I caught the 1442 Kings Cross to Kings Lynn service which was making additional stops. The standard class section of the front coach (2x 387) was about half full leaving Kings cross but a number of passengers boarded at Stevenage and the crowd waiting on platform 2 at Hitchin looked like the morning peak towards London! Another crowd boarded when I alighted at Letchworth. the whole train looked to be crush loaded on departure - worse than many weekday peak services. The next 3 trains on the screens were cancelled.
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Thameslink Services / Timetable from 18 May 2019
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bramling
Veteran Member
Just looking now, in the next two hours *none* of the booked services from Hitchin towards London are running, with a token service being provided by extra stops on one Ely and one Kings Lynn service - which I’d imagine could well be too full to board in practice.
Meanwhile station forecourt gridlocked with coaches.
Total shambles.
Several drivers sign Peterborough at Horsham now but still doing shuttles to.London bridge on weekends
Indeed some have signed north of finsbury for a year but have been to peterb only say 15 times in a year or so in service although route refresher days are of course used to maintain knowledge
Indeed some have signed north of finsbury for a year but have been to peterb only say 15 times in a year or so in service although route refresher days are of course used to maintain knowledge
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700007
Established Member
There's no trains at the Cambridge shacks (Meldreth, Shepreth, Foxton) for 6 hours towards London Kings Cross? Please tell me I am wrong. No train between 1341 and 1941.
Here is a train from today that took 19 minutes between departing Ely and departing Cambridge. It left Ely 9 minutes late, at 11:56 (so three minutes after the Cross Country is timetabled), called at Cambridge North, and then departed Cambridge just one minute late. By the time it reached Hitchin and joined the ECML, it was actually early (only by 15 seconds, but still early).
Yes, I know the relevant CrossCountry at 11:53 was late itself. But had it been on time, a planned 11:56 departure from Ely would still have hit its slot at Digswell. (Assuming that 3 minutes between departures at Ely is sufficient?)
Yes, I know it probably wouldn't work at all in peak commuting hours at Cambridge. But the timetable has many tweaks in it for peak-time.
Yes, I know that in general, even off-peak, this would tight and liable to be delayed. But is a delay at Hitchin, even, say, 50% of the time, better than a planned 9 minute wait at Cambridge 100% of the time? I'd favour the former, but I appreciate that whoever plans this is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I'm glad it's not me that has to make the call!
There is no rock nor hard place to choose between. One way is compliant with the industry's rules, one is not.
The 1412 from Kings Cross was shown on the departure boards as calling additionally at Royston, Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton.
I think one of the later Ely services was also calling at the villages. But still a long gap between services. Not seen any mention of London bound services making additional calls at the villages.
700007
Established Member
It appeared that the 1941 service has been cancelled
Conversely I was on the 0847 Ely-KGX this morning (ouch, very early start for me for a Saturday, but I needed to get to Oxford before midday...)
That left Ely on time, did the irritating long wait at CBG thing - and then got to Woolmer Green 5 late anyway as it got caught behind the stopper leaving Royston late
. Cue the next 4 or 5 Up trains over Welwyn all delayed by 5 minutes...I assume so - there are morning departures from Ely that are timetabled 3 apart.
The less said about today’s ‘service’ the better. Currently on the (busy, with bonus stops) 2042 off KGX which fortunately I managed to catch, given the 2112 (and 2212, at that) Ely is cancelled. And the Cambridge fasts look to be having the best of it today 
Feels like a year ago, again. As I said last week, I don’t think GN continually tweeting ‘we have enough drivers’ is really the right response to this attempt at a train service.
They’ve had this franchise almost five years now. This is, to be blunt, pathetic.
Edit: of course it is Strawberry Fair on in Cambridge today, so as much capacity as possible is needed north from Cambridge. Cancellations are not going to be very helpful... Given how many people just got on at CBG and how full the train is on leaving, I suspect we’ve left people behind. Good job GN!
Feels like a year ago, again. As I said last week, I don’t think GN continually tweeting ‘we have enough drivers’ is really the right response to this attempt at a train service.
They’ve had this franchise almost five years now. This is, to be blunt, pathetic.
Edit: of course it is Strawberry Fair on in Cambridge today, so as much capacity as possible is needed north from Cambridge. Cancellations are not going to be very helpful... Given how many people just got on at CBG and how full the train is on leaving, I suspect we’ve left people behind. Good job GN!
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I wasn’t talking about changing anything in the peaks, as they all (mostly) go through to/from Lynn anyway...
For what it is worth, I agree that the significant backsteps in timings for all destinations, especially those north of Cambridge, have been highly detrimental, and hopefully would be addressed at some point. The extended coupling time does seem both unnecessary and irritating. But for now I’m just trying to solve one problem
. And looking at the total time taken to London for the Lynns currently, it doesn’t seem to be worse with my suggestion from now.
Aictos
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Least the TL services eg Bedford to Brighton/Gatwick/St Albans to Sutton/Kentish Town to Rainham ran more or less okay!
Goodness, they’ve cancelled the 2142 KGX to Lynn now too . Unless they put something on starting at Cambridge, that means almost nothing going North for the next two hours. With the Strawberry Fair crowds, there is a good chance of an actual riot at CBG tonight
Edit: looks like they did start this from Cambridge, thank goodness. This is still a very poor situation, however - Strawberry Fair evening is a bit like after a football match, you want to get people moving on as quickly as possible.
. Unless they put something on starting at Cambridge, that means almost nothing going North for the next two hours. With the Strawberry Fair crowds, there is a good chance of an actual riot at CBG tonight Edit: looks like they did start this from Cambridge, thank goodness. This is still a very poor situation, however - Strawberry Fair evening is a bit like after a football match, you want to get people moving on as quickly as possible.
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I don't believe the nice weather is the root cause of all this. The easiest direct comparison is London to Cambridge.
Greater Anglia have not had a single cancellation out of Liverpool Street on the West Anglia.
Are those drivers immune to the nice weather?
It must be to do with how GTR handle holidays and rest day cover.
Greater Anglia have not had a single cancellation out of Liverpool Street on the West Anglia.
Are those drivers immune to the nice weather?
It must be to do with how GTR handle holidays and rest day cover.
Aictos
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The West Anglia though hasn’t the need to deal with half the issues that GTR have, from traction training to route learning etc...
Not much has changed on the WAML except that third line in the Tottenham Hale area!
Not much has changed on the WAML except that third line in the Tottenham Hale area!
Could you elaborate on exactly what about an xx:53 CrossCountry and an xx:56 GN departure from Ely, with 19 minutes until departure from Cambridge, would be against the industry's rules? (If that's what your comment is referring to?) Why was something very similar to this (albeit with a 6 minute gap between departues at Ely, not 3 minutes) allowed prior to May 2018? Is 3 minutes too close for departures from Ely?
I was under the impression that the extra padding in the GN service was a decision taken to reduce the likelihood of delays north of Cambridge impacting the Cambridge Thameslink trains. In other words, a choice that was made to prioritise one service over another, rather than a rule that had to be followed.
As I said upthread although 3 minutes headway from Ely is fine, it only 'works' with substandard dwell times at either Cambridge or Cambridge North. Therefore is not compliant.
There is no other excess pathing in the schedule south of Cambridge that can be used (see schedule http://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/W23348/2019-06-18 - the pathing is generally north of Ely in Kings Lynn services).
Stampy
Member
I went to the England Lionesses v New Zealand match in Brighton yesterday - and the cancelled Cambridge trains were causing chaos..
Spoke to one of the staff there, and he said they're averaging 1 every 2 HOURS at the minute.
Passengers were advised to get ANY train back to London, and then travel from either King's Cross or Liverpool Street back to Cambridge - although MOST were on the Thameslink trains between Brighton & St Pancras International from what I saw.
I travelled from Bedford to Brighton and back as it was a damn site cheaper than traveling from Peterborough!!!
Spoke to one of the staff there, and he said they're averaging 1 every 2 HOURS at the minute.
Passengers were advised to get ANY train back to London, and then travel from either King's Cross or Liverpool Street back to Cambridge - although MOST were on the Thameslink trains between Brighton & St Pancras International from what I saw.
I travelled from Bedford to Brighton and back as it was a damn site cheaper than traveling from Peterborough!!!
Aictos
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It would be as Bedford is further south then Peterborough, Bedford is roughly equal to St Neots location wise so course would be cheaper!!!
Peterborough(76miles) is quite a bite North of Bedford (50 miles )
Pity the daughter didn't have a one year old puppy with her. I love an animal story.
700007
Established Member
Whilst it is a bad situation to be in, ultimately that's not LNER's problem. If she was due to travel on Great Northern / Thameslink, that is their problem to deal with which looks like they did not do or did badly. Any action by LNER would either be through agreed ticket acceptance or out of the kindness of LNER's heart.I see LNER weren't exactly covering themselves in glory at Kings Cross either during GTR's incompetent meltdown last night -
There was agreed ticket acceptance in place.. looks like the messaged hadn't filtered down from LNER Control to their staff at Kings Cross though.
Stampy
Member
I meant it was CHEAPER to drive to Bedford, park, and travel by train than catch the train from Peterborough....
And looking at the chaos on the ECML South - i was right..
The train I linked to met the dwell times you quoted upthread. It spent 1 minute at Cambridge North and 2.5 minutes at Cambridge.
I was more impressed with the various GTR train drivers boasting on Twitter how they had planned their 'sick leave' excuse so they could be in the pub watching the football. I love a lazy shirker story.
The common 'not my problem' attitude from customer facing rail staff with no common sense to pick up the radio or phone.
Any links to these tweets?
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