Simultaneous arrivals London Bridge Thamelink in the morning peak.

uglymonkey · 9 Apr 2025

In the mornings I've noticed simultaneous arrivals on the Thameslink platforms ( 5 and 6?) to the second. It happens more often than not. You get 2 12 coach trains discouraging 1,000+ passengers who try to use 2 staircases and 2 escalators to get to the concourse. It's horrible crush and dangerous on occasion- if someone was to fall on the stairs ! So why? Is it an operational thing and just coincidence the trains arrive together, has anyone thought about safety? I've seen it mainly about 8- 8:15, but I've seen it later and earlier as well.
Oh and don't try and walk up the stairs when 1,000 people are coming down either.

RailUK Forums

43066 · 9 Apr 2025

uglymonkey said:
In the mornings I've noticed simultaneous arrivals on the Thameslink platforms ( 5 and 6?) to the second. It happens more often than not. You get 2 12 coach trains discouraging 1,000+ passengers who try to use 2 staircases and 2 escalators to get to the concourse. It's horrible crush and dangerous on occasion- if someone was to fall on the stairs ! So why? Is it an operational thing and just coincidence the trains arrive together, has anyone thought about safety? I've seen it mainly about 8- 8:15, but I've seen it later and earlier as well.

Platforms 4 and 5.

It won’t be two trains with 1000 people - the southbound ones will be a lot quieter in the AM and vice versa in the evening peak . As someone who uses those platforms most days, at all times of day and night, I can’t say I’ve ever seen it “dangerous” (and I’m typing this on P5 London Bridge at 0830ish on a weekday morning!)

Clearly there’s no way of preventing simultaneous arrivals given the frequency of the service.

uglymonkey said:
Oh and don't try and walk up the stairs when 1,000 people are coming down either.

I wouldn’t attempt that personally!

IrishDave · 9 Apr 2025

uglymonkey said:
So why? Is it an operational thing and just coincidence the trains arrive together, has anyone thought about safety? I've seen it mainly about 8- 8:15, but I've seen it later and earlier as well.

Coincidence. The timetable is written around trains making parallel moves over Blackfriars Junction, as the only way of achieving 24tph (or anything close). The running time between there and London Bridge (in either direction) means trains naturally end up at London Bridge at about the same time.

The exile · 9 Apr 2025

uglymonkey said:
In the mornings I've noticed simultaneous arrivals on the Thameslink platforms ( 5 and 6?) to the second. It happens more often than not. You get 2 12 coach trains discouraging 1,000+ passengers who try to use 2 staircases and 2 escalators to get to the concourse. It's horrible crush and dangerous on occasion- if someone was to fall on the stairs ! So why? Is it an operational thing and just coincidence the trains arrive together, has anyone thought about safety? I've seen it mainly about 8- 8:15, but I've seen it later and earlier as well.
Oh and don't try and walk up the stairs when 1,000 people are coming down either.

Simultaneous peak hour arrival at 13/15 at Bristol Temple Meads are also “interesting” hearing in mind that the stairs to that pair of platforms are narrower than all the others yet that’s where the longest trains arrive / depart.

londonbridge · 9 Apr 2025

One of the worst scenarios I’ve had for congestion caused by simultaneous arrivals was Thameslink and Tramlink at Wimbledon,

Magdalia · 9 Apr 2025

IrishDave said:
Coincidence. The timetable is written around trains making parallel moves over Blackfriars Junction, as the only way of achieving 24tph (or anything close). The running time between there and London Bridge (in either direction) means trains naturally end up at London Bridge at about the same time.

That is cause and effect, not coincidence.

WestCountry · 9 Apr 2025

Magdalia said:
That is cause and effect, not coincidence.

It's a coincidence that the running time to Blackfriars Junction happens to line up with the service frequency. If the trains were slightly more or less frequent, or that section of journey took a minute longer, they wouldn't arrive at London Bridge simultaneously.

NSE · 9 Apr 2025

londonbridge said:
One of the worst scenarios I’ve had for congestion caused by simultaneous arrivals was Thameslink and Tramlink at Wimbledon,

Yes, I would agree with this. It’s a surprisingly big crowd for the services mentioned.

Bald Rick · 9 Apr 2025

uglymonkey said:
has anyone thought about safety

Yes, the pedestrian modelling of that platform very specifically looked at mulitple successive concurrent arrivals of 12 car services on the opposite faces of platforms 4/5 at 2 minute intervals; the platform island and vertical circulation is designed to deal with it safely, albeit at a high (but temporary) level of crowding.

Horizon22 · 9 Apr 2025

On the contrary, watching a 12-car 700 absolutely devour a crowd of people in the evening peak in just a few seconds on Platform 4 is quite the sight!

Simultaneous arrivals London Bridge Thamelink in the morning peak.

uglymonkey

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