Disruption 24-04-2013

[Deleted]

Service suspended tonight from Baker street to Aldgate, with a good service on the rest of the line.

<rant>

Yet, I arrive at Finchley Road to find only 4 departures for the next 20 minutes, none of which are going to Uxbridge. Why? Is it harder to drive a disrupted train to Uxbridge rather than going up to Watford?

So much for good service...

</rant>

Apologies for rant. Serious question though. Do they just not want to mess up the piccadilly or something? (Might not be that reason tonight, the piccadilly was part suspended too.)

Cheers,

TSM

[Deleted]

In these circumstances it is always best to get the first train to Harrow. There are often trains coming into service at Wembley going to other destinations or occasionally getting turned at Harrow.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2013 18:58:54 GMT @dennis said:

In these circumstances it is always best to get the first train to Harrow. There are often trains coming into service at Wembley going to other destinations or occasionally getting turned at Harrow.

I did, but alas no luck. Seen 3 southbounds terminated, but all went to depot so far.

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2013 18:58:54 GMT @dennis said:

In these circumstances it is always best to get the first train to Harrow. There are often trains coming into service at Wembley going to other destinations or occasionally getting turned at Harrow.

Finally an Uxbridge arrives after 3 consecutive services to Watford, the last of which was understandably almost completely empty.

[mcmaddog]

Apr 24, 2013 19:13:47 GMT @theswissmonkey said:

Apr 24, 2013 18:58:54 GMT @dennis said:

In these circumstances it is always best to get the first train to Harrow. There are often trains coming into service at Wembley going to other destinations or occasionally getting turned at Harrow.

Finally an Uxbridge arrives after 3 consecutive services to Watford, the last of which was understandably almost completely empty.

perhaps to keep the vocal Pinner user group happy?

[Deleted]

With disruption in the city it's likely that a couple of your uxbridges were stuck down there creating a gap in the service with the trains then reversing via the depot it can take a while for the service to settle down and the branches to begin being served and with a failure in the city the controllers are initially busy trying to limit the damage to the service on three lines there where most of the trains and passengers are. It's not a case of one branch being favoured or forgotten about but controllers trying to do their best under very difficult circumstances

[Deleted]

Apr 24, 2013 19:17:53 GMT mcmaddog said:

Apr 24, 2013 19:13:47 GMT @theswissmonkey said:

Finally an Uxbridge arrives after 3 consecutive services to Watford, the last of which was understandably almost completely empty.

perhaps to keep the vocal Pinner user group happy?

Maybe

[metman]

It's funny, because people I know on the Watford branch are usually complaining that all the trains are going to Uxbridge.....

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2013 12:43:55 GMT metman said:

It's funny, because people I know on the Watford branch are usually complaining that all the trains are going to Uxbridge.....

To be honest, most of the time they are, except in the pm peak when large gaps appear. I'm guessing demand for Uxbridge is relatively high all day, with Watford tending to get a lot busier in the peaks and much quieter off peak?

[metman]

pretty much yes. The Uxbridge branch is certainly the most heavily used in the day. Often there are very few seats by the time the train gets to West Harrow in the middle of the day!

[drpete]

Apr 25, 2013 12:43:55 GMT metman said:

It's funny, because people I know on the Watford branch are usually complaining that all the trains are going to Uxbridge.....

Yeah - we do that a lot. Usually because of the perceptions amongst my fellow commuters that WTF has done badly out of the last timetable, and that WTF branch trains get dumped at the first whiff of disruption, or terminated at HoH in the Morning peak. To be fair, we're never party to the whole picture, so I suppose it's difficult for people not to feel discriminated against and enraged when it happens, whatever the branch.

[Chris M]

It's also a common perception that there are more trains to the branch you don't want. I remember when I lived on the Epping branch talking to someone who lived on the Hainault branch. We were both sure the other branch got more trains!

[version3point1]

The 5mph emergency speed restriction that had been implemented between Marlborough Road and Finchley Road on the northbound on Friday prior to the Aldgate – Wembley Park suspension later on in the day put a lot of trains out of turn with late-running &c. Once it was announce the service was to be suspended, the LC immediately started having us reverse via Neasden Depot for our northbound working; Baker Street services were to run to Wembley Park and then empty to depot, whilst Aldgate services were detraining at Harrow-on-the-Hill to run empty to Neasden. This certainly helped to alleviate any more late-running later on in the day, and I was running pretty much on time by the time I'd made it to Watford on my first trip (having reversed at Neasden Depot myself).

This kind of working happens a lot when they have suspended trains Aldgate – Baker Street as it saves us all getting stuck in the City or on the approach to Baker Street whilst everybody waits for an available platform. As it happens, whilst I was sitting around at Neasden waiting to depart for my northbound working, there were Uxbridge trains moving left, right and centre around me. In any case, you would've been better getting to Wembley or HOTH on the first available train and changing where necessary.