Special Timetable Waterloo 5th - 28th August 2017

[RichardN]

Not sure I have seen a thread discussing the timetable changes that will be in place on South West Trains for most of August this year.

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/planned-improvements/wswupgrade/

Still very short of detail.

Choose your station and it will show one of:

no change (a warning that your station could be busier as passengers may switch to the station e.g. Lymington Pier!!!!, though see note* below)
reduced service (most stations)
significantly reduced service.
+a big warning about vauxhall 7-8 being closed.
+no trains from Chessington stations.

*Interestingly Barnes is shown as being busier due to passengers transferring, though Mortlake is shown as having fewer trains call, which seems a bit strange.

 

[TEW]

There is more specific information available here:

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/planned-improvements/wswupgrade/faq2/

Gives details of planned frequencies serving stations, and times in the morning peak.

 

[RichardN]

There is more specific information available here:

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/planned-improvements/wswupgrade/faq2/

Gives details of planned frequencies serving stations, and times in the morning peak.

Thanks, didn't spot that. Irritatingly it looks like my morning Witley -> Surbiton journey will be scuppered connection wise at Guildford (more detail needed to be certain), much as it is in the leaf fall season.

8:01 arrival time at Guildford OK for 8:07 departure, but too likely to fail when it departs at 8.03.

Also Kingston <-> New Malden is closed with everything running via Twickenham, which isn't obvious from the link above unless you click on Norbiton in the main page to discover why it has no service.

 

[Barn]

There is more specific information available here:

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/planned-improvements/wswupgrade/faq2/

Gives details of planned frequencies serving stations, and times in the morning peak.

That's really useful information, and well-presented. I struggle to imagine GTR being able to produce something like this.

 

[1D53]

Really useful information and actually well presented. Of interest is that it seems off peak everything from Waterloo calls at Clapham which may make it easier to travel on traction like 159 & 444 within the London 'Zones'.

 

[infobleep]

Thanks, didn't spot that. Irritatingly it looks like my morning Witley -> Surbiton journey will be scuppered connection wise at Guildford (more detail needed to be certain), much as it is in the leaf fall season.

8:01 arrival time at Guildford OK for 8:07 departure, but too likely to fail when it departs at 8.03.

Also Kingston <-> New Malden is closed with everything running via Twickenham, which isn't obvious from the link above unless you click on Norbiton in the main page to discover why it has no service.

What service do you have to catch when the Guildford trains leaves at 8.03?

 

[infobleep]

Thanks, didn't spot that. Irritatingly it looks like my morning Witley -> Surbiton journey will be scuppered connection wise at Guildford (more detail needed to be certain), much as it is in the leaf fall season.

8:01 arrival time at Guildford OK for 8:07 departure, but too likely to fail when it departs at 8.03.

Also Kingston New Malden is closed with everything running via Twickenham, which isn't obvious from the link above unless you click on Norbiton in the main page to discover why it has no service.

Do you have to be on the 8.03? However it looks like most times are amended from Witley so later trains wouldn't connect either. For example the 8.11 becomes the 8.18.

It is good that South West Trains are issuing this now. Get people prepared. I imagine those who can not travel or can go on holiday them will.

Of course holiday destinations won't be any cheaper just because South West Trains are running a reduced service.

People will just have to put up with it as the work is needed. I think other work is needed too but any work is great.

I wonder when the Evening Standard will write a damming piece on it? Obviously in August I'd expect one and maybe one earlier too. A slow news day in advance perhaps!

 

[Kite159]

Sounds like one of the 159 services are getting diverted to Reading, I'm guessing it will be the Salisbury stoppers with the Exeter services carrying on to Waterloo.

HSTs to the rescue

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Looking at the map for off-peak trains will you get 2x444 depart Waterloo and then at Woking divide, one portion heading towards Weymouth and the other portion heading towards Portsmouth?

 

[Hophead]

I wonder when the Evening Standard will write a damming piece on it? Obviously in August I'd expect one and maybe one earlier too. A slow news day in advance perhaps!

Well it won't be hard: just hang around Waterloo on the first morning and wait for an irate commuter complaining they had no idea about all this disruption and why didn't they publicise it and so on and so forth.

 

[sammyg901]

Earlsfield being closed in the peak with no dedicated replacement buses is a bit of a surprise, it is a very busy station. I am surprised there are not bus shuttles to Clapham Junction.

Will be considerable pressure on the local bus routes to other rail/tube stops

EDIT: I found this article that suggests there will be rail replacement buses

With overall reduced capacity it could make sense to run some express buses into Waterloo for this set of commuters - stopping perhaps at Stockwell or Kennington where from experience there is a bit of slack in the tube capacity

 

[Peter Mugridge]

With overall reduced capacity it could make sense to run some express buses into Waterloo for this set of commuters - stopping perhaps at Stockwell or Kennington where from experience there is a bit of slack in the tube capacity

Would there be any road capacity for these to get there in a useful time span though?

 

[RichardN]

What service do you have to catch when the Guildford trains leaves at 8.03?

I get on the front of 1P18 and change at Woking for the train that leaves from the bay at 8:17 (2F96). Still a bit tight, but I've got a fair chance as they often hold that train until after the 1P18 leaves because it has a 5 minute booked wait at West Byfleet. Just have to hope they don't put 1P18 into plat. 1 at Woking.

 

[infobleep]

I get on the front of 1P18 and change at Woking for the train that leaves from the bay at 8:17 (2F96). Still a bit tight, but I've got a fair chance as they often hold that train until after the 1P18 leaves because it has a 5 minute booked wait at West Byfleet. Just have to hope they don't put 1P18 into plat. 1 at Woking.

All trains on platform 3 usually wait for trains to leave platform 1 and 2 first. They may show as on time before departure but as they need to cross the fast line, they can leave late. It relies on the incoming train to platforms 2 or 2 being late but not so late there's time for the platform 3 train to get away without a conflict of movement.

 

[Deepgreen]

It is fairly clear but, just from looking at the suburban lines document, it mentions possible "amends" (meaning 'amendments') and trains arriving "into" (meaning 'at') Waterloo. It also mentions "Subiton", "Cobham and Soke D'Abernon", and omits any mention of Box Hill - some will conclude that the lack of Dorking trains automatically means the same at Box Hill, but not everyone would necessarily reach this conclusion. There is no mention of the whole of the Chessington branch or the Kingston loop either!

 

[hwl]

There is no mention of the whole of the Chessington branch or the Kingston loop either!

Apart from the no services bit...

 

[Ianno87]

It is fairly clear but, just from looking at the suburban lines document, it mentions possible "amends" (meaning 'amendments') and trains arriving "into" (meaning 'at') Waterloo. It also mentions "Subiton", "Cobham and Soke D'Abernon", and omits any mention of Box Hill - some will conclude that the lack of Dorking trains automatically means the same at Box Hill, but not everyone would necessarily reach this conclusion. There is no mention of the whole of the Chessington branch or the Kingston loop either!

I thought Box Hill was only generally served by GTR services anyway, which will continue to run as normal...

 

[theironroad]

I get on the front of 1P18 and change at Woking for the train that leaves from the bay at 8:17 (2F96). Still a bit tight, but I've got a fair chance as they often hold that train until after the 1P18 leaves because it has a 5 minute booked wait at West Byfleet. Just have to hope they don't put 1P18 into plat. 1 at Woking.

If your train comes in on platform 2 at woking, have a look at the signal for the train you've just got off.

Provided it is green, 1 yellow or 2 yellows with NO white illuminated route lights lit above it, you've more than a fair chance of getting a train from platform 3 (bay), as a train can't be signalled out of the bay while the up fast (plat 2 ) signal is cleared for the up fast.

It makes me smile a bit when I see people sprinting towards the bay while the up fast is signal is cleared. Once or twice in the past I've told people there's no need to rush until the plat 2 train has left but you get met with uncomprehending stares or people not believing you and they just do what they want, so I gave up.

 

[TEW]

You can keep an eye on the Open Train Times map for Woking as you come in to, that will show what trains have routes set for them.

http://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/swml2

 

[louis97]

If your train comes in on platform 2 at woking, have a look at the signal for the train you've just got off.

Provided it is green, 1 yellow or 2 yellows with NO white illuminated route lights lit above it, you've more than a fair chance of getting a train from platform 3 (bay), as a train can't be signalled out of the bay while the up fast (plat 2 ) signal is cleared for the up fast..

Still can't leave the bay, even with the route indicator for the Up Slow from Platform 2. The crossover trains from Platform 2 use to get to the Up Slow is the same one the trains from Platform 3 use.

 

[Deepgreen]

I thought Box Hill was only generally served by GTR services anyway, which will continue to run as normal...

SWT trains call in the peaks.

 

[Deepgreen]

Apart from the no services bit...

I can see no mention of "no services" in the suburban lines pages for the Chessington line.

Edit - I now see that the maps show the lack of service, but it is not consistently carried across to the train times pages.

 

[Class 170101]

Sounds like one of the 159 services are getting diverted to Reading, I'm guessing it will be the Salisbury stoppers with the Exeter services carrying on to Waterloo.

HSTs to the rescue

Where did you read that? I haven't seen this however it seems a worthwhile thing to perhaps more 15x services should divert at Basingstoke to Reading to allow these passengers to head to Paddington and relieve pressure at Waterloo.

 

[Kite159]

Where did you read that? I haven't seen this however it seems a worthwhile thing to perhaps more 15x services should divert at Basingstoke to Reading to allow these passengers to head to Paddington and relieve pressure at Waterloo.

Selecting Andover from the station list on the SWT site posted in post 1

Fewer trains to and from London Waterloo than usual will call here between the 5 and 28 August inclusive.

However, one train per hour will divert at Basingstoke and travel to Reading from where passengers can travel with Great Western Railway to London Paddington.

Total journey time will be approximately 90 minutes and your South West Trains ticket will be valid.

I suspect it will be the Salisbury stopping service getting diverted to Reading with the Exeter services carrying on to the battlefield

 

[Closet2405]

The Salisbury page says the Reading diversion will take 50 minutes compared to Andover's 90 minutes. Presumably a typo and should perhaps read 150 minutes. Does this refer to the time taken from Salisbury to London, or just the part to Reading?

 

[Class 170101]

Selecting Andover from the station list on the SWT site posted in post 1
I suspect it will be the Salisbury stopping service getting diverted to Reading with the Exeter services carrying on to the battlefield

Cheers for this. I looked at Exeter and Yeovil Jn and it wasn't mentioned. Certainly a worthwhile thing to do though but surely it would be better for all Exeter services to go to Reading and using the path from Basingstoke to London Waterloo for a higher capacity Class 444/450 combination?