The last 40 years of train services - how has your station fared?

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

Here's another couple of journeys.

Bicester to Marylebone
If ever there was a route that's been transformed since the early 70s it's this one.  From a downgrade in the Beeching era from main line to/from Paddington and the Midlands, the service was terrible until the Chiltern Line Total Route Modernisation got rid of old signalboxes replaced by Marylebone IECC^▸ (Integrated Electronic Control Centre) and also the clunky old Class 115 DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)'s that worked most of the trains were replaced by modern Class 165 Turbos.  That had started to impact on the number and speed of trains from the early 90s. 

Post-privatisation, Chiltern Railways have steadily improved the infrastructure further, completing the redoubling of Princes Risborough to Bicester North in the late 90s, and Bicester North to Ayhno Junction in 2001.  New 100mph Class 168s helped reduce journey times.  A further infrastructure project completed late in 2011 improved linespeeds to 90-100mph for much of the route and with increases in speeds at various junctions on the route has paved the way to today's service, which, once again makes it a main line route.

Total number of trains has increased five-fold in the last 30 years and the fastest journey time has shrunk from 72 to 47 minutes.  Sundays have seen a total transformation with more than six times the number of trains.  Back in 1974 there was an 11:22 and 15:12 train and nothing else leaving before 7pm.  Instead of those two trains, there are now thirty-two in the same space of time!

Moreton-In-Marsh to Oxford
A less dramatic increase in services, but a steady one nonetheless.  From a low of ten trains back in 1974, there are now double that per day.  Eighteen of which are through trains to Paddington, the majority operated by HST^▸ (High Speed Train) or Class 180s.  Back in 1983 there were just two through trains to Paddington.  Sunday services on the route have tripled in those years too. 

Journey times have been stagnant and in some cases have been extended though so it's not all good news.

[Electric train]

Furze Platt much the same, the up and down departure times have changed to suit the time table changes at Maidenhead, biggest change was in 1970 when the line closed between Bourne End and High Wycombe

Furze Platt on the other hand has seen a gradual increase in services over the years.  Growing from 18 to 24 trains each weekday, with Saturdays staying largely the same and Sundays improving dramatically from no trains in the 70s and 80s, to 15 today.  The number of through trains to and from Paddington has largely stayed the same, though they appear to have disappeared for a few years around 1990.

I had forgotten the introduction of Sunday service, one of the upsides of privatisation there has been improved early morning service since its introduction too.  The weekday increase is due to the adding a late evening train 23:49.

The loss of through trains in 1990 might have tied in with the Padd Stn throat remodelling

[eightf48544]

How come Furze Platt can have Sunday trains and Taplow can't?

Ok I know  it's the two track railway but as I've said before there is ample time to stop a Burnham. Another reason might be that the TOc would  have to run a bus to Taplow if the Reliefs were closed on Sunday.

[IndustryInsider]

Another reason might be that the TOc would  have to run a bus to Taplow if the Reliefs were closed on Sunday.

I'm sure that is the reason.  For the same reason there is no Sunday service at Hanwell, West Ealing or Acton Main line.  All of which, in my mind, would justify an hourly service on Sundays purely on a demand basis.

[Electric train]

How come Furze Platt can have Sunday trains and Taplow can't?

It's because we are a victim of Marlow having a Sunday service ............... the pain us locals have to endure just to keep a fellow Market Town happy 

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Pangbourne has faired pretty well.  We now have a half-hourly service of Padd - Oxford stoppers, instead of an hourly service which ran to/from Reading.  Only downside is that they now lay over in Didcot for up to 13 minutes for pathing reasons, so Oxford - Pangbourne journey times are probably worse than 40 years ago.

Heritage dmu's of course, but commuter services were loco-hauled Mark 1 sets.  40 years ago they were steam heated - I've happy memories of going into a compartment in a SK or FK^▸ (First Corridor (carriage)) and being hit by sauna-like conditions - water dripping down the windows, damp upholstery.  Much better than walking into a fridge if the boiler in the 47 or 31 wasn't working.  It always seemed to be one extreme or the other in winter.

The 1718 off Padd (my train home) ran ML to Rdg P4 (as it was then), then crossed over at Reading West J to RL to call all stations to Didcot and some to Oxford. It was followed out of Padd by the 1721 for Maidenhead and Twyford only.  I think that at Maidenhead it crossed over to the UR so that Bourne End passengers wouldn't have to exert themselves using the footbridge - maybe there's a Maidenhead commuter out there who can confirm. 

The 1718 and 1721 were both 10 -12 coaches.  No standing in those days.