Aldgate defective train/obstruction/emergency engi

The unfortunate side-effect of train operators self-regulating is that sometimes you're not always aware of what may be ahead or behind you. Frustrating, yes, and no you probably can't win. You try to help out and get questioned for it.



Yes we have a few areas in the city where, because trains are likely to end up out of turn, the timing is removed from the signalling (via the computer) to keep everything moving. This way, a train running out of timetable order won't be delayed even more behind a right-time/early running train.



The signalling can cope with the flat junctions we have. The timetables were also mostly written so that maximum usage could be made of the junctions and conflicting moves were limited. However, a few seconds of late running means one train has either lost its booked path and has to wait, or it ends up delaying another pathed train while is passes over the junction.

The new timetables have tried to solve some of this, by getting more trains to junctions on time and on path. Trouble is, the early running can have a negative effect and end up with conflicts between early trains.



Yes. It's the extra (right-time and early) trains that are in the way. At certain times of our evening peak we appear to have the same queue of trains eastbound from Baker Street to Aldgate that we always had. Stick to stick all the way. The difference is, each and every train on close inspection is right time. In the past, the one at the back of the queue would be 15 late by Aldgate.

I think one of the biggest problems at present is that nobody has really ever experienced right time and early running. It is alien for us on LU to be holding here and there and waiting for time.

It is also alien for our customers too. They are used to the "turn up and go" system (although sometimes it never turned up) and are not used to being held up en-route except during failure scenarios. Maybe we need to start emphasising some of the run times. Board a train at X at xx:xx and it will arrive at Y at yy:yy. It will also wait at intermediate stations en-route and depart at each of those on time. The national rail network has been doing it since day one almost. And I only have to compare my journey to London 20 years ago with the one today to see it now apparently takes 10 minutes longer (but at least now it normally arrives when they said it will).

To be honest I don't think anyone envisaged it all running as well as it has. There have been shutdowns, but not to the extent that could have occured.

But, as I already said, come the next revision, some of the padding will be removed. We will see what happens then.