Consistently late services

[Electrostar]

Every day I use South West Trains' Hounslow loop services and every day the same services are delayed by three to five minutes. It may not sound much but it can be rather frustrating when you're faced with the same delay for more than a year day in day out. I know the delays aren't long enough to be refundable (and that's not my point) but surely at some point a train operator or the DfT have to take notice and look at changing the timetable because it's clearly not working?

 

[The Planner]

SWT have probably spotted it but it depends if they can actually do anything about it. Are they peak services ?? if so id bet it was dwell times causing the problems. Quite possible that they are ignoring it too as it still hits PPM and any delay minutes are going into the ZZ unexplained pot or are sub-threshold.

 

[Failed Unit]

Often it is a difference between the public and working timetable. My train home is the same always 5 late by the public on time by working. They have done this to keep the public clockface.

 

[The Barlow Boy]

12.48 from Redhill to East Croydon. I can count on the fingers of one hand how often this train runs to time per month. It's usually minutes but it's frustrating because it provides a superb cross-platform interchange with the 13.02 from East Croydon to Farringdon.

 

[90019]

I find the weekday morning Dunblane trains out of Edinburgh tend to run a few minutes late because they have such a short turnaround time. Sometimes they only arrive into the station a couple of minutes after they're due to depart.

 

[thewolf]

I've noticed this whenever I come back from New Street to Hamstead - It's meant to be there at 01 and 31 - Even if it leaves Perry Barr at 59/29 (as scheduled) it won't get there til 02/32 and generally its around the 33 mark.

Interestingly the 1517 departure from BHM is timed to get there at 1533 (or at least used to be) but through the rest of the day it remains 31, although in the evening the hourly xx47 is scheduled for xx02.

 

[ChrisTheRef]

From my limited use of local LM services, I've often found that the stoppers from Birmingham Intl to Birmingham N St are delayed at International to let a late running Pendolino through.

 

[TW7]

Every day I use South West Trains' Hounslow loop services and every day the same services are delayed by three to five minutes. It may not sound much but it can be rather frustrating when you're faced with the same delay for more than a year day in day out. I know the delays aren't long enough to be refundable (and that's not my point) but surely at some point a train operator or the DfT have to take notice and look at changing the timetable because it's clearly not working?

It's not a timetable issue, i know from experience there are two up services which use the Hounslow loop in the morning which are delayed due to overcrowding. Dont think SWT are inclined or have any other ways of dealing with this, i think they just accept these trains will always be delayed.

 

[iphone76]

Since the new Great Eastern (NXEA) timetable was introduced in December, in my experience (Wickford to Liverpool Street), I would say that most services are now consistently late and over crowded. Even in the week before the cold weather hit I had to stand up into London twice, something I had not done in the previous 10 years. Hopefully it will bed down soon.

 

[wibble]

Every day I use South West Trains' Hounslow loop services and every day the same services are delayed by three to five minutes. It may not sound much but it can be rather frustrating when you're faced with the same delay for more than a year day in day out. I know the delays aren't long enough to be refundable (and that's not my point) but surely at some point a train operator or the DfT have to take notice and look at changing the timetable because it's clearly not working?

Where are you travelling to, and at what time?

 

[dk1]

07.00 Liverpool St - Norwich has been delayed by 10-15 minutes between Shenfield & Colchester on an almost daily basis by 4R98. Has happened for several years now. It just seems one of those cases of robbing Peter to pay Paul, somebody will suffer if gets a run & somebody else if it doesn't. Not sure how a path was ever agreed for this working.

 

[Mojo]

I used to find the same things with FGW local services around Bristol when I was regularly using them. Trains would leave their origin (or a station where they're booked to sit for a while of time, like Bristol TM) on time and at all subsequent stations would arrive/depart about 2/3 mins late. Like the OP it isn't, a moan as the delays were insignificant but I always wondered how/why the trains were always a few minutes late.

 

[captainbigun]

Since the new Great Eastern (NXEA) timetable was introduced in December, in my experience (Wickford to Liverpool Street), I would say that most services are now consistently late and over crowded. Even in the week before the cold weather hit I had to stand up into London twice, something I had not done in the previous 10 years. Hopefully it will bed down soon.

No different on the GE mainline. I've yet to board a train running on time in nearly a month, something I mentioned to NatEx management last week. It's not clear to me whether it's pathing issues or unexpected passenger flows causing increased dwell times. The concentration of service inevitably means that it takes little for it to degenerate rapidly. The constant short formations and cancellations won't be helping the situation. I reckon the service is as bad as I've known it in nearly 8 years.

I'm told that most services should be back to their full compliment of wagons as of tomorrow, though I'm not holding my breath!

There's a further change of the timetable in May by which time platform 10A at Stratford will have been extended. This will allow all trains to stop at Stratford. Something that has been a long time coming.

 

[iphone76]

Something I've noticed since the timetable changed is that a lot of the trains coming down from the mainline have been late by the time they get to Shenfield, which has resulted in Southend trains being held whilst they pass, delaying those services too.

I was also wondering whether part of the problem may have been that too many trains are booked to stop at Stratford as we now seem to crawl from Goodmayes/Seven Kings in the morning getting into London.

Once Platform 10a is open, am I correct in thinking that two platforms at Stratford will be used in the peak direction for the mainline services? Hopefully that will help.

 

[bengolding]

A friend who commutes daily with Virgin from Preston to Lancaster using the xx:41 Pendolino service northbound tells me the train regularly arrives into Preston from Euston several minutes early at xx:35, as I often witness myself but never arrives on time into Lancaster. Scheduled journey time is just 13 minutes, due to arrive at xx54 and depart at xx55. It always loses a few minutes on this stretch despite good running further south, meaning late arrivals into Carlisle although there is slack in the timetable between there and Glasgow. Virgin should really tweak the timetable to reflect the poor punctuality on 390s on this part of the WCML.

 

[The Planner]

07.00 Liverpool St - Norwich has been delayed by 10-15 minutes between Shenfield & Colchester on an almost daily basis by 4R98. Has happened for several years now. It just seems one of those cases of robbing Peter to pay Paul, somebody will suffer if gets a run & somebody else if it doesn't. Not sure how a path was ever agreed for this working.

It must work "on paper" but is that tight that if either train is out by the odd minute it all goes a bit wrong. Ive no doubt something would have been done if we were getting battered with QA delays for it.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

A friend who commutes daily with Virgin from Preston to Lancaster using the xx:41 Pendolino service northbound tells me the train regularly arrives into Preston from Euston several minutes early at xx:35, as I often witness myself but never arrives on time into Lancaster. Scheduled journey time is just 13 minutes, due to arrive at xx54 and depart at xx55. It always loses a few minutes on this stretch despite good running further south, meaning late arrivals into Carlisle although there is slack in the timetable between there and Glasgow. Virgin should really tweak the timetable to reflect the poor punctuality on 390s on this part of the WCML.

That timings for that bit are a bit iffy, Preston to Lancaster is short as your friend has spotted. They are short by a minute, minute and a half. Virgin more than likely know about it, but if it isnt registering a delay incident it gets brushed under the carpet. There is also the fact that there isnt that much incentive to do anything with the timetable with the franchise coming up again. Id expect it to be tweaked as part of their bid though.

 

[NXEA!]

Something I've noticed since the timetable changed is that a lot of the trains coming down from the mainline have been late by the time they get to Shenfield, which has resulted in Southend trains being held whilst they pass, delaying those services too.

I was also wondering whether part of the problem may have been that too many trains are booked to stop at Stratford as we now seem to crawl from Goodmayes/Seven Kings in the morning getting into London.

Once Platform 10a is open, am I correct in thinking that two platforms at Stratford will be used in the peak direction for the mainline services? Hopefully that will help.

I agree with the whole NXEA predicament, in December for two weeks I commuted from Prittlewell to London and by Rayleigh it was full even though it was a 12 car train I was catching. 4 days out of 9 I arrived at the office over an hour late because of the wires twice, a train failure and bad weather. I only arrived on time for 3 of the days I was at work. And quite often when we arrived at Shenfield we would pull in a minute before a late running service of the GEML which was also calling at Stratford, but yet we'd get held behind to allow a service about a minute behind go in front. As for the 10A thing, the only way I can see it helping significantly is if they use platforms 9 and 10 as London bound platforms in the morning peak, and 10 and 10A as 'Country' bound platforms in the evening peak, as 10 is bi-di. But I doubt this is how it will be used, but I think if they used the platforms that way, it would help with congestion.

 

[Lampshade]

On time services on the Styal line out of Piccadilly tend to be in the minority.

 

[jd]

Cross-City line trains in Birmingham are also always a couple of minutes late. Strangely, the CIS usually shows them as about two or three minutes late, then as the scheduled time approaches, switches back to showing them 'on time', then to showing them as 1 min late, then they eventually show up at about the time the CIS originally said they were expected.

 

[iphone76]

I agree with the whole NXEA predicament, in December for two weeks I commuted from Prittlewell to London and by Rayleigh it was full even though it was a 12 car train I was catching. 4 days out of 9 I arrived at the office over an hour late because of the wires twice, a train failure and bad weather. I only arrived on time for 3 of the days I was at work. And quite often when we arrived at Shenfield we would pull in a minute before a late running service of the GEML which was also calling at Stratford, but yet we'd get held behind to allow a service about a minute behind go in front. As for the 10A thing, the only way I can see it helping significantly is if they use platforms 9 and 10 as London bound platforms in the morning peak, and 10 and 10A as 'Country' bound platforms in the evening peak, as 10 is bi-di. But I doubt this is how it will be used, but I think if they used the platforms that way, it would help with congestion.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that once Platform 10a was extended, it would work like that, but I wasn't sure. Fingers crossed it is, as I can imagine it will really help with the congestion.

I'm hoping the service from Southend Vic will return to it's previous standard (pre December) this week.

 

[NXEA!]

I seem to remember reading somewhere that once Platform 10a was extended, it would work like that, but I wasn't sure. Fingers crossed it is, as I can imagine it will really help with the congestion.

I'm hoping the service from Southend Vic will return to it's previous standard (pre December) this week.

Yeah so am I, I think it would really help, especially as there's 5 running lines till just after the cement works. And yeah, the fact that they've cut some of the Stratford stops on alternate services in the peak hour doesn't seem to be making much of a difference with pathing, we just catch up the next train between Seven Kings-Manor Park and then either crawl or stop at various Red lights until Stratford. Also I've noticed that pre-December peak hour trains were allowed 5/6 minutes to Stratford but now they're allowed between 8-11, and trains now literally crawl between Liverpool Street and Stratford. What I quite often did is catch a Metro service between the two in the evening as they absolutely fly between the two and I could jump on the previous Southend train at Stratford.

 

[Class 466]

the 0542 service fro paddock wood to strood usually is cancelled or runs 10-15 minutes late..

 

[iphone76]

Yeah so am I, I think it would really help, especially as there's 5 running lines till just after the cement works. And yeah, the fact that they've cut some of the Stratford stops on alternate services in the peak hour doesn't seem to be making much of a difference with pathing, we just catch up the next train between Seven Kings-Manor Park and then either crawl or stop at various Red lights until Stratford. Also I've noticed that pre-December peak hour trains were allowed 5/6 minutes to Stratford but now they're allowed between 8-11, and trains now literally crawl between Liverpool Street and Stratford. What I quite often did is catch a Metro service between the two in the evening as they absolutely fly between the two and I could jump on the previous Southend train at Stratford.

Funny enough, two days last week my friend left work at the same time as me and caught the tube from bank to Stratford. I got delayed while he got to Stratford in time to catch the train in front. Knowing my luck the metro or central line would break down if I did it! Anyway, let's see what happens next week.

 

[NXEA!]

Funny enough, two days last week my friend left work at the same time as me and caught the tube from bank to Stratford. I got delayed while he got to Stratford in time to catch the train in front. Knowing my luck the metro or central line would break down if I did it! Anyway, let's see what happens next week.

Yeah, next week is the first proper week back I suppose. I'm looking forward to the May timetable change to see if there's any improvement with the bringing back into use of Platform 10A.

 

[Goldfish62]

Back to the Hounslow loop services, one of the issues I think is the painfully slow door operation of the 450s. If the 458 lengthening ever gets the go-ahead, with consequential use of these trains on the Hounslow loop this should help a lot as their door cycle appears to be as quick as that for the 455s.

It's also about time that SWT handed over door opening (not closing) to the driver. This common practice at the other "Southern" TOCs as well as Virgin and XC, and across Europe. It allows for the doors to be released as soon as a train comes to a halt as the the driver knows immediately that train has stopped in the correct location. With guard operation there's the tedious requirement of the guard stepping on to the platform and checking the train before releasing the doors, taking several seconds per stop.

 

[roebuck]

I find Yeovil To Dorchester And the Reverse Service to always be 5-10 mins late when ever I use them

 

[captainbigun]

GE verdict. This morning OK, this evening crap.

 

[Ivo]

My only post-change experience of the SOV line was during the last week of the year, so I can't really comment. But from what I've seen so far, it looks like a repeat of the c2c change in December 2006. To those who live in the Southend area, seen as I don't these days, does it really look that bad?

 

[iphone76]

This morning from Wickford (SOV line) - bad. 7.18/23/32 ex Southend Victoria cancelled due to a broken down train. Couldn't get on next 2 as they were so crowded then delayed into London. This evening - departed and arrived 8 minutes late. (17.15).

Perhaps tomorrow might be better. LOL. Almost a month now delayed by 5 mins+ on every journey.

 

[NXEA!]

This morning from Wickford (SOV line) - bad. 7.18/23/32 ex Southend Victoria cancelled due to a broken down train. Couldn't get on next 2 as they were so crowded then delayed into London. This evening - departed and arrived 8 minutes late. (17.15).

Perhaps tomorrow might be better. LOL. Almost a month now delayed by 5 mins+ on every journey.

Gotta admit, punctuality and reliability is shocking at NXEA atm.