Xmas service on the Met

[metman]

Bit of a debate on one of my local forums! Does anyone know what sort of service will be run on the Met line when Northwood-Wembley Park is suspended?

Personally I would like to see a 10 minute service operate between Wembley Pk and Aldgate/Baker St and a train every 15 minutes from Northwood to Amersham and Watford rotating every 7-8 minutes between the two!

What do you guys think-or what do you know?

[Deleted]

I take it then that both the local and the main will be OOU? Are they shutting down the slave cabins at Harrow to do a major BTR?

[towerman]

The whole line is shut Boxing Day due to signalling upgrade work at Harrow.

[Tubeboy]

No doubt MSO will tear himself away from Turkey Twizzlers to photo the 66s.

[Deleted]

Bernard Matthews ones? ;D

[Tubeboy]

Yeah, their bootiful, just a touch of Bird flu though!

[Deleted]

What do I know - Nothing
What do I think - even less

But AFAIK (subject to Change), the service planned for the Met Line.

Boxing day:

The entire line will be closed, with a replacement bus service as follows: Rickmansworth - Northwood - Northwood Hills - Pinner - Rayners Lane - North Harrow - West Harrow - Harrow-on-the-Hill - Northwick Park - Preston Road - Wembley Park

Thursday & Friday (27th & 28th)

No services between Wembley Park and Northwood/Uxbridge
10 min Aldgate - Wembley Park
20 min Amersham - Watford
20 min Amersham - Northwood
30 min Chesham - Chalfont & Latimer

Two Rail Replacement Bus Services will operate:-

Service A: Wembley Park - Preston Road - Northwick Park - Harrow-on-the-Hill - West Harrow - North Harrow - Rayners Lane.

Service B: Wembley Park - Harrow-on-the-Hill - West Harrow - North Harrow - Pinner - Northwood Hills - Northwood.

No Chiltern Railways service between Amersham and Marylebone.

[metman]

So there will be no direct Northwood-Watford service on the 27/28th. What will happen at Wembley Park. Trains arrive on platform 1/2 reverse to the depot sidings and then pull into platform 5 change ends and go south?

[trc666]

Is it not possible to reverse in the Jubilee platforms?

[Deleted]

IIRC it is possible to reach platform 3 from the Met line and access the Met line from platform 4, but such a movement is unlikely to occur IMHO.

[metman]

Isn't it a problem with the ATO being planned/used on the Jubilee line now?

[citysig]

theonekea said:

IIRC it is possible to reach platform 3 from the Met line and access the Met line from platform 4, but such a movement is unlikely to occur IMHO.

The first hasn't been possible for years (if it ever was - cue my colleague.) The second is possible, but the Jubilee (not running ATO) will have their own service to operate, and won't want the Mets getting in the way.

The timetable is yet to be released, but my money is on services terminating at Wembley Park on the north, and starting from Neasden on the south. This would then simply involve Mets tipping out Wembley northbound and running through the depot.

This has been done before, and so has running them in service through the depot, so watch this space.... ;D

[metman]

Running thru the depot! Is that allowed these days! That would be a great ride thru the sidings! The other year trains tipped out at platforms 1/2 and re-entered service on the Met platforms at Willesden Green.

[citysig]

It wasn't strictly allowed back then (not that many years ago) but numerous additional measures were taken to ensure it was safe.

Willesden Green would, of course, be another option. Dependant on available staff and how far south they want the buses to run.

[metman]

This weekend 1/2 Dec I have discovered that trains will run 6tph Wembley <-> Aldgate and 6tph Northwood <-> Watford. Amersham trains will start their journey at Moor Park <-> Amersham. How is this going to work? Will they run empty to Harrow platform 2 and reverse?

[Deleted]

metman said:

This weekend 1/2 Dec I have discovered that trains will run 6tph Wembley <-> Aldgate and 6tph Northwood <-> Watford. Amersham trains will start their journey at Moor Park <-> Amersham. How is this going to work? Will they run empty to Harrow platform 2 and reverse?

Your incorrect about the Amersham service. Trains will leave Amersham every 10 minutes, with every other one going to Watford and every other one to Northwood.

[metman]

Nice of TfL to update their journey planner! Thats not a bad service. So there will be a train between Northwood and Moor Park every 5-10 minutes at some points. Will they use the up line to reverse on (in addition to the reversing siding) or will stepping back be used at Northwood when the trains from Amersham arrive?

Is work being done at Harrow this weekend because (I think) the Picc is running to Uxbridge?

[Deleted]

Read Met 150's post again ...

There is a 6 t.p.h service from Amersham running alternately to Watford and Northwood

Can't quite see where you get your 5-10 mins Moor Pk - Northwood service from!

Try a flat 20 mins 3 t.p.h over said section, all trains reversing via the siding, and obviously no need for stepping back!

[metman]

Are you saying there is no direct service between Northwood and Watford?

Right, well every 20 minutes a train leaves Amersham for Watford via the north curve and every 20 minutes a train leaves Amersham for Northwood via the local line! There is a 10 minute service (6tph) between Northwood and Watford in addition? If so, there are 9tph running between Northwood - Moor Park and Croxley - Watford!

[Deleted]

correct, nothing Northwood - Watford apart from an early/late trip to provide first/last connections.

11 points into Northwood Sidings aren't the most trusted on the network, hence limiting the service reversing via Northwood Sidings to 3 t.p.h.

[metman]

Ahh, I was lead to believe there was a Northwood to Watford service! No names mentioned! Oh dear that really is a poor service! Best to get bus 8 to Watford from Northwood then! Can't trains reverse on the up line next to the reversing siding too?

[Deleted]

it is possible with a mainline shunt to also reverse sb to nb without using the siding but having trains doing both moves complicates things not to mention a huge potential to get locked up too

[Harsig]

somerhimpson said:

not to mention a huge potential to get locked up too

In fact the potential is so great I'd be willing to bet that it happens at least once during December.

[Deleted]

Why? Northwood seems simple enough these days - are the leftover gubbins in the IMR the source of the potential lockups?

[Deleted]

why? experience really! I found the problem was having a s/b in the platform and the shunt out of the siding wouldn't come off, not normally a problem but the s/b train was due to go into the siding as well and i got around things by doing a mainline shunt. i really thought despite the proximity of the siding an backlock release might've been available

[Harsig]

The problem is the crossover between the running lines is so close to the platforms it is track locked by the occupation of the SB platform track circuit and thus cannot be reversed while a train is standing in the SB platform. If you can't do a Main Line shunt, say because the station starter is being maintained at danger to protect a possession, and there is already a train in the siding, then you are in real trouble. And there is nothing stopping the signalman from accidentally signalling a train into the platform from Moor Park when there is one in the siding.

[metman]

Ah that would really be a problem!!