DLR dwell times increased?

[Deleted]

Is it my imagination or have the DLR dwell times increased recently? The trains seem to wait an extra 30 secs to a minute before the "bing" and then PSA closes the doors.
There also seems to be extended debate between the many orange coats and new orange/blue coats before the baton is held up indicating close doors. Do PSAs have authority to close doors without waiting for them?
DLR may be subject to delays during the olympics?? No no, they are CREATING the delays!!

[crusty54]

whole system can now run at 80 km per hour. This can't be implemented fully until new timetable, probably in December.

Dwell times are the result for now.

[Deleted]

I don't understand why the maximum potential speed mandates an increased dwell time! If the previously available maximum speed was slower, why don't they just stick with the dwell times they had?

[mrfs42]

I guess that the regulating is done when the train is at a stand.

Presumably only the 'go faster' bits have been altered in the code; I'm guessing that there will be a bit of time to find if there are any snags before altering the dwell times.

AFAIAA it's slightly more complicated to tinker around with the stand times than the moving times.

[davidp]

I'm glad it's just not me thinking that dwell times had increased. Though I had assumed it was to do with the Olympics and the anticipated increase in numbers using the DLR, most of whom would be unfamiliar with the system.

I can't see how an increase in maximum speed could noticeably affect dwell times since the stations are so close together so trains are unlikely to be able to go any faster between them.

[Deep Level]

Well if the trains are getting to the stations earlier then to stay on time (on the current timetable) they have to wait otherwise you'll have a lot of trains running early and this can't be especially when there's junctions to keep clear.

[crusty54]

Timetable changes are banned until after the Olympics in case things go wrong - as they have in the past on the first day after an update

[Deep Level]

That's not exactly true, they are running a completely different timetable during the Olympics which was tested a couple of months ago, with trains running:

Bank - Lewisham every 10 minutes
Bank - Beckton every 10 minutes
Bank - Prince Regent every 10 minutes (from 08:00 - 00:30)(runs as well as Bank - Beckton)
Tower Gateway - Prince Regent every 10 minutes
Statford - Canary Wharf every 8 minutes (until 08:00)
Stratford - Greenwich every 5 minutes (from 08:00)
Stratford International - Woolwich Arsenal every 10 minutes (until 08:00) every 5 minutes (from 08:00).

This means that between Shadwell & Westferry there will be 24 trains per hour and between Shadwell & Prince Regent there will be 18 trains per hour and 12 of them will be terminating at Prince Regent using the crossover (good luck with that ;D).

[crusty54]

Only pre-tested timetables are allowed.

The speed updates were completed after these were produced so the changes to make use of the improvements will have to happen after the Olympics

[Chris M]

Interesting. I've mainly noticed the dwell times at Canning Town, Prince Regent and Pontoon Dock and had assumed they were due to the expected massive increase in passengers boarding from Olympic events at ExCeL and interchanging at Canning Town.

[davidp]

Jul 21, 2012 13:40:59 GMT crusty54 said:

Only pre-tested timetables are allowed.

The speed updates were completed after these were produced so the changes to make use of the improvements will have to happen after the Olympics

With the Olympics well and truely out of the way, is there any word on when new speeded-up timetables will be introduced?

[Chris M]

Well certainly the feeling of massively increased dwell times has gone, but whether thats through speeded up timetables or just spreading it out more evenly I couldn't say.