Maidenhead passengers still transported in worse conditions than cattle

[whole diary]

[johoare]

I'm back commuting up to London from this week so I'm really hoping that eventually this situation will improve (maybe trains will become longer after refurbishment?)..

Twice I've got the 18.33 home.. On Monday it was an intercity which was very overcrowded and quite scary as there is no where to hold on to if you're standing in the middle of the door way bit and the trains lurches across the tracks before Maidenhead... On Wednesday it was a three car turbo and was packed to the point no one else could get on.. And there still aren't many more places to hold on.. Maybe for taller people this is ok I don't know, they might be able to reach places I can't 

Tonight I decided that the 18.18 HAS to be emptier so left work earlier than I really should...I was wrong... It was even worse... I do know there was a fatality earlier this afternoon which disrupted the trains but I'm pretty sure that wasn't what caused my train to be so full as the trains had been running normally again for a while before then.. I think it might be because it's the first train out of Paddington fast to Maidenhead in about 35 minutes.. Which considering several hundred people got off at Maidenhead, I think perhaps we could do with another train in between (something I've told FGW^▸ (First Great Western) many times since they cancelled the 18.06 departures stop at Maidenhead)...

However if someone knows that maybe they are running short at the moment and will eventually will be longer trains again, then I don't mind it so much. It certainly wouldn't be any fun in the summer though the way the overcrowding is at the moment.

At least it was nice and warm (and cosy!) on a very cold day 

[Electric train]

Not much better in the morning the 07:03 is packed and standing made worse by people who want to take fold up bikes with them on the train

[BBM]

Trains do seem to have been busier than usual this week for some reason and I've also noticed more bad-temperedness amongst passengers. I was shocked to see a man barge a poor woman out of the way whilst boarding an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) at Maidenhead and when I asked a passenger sitting near me to use a handkerchief rather than sneeze over everyone he told me to f*** off! Then on Wednesday night the TM^‡(resolve) on my train home went off on a long rant over the PA^▸ (Public Address) about people boarding the train before it had been announced on the departure boards at Paddington. But if the train is in its usual platform correctly labelled up with less than 10 minutes to go before departure time can you really blame people for boarding before the announcement?

Next week it's half term and the evening trains will be full of buggies, oh joy...

[onthecushions]

.....and with HM's (present) loyal opposition threatening to look at electrification's "value for money" (again!), when they climb into the national cab, will someone here please explain it all to Theresa, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)........


OTC

[onthecushions]

The MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) is Villiers not May of course.

Their policy document says that the big E is an "important priority.... within the constraints" (of affordabilty).

hmmm.

OTC

[Electric train]

.....and with HM's (present) loyal opposition threatening to look at electrification's "value for money" (again!), when they climb into the national cab, will someone here please explain it all to Theresa, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)........OTC

Railway electrification is of no use to their mates and sponsors in the road haulage industry

[johoare]

This evening was better but I expect that was because it was Friday and the Friday before half term..

Today though it was this mornings trains that was full to bursting as it was 2 carriages instead of 3. This was something they didn't think to tell us in advance although I think someone somewhere probaby knew 

We all worked it out when it arrived and the people standing right at the front and the back of the platform lost out I think as they ended up being the last people on the train...

And yes, not just buggies next week.. Also families getting on the train in the middle of the rush hour and exclaiming loudly "This train's a bit full isn't it?" as if it were a surprise.. My favourite 

[Electric train]

Today though it was this mornings trains that was full to bursting as it was 2 carriages instead of 3. This was something they didn't think to tell us in advance although I think someone somewhere probaby knew 

They knew at Maidenhead that it was on 2 carriages there was a station announcement, that is if you are talking about the 07:11 departure from Maidenhead which is a Slough London only

[johoare]

Nope, unfortunately I travel later than that due to the school run first sadly (roll on next week when I don't have to travel after the school run  ).. This was actually the 9.03.. And I'm pretty sure they didn't announce anything about it while I was there.. Maybe it was exactly the same train though...

[Ollie]

Trains do seem to have been busier than usual this week for some reason and I've also noticed more bad-temperedness amongst passengers. I was shocked to see a man barge a poor woman out of the way whilst boarding an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) at Maidenhead and when I asked a passenger sitting near me to use a handkerchief rather than sneeze over everyone he told me to f*** off! Then on Wednesday night the TM^‡(resolve) on my train home went off on a long rant over the PA^▸ (Public Address) about people boarding the train before it had been announced on the departure boards at Paddington. But if the train is in its usual platform correctly labelled up with less than 10 minutes to go before departure time can you really blame people for boarding before the announcement?

Next week it's half term and the evening trains will be full of buggies, oh joy...

BBM, was this the 17:06 Westbury? From what I have heard the issue with that was the train was not cleaned properly due to the amount of customers who had already boarded. The cleaners couldn't get through within a reasonable time to do a proper clean. So at a guess the announcement would be to save any complaints re: cleanliness.

(If it wasn't the 17:06 you are on about apologies. But this can easily apply to any train from Paddington where people decide to board before it is ready)

[readytostart]

(If it wasn't the 17:06 you are on about apologies. But this can easily apply to any train from Paddington where people decide to board before it is ready)

Used to have loads of problems at Glasgow Queen Street with people trying to board as trains were being split or divided, and the people who boaded the rear set of a splitter who then moaned that they'd missed their train depite boarding one before it had been announced used to make me chuckle!

[BBM]

(If it wasn't the 17:06 you are on about apologies. But this can easily apply to any train from Paddington where people decide to board before it is ready)

Yes it was the 17:06. Normally I'm very good and I do wait until the train is announced especially if the set in the usual platform doesn't have paper labels (although very few HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) these days seem to be without destination labels). However on Wednesday at 16:58 the set in Platform 8 was correctly labelled so I didn't see why I couldn't board especially as other passengers were getting on. I just wanted to avoid the usual scrum which happens with last-minute announcements!

[eightf48544]

This is one of the problems of both the fixed formation train and the intensive use made of sets.

In the good old days when a set of coaches made one return trip to Bristol and back in a day. the train would be cleaned at OLD Oak and bought up to Paddington half an hour or so before departure probably with the reservations in place. It would go to Bristol be taken to carriage sidings and cleaned returned ready for departure to Padd where it would be taken back to OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) ready for tomorrow.

Now an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) set will make 3 or 4 round trips to Bristol in a day turning round in the terminii everytime. Thus the problems with getitng a train cleaned and the seat reservations in place with passengers already on board.

Now whilst not wishing to go back to bad old days, the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) is not going to fix the problem being a costly fixed length unit which will have to be intensively used thus turning round at Paddington.

Now this is where Ian Walmsley idea of push pull train sets with an electric loco come into play. As they cost a thrid of the price of the IEP then you could in theory have 3 times as many.

However, if you had 2/3 spare sets every day then in the evening peaks you could have the very popular trains as start ups from Padd, whilst the stock normally used could go to Kensal Green and be cleaned and rewatered and come back ready to form a later departure this would then be a rolling changeover until trains arrivng say after 19:00 would not be required so could go back to OOC for heavy cleaning. Thus  trains would no longer have to be turned round in the platforms at Padd.

Of course Crossrail mucks this up by shutting off OOC.   

[moonrakerz]

.....and with HM's (present) loyal opposition threatening to look at electrification's "value for money" (again!), when they climb into the national cab, will someone here please explain it all to Theresa, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)........OTC

Railway electrification is of no use to their mates and sponsors in the road haulage industry

Electrification ISN'T the panacea that so many people make it out to be.
It certainly isn't greener, it just moves the pollution to someone else's back yard.
Electricity is becoming more expensive and (we are told) we are likely to run out of the stuff in the next few years.
It is hugely expensive to electrify a route AND buy new electric rolling stock.
On many routes, modern diesels ARE the "value for money" route - electrics certainly aren't !

[onthecushions]

.....and with HM's (present) loyal opposition threatening to look at electrification's "value for money" (again!), when they climb into the national cab, will someone here please explain it all to Theresa, MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)........OTC

Railway electrification is of no use to their mates and sponsors in the road haulage industry

Electrification ISN'T the panacea that so many people make it out to be.
It certainly isn't greener, it just moves the pollution to someone else's back yard.
Electricity is becoming more expensive and (we are told) we are likely to run out of the stuff in the next few years.
It is hugely expensive to electrify a route AND buy new electric rolling stock.
On many routes, modern diesels ARE the "value for money" route - electrics certainly aren't !

A few snippets from the Network RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) Electrification (133) and elsewhere:

                                                    diesel/coach           electric/coach

Maintenance cost p/mile                        60                           40
Fuel cost p/mile                                    47                           26
Track cost p/mile                                    9.8                          8.5
Availability  %                                      88                           91
CO2 kg/mile                                           2.100                       1.644
Mile/casualty                                        11k                          21k
Loco weight t    (Cl 43/87)                      70                            85
Power at rail     (Cl 43/87)                   1770                         7870 (1 hr)

Other comments:

 "Superior acceleration reduces speed diff. between fast and stopping enabling more trains to
operate" (p39)

"Improvement of passenger product.." (p38)

Diesel and electricity costs have a fixed regression relation. (Fig 4.1 p35)

Still want a "green", "value for money" diesel?

OTC