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Post by roman80 on Jul 10, 2017 22:01:33 GMT
Personally I think having trains on different lines look different is good thing as it acts as another indicator to someone they are on the right (or wrong) line. Obviously the Circle and District lines cannot be distinguished from one another, but should be from other lines. It's a pity more use is not made of electronic displays in the S stock and this jubilee upgrade to achieve this differentiation. The interior information systems haven't moved with the times. Hopefully as LCD displays become even cheaper that may change. The upgrade makes no use of the technological advances of the last twenty years. A couple of examples from around the world: the moving electronic dot on the map above the seats in the New York subway 4,5,6 lines, showing where the train is. Or the electronic displays above or in the train doors in Tokyo showing the door opening side and next station in multiple languages. Such things can easily show different lines by having a different coloured background or similar. Current displays around the underground take an age to say anything. Does a tourist want to wait an age while the display slowly scrolls out 'this is a district line train to Wimbledon' when it could flash between 'District to Wimbledon' and 'Next: Sloane Square' every five seconds?
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Post by roman80 on Jul 3, 2017 21:16:50 GMT
As 'dot matrix' has come up, I would like to suggest that the external dot matrix displays on district stock show the final destination at all times. Its annoying at interchange stations to arrive at the platform and not know which branch the train is headed on. The time it is blank or says 'district line' is essentially wasted.
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Post by roman80 on Jun 28, 2017 18:53:14 GMT
Unless there is something different about the braking systems of NY subway trains I cannot see how an emergency brake application could cause a derailment. It didn't. As the article states......
There has lots of discussion in New York recently about recent frequent delays caused by years of chronic underinvestment. Unlike London, the ultimate responsible politician is the Governor of New York State, based hundreds of miles away in Albany. A New York Times article last month drew a differentiation between the state of the New York subway and London's Underground. www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/insider/a-new-york-city-transit-reporter-in-wonderland-riding-the-london-tube.html
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Post by roman80 on Jun 20, 2017 15:44:39 GMT
Any idea of what is planned for Earls Court in terms of upgrades to the displays? I hope it's not just better information on the tiny screens currently in use. These screens can only be read if you are standing next to them. The next train out indicator on the heritage listed board is useful. In a perfect world, new indicators retaining that feature that could be seen along the whole platform would be ideal.
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Post by roman80 on Jun 16, 2017 18:53:49 GMT
[/quote]That will get them into trouble post 2020... [/quote]
One hopes a law comes soon to limit the decibel level and repetitiveness of platform announcements. I actually find the trains themselves a nice respite from the din on every single platform on the system. How many times must we be told the same information which is usually basic common sense?
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Post by roman80 on Jun 2, 2017 11:40:17 GMT
Have any of the S7s been set up with different wheel chair area layouts to the others? I am convinced all the S7s had flip up seats for the wheelchair area, a small partition and then normal seats on the rest of that side of the carriage. Yet, today I travelled on an S stock where both sides of the partition had flip up seats. I normally only ride at peak hours so may be wrong as all seats are taken then.
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Post by roman80 on May 25, 2017 14:58:14 GMT
A couple of months ago, someone posted about the Circle and District line terminating trains swapping platforms. I have received an e-mail from TfL stating that this will happen on Sunday 21 May. I think that this is probably helpful. One of my commutes is between Euston Square and East Putney. In the morning the majority of passengers getting off a District line train at Edgware Road seem to cross over to continue east, we won't need to negotiate the stairs. In the evening I suspect that the numbers getting off each Circle or H&C train seeking to go to Earl's Court or beyond is less. It will be interesting to see if the stairs feel less crowded in future. Changing there for the first time in years, I was unimpressed by having to cross the bridge for a Wimbledon train only to see the doors close in front of me as I got to the bottom. The 10 minute wait was more than usually aggravating... Same happens regularly at Earls Court also westbound. A train arrives at platform 3 or 4 and five seconds later one departs from the adjoining platform. There is so much timetable padding with dwell times at Earls Court that surely common sense could prevail when there is no trailing service behind to the same location for some time.
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Post by roman80 on May 23, 2017 20:53:35 GMT
And there is the general SSR rule to remember, take the first train as far as you can then change. Not these days I think, given overcrowding , and I notice my fellow regular travellers on the Wimbledon branch often think the same. Heading eastbound in the morning, on the branch one could take a Edgware Road train and change at Earls Court. However while there is a good chance you will be able to change onto a train from Ealing Broadway or Richmond which is in relative terms lightly loaded, even a minor delay there means the next eastbound arrival at Earls Court may be a heavily loaded train that originated at Wimbledon that may be very difficult or impossible to board. Far better to stay on your local platform for a few minutes longer. Same in the evening: if one takes any westbound to Earls Court, there is a very high chance you won't be able to board a Wimbledon service if it originated in the east. Double whammy of those transferring from the Piccadilly makes the situation worse. Far better to stay on the platform further east and wait for a Wimbledon train. I live in hope the SSR project leads to a rejig of frequencies based on the travel data now at TFL's disposal post Oyster and smart cards.
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Post by roman80 on May 3, 2017 20:00:19 GMT
In 1991 I travelled across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a train which had hand operated sliding doors. Only one hand was holding (wrapped around!) the handrail and the other hand contained a camcorder that was filming the journey. It was great - no dirty glass or reflections to compromise the view. This footage is now on YouTube - in my Sydney film which includes the Harbour Bridge. These trains were known in Sydney as 'red rattlers', and were built between 1926 & 1960. Some of the early ones were built in Leeds. The last ones were withdrawn in 1993. I can remember many a trip through the underground 'City Circle' part of the Sydney system and out over the Harbour Bridge when I commuted from home in Wollongong to North Sydney for work. Until the mid 90s the interurban South Coast line from Sydney featured some legacy single deck interurban trains ('U boats' as their set number was prefaced with a U) so I regularly made a sixty mile journey at speeds of approaching seventy miles an hour on some of the intercity sections on sets with manually operated doors and windows each day. www.sydneytrains.info/about/fleet/generationsen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales_U_set
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Post by roman80 on Apr 21, 2017 21:04:16 GMT
I would like to say thank you to everyone involved in this forum for making today so enjoyable. Personally I left work early to board at Monument for the final run to Upminster, and rode back to Earls Court on the final journey, in the front car throughout. It was wonderful to talk and swap stories with others, my first District Dave inspired event. Was also nice to chat to many young enthusiasts seeing the D off, students and even high school aged fans. Thanks to everyone who posted 'whereabouts' and running information to enable those of us not privy to inner tfl workings and information to enjoy the day and to plan where to rendezvous with the train.
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Post by roman80 on Apr 21, 2017 6:49:25 GMT
D leaving earls court now, showing Richmond on its dot matrix
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Post by roman80 on Apr 19, 2017 17:58:06 GMT
D stock just terminated at Olympia after travelling from the east if that helps anyone hoping for a last sighting. Sorry didn't get the train number but I guess it is meaningless under the circumstances.
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Post by roman80 on Apr 6, 2017 18:03:13 GMT
For journeys to and from Westminster, Oxford Circus seems an unlikely station at which to change as a second change will always be required. Even with the long walk at Green Park (which isn't to bad between the Jubilee and Victoria, it's Jubilee to Piccadilly - the one I do most frequently - that's the really long one) some people will still change there. Firstly the length of interchanges is not noted at all on the tube map, and secondly Green Park doesn't get as rammed as Victoria so it's easier to move through the station (although my experience at Victoria is limited). Re the long walk from Jubilee to Piccadilly at Green Park, I know what you mean about its length. I tend to just go up the two escalators to the ticket hall level and down the long escalator to the Piccadilly. Maybe not quicker but more comfortable for me.
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Post by roman80 on Apr 5, 2017 21:17:36 GMT
Interesting re changing travel patterns and their reasons. Having used the westbound district line for twenty years of an evening, I note the following: from Central London (Westminster or Embankment) nine times out of ten one ends up standing until Parsons Green or Putney Bridge. Once upon a time Victoria saw a net exit of passengers, now its flat or an add. Also, other than people swapping to the Piccadilly, no one alights at South Kensington or Gloucester Road (commuters priced out of the area?) and many more people get on Wimbledon branch trains at Earls Court than get on. Meanwhile, circle line trains leaving Westminster are much more lightly loaded than in the past, especially outside the summer tourist season. Could you clarify what you mean about Wimbledon trains at Earl's Court. Sorry, meant many more get on at Earls Court to go towards Wimbledon than get off to change trains, lines or exit the station. Will correct original post.
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Post by roman80 on Apr 5, 2017 19:10:27 GMT
Interesting re changing travel patterns and their reasons. Having used the westbound district line for twenty years of an evening, I note the following: from Central London (Westminster or Embankment) nine times out of ten one ends up standing until Parsons Green or Putney Bridge. Once upon a time Victoria saw a net exit of passengers, now its flat or an add. Also, other than people swapping to the Piccadilly, no one alights at South Kensington or Gloucester Road (commuters priced out of the area?) and many more people get on Wimbledon branch trains at Earls Court than get off to change trains, lines or exit the station. Meanwhile, circle line trains leaving Westminster are much more lightly loaded than in the past, especially outside the summer tourist season.
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Post by roman80 on Apr 3, 2017 14:31:53 GMT
Agreed. Two that bug me every day at Westminster are as follows: 1) arriving on the westbound district line platform of an evening, if an S stock is in the platform, its side display takes an age to move between saying 'district line' and the real destination, which is more important for a line with so many branches 2) the platform display is only two lines and the second line is often polluted with slowly scrolling irrelevant service information for a line miles away so one can't tell which trains are behind the next one. The reason both are annoying is because as a Wimbledon branch traveller, I need to decide whether to wait it out at Westminster for the next Wimbledon train or get to Earls Court where if things don't go to plan the first Wimbledon service will have come from the City and not Edgware Road and hence may already be too packed to board.
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Post by roman80 on Mar 7, 2017 8:28:07 GMT
Has anyone else notice relatively heavy seat wear on the odd S stock? The front car (eastbound) on T125 this morning had a seat with the brown underlay already visible under the coloured fabric. The seat was mid car and next to the door so no doubt favoured on short trips. I noticed a similar situation on another set a few weeks ago but couldn't get the train or set details. Quite a contrast with the condition of some of the other sets after decades of service, such as the jubilee line.
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Post by roman80 on Mar 2, 2017 14:14:05 GMT
With the new working timetable from May, how significant is the improvement in journey times once its only S stock that the timetable is based on? Curious how many minutes are anticipated to be saved on an end to end run, such as Wimbledon to Upminster No significant changes are coming this year, we will still have the legacy signalling and speed restrictions as now. 'runtime improvements' are planned from December 2020. Thanks. I saw a tfl response to a freedom of information request on the web which prompted the question. Link is below for others that are interested. www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/timetables?unfold=1
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Post by roman80 on Mar 2, 2017 12:09:26 GMT
With the new working timetable from May, how significant is the improvement in journey times once its only S stock that the timetable is based on? Curious how many minutes are anticipated to be saved on an end to end run, such as Wimbledon to Upminster.
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Post by roman80 on Feb 19, 2017 11:09:35 GMT
All the discussion about the H and C has got me curious: what is the anticipated final frequency of trains in the peaks on each of the district line branches and circle post full signalling upgrade and S stock introduction? Given the mammoth amount of data now available on individual travel patterns, this could be a great opportunity to do some proper modelling and reworking of current patterns to benefit the most people backed by real data.
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Post by roman80 on Feb 1, 2017 9:10:06 GMT
Parsons Green has seen a lot of use in recent months following the repeated signal failures on branches west of Earls Court, to recover the service. Even this morning at 730am an S stock was stabled there. Any remodeling should retain as much flexibility as possible to turn or terminate there from the east or west.
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Post by roman80 on Dec 13, 2016 21:37:48 GMT
Evening all. I am curious what is being done at Earls Court during the Christmas period this year. Is it related to the resignalling project? Or, I recall reading somewhere years ago about a plan to install new crossovers so trains from Wimbledon can access platform one. Or is it just general maintenance?
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Post by roman80 on Nov 19, 2016 7:58:22 GMT
Fri 18/11 Rmd-Upm T12 7032+7057, T21 7012+7095. EBwy-Upm T27 7034+7513, T32 7070+7115. Wim-THill T54 7530+7075, T61 7018+7007, T67 7030+7535. AM T104 7016+7533. 7046+7503 under maintenance ECom. It worries me that they are over-taxing the D's. No need to run 8 surely, and have 7 on all day runners? Is there really that many S7's that aren't available, particularly when a month ago they only needed 5 D's in service? Why not just use them lightly, and run them on the peak workings? My concern is that they will all be knackered by the time we need them for the farewell tours. I suspect all passengers would agree with you, for different reasons. D stock usage should be kept to an absolute minimum. Runs that are D stock should be limited to those with the lightest passenger loadings.
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Post by roman80 on Nov 7, 2016 21:00:49 GMT
Looks like the platform extension is complete. The S stock still don't open their front door at Putney Bridge, at least on the train I used this evening, but the platform has full passenger access and the hoardings are gone.
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Post by roman80 on Oct 19, 2016 19:02:49 GMT
Any idea what regulates the air conditioning in S stock? Thermostat in each car? Centrally? I was in the front car of T47 this evening and it was pushing out very cold air.
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Post by roman80 on Oct 5, 2016 17:52:55 GMT
Any idea when the Putney Bridge westbound platform will be completed? S stock still have no messages in the front car that the front door will not open and the work to extend the front of the platform seems to be taking an eternity.
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Post by roman80 on Oct 2, 2016 10:10:26 GMT
Hasn't been a great week all round for the district line. Twice in the morning peak, no service Wimbledon to Parsons Green. Friday morning was a particularly poor effort all round. Rammed full platform at Earls Court circa 730am as five trains arrived from the West and were sent to High Street Kensington when 90 per cent of passengers wanted to head to the city via Victoria. Station indicators at Earls Court need to be replaced also. The current ones belong at the transport museum and the tiny screens cannot be seen unless you are standing under them, impossible in the above situation.
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Post by roman80 on Sept 24, 2016 6:22:36 GMT
A nice touch on T125 as it waited west of Earls Court for a platform circa 740am this morning: the driver announcing 'there are only ten D stock trains left in London and they should all be gone early in 2017'.T125 is one of the core always D stock runs, and for regulars like myself on this service it was a nice touch given this leg is always virtually a crush load and badly needs to be an S stock. One hopes the eventual line upgrade increases direct trains to Central London at this time of day also. This train is eight minutes after the previous 'city' train and eight minutes before the next one, not optimal to being a D stock perennially. Think the announcement may have started: "you may be interested, disappointed or pleased to learn this is one of only ten of these D Stock District Line trains remaining in London . . . . . " yes ? T125 is expected to lose its regular D Stock when that service is extended to Tower Hill on 10 October, as Mansion House ceases to be a reversing point after Friday 8 October. (another similar announcement maybe made as the same driver should be on it) Correct, it did start that way. A nice touch indeed, it generated some smiles amongst the passengers and was well received around me.
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Post by roman80 on Sept 23, 2016 22:02:10 GMT
A nice touch on T125 as it waited west of Earls Court for a platform circa 740am this morning: the driver announcing 'there are only ten D stock trains left in London and they should all be gone early in 2017'.T125 is one of the core always D stock runs, and for regulars like myself on this service it was a nice touch given this leg is always virtually a crush load and badly needs to be an S stock. One hopes the eventual line upgrade increases direct trains to Central London at this time of day also. This train is eight minutes after the previous 'city' train and eight minutes before the next one, not optimal to being a D stock perennially.
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Post by roman80 on Aug 7, 2016 21:32:52 GMT
Caused by a Point Failure at South Ken Regarding the failure of the train describer equipment at Putney Bridge this has always been a sore point as the interface between NR and ourselves are not great the only reliable part of that system down the Wimbledon branch especially on the E/B is the time left for the next train. From Parsons Green the system runs purely off the LU system and should be better. Wonderful, thanks for solving this one for me. As an occasional user of Parsons Green to catch the same service it was beyond me why Parsons Green always got it right. Thank you!
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