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Post by will on Apr 1, 2015 19:03:42 GMT
What's going on here, I wasn't aware that Gunnersbury was a particularly busy station as its used by around 4.5million people a year - found this on the TFL website "Gunnersbury Station: This station is particularly busy between 08:30 - 09:00 due to increased customer numbers. We may use a managed queuing system at busy times to help prevent overcrowding. If you are able to travel outside of the busiest time, you could have a more comfortable journey."
Has there suddenly been a large increase in passenger numbers, and does the situation really warrant a "managed queuing system"? |
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Post by crusty54 on Apr 1, 2015 19:13:03 GMT
Chiswick Business Park filling up plus new homes being built.
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Post by snoggle on Apr 1, 2015 21:44:37 GMT
There has been a lot of development in the area plus the Overground service has increased patronage. The island platform may be reasonably wide but the stairs and ticket hall are very narrow indeed with constrained capacity. I've not seen the rush hour crowds but I've seen tweets about the congestion / need for expansion for the last 18 months or so.
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Post by westville13 on Apr 2, 2015 22:49:36 GMT
And there is a lot of local concern about what happens on match days at Gunnersbury and Kew Bridge when the new Brentford stadium is in use. Some suggestion of one way flows at Gunnersbury but no apparent proposals to develop any new accesses.
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Post by crusty54 on Apr 4, 2015 18:28:34 GMT
Wasn't there an idea to build a new set of stairs at the opposite end of the platform.?
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Post by Dstock7080 on Apr 4, 2015 19:26:09 GMT
Amazing to think this was once a 6-track/6-platfom station.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,275
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Post by roythebus on Apr 4, 2015 23:28:23 GMT
Yes, didn't there used to be a bay platform in the middle of the existing platforms? It was also the junction for the triangle towards Brentford from the NLL.
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Post by John Tuthill on Apr 5, 2015 10:45:25 GMT
Yes, didn't there used to be a bay platform in the middle of the existing platforms? It was also the junction for the triangle towards Brentford from the NLL. Check out the 'Carto.Metro' map, it shows the original layout. |
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l1group
7007+7032 on T004, Gunnersbury
Posts: 358
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Post by l1group on Apr 12, 2015 13:24:27 GMT
Chiswick Business Park filling up plus new homes being built.
And there is a lot of local concern about what happens on match days at Gunnersbury and Kew Bridge when the new Brentford stadium is in use. Some suggestion of one way flows at Gunnersbury but no apparent proposals to develop any new accesses.
The Hounslow Loop station at Kew Bridge (right in front of the stadium) will be interesting - whether a new entrance to the station direct onto the Chiswick-bound platform (both lines go towards London) could be done or not could be crucial. Brentford Station can currently manage the crowds as it was rebuilt for GSK, thus it can handle most of the commuters and thus football fans. Kew Bridge, not so much. This would certainly be exaggerated if/when Brentford are promoted to the Premier League (then again, Griffin Park probably won't be used if Brentford are promoted, thus the Lionel Road Stadium would be wanted more!). |
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Post by norbitonflyer on Apr 13, 2015 10:15:58 GMT
Chiswick Park can absorb quite a bit of the crowds, but Gunnersbury still is more busy due to the more options of destinations from Gunnersbury. Indeed, but there are also a wide variety of destinations that are available from Chiswick Park and not from Gunnersbury. Only three stations are served directly, but they afford connections to both western branches of the Piccadilly (including Heathrow Airport), as well as the GW main line at Ealing Broadway (not to mention the Castle Bar line!) The No 70 will duplicate some of those connections, but that involves a fare whereas a connection on the Tube between Acton Town and Chiswick Park is essentially free, as they are in the same zone. (From the east, of course, passengers can use either Richmond or Ealing services to reach the area) Kew Bridge...... the Chiswick-bound platform (both lines go towards London) That's stretching the point somewhat, given that it takes nearly twice as long (57 minutes instead of 30) to get to Waterloo via Hounslow than it does via Chiswick. As the direct route has a fifteen minute frequency, you would be overtaken by two trains on that route if you chose to go the long way round. |
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l1group
7007+7032 on T004, Gunnersbury
Posts: 358
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Post by l1group on Apr 19, 2015 23:09:19 GMT
The No 70 will duplicate some of those connections, but that involves a fare whereas a connection on the Tube between Acton Town and Chiswick Park is essentially free, as they are in the same zone. (From the east, of course, passengers can use either Richmond or Ealing services to reach the area)
True, but the District line along the Ealing Broadway branch - I don't like relying on it as the gaps I've waited for a train to Chiswick Park before can be excessive. And yet the automated announcer seems to love the words "there is a good service on all London Underground lines". Yeah... Also, most people seem to just go to Gunnersbury Station in any case, even though Chiswick Park is roughly the same time to walk to.
Also the bus links to Acton are fairly useful. Update on the Chiswick Business Park Stand - the actual main stairs to the Business Park (as opposed to the temporary ones) are now open. The boards are away and the pavement around what will be the 70 stand is open.
Kew Bridge...... the Chiswick-bound platform (both lines go towards London)
I was being very literal thanks to the Hounslow Loop being a loop. Then again, most services are not looping services on the Hounslow Loop (which runs only Monday-Saturday every 30 minutes) as there is freight ex-NLL, the Chertsey Branch services that run daily (every 30 minutes Mon-Sat to Weybridge, or annoyingly, every hour on a Sunday to Woking) and the two eastbound Reading services on the PM peak. And the numerous railtours via the NLL from/to Victoria/Waterloo/Clapham Jct. I also find interesting that the first westbound loop service is at Chiswick at 0834 (the train 32mins before, the 0802, runs WAT-HOU then ECS to Basingstoke) on a Mon-Sat. Some trains on the Hounslow Loop are too short (i.e. the 0722 ex-WAT - quite a lot of the train empties at Kew Bridge (for Chiswick Business Park et al) and Brentford (GSK and other offices) is somehow only four coaches and always packed). South West Trains are probably going to start addressing the capacity issues with the 458/5s to the Hounslow Loop (thus the 450s to Reading) then eventually the 707s.
I have taken both ways (albeit from Brentford) into London. Prefer direct, as always. |
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