Interesting journey this morning. The 7:19 was late departing Guildford owing to the 7:07 being late. That was late due to a passenger being taken ill. I hope its nothing too serious. Being part of the strike timetable it was rather busy. It was only 3 minutes late though. My quest today was the rather unique 7:33 Woking to Waterloo service. I guess it's not unique so if it runs for a month and there is also a 7:03 and 8:03. What is its so called uniqueness? It stops at stations between Surbtion and Waterloo. I'm wishing to alight at Wimbledon.
The 7:18 is however usually a busy service anyway, so one shouldn't be surprised to find it busy. Tere was congestion at Woking and rather unusually the signaller let the 7:33 depart on time. I'm sure they had good reason to do so. So I'm not criticising them for this in any way.
The 7:29 semi-fast service had been 4 minutes late departing Brookwood and was late into Woking. It wasn't so busy that you'd struggle to get on, so at first had no idea why it lost time to Brookwood. It seems they only allow half a minute to a minute for passengers to board and passengers obviously needed long than that.
As a result of a delayed 7:25 from Salisbury using platform 1, it couldn't use platform 1. It was decided the 7:18 Guildford to Waterloo service, which also departs Woking at 7:29, should be first to use platform 2. Thus this 7:29 departed Woking 10 minutes late. It couldn't use platform 4 as the 7:47 stopping service to Waterloo was sat there.
Even after we left Walton on Thames this train had space to stand without beng squashed and this was in coach 6 of 12.
I had no idea what it woukd be like at Surbtion and given our 10 minute delayed start, we were only now catching up with the train I missed.
I shall have to keep an eye on the 7:33 to see how often it departs before the 7:29 fast service. Today was unusual with someone being ill.
As we neared Surbtion we switched to the fast line and overtook a stopping service. How lucky was that. It wasn't the 7:33 though but the 8:01 from Hampton Court. We arrived into platform 2, thus blocking the cast line, assuming there were any trains not far behind us.
To my surprise there was plenty of space on the stopping train and I boarded 2 coaches from the back. I guess many people had boarded the previous train, no doubt with not everyone being able to board and reminder joining this train.
The train wasn't super packed until we got to New Malden. Some people actually alighted here. Which shows how useful getting from Surbtion to New Malden by train is. I say this because often the stop is cancelled on some services due to late running.
This changed everything. Did I go to Wimbledon or did I get out at New Malden and catch a bus? I decided I had time at Wimbledon to make the connecting train. I based this on trains ahead and not on the live deapture board prediction for my train, as I know with delays, this is often inaccurate.
Passengers were spread along the platform at Surbtion as if it was 10 carriages. It was of course only 8 long. Not sure if it's usually 10. The 8:31 is usually 8. I'm sure there are trains sat in the sidings at Guildford. Why they could join any of them to these carriages I don't know.
Might be worth asking ones MP when they are next sitting, so they can ask SWR why. I don't have much faith in asking myself, given previous experiences.
Now I'd asked a member of staff at Woking what train to get and they suggested the 8:03. When I saw the 7:29 was delayed I ignored their advise and in this case I was right to do so. Why did I bother asking them, if I was going to ignore them, you ask? Perhaps I was hoping there was something I'd not thought of. I actually didn't know about the delayed 7:29 either. I wonder if they did. It was a fast moving situationnor should that be slow, given the congestion.
As we're pulling into Wimbledon, an empty 455, again only 8 carriages long, pulled up. Why is that on the fast line I thought. Turned out it was a additional 8:17 from Wimbledon. It had been shown as delayed. It was due from Hampton Court.
Passengers were advised to not board the train I got off but that one. As I was heading off towards the footbridge stairs, a member of platform staff said to another release the people. Hurry up and relaaee the people, there is a train on platform 6. These were people queuing down the stairs.
This train was of course blocking the fast line. So the people came onto the platform and some even boarded that train. The rest had to wait for the next stopping service as the train had left.
They had all the gates open for passe gers to sue to reach the platform. There was no funneling to certain gates, as they do during Wimbledon for down fast trains.
Now I clearly heard staff say this train was all stations to Waterloo. However that is not what National Rail Enquiries App is reporting.
It has Hampton Court as no report and Earlsfield and Clapham Junction as cancelled. If that is actually what happened then anyone wanting Earlsfield or Clapham Junction but have been pleased. Unusual to have a train do Wimbledon, Vauxhall and Waterloo. Rather rare stopping pattern.
The train clearly had no one on it from Hampton Court so no idea where it started from. It was empty.
The following screenshot shows the depstrue board details from the NRE app.
At least two fast trains came through Wimbledon under caution signals, as they weren't travelling that fast. So two or more trains werr delayed by this train.
I then boarded a fairly lightly loaded train that went via Sutton and up north through Central London.
Update: Real Time Trains shows rhat the 8:17 from Wimbledon did start at Hampton Court and it departed at 3 minutes late at 8:03 instead of 08:00. Why there was no one on it when it came into Wimbledon I don't know. Maybe no one from Hampton Court was allowed on it or maybe they had all boarded the 7:54 and thus no one was left to board this one. It passed Earlsfield without stopping and was in Clapham Junction for less than a minute so clearly didn't stop. It did stop at Vauxhall though. It didn't run yesterday.
There were other trains that didn't run today due to shortage of train crew so but additional services ran elsewhere too.