Even the Picc?It was dead before Christmas as well.
Even the Picc?It was dead before Christmas as well.
Every train I saw had no more than 25 customers on boardEven the Picc?
And don't be fooled by the '24 hour city' guff either - most places are closed by 0300, and those that are still open won't let you in...
Finding this push back on the night tube weird. I've only used the central line but it's been really busy every time I've used it. It is so much better than a night bus or even an Uber - congestion late at night (+surge pricing) in some areas can be terrible.
Secondly, it needs more time to bed in especially after the delayed and confusing launch which confuses people to what was running etc. The pic line has only been running for a month!
Thirdly, it's meant to be self funding through additional fare revenue. Not sure if that is still the case? Be very interested to know what the projected passenger figures were and how ridership is shaping up.
Finally I really don't see how people think night buses are a good alternative. They're not. They're incredibly slow and very badly overcrowded at the 1am, 3am etc marks. This combined with intoxicated people ends up in fights starting and all kinds of silliness, which seems way better on night tube - simply because people aren't crammed in (yet) or being left behind at bus stops. It's obviously a way better solution.
Would be easier for them to just be on a flaming night bus in the first place. I can't help but form the impression the Night Tube is a bit of a flop. My impression, certainly on the Northern and Vic lines is of pretty empty trains running about most of the night - and looking at the loading figures on Trackernet backs this up. For example on the Victoria Line the last two nights I've not seen any train over 20% loaded, with most under 10% loaded right down to 1%.
Really not a good use of taxpaper's money, and I think it's a disgrace that we are currently seeing stations closed during normal traffic hours due to non-availability of staff, yet we have resources wasted on Night Tube serving comparatively a handful of people, all of whom have access to good quality alternatives in the form of night buses.
Heck, if they were just running for workers then it would be worth it IMO! It's only two days a week anyway. The night buses, or taxis, are still going to be needed by people the rest of the week.
Thirdly, it's meant to be self funding through additional fare revenue. Not sure if that is still the case? Be very interested to know what the projected passenger figures were and how ridership is shaping up.
Didn't realise there was a loading data feature on Trackernet. Just had a look myself, pretty neat.
I'm a champion of the night bus network and spent a fair amount of time working on schemes to enhance a few night routes on the network. When I was younger, I rode most of the N-prefixed route to their outer extremities, but that was back when they used to cane it along due to less strict performance monitoring. I've driven a few night routes including the N3 and the erstwhile N35, both of which are likely to see less crowding as a result of overnight Tube services.
Since moving on from the sanctity of student life, I've changed from a night busser to a last tube type. The tube is warm, rapid and reliable opening up a much broader catchment area of places to go at night. I'm quite happy to revel in North London on weekends knowing I can be down south in less than 20 minutes. The time the bus would take makes it a far less attractive prospect. It has also opened up job opportunities - now I can do late rail replacement duties on Saturday at a greater range of garages, including one just north of London which is a short lift away from High Barnet.
Night buses are good and the network is comprehensive in Zones 1-3, but the fact is speeds, frequencies and indirect routes mean that many people who would use the tube won't use them. Give Night Tube time to bed in before writing it off as a waste!
What time can you ride until with a day travelcard
Can you explain why there are discussions currently taking place about expanding Night Tube within this year?Take it from those on this thread who regularly work Night Tube (and speak to others who regularly work Night Tube across the Combine), because *that* is representative. Numbers aren't increasing - if anything they're reducing after the hype, with many people opting for the slower routes to avoid changes. Humans are inherently lazy.
Can you explain why there are discussions currently taking place about expanding Night Tube within this year?
Can you explain why there are discussions currently taking place about expanding Night Tube within this year?
Because it's tied in with the Mayor of London and is seen as a source of political brownie points (i.e. increased chance of re-election)?
I think the plan was always to look at expanding to areas like London Overground. I'd lay a wager that we won't see any major growth to the LU Night Tube in the forseeable future, apart from maybe some tweaking.
I'm sure we'd all like a private train service to take us home from our leisure pursuits, but the flip side of the coin is that as a taxpayer I object to subsidising such a service for a small subset of people. I'd echo what others have said on here, it certainly doesn't seem to be shift-worker types using the Night Tube - not at all.
Were you a Camberwell man? When staying at my sister's on Croxted Road I used to hear the N3 going along, and that was definitely a road where they caned it. Not unknown to get three buses one behind the other, either. Tough if you wanted a Bromley one and it sailed past the stop while a Crystal Palace one stopped! Mind you, I was very grateful when a drunk driver totalled my parked car there and driver Wallace stopped his night bus and offered to be a witness (I remember his surname because mine's the same)
Nope - I'm 25, only started as a weekend night driver in 2012 . Best to play it safe along Croxted Road, a car door could open at any time then it's game over. I'd cherry pick the fastest accelerating buses in the depot and always did the Bromley duties. Rarely overtook Crystal Palace buses but did make announcements at Trafalgar Square saying I was the slow bus to Brixton, causing a mass exodus onto the N159 that followed. I'd then fly past said N159 on Kennington Lane and leave it for dust.
According to the records the N3's frequency was boosted to every 15 minutes in 1998, was it still going to Chislehurst at that point? With no performance monitoring south of Trafalgar Square until April 2014, it wasn't uncommon for misbehaving drivers to take the mick and bunch up. I do recall the K plate Spectras from Camberwell, ridiculously nippy machines!
It's not "just pay again". It is as advertised. Drivers were told Night Tube would be an entry point into the driving grade but are now being told they cannot apply for full time roles that are currently vacant, but other members of TfL are able to apply, including part time Night Tube station staff. They don't want to be stuck doing part time nights forever (even if they did sign up for it initially) which the case will be if the current plans to recruit a load more drivers now go through.I see on Twitter that members of the Aslef union have voted for strike action
Just what for now?
(Not happy about the agreement made when Night Tube started about any new drivers having to be with the company for 18 months before progressing, a deal struck by the unions to help Night Tube along to protect the existing drivers?, or is it just pay again?)
It's not "just pay again". It is as advertised. Drivers were told Night Tube would be an entry point into the driving grade but are now being told they cannot apply for full time roles that are currently vacant, but other members of TfL are able to apply, including part time Night Tube station staff. They don't want to be stuck doing part time nights forever (even if they did sign up for it initially) which the case will be if the current plans to recruit a load more drivers now go through.
On the face of it, those drivers have a good case.
I was an applicant for the night tube driver role. Straight away when applying TFL made very clear that you'd have to wait 18 months before moving. Regardless of whether this was a depot move or going full time.