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Post by jamesb on Jun 10, 2017 21:44:57 GMT
At Roding Valley station at the moment, a recorded PA announcement plays on a loop advising passengers with freedom passes or season tickets to always touch in and touch out at Roding Valley 'to ensure that your service continues in the future' or words to that effect. Roding Valley, to my understanding, is the least busy station on the entire network. I was wondering why this message has started to be played. Are there any plans to reduce this service further? 2.2 (e) on page 12 of this public document (London Underground Rolling Stock Renewals Programme) content.tfl.gov.uk/06-lu-rolling-stock.pdf mentions a possible plan to introduce a shuttle service on the Hainult-Woodford section during the delivery stage of the Central Line Improvement Project (CLIP): "repair of two defective Central line cabs and signalling modifications to enable a shuttle service to be introduced between Hainault and Woodford to partially mitigate the effect on train availability during the delivery stage of CLIP." I wonder what the frequency of trains would be if this was introduced - if there are to be only two trains going backwards and forwards? |
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Post by crusty54 on Jun 11, 2017 3:10:27 GMT
Could it be cabs currently in the middle of trains with signalling changes to allow four car trains to operate the shuttle?
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Post by norbitonflyer on Jun 11, 2017 5:56:09 GMT
"repair of two defective Central line cabs and signalling modifications to enable a shuttle service to be introduced between Hainault and Woodford to partially mitigate the effect on train availability" I wonder what the frequency of trains would be if this was introduced - if there are to be only two trains going backwards and forwards? By forming two four car trains for use on the branch (instead of the usual eight car trains), eight cars are released as maintenance cover. The existing 20 minute frequency on the branch can easily be maintained with two trains. |
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Post by aslefshrugged on Jun 11, 2017 8:06:36 GMT
I heard recently that there wasn't going to be a new timetable this year so whatever's going on its not going to be until 2018 at the earliest. Cutting the service to Roding Valley would also mean cutting the service to Grange Hill and Chigwell, if they're making similar PAs there then they might reduce the service overall. If they're just making the PAs at Roding Valley then maybe some bean counter at Palestra House is looking to cut costs and has floated the idea of closing it.
If we are introducing 4-car Hainault - Woodford shuttles the signalling changes would be putting stopping marks halfway down Platform 1 and 2 at Hainault and Platform 2 at Woodford, otherwise the train would have to carry on up to the starter signal leaving a four car gap between the rear of the train and the exits. You'd also need correct side door opening enable loops, otherwise you'd stop halfway down the platform and have to activate the override button every time which would present a far greater risk of opening the doors on the wrong side.
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Post by drainrat on Jun 11, 2017 12:20:40 GMT
or the risk of an 8 car train stopping halfway at the door enable loop and opening up all 8 cars on the correct side with 4 aft of the platform
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Post by spsmiler on Jun 11, 2017 21:32:12 GMT
At Roding Valley station at the moment, a recorded PA announcement plays on a loop advising passengers with freedom passes or season tickets to always touch in and touch out at Roding Valley 'to ensure that your service continues in the future' or words to that effect. Roding Valley, to my understanding, is the least busy station on the entire network. I was wondering why this message has started to be played. Are there any plans to reduce this service further? (snip) Sounds ominous! As an aside, I thought there was a 1962ts secreted away in Hainault depot... maybe that and even perhaps the 1972ts in the tunnel at Aldwych and some stored 1960ts trains could perhaps provide rolling stock for this service. After all the shuttle service has historically used a small fleet of partially ancient rolling stock. Even for service all the way to Newbury Park, if push came to shove in terms of fleet availability. If it was not for the train platform interface height difference I'd have suggested a couple of D stock 3 car units. Simon |
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North End
Beneath Newington Causeway
Posts: 1,769
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Post by North End on Jun 11, 2017 23:10:04 GMT
At Roding Valley station at the moment, a recorded PA announcement plays on a loop advising passengers with freedom passes or season tickets to always touch in and touch out at Roding Valley 'to ensure that your service continues in the future' or words to that effect. Roding Valley, to my understanding, is the least busy station on the entire network. I was wondering why this message has started to be played. Are there any plans to reduce this service further? (snip) Sounds ominous! As an aside, I thought there was a 1962ts secreted away in Hainault depot... maybe that and even perhaps the 1972ts in the tunnel at Aldwych and some stored 1960ts trains could perhaps provide rolling stock for this service. After all the shuttle service has historically used a small fleet of partially ancient rolling stock. Even for service all the way to Newbury Park, if push came to shove in terms of fleet availability. If it was not for the train platform interface height difference I'd have suggested a couple of D stock 3 car units. Simon Lovely though it would be to see any of these old trains re-appear, there are some pretty major obstacles that make it almost impossible in reality. Firstly one needs to provide some kind of Train protection system, although to be fair there is precedent for this on 62 stock in the form of the sandite trains. You would also need to work out how a two-man train can run, and how the train is going to be accessibility compliant and meet LU's current safety standards for passenger carrying vehicles. It's a lovely idea in principle, but it won't happen. The only way to get extra trains on the Central is to steal the Waterloo &City trains, but LU has considered this in the past and concluded it was not easily feasible. |
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Post by MoreToJack on Jun 12, 2017 2:25:20 GMT
It's worth noting that a number of the 1967TS cars stored at Eastleigh Works are "reserved" for a Woodford-Hainault shuttle, but whether this actually happens is anyone's guess. The stock would require a lot of work to get up to scratch, even before you consider the necessary signalling arrangements.
Any use of heritage stock is a complete non-starter - far too many to even consider trying to list.
For completeness, there have been a number of overnight test runs using 4-car 1992TS formations between Hainault Depot (generally the Grange Hill end) and Woodford over the last few months.
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lt
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Post by lt on Jun 12, 2017 18:59:24 GMT
Often caught a glimpse of them when flying into or out of Southampton, now I know why they are there!
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