Aylesbury Vale Parkway

[Toad]

Hi

Can someone assist please....

Miles and Chains Aylesbury to Aylesbury Vale Parkway ??

Thanks in advance

 

[Mojo]

http://www.mileage.railmiles.org

2 Miles 25 Chains

 

[Toad]

Thanks Mojo

 

[4SRKT]

Why does this station have such a crappy service? Turnrounds at Aylesbury look sufficient for the half hourly Aylesbury trains all to go through without costing any more sets. Is a parkway station in that part of the country really usable with an hourly service?

Another Parkway related Chiltern Railways anomoly I'd like answering is why does the 2-hourly Leamington > Stratford service not stop at Warwick Parkway? What harm could stopping it there do?

 

[Buttsy]

Why does this station have such a crappy service? Turnrounds at Aylesbury look sufficient for the half hourly Aylesbury trains all to go through without costing any more sets. Is a parkway station in that part of the country really usable with an hourly service?

Another Parkway related Chiltern Railways anomoly I'd like answering is why does the 2-hourly Leamington > Stratford service not stop at Warwick Parkway? What harm could stopping it there do?

The housing around Aylesbury Vale Parkway has not yet been fully completed (in fact, having gone past it on a Quainton recently, there isn't much there at all) which was the purpose of the station, so I would doubt there is demand at the moment. I'm sure there will be a better service once all the housing is complete, perhaps even the Risboroughs will run there...

 

[Jollycam]

Another Parkway related Chiltern Railways anomoly I'd like answering is why does the 2-hourly Leamington > Stratford service not stop at Warwick Parkway? What harm could stopping it there do?

The franchise agreement doesn't require it (with the exception that one service in each direction per day may call at Warwick Parkway instead of Warwick). There's also a requirement of a maximum journey time of 35 mins to consider between Leamington and Stratford, and the timetable looks too tight at times to add in an extra stop.

Nor do I think that the Leamington to Stratford shuttle service would get many passengers at Warwick Parkway anyhow, it's not really the service the station is for.

 

[jamie_]

Another Parkway related Chiltern Railways anomoly I'd like answering is why does the 2-hourly Leamington > Stratford service not stop at Warwick Parkway? What harm could stopping it there do?

Being as I live in Warwick I asked the question to Chiltern when they did one of the "tweet the managers" Twitter thingy and its because they say if it stopped at Warwick then Warwick Parkway it would delay the Cross Country that goes via Solihull at Hatton......

 

[Jollycam]

Doesn't the XC via Solihull still get stuck behind a Dorridge stopper further up the line anyhow?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Its believable. The route into the back platform at Hatton is a slow and torturous one. You get checked down to a red before the route clears, then its 15mph over the points before the up and down Claverdon line which is 10mph. Not being able to carry any speed up the (rather steep) bank because you stopped at Warwick Parkway would slow you down further. Paths are tight there and as most people who use Warwick Parkway are Birmingham or London commuters then skipping it on the Stratford local makes sense. The area is oversubscribed with stations considering its population as it is.

 

[cle]

Why is the line so slow from the mainline to Stratford? It's painful!

Are there any plans to improve it - surely would be better stock utilisation for Chiltern?

 

[RPM]

Why is the line so slow from the mainline to Stratford? It's painful!

Are there any plans to improve it - surely would be better stock utilisation for Chiltern?

Unlikeley to happen in the forseeable. The junctions at Hatton were only replaced a few years ago, so although slow and painful, it is all modern kit with years of life left in it.

 

[The Planner]

Very little point in speeding it up. Everything is likely to stop at Hatton and the approach control on the signals will slow you down to a crawl anyway as it will be released from red.

 

[cle]

Isn't it slow all the way to Stratford, from memory?

Chiltern could also do with upping speeds on the Amersham line. Journeys are terribly slow for the distance - hopefully the S stock will enable better timetabling. Rickmansworth platform extensions and doubling the other Aylesbury branch would be good also.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It's 60 most of the way to Stratford. 10, 15 and then 25 around the curve at Hatton, then 60 all the way to Bearley junction, 50 over the points and back up to 60 before you slow down to 30 for Stratford upon Avon station.

As for the Amersham line, Chiltern dont get much of a say in what happens. It is London Underground infrastructure everywhere the linespeed is slow. They still have a blanket 40mph speed restriction on the up between Amersham and Watford south junction during leaf fall season because the vegetation is so out of control there.

 

[NIMBUS]

Chiltern could also do with upping speeds on the Amersham line. Journeys are terribly slow for the distance - hopefully the S stock will enable better timetabling. Rickmansworth platform extensions and doubling the other Aylesbury branch would be good also.

As Cherry Picker says, it's LUL that are the constriction on improving speeds via the Amersham. From Marylebone to Harrow South Jn and from Mantles Wood to Aylesbury Town it's pretty much 70 all the way.

The bridge at the west end of Rickmansworth station precludes platform extensions at that end and at the other end the turnouts into the stabling sidings are an issue. Moving them would leave the sidings too short.

I've always thought that doubling part of the Risborough branch would be a good idea, for flexibility. A short section at both ends would allow the 'binliners' to be refuged, out of the way, when out of course running occurs. Aylesbury North loop is useful, to a degree, but every weekday there is conflict at around 20:00 when the up Cricklewood empties arrive from Calvert and try to negotiate the station. The result is that the 19:09 semi-fast service from Marylebone, via Amersham, is stalled at Stoke Road bridge, just south of Aylesbury station, awaiting a platform. From the Amersham route only platforms 2 & 3 are accessible. At that time 3 has an up service platformed and 2 is required to get the binliner empties through and off onto the Risborough branch. The result is that the 19:09 is allowed 11 minutes from Stoke Mandeville to Aylesbury, rather than 5 - standing for 6 minutes awaiting platform clearance (to the annoyance of commuters wanting to get home!). Doubling a short section to the western outskirts of Aylesbury (the formation is wide enough, as it was originally built for broad gauge) would allow binliners to be cleared from the station and would also reduce delays on Risborough branch services, where an incoming service can't platform because both 1 and 2 are full - and an outgoing Risborough service can't leave because the incoming service is at a stand on the branch.

The current Aylesbury layout was installed in 1990/1991 when traffic was much lighter and it's really not suitable now for current traffic levels. Removal of the bay platform to extend the car park was ok at that time but the presence of an additional platform now would be really useful at some points in the day.

 

[The Planner]

You would need extra signalling on the branch, it is AB between Risborough and Little Kimble and Little Kimble and Aylesbury. Seeing as the scheme would only really benefit freight as there is little tangible performance benefit for passengers it wouldn't get off the fag packet.

 

[cle]

Ironically, freight benefits would probably get greenlit quicker!

Maybe if Chiltern ever do an Evergreen 4, they should concentrate on growing this side of their business. A lot of people in that part of the world travel to Tring or Berkhamsted to take much faster trains to London - or outwards too.

Amersham - Aylesbury should be more than 70mph - why couldn't they raise it to 90mph and improve signalling? Also Harrow - Neasden, albiet short, should be quicker.

This should really be in conjunction with taking over the Met Amersham and Chesham lines, which could enable Ricky extensions and faster line speeds.

The Mainline is great, albeit a tad ambitious with so much commuter demand, and I'm sure the Oxford and Bicester Town routes will be a big success. So this area should be next. They could also keep more of the fares!

 

[The Planner]

Ironically, freight benefits would probably get greenlit quicker!

They wouldn't though, in the NR scheme of things, benefits to freight are worth pennies in a business case no matter how obvious they are operationally.

 

[RPM]

from Mantles Wood to Aylesbury Town it's pretty much 70 all the way.

75 rather than 70 if you'll excuse my pedantry
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Ironically, freight benefits would probably get greenlit quicker!

Maybe if Chiltern ever do an Evergreen 4, they should concentrate on growing this side of their business. A lot of people in that part of the world travel to Tring or Berkhamsted to take much faster trains to London - or outwards too.

Amersham - Aylesbury should be more than 70mph - why couldn't they raise it to 90mph and improve signalling? Also Harrow - Neasden, albiet short, should be quicker.

I'm not sure raising the linespeeds on the NR sections of the "Met" would achieve very much. The gradients combined with the frequent station stops mean that the current linespeed is only reached for a few short sections.
On the up road you climb out of Aylesbury and don't get anywhere near 75 before it is time to brake for Stoke Mandeville. The same applies on the next section to Wendover and after that you have to get well past Dutchlands summit before you hit 75 for half a mile or so then it is time to brake for Great Missenden. Once past Grt Missenden you then get a little bit of a run at 75 from Deep Mill to the LUL boundary at Mantles Wood where you have to drop down to 60.
On the down road you again have a little run at 75 from Mantles Wood as far as the braking point for Grt Missenden. After that you only touch linespeed twice more; once for about 30 seconds on the descent from Dutchlands summit before the braking point for Wendover and then again for about 10 seconds between Wendover and Stoke Mandeville.
So raising the speed to 90 or 100 would give precious little benefit in terms of journey time savings. I don't know what stock could be used either. 165s are limted to 75, 168s are hopeless on gradients and services with frequent stops and 172s are banned on the LUL section of the "Met".

 

[Cherry_Picker]

70 is pretty much 75!

 

[RPM]

70 is pretty much 75!

I'll tell them that if I'm ever caught out on a download