Marlow branch line - engineering work, closures, incidents (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

This has to be seen as a retrograde step, stopping HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) between Reading and Paddington. I can't imagine East Coast trains stopping at Biggleswade or Virgin trains stopping at Hemel Hempstead.

Not what he said ......... may it continue and hopefully increase

[IndustryInsider]

This has to be seen as a retrograde step, stopping HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) between Reading and Paddington. I can't imagine East Coast trains stopping at Biggleswade or Virgin trains stopping at Hemel Hempstead.

As ever, it depends on your point of view.  Retrograde step for long distance travellers, positive step for the huge number of commuters west of Paddington.

We are only talking about a couple of trains in the peaks, and an otherwise quite quiet contra-peak service from Taunton.  As for Biggleswade and Hemel Let's also have a look at the station usage:

Maidenhead - 3.7m
Biggleswade - 0.8m
Hemel Hempstead - 1.7m

Not that far short of stations which Virgin and East Coast do stop at (and far more regularly than is being proposed for Maidenhead)
Milton Keynes - 4.6m
Stevenage - 4.3m
Peterborough - 4.4m

[Btline]

I'm not saying the stations SHOULDN'T have a service, but the HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) should not stop - esp in the peaks where journey times are important and the trains are already packed!

[johoare]

That might also explain why when the 9.03 non-stop to Paddington had arrived, the train from Bourne End (well that direction anyway) was nowhere in sight and it's usually there a few minute sbefore..

I'm not sure if it arrived before we left, or if people missed their connection, as I had got engrossed in my book by then and forgot to check 

[johoare]

Just out of interest.. Don't the Intercities stop at lots of/several stations relatively close together once they get to Devon/Cornwall? (I may be totally wrong there).. What is the difference between doing that there or at this end of the journey?

If my assumption is wrong.. oops.. sorry 

[willc]

Oh my goodness, a couple of extra minutes to call at Maidenhead, to make sensible use of what is evidently spare seating capacity to help people travelling between Reading and Maidenhead after work and for anyone heading for an evening out in London from Maidenhead. The train is a semi-fast starting at Taunton, running against the peak flow, so unlikely to be packed, not an express from Plymouth or Cornwall, and it currently calls pretty much everywhere along the Berks and Hants line, plus Slough!

[Zoe]

Oh my goodness, a couple of extra minutes to call at Maidenhead, to make sensible use of what is evidently spare seating capacity to help people travelling between Reading and Maidenhead after work and for anyone heading for an evening out in London from Maidenhead. The train is a semi-fast starting at Taunton, running against the peak flow, so unlikely to be packed, not an express from Plymouth or Cornwall, and it currently calls pretty much everywhere along the Berks and Hants line, plus Slough!

Exactly, although it HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) the train is not an express.  Anyone wanting an express from Taunton need only wait 11 minutes for the 15:30.  This will get you into Paddington 30 minutes before the semi-fast.

[inspector_blakey]

Don't the Intercities stop at lots of/several stations relatively close together once they get to Devon/Cornwall? (I may be totally wrong there).. What is the difference between doing that there or at this end of the journey?

You're absolutely right, they do. As do FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services west of Swansea, calling at Llanelli, Pembrey and Burry Port, Kidwelly and Ferryside on the way to Carmarthen. Kidwelly and Ferryside are even request stops!

The comparison with East Coast is a little bit spurious though - once off the end of the trunk route north of Edinburgh they become glorified stoppers on the way to Aberdeen as well.

Less of an issue making stops out in the sticks simply because there isn't the same amount of rail traffic - remember that each station call uses up capacity: it's not just the station "dwell" time, but also the time needed for deceleration/acceleration compared with batting through at line speed.

Having said that, there are times when it makes sense for HST^▸ (High Speed Train)-operated services to make calls like these (and just for completeness, Oxford - Paddington HSTs generally call Slough anyway!). This looks to me like one of them. However, some people will always froth first and ask questions later

[devon_metro]

I'm not saying the stations SHOULDN'T have a service, but the HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) should not stop - esp in the peaks where journey times are important and the trains are already packed!

If it ran fast to Reading then it would only sit outside, whilst the service 3 minutes in front completed station procedures. A sensible move in the grand scheme of things.

[johoare]

Don't the Intercities stop at lots of/several stations relatively close together once they get to Devon/Cornwall? (I may be totally wrong there).. What is the difference between doing that there or at this end of the journey?

You're absolutely right, they do. As do FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services west of Swansea, calling at Llanelli, Pembrey and Burry Port, Kidwelly and Ferryside on the way to Carmarthen. Kidwelly and Ferryside are even request stops!

So will the people who don't want their nice fast intercities stopping between Reading and Paddington also agree to miss out lots of the little stops further west as that will also speed things up?  If we cut a lot of those out there would be loads of time to stop at Maidenhead...

[johoare]

We definitely left this morning before the Bourne end train arrived... I can't believe the branch line people were pleased to miss the last fast train of the morning?

[Electric train]

From the M-MPA site

Permanent Way problems at Furze Platt
Network Rail is working to replace sleepers at Furze Platt station following an emergency on Tuesday morning. A temporary speed restriction was in operation and some delays to services have been reported.

There was some work done last night in the no train period noticed some more new sleepers in their cribs at FP this morning

[Btline]

Don't the Intercities stop at lots of/several stations relatively close together once they get to Devon/Cornwall? (I may be totally wrong there).. What is the difference between doing that there or at this end of the journey?

You're absolutely right, they do. As do FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services west of Swansea, calling at Llanelli, Pembrey and Burry Port, Kidwelly and Ferryside on the way to Carmarthen. Kidwelly and Ferryside are even request stops!

So will the people who don't want their nice fast intercities stopping between Reading and Paddington also agree to miss out lots of the little stops further west as that will also speed things up?  If we cut a lot of those out there would be loads of time to stop at Maidenhead...

Um, no because the point of these services is to transport the people from Devon and Cornwall to London. Not Maidnehead to London, nor Devon & Cornwall to maidenhead. That's why there should be stops at major places in Devon and Cornwall, few after that and none after Reading.

[johoare]

Hhm that's the first time I've heard that.. Is that FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) official reason for running intercities?.. I thought it was to transport people where they want to go..

Also couldn't some of the stops in Devon and Cornwall and Wales be serviced by local trains as we have at this end of the journey? So speeding the intercity service up?

[Cornish Traveller]

  not unless you can find FGW^▸ (First Great Western) some spare trains to send to West Country - hence a loco hauled set running about (at Dft expense LOL^▸ (laughing out loud)) !!