right at the front, at least 5 spare pairs, including a table after Basingstoke. At least SWR had the sense to rip out the Woking calls today!

 

[yorksrob]

Bodmin Road - Bodmin General seemed quite busy with most seating bays occupied.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Bodmin Road - Bodmin General seemed quite busy with most seating bays occupied.

Haha isn't that a heritage line?!

 

[yorksrob]

Haha isn't that a heritage line?!

Well, I was using it as part of a through journey from Penzance to Padstow.

I wouldn't want to comment on what other passengers might or might not have been doing there