Stratford International branch weekend closure

[kabsonline]

Hi all

Why is the DLR suspended this weekend between Canning Town and Stratford International? Surely no engineering works need to happen as the line has only just opened and no other parts of the DLR are closed today so why is the branch closed?

[Chris M]

The reason I've read or heard somewhere (I can't remember where) is "to ensure it continues to maintain the high standards required of the DLR" or something like that. Essentially using a lot of words to say not a lot.
My guess (and it is just that) is that something hasn't bedded in quite right/as well as hoped, or something has suffered an early life failure.
It could of course be that it was planned from the start and this is putting the finishing touches to something that wasn't finished at the time, either because it couldn't be or because of pressure to get it open finally. However given that it's getting on for 6 months after opening, my gut feeling is that it's less likely to be this.

[alfie]

This was scheduled since before opening, I think.

[Deleted]

Its closed for 2 weekends in February as well. Its an utter disgrace, This extension cost over £200 million to build. Since the day this extension opened its been a laughing stock of the railways.
Considering this line only covers 6 stations, everybody particularly those at Canning Town are just so bewildered and confused by the way this service is being operated.
This line should not be closing for anything, This line should be state of the art.
We can argue the toss as to who is running this shambles, Serco, DLR or even Boris but whoever is responsible should be shown the door.
This is no way to run a railway in this day and age!

[kabsonline]

What do you mean by the way it's being run? Do you just mean the weekend closures or are there timetable issues etc.?

[davidp]

Jan 22, 2012 18:23:28 GMT @gerryuk said:

Its closed for 2 weekends in February as well. Its an utter disgrace, This extension cost over £200 million to build. Since the day this extension opened its been a laughing stock of the railways.
Considering this line only covers 6 stations, everybody particularly those at Canning Town are just so bewildered and confused by the way this service is being operated.
This line should not be closing for anything, This line should be state of the art.
We can argue the toss as to who is running this shambles, Serco, DLR or even Boris but whoever is responsible should be shown the door.
This is no way to run a railway in this day and age!

I'm not happy whenever a branch of the DLR is closed for the weekend, but I tend to accept that the DLR don't really do that for the sheer hell of it and that there really is work to be done and since they do give notice of the closures and provide alternative transport where they can, I can usually get on with what I'm supposed to be doing without too much of a problem.

I'm not sure how what is happening this weekend makes the DLR a "utter disgrace" or a "laughing stock" or "shambles", please could you expand your argument?

[radbod]

Jan 22, 2012 18:23:28 GMT @gerryuk said:

Its closed for 2 weekends in February as well. Its an utter disgrace, This extension cost over £200 million to build. Since the day this extension opened its been a laughing stock of the railways.
Considering this line only covers 6 stations, everybody particularly those at Canning Town are just so bewildered and confused by the way this service is being operated.
This line should not be closing for anything, This line should be state of the art.
We can argue the toss as to who is running this shambles, Serco, DLR or even Boris but whoever is responsible should be shown the door.
This is no way to run a railway in this day and age!

I can't go into any detail but it's related to the poor job that the initial contractors did during construction. The current state of stuff means that the number of trains operating on the branch is limited. It isn't safety-related, just capacity-related.

[alfie]

Gotta be particularly shoddy, I thought DLR signalling was designed to take 36tph?

[Deleted]

The service pattern on this extension needs to be changed immediately. From start until end of traffic, every day should be the same.

Beckton - Tower ever 10 mins & Beckton - Stratford every 10 mins with a 5 minute gap between trains.
Woolwich -Bank every 10 mins and Woolwich - Stratford every 10 mins with a 5 min gap between trains.
It is ridicules having all the trains on this branch running to the airport in the morning and evening peaks. There is hardly anyone on them yet the platforms at Canning Town are packed with people wanting to go towards Beckton.

The small tv screen at the top of the stairs to the platform at West Ham telling people the train times was frozen and has not been working for months. Last week when i went through they had actually fixed it. Alas when i went through Canning town station the screens there were not working.
When you get off the Jubilee at Canning Town do you go up or do you go down? What the elderly, disabled and those not used to this system make of all this is beyond me.

Can someone on this board who works on the DLR please explain the reason for the current service pattern.

As no doubt the taxpayers footed the bill for this extension will the DLR be taking those responsible for building this to court? Having shelled out over £200 million for this sub standard line, can we get some of our money back please?

[radbod]

Jan 22, 2012 21:31:18 GMT @gerryuk said:

The service pattern on this extension needs to be changed immediately. From start until end of traffic, every day should be the same.

Beckton - Tower ever 10 mins & Beckton - Stratford every 10 mins with a 5 minute gap between trains.
Woolwich -Bank every 10 mins and Woolwich - Stratford every 10 mins with a 5 min gap between trains.
It is ridicules having all the trains on this branch running to the airport in the morning and evening peaks. There is hardly anyone on them yet the platforms at Canning Town are packed with people wanting to go towards Beckton.

The small tv screen at the top of the stairs to the platform at West Ham telling people the train times was frozen and has not been working for months. Last week when i went through they had actually fixed it. Alas when i went through Canning town station the screens there were not working.
When you get off the Jubilee at Canning Town do you go up or do you go down? What the elderly, disabled and those not used to this system make of all this is beyond me.

Can someone on this board who works on the DLR please explain the reason for the current service pattern.

As no doubt the taxpayers footed the bill for this extension will the DLR be taking those responsible for building this to court? Having shelled out over £200 million for this sub standard line, can we get some of our money back please?

I've explained it before, I guess I'll just do it again. The demand on the Beckton route is more consistently busy through the day, with flatter, shorter peaks. ExCeL, UEL, LB Newham all create demand that doesn't follow 'rush hour' patterns. There are also events at ExCeL that attract high numbers at weekends which is the reason for the concentration of trains on the Beckton branch. More people from Beckton continue to Canary Wharf or Tower Gateway. Reducing the frequency of Tower Gateway trains, which you are suggesting, would cause greater numbers of interchanges at Canning Town and risk overcrowding. This would mean the station would be closed to ALL lines.

The demand on the Woolwich route has huge, huge peaks. In the morning peak every train arriving at Woolwich Arsenal meets a massive crowd of people waiting to board, even though there is already a train in the opposite platform. At London City Airport there is a massive bunfight to board a busy train. At Canning Town there is a net loss of about 30% of the passengers, mostly to the Jubilee Line. This is why there used to be Woolwich Arsenal to Canning Town shuttles. In the evening peak, the rush is reversed, but spread out. You generally lose 20% at West Silvertown, 30% at London City Airport.

So, of course when a train to Woolwich Arsenal arrives at Canning Town in the morning peak, it will be quite empty. It has to get back to Woolwich Arsenal somehow to pick up more passengers. London City Airport tends to be used by business people. They arrive in the morning and leave in the evening.

Realistically, the next phase will have to be a train from Beckton and Woolwich Arsenal every 4 minutes alternating Stratford International with Bank/Tower Gateway. It needs more trains to be purchased. The only short-term solution, which you won't like, is a train every 5 minutes from Beckton to Stratford International, and a train every 5 minutes from Woolwich Arsenal to Bank/Tower Gateway. No direct trains from Beckton to the City. This is the logical pattern because of the junction arrangements.

With regards to the original contractors - I believe they went out of business so good luck trying to get money out of a bankrupt company.

[Deleted]

Hi all,

I have noticed how under used the rail replacement buses are on the Stratford International line.

I was wondering is it really needed? If you are travelling to Stratford from Canning Town or West Ham you would use the Jubilee Line. As the for the other stations they are within walking distance of local buses 276 /323.

Just seems an overkill!

Dan

[kabsonline]

I'm not sure if there are rules in which a rail replacement has to be run? That is the only reason I can see why it is run.

[fleetline]

Jan 31, 2012 20:36:56 GMT @dannyeastlondon said:

Hi all,

I have noticed how under used the rail replacement buses are on the Stratford International line.

I was wondering is it really needed? If you are travelling to Stratford from Canning Town or West Ham you would use the Jubilee Line. As the for the other stations they are within walking distance of local buses 276 /323.

Just seems an overkill!

Dan

They have a duty to provide buses that mirror the route, hence buses the full length.

Have to say we were talking about this in the box yesterday, can't believe a line that opened late needs closing so much.