Southbound fast metropolitan line train in PM peak?

[jaig]

Just made this thread to discuss if this has ever happened to anyone else! I was on a London-bound metropolitan line service from Uxbridge and just before Harrow-on-the-Hill, driver announced that our service is now a fast, not stopping at Wembley Park! I thought this was very rare as usually, southbound fast trains run in am peak and northbound pm! However, I'm on a southbound fast in pm! Can anyone give me more info on this occurrence and how frequent this happens? Thanks, very much appreciated

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[jaig]

Sorry, just noticed that this should be under "London Underground", apologies.

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[Mag_seven]

Just made this thread to discuss if this has ever happened to anyone else! I was on a London-bound metropolitan line service from Uxbridge and just before Harrow-on-the-Hill, driver announced that our service is now a fast, not stopping at Wembley Park! I thought this was very rare as usually, southbound fast trains run in am peak and northbound pm! However, I'm on a southbound fast in pm! Can anyone give me more info on this occurrence and how frequent this happens? Thanks, very much appreciated

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Its happened to me as well - suspect just being done due to late running.

 

[Busaholic]

Its happened to me as well - suspect just being done due to late running.

And to me, and I'm someone who travels on the line less than once in a blue moon.

 

[Starmill]

I was on an Amersham train that went non-stop from Finchley Road to Harrow-on-the-Hill at some point last year. It was due to disruption though.

 

[bluegoblin7]

As mentioned, it can happen at the discretion of the line controller to make up some late running, as it's possible to overtake a couple of trains between Harrow and Wembley. As train operators 'step back' trains at Aldgate during the evening peak it's important to try and keep trains at least in the right order as far as possible, and makes things like short-tripping to Moorgate a little more problematic.

There are a couple of booked southbound semi-fasts in the evenings - although the numbers elude me - and these are primarily for getting stock back into town a little more quickly.

It's not particularly unusual.

 

[jaig]

Its happened to me as well - suspect just being done due to late running.

Oh ok, interesting! Could this maybe have been to compensate for the Piccadilly line's delays for people traveling into the city?

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[jaig]

As mentioned, it can happen at the discretion of the line controller to make up some late running, as it's possible to overtake a couple of trains between Harrow and Wembley. As train operators 'step back' trains at Aldgate during the evening peak it's important to try and keep trains at least in the right order as far as possible, and makes things like short-tripping to Moorgate a little more problematic.

There are a couple of booked southbound semi-fasts in the evenings - although the numbers elude me - and these are primarily for getting stock back into town a little more quickly.

It's not particularly unusual.

Thank you for this, I understand so much better now, but the funny thing was that we didn't overtake any Met train, so I guess it was to make the gap between trains smaller!

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[bramling]

Thank you for this, I understand so much better now, but the funny thing was that we didn't overtake any Met train, so I guess it was to make the gap between trains smaller!

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Even saving a couple of minutes could make the difference between getting in front of a Circle or H&C train at Baker Street, which in turn could make the difference between getting into Aldgate on time or very late. As others have said, it's quite a common thing to happen. The Northern sometimes sends trains via Charing Cross instead of via the city for the same reason- the couple of minutes saved can make all the difference later on.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Even saving a couple of minutes could make the difference between getting in front of a Circle or H&C train at Baker Street, which in turn could make the difference between getting into Aldgate on time or very late. As others have said, it's quite a common thing to happen. The Northern sometimes sends trains via Charing Cross instead of via the city for the same reason- the couple of minutes saved can make all the difference later on.

And to follow that forward, a missed path at Baker Street can cause missed paths around the Aldgate Triangle, the, err, Triangle Triangle, Praed Street Junction, Acton Town, Rayners Lane, Harrow-on-the-Hill and repeat...

...okay, a bit extreme, but such is the nature of the SSR that the smallest of delays can quickly snowball onto other lines if measures such as diverting trains via the Fasts are not taken promptly.

 

[Ralph Ayres]

Northbound however, late-running trains which are sent up the fast line invariably seem to end up sitting outside Harrow for several minutes waiting for a platform while any trains they have overtaken go past on the slow line.

 

[jaig]

Even saving a couple of minutes could make the difference between getting in front of a Circle or H&C train at Baker Street, which in turn could make the difference between getting into Aldgate on time or very late. As others have said, it's quite a common thing to happen. The Northern sometimes sends trains via Charing Cross instead of via the city for the same reason- the couple of minutes saved can make all the difference later on.

Yes, indeed! And the Aldgate section can become very congested at peak times, causing a (huge) knock on effect to other lines.

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[rebmcr]

The Aldgate section can become very congested at peak times, causing a (huge) knock on effect to other lines.

This used to (last year) happen a lot more often (noticably so) on my Westbound District in the mornings around 0820ish — I'm not sure if it's a WTT change, a sharper controller, or remedial engineering that has fixed it. It seemed to clear up before the D stock was fully withdrawn, so I don't think it's that.

Perhaps some of the members with insider knowledge could cast light on what might have improved?

 

[philthetube]

Instructions went out to Met drivers a couple of years ago that they muse depart as soon as they have a green signal, no Public address or anything. Free rides for the cleaners,