Thankfully managed to get to Farnborough and back last week. Ourbound journey went as scheduled but I had more than a little trepidation on the return journey on Friday as I was due to depart Farnborough at 09:00 to Waterloo for a connection at Euston at 10:30. This train was not on the emergency timetable, being replaced by a later train at 09:16 which didn't get into Waterloo until 10:06 which I reckoned was too tight. I enquired at Farnborough station and they advice given was to get "any earlier train", so given that there were only four options 06:46, 07:16, 07:46 and 08:16 and hearing horror stories of queuing for trains at stations and crush loading at the peak I turned up at the station more than early for the 06:46. The ticket would not open the barriers but the gateline staff just pressed the button and let me through. Just got over the bridge to find an unadvertised 06:16 rolling in which I got on, this train terminated (unexpectedly for all pax) at Clapham Junction and we decanted onto another train. At the Waterloo Gateline the ticket once again did not work but as at Farnborough the button was pressed after a cursorary glance at the ticket.
Happy to be home!
I haven't seen any queuing at stations myself but perhaps I've not gone to the right stations.
I've seen people not able to board but this tends to be once the train has been through a reasonable number of stations. For example trying to board a train from Portsmouth Harbour at Woking in the morning peak after a 30 minute gap since the previous service from Portsmouth Harbour.
I've seen delays due to numbers trying to board the train and also congestion at Woking, leading to delays and also to and from suburban stations nearer Waterloo. Also trains on the line via Cobham seem to lick up delays at times. Perhaps a leaf fall timetable might help with that, rather than solely the number of passengers travelling. I was delayed earlier today due to awaiting a member of train crew.
There is definitely a pattern to some of the delays. The 17:12 Waterloo to Hampton Court seems to rarely get delayed by much. Where as the 18:12 Waterloo to Hampton Court is always delayed by more than 5 minutes.
The 17:33 Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham always regularly picks up delays. I guess this one is a combination of congestion ahead and maybe the rail conditions south of Surbtion. It seems to arrive around the time it's scheduled to do so when there isn't a strike timetable on or slightly later. This being 18:40 or later as opposed to 18:32 that they currently schedule it to arrive. It's unrealistic.
If anyone's after the actual timetables that should have started yesterday, SWR are understandably not distributing them, but GWR have a limited quantity at Reading Station.
I'm surprised they didn't tell other TOCs not to put out the timetables.
It will be interesting to see what they do for 27 to 29 December from Guildford. There are bridge strengthening works on the Farnham Road bridge, just south of the station.
From Guildford to Waterloo there are no Cobham line trains. These start at Effingham Junction. There are trains via Epsom though. These haven't been running during the strikes. So will they substitute the Epsom trains for Cobham ones that start from Guildford.
There are no fast direct trains to Clapham Junction on the Friday or Saturday but there are on the Sunday, with the Sunday trains also stopping at Surbtion.
I assume they will run the same number of buses as planned during the works. Saying that there does seem to be a Haslemere to Woking bus on Sunday that calls at Guildford and Worplesdon. Given they don't run a Sunday service to Worpolesdon, I can't see that stopping there, if it runs.
On the Friday and Saturday all buses that start from Haslemere called at Godalming. On the Sunday one of them doesn't. On Sunday all trains stop at Godalming.