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Post by plunet on Aug 7, 2021 10:42:54 GMT
It does seem that at some point yesterday they finally coughed up to the service being sub-optimal, probably after the recovery from a points failure between Harrow and Wembley Park that clobbered the service just after 9am.
"Metropolitan Line: Minor delays between Rickmansworth and Amersham / Chesham due to train cancellations. GOOD SERVICE on the rest of the line."
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Post by plunet on Aug 7, 2021 18:16:44 GMT
Seems like they have given up for today, and there is an event at Wembley.
Metropolitan Line: Severe delays due to train cancellations. London Buses are accepting tickets via any reasonable route.
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Post by njr001 on Aug 8, 2021 7:20:06 GMT
Currently at Harrow on hill approximately 20 minutes for an Uxbridge train minor delays! Special timetable in operation all trains so far are numbered 7xx doesn’t help customers. Apparently journey planner can not be updated with emergency timetable
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Post by plunet on Aug 8, 2021 18:28:29 GMT
So, it appears that today...
Amersham has one Met train an hour.
Chesham has a half hourly shuttle to Watford via the North Curve.
Uxbridge seems to be very random but service gaps of half an hour have been experienced.
Watford - no direct feedback but has the shuttle from Chesham.
Chilterns appear to be running reasonably normally
Journey Planner and staff have literally no clue when the next train will be and what the service should be.
The Chesham having a Watford shuttle seems to be a new thing for today as there was some service to/from Wembley yesterday for Chesham.
Just how the public are supposed to know what the "special timetable" is when it doesn't appear to be published is useless...
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Post by jimbo on Aug 8, 2021 20:15:16 GMT
How well known is the north curve to the general travelling public out that way? It isn't on the line diagram. In my days, long ago, it was hard to get people to change at Ricky for a Watford train because it wasn't shown on any line diagram!
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Post by graeme186 on Aug 8, 2021 20:27:13 GMT
For the last four days, service seems to have been:
- x15 minutes Uxbridge-Aldgate (T720-T730)
- x15 minutes Watford-Baker Street (T750-T756)
- x30 minutes Amersham-Baker Street (T711-T713) - but one train regularly cancelled meaning a x60 minute service operated
- x30 minutes Chesham-Baker Street (T701-T703) - altered to x30 Chesham-Watford today (Sunday) probably to address x60 gaps to Chesham caused by one of the three trains being cancelled for most of yesterday (Saturday) from what I could see when I was travelling on the line.
The Amersham trains I used yesterday (Saturday) were fast Moor Park-Harrow and then all stations south of Harrow.
Also, missing trains in Uxbridge and Watford service groups means regular x30 minute gaps or longer in the respective service. The Uxbridge service seems particularly decimated this Sunday evening with just three out of nine trains operating with over an hour long gap in the service.
If the above is all because of the non-availability of Drivers, the situation looks pretty desperate currently.
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Post by MoreToJack on Aug 8, 2021 20:35:17 GMT
For the last four days, service seems to have been: - x15 minutes Uxbridge-Aldgate (T720-T730) - x15 minutes Watford-Baker Street (T750-T756) - x30 minutes Amersham-Baker Street (T711-T713) - but one train regularly cancelled meaning a x60 minute service operated - x30 minutes Chesham-Baker Street (T701-T703) - altered to x30 Chesham-Watford today (Sunday) probably to address x60 gaps to Chesham caused by one of the three trains being cancelled for most of yesterday (Saturday) from what I could see when I was travelling on the line. The Amersham trains I used yesterday (Saturday) were fast Moor Park-Harrow and then all stations south of Harrow. Also, missing trains in Uxbridge and Watford service groups means regular x30 minute gaps or longer in the respective service. The Uxbridge service seems particularly decimated this Sunday evening with just three out of ten trains operating with over an hour long gap in the service. If the above is all because of the non-availability of Drivers, the situation looks pretty desperate currently. 4 trains running each of Amersham/Chesham, with 714 and 704 missing from your list - although they have spent the most of each day cancelled due to a lack of drivers. Both the Chesham and Amersham services have had highly variable patterns to try and cover gaps to the local stations where possible. Today’s north curve shuttle is due to the continued depleted numbers of train crew. Not previously mentioned is that there was also a 45 minute cessation yesterday, Saturday 7th, due to service control staff taking their meal break. Unfortunately the situation is likely to continue at least into next week. We’re all doing our best with a very poor deck. |
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Post by dm1 on Aug 9, 2021 18:49:23 GMT
Many of the issues around information on the met line seem to stem from the age-old problem that the outer reaches of the line are on paper london underground lines (turn-up-and-go, no timetable necessary, headways more important than exact timetable), but are used more like a standard suburban rail service (low frequency, passengers turn up based on the timetable, if a nominially 30-minute service turns up 20 minutes late, it is extremely annoying for them).
The information communicated to passengers by TfL assumes the former, but due to the low frequencies at the outer edges of the line, that information is basically useless - leading to the black holes reported above. In that situation, much more detailed information is desirable - either specifying which timetabled trains are and are not running, and trying to stick to the timetable, or at least giving public information about the actual service being run and its timetable/frequency. The met line, unlike most tube lines does have an official, customer-facing, published timetable for the Amersham/Chesham branches at least.
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Post by Chris L on Aug 10, 2021 14:25:17 GMT
Many of the issues around information on the met line seem to stem from the age-old problem that the outer reaches of the line are on paper london underground lines (turn-up-and-go, no timetable necessary, headways more important than exact timetable), but are used more like a standard suburban rail service (low frequency, passengers turn up based on the timetable, if a nominially 30-minute service turns up 20 minutes late, it is extremely annoying for them). The information communicated to passengers by TfL assumes the former, but due to the low frequencies at the outer edges of the line, that information is basically useless - leading to the black holes reported above. In that situation, much more detailed information is desirable - either specifying which timetabled trains are and are not running, and trying to stick to the timetable, or at least giving public information about the actual service being run and its timetable/frequency. The met line, unlike most tube lines does have an official, customer-facing, published timetable for the Amersham/Chesham branches at least. When I took over management of timetable booklets and posters in the 1980s I was well aware of the need for more detailed information on the Met. Each station got posters showing the departure times. At the time the Met booklet was in two parts. Uxbridge trains were shown separately from Amersham/Aylesbury, Chesham and Watford trains. I was told that it was not possible to integrate them and show where changing trains got you to your destination faster. I didn't accept this and took a number of booklets home for a weekend and got my scissors and Prit sticks busy. Several hours later I had a set of pages that proved it could be done. The next editions were printed in this format. In recent times the reduction in fast trains means there are less opportunities to achieve faster arrivals by changing trains. |
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Post by graeme186 on Aug 15, 2021 18:33:11 GMT
Can I ask if we've got another week coming up of the emergency special service? Certainly a poster I saw at Rickmansworth Friday pointed to exactly that. Thank you.
I see a Chesham to Watford 2 train shuttle has again operated today as was the case last Sunday.
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Post by MoreToJack on Aug 15, 2021 23:21:00 GMT
Yes, the special is anticipated to run for at least a further week.
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vincenture
Quiz tryhard, and an advocate for simpler, less complicated rail routes
Posts: 885
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Post by vincenture on Aug 21, 2021 7:43:11 GMT
It seems to be the case that there is always a risk of not enough information when trains are run at the maximum tolerable frequency for turn-up-and-go during peak hours (what say off-peak, ie every 15-30 mins). It would be a good option to attach fixed timetables at platforms for these really far away stations. Definitely a must beyond Moor Park (and Moor Park because of its interchange properties)
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Post by Chris L on Aug 21, 2021 10:31:08 GMT
It seems to be the case that there is always a risk of not enough information when trains are run at the maximum tolerable frequency for turn-up-and-go during peak hours (what say off-peak, ie every 15-30 mins). It would be a good option to attach fixed timetables at platforms for these really far away stations. Definitely a must beyond Moor Park (and Moor Park because of its interchange properties) Haven't been up there for a long time. There should be posters at the stations which show first and last trains with the regular times in between shown. Obviously these regular times may be wrong if a special timetable is in operation. |
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Post by njr001 on Aug 21, 2021 21:51:59 GMT
Thé spécial timetable does seem to be varied at will with odd stopping patterns. This evening boarded a semi fast Amersham departing platform 4 Baker Street at about 2030 (train 711) At Wembley Park PIS changed to all stations Amersham. No announcement from T/Op’s at Harrow on the hill platform 4 which is somewhat unusual for Amersham / Chesham services as we leave next station is shown as Moor Park as we travel down the fast tracks. Quite a few some mystified passengers alight at Moor Park to work out how to travel back towards North Harrow.
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vincenture
Quiz tryhard, and an advocate for simpler, less complicated rail routes
Posts: 885
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Post by vincenture on Aug 21, 2021 22:55:41 GMT
An odd kind of semifast...
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metman
Global Moderator
5056 05/12/1961-23/04/2012 RIP
Posts: 7,421
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Post by metman on Aug 22, 2021 13:12:26 GMT
This does seem an odd service pattern, however, running the Amersham trains all stations between Harrow and Finchley Road does improve the service provision a little.
I’m not sure if running the trains fast from Harrow to Moor Park allows the timetable to work better when reversing at Baker Street - that will have to be answered by someone else.
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Post by graeme186 on Aug 23, 2021 18:47:55 GMT
For the record, the normal service has been restored from today 23rd August 2021 but with the inevitable ongoing cancellations.
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Post by Dstock7080 on Aug 26, 2021 15:53:28 GMT
No Metropolitan services to operate after 21.30 tonight or tomorrow 27 August between Aldgate, Rickmansworth and Uxbridge.
A limited service will operate between Amersham and Watford, calling at Chalfont & Latimer, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Croxley and Watford. Replacement buses will operate.
Saturday 28 August no service until 07:00 between Aldgate, Rickmansworth and Uxbridge.
A limited service will operate between Amersham and Watford, calling at Chalfont & Latimer, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth, Croxley and Watford. Replacement buses will operate.
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Post by marjoram on Sept 7, 2021 19:18:32 GMT
Had a trip up to town, from Folkestone, for a quick trip up the Metropolitan to Amersham. A lovely day and an on time arrival at 10.57. Thought I had time for a coffee before catching the next train back. Not only had I time for a coffee but a lunch as well, the next arrival being the 12.27 and 12.47 back....................what a service! Still, thanks to this excellent website, I had been pre-warned! Best wishes.
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Post by jimbo on Sept 7, 2021 19:57:28 GMT
Reminds me of the Met service back in the 70s. On summer Sundays we would open up the doors in the siding to let the heat out, and both sit at one with legs dangling out for near an hour, taking in the country views and air, all at double time! I think weekend timetables were the trial efforts of trainee schedulers back then, with inefficiencies only coming round once a week.
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