|
Post by redbond on Jan 31, 2024 12:05:30 GMT
Due to the station works at Surrey Quays, the down platform had to become SDO to only allow four coaches to open. As it was quite quick, I think it was done in a rush and applied to the PIS database in both directions by mistake - the UP platform is not SDO.
SDO at each platform - number of doors released:
UP: Surrey Quays - 10 Canada Water - 9 Rotherhithe - 8 Wapping - 9
Down: Wapping - 8 Rotherhithe - 8 Canada Water - 9 Surrey Quays - 8
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Mar 27, 2023 7:44:36 GMT
Instead of retiming everything, train planning department just remove the trains from the branch that is closed and leave the rest as is (most of the time). The train planning department is quite small and also has to deal with all the other lines. It's just easier for them to do that, never mind what passengers/staff would benefit from.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Sept 28, 2020 8:20:42 GMT
Thanks for the replies. I'm sure she'll be grateful that she didn't check before moving close to the line.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Sept 27, 2020 18:42:44 GMT
My sister has asked me for reason why Northbound/Westbound trains are blowing their horn before the Cannon Lane bridge between Rayners Lane and Eastcote. I work on the railway, but not LUL so not sure of their rules and regulations. I did suggest that it may be because of a whistle board due to the continuous left hand curve of the line between the two stations, but then thought it may be better to ask on here.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Aug 5, 2020 14:03:25 GMT
They were originally, but a few months ago, I think they've had a new CIS system installed, and they're currently using NR style announcements with the female voice (don't know the name to be honest). It's all stations from Surrey Quays to Dalston Junction. You can hear it in this clipAlso This one at Whitechapel
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Aug 5, 2020 10:01:07 GMT
Funnily enough that you should bring this up. The East London Line core route stations have reverted to the NR style announcements for some reason.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Mar 27, 2019 10:42:14 GMT
Drivers will often approach and accelerate more slowly from busy platforms because so many passengers these days place themselves in positions of danger. Add to this the fact that on the East London Line the signal sections are extremely short and headway times so limited that with tpws at every signal no driver is going to push the limits and risk their license under restrictive aspects. If you are going at 40 mph and come across a single yellow around a curve you really don't have much time to bring the speed down for the subsequent red at certain locations. Platforms can also be extremely tight so again drivers are unlikely to come barrelling in so as to protect from that one 'off day' when a braking point may be slightly missed and an overrun occurs. Absolutely. We are taught to drive defensively, given that every signal on the ELL has a TPWS Train Stop loop and about 90% have an associated overspeed loop on the approach to each signal. Due to the nature of the core, once we arrive in Silwood triangle heading northbound (from whichever origin), we are then pretty much running on yellows and reds all the way up. You can usually tell by Rotherhithe/Wapping if the driver in front is driving defensively or has green signals and adjust accordingly. I'll usually be a little bit more cautious until that point, then drive to the signals (ie I then can see multiple greens ahead of me). I can run to linespeed in the core route, but it all goes out of the window during rush hour or if I have a lot of passengers onboard. We are all creatures of habit, that's why it takes longer at Canada Water, Shadwell, Whitechapel and Shoreditch High Street. Passengers all enter and leave via the doors closest to the exit at their intended destination. This is what causes delays and extended dwell times. 20 people all trying to get in the second door of the third carriage when all other doors are clear? Yeh we know you're trying to be first out at Canada Water to run down the escalator to the Jubilee. Squeezing yourself in to the first set of doors of the second carriage - destination Shoreditch. If passengers were to use any free space on the train instead of trying to save 20 seconds at their destination walking along the platform, delays on the network would reduce drastically.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Mar 16, 2019 11:14:47 GMT
I highly doubt that a fourth 378 will be sent over, there is already way too many trains being taken out of service due to faults, causing cancellations and fines due to no train to be able to swap with. Bombardier can't take the financial penalties from TfL.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Feb 4, 2019 10:51:16 GMT
Nice to hear. I’ve just the once, as a passenger, managed to use the slow to fast crossover at Sydenham, but never made the fast to slow at Forest Hill. The former seems also to be used by ECS from Streatham Hill heading to London Bridge, but not so sure of the latter. During disruption, London Bridge to London Victoria trains will run Down Sussex Fast and crossover at Forest Hill when they're a fair bit behind schedule.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Dec 28, 2018 15:55:14 GMT
New Cross Gate (ELL) drivers DO sign the fast lines. All the signals are in the same locations as the slow lines sharing signal gantries, only major difference is the 10mph higher line speed on the fasts. During severe disruption on a rather busy/stressful day a while back, I ended up diverting on to the Up Sussex Fast at Norwood Junction. Out of service at New Cross Gate and in to the Up Sussex Loop - where I was held for quite some time. I was then informed that I would be resuming my normal diagram from Crystal Palace. (Pre-May 2018 diagrams) I was then instructed to run in service from New Cross Gate Platform 3 (Down Sussex Fast), then cross over on to the Down Sussex Slow at Forest Hill, call at Sydenham and then terminate at Crystal Palace. It is for these kind of out of course situations that we sign them. It would be foolish not to.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Dec 15, 2018 9:46:13 GMT
Once you get on the Up Fast at either Norwood Junction or Sydenham, there is no way to cross back over before the ELL flyover at New Cross Gate. A train running fast to New Cross Gate and then all stations will always be run on the Up Slow.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Nov 2, 2018 22:24:06 GMT
Unit 150 is now refreshed and out in service!
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jul 11, 2017 13:12:54 GMT
I don't know if it happens, but there should be announcements for passengers to make the very short walk to New Cross. I've done it in around 7 mins at normal walking pace. It doesn't usually happen unfortunately. As most of the time, unless it's something major like a sinkhole, then it's more a case of Southern will still be running so they suggest to take a train to London Bridge and change on to Jubilee Line. It should be the go to answer straight away though, communication to passengers during disruption is one of the weakest points at the moment. Sometimes drivers get the same information as the passengers
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jul 10, 2017 14:53:05 GMT
....so the systems can obviously cope with suspensions of this nature. It all depends on how the "systems" are programmed. London Overground twitter feed is manned by TfL staff far removed form ARL. It can be embarrassing sometimes seeing advice given on twitter. The "service status" system doesn't really work when applied to London OVerground. "Minor Delays" are announced yet some stations can have half and hour without a train. There needs to be an overhaul of the train information and communication system. I do agree that passengers aren't given the correct information in the situations mentioned in previous posts, I was just giving a little advice for when it does happen, I can't fix the issues though, don't shoot the messenger.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jul 10, 2017 9:33:42 GMT
What usually happens during unplanned disruption is that a train that can not go South of New Cross Gate will terminate at Platform 1, then go and sit in the depot out of the way. It will then pick up its intended return journey, in service, from Surrey Quays. It's not the most convenient for passengers, but it's the easiest thing to do to keep some semblance of a timetabled service on the rest of the line. If there is a queue of trains waiting to get in to New Cross Gate, then Control sometimes make the decision to terminate at Canada Water or Surrey Quays and then enter the depot that way. (Surrey Quays is also the terminating point if there's problems on the Clapham branch).
During planned engineering works, trains are fully timetabled to terminate and then start again from NXG Platform 1.
A little tip, if for any reason there is suddenly no service at New Cross Gate southbound, and hence no Northbound, just walk straight to New Cross. It'll be a lot quicker than waiting around for supposed answers.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jul 5, 2017 14:25:12 GMT
Night Tube was first announced in November 2013, the start date of September 2015 was revealed in September 2014, there were meetings with the unions shortly after that but the actual negotiations didn't start until January 2015, eight months before Night Tube was due to commence. We had strikes in July and August because management tried to force through changes to our T&Cs before they finally gave up in December and started the process of recruiting part timers to fill the Night Tube slots All night running on LO (New Cross Gate to Dalston Junction/Highbury & Islington) by 2017 was first mentioned in February 2015, now they announced a start date in December we can probably expect strikes in October and November with all night services sometime next year. I wouldn't go so far as to say strikes will happen, the issue is we have already have night turns, however these night turns aren't in passenger service. That's where a major change to previous agreements come in. Also company and union haven't even had a single meeting about the introduction yet, that's why it was incredibly premature to announce already. We've known since November that it was part of ARL's concession agreement to introduce 24 weekend running. NXG depot will be the only one that has 24 hour running, so it's also going to be tricky to change T&Cs as they'd have to be done company wide. Union and management really needed a lot more time to sort it out. I think getting everything in place and then announcing the introduction would have been the best thing to do. I think the introduction will be smoother for ELL than for the tube overall, however we also have to factor in hiring more station staff, more train care operatives etc.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Feb 13, 2017 12:47:45 GMT
There is also a footplate that can be placed down that goes over the couplers, which creates less of a gap between trains, this is for emergency use only. Also if you were detraining from cab end to cab end, you'd have to make sure you had a Bombardier fitter on board, as they'd need to be able to wind the doors in!
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Feb 8, 2017 17:19:14 GMT
it looks like they could do with installing some Emergency Exits leading out to Boleyn Road. It is already an emergency entrance / exit on Boleyn Road. The Strail crossings over the ELL Western Curve lead to the bottom of a ramp up to Boleyn Road.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Feb 1, 2017 14:50:11 GMT
It was intended to be its full operating name, hence the PR about the CROSSRAIL roundel (hence it would only have remained as the tri-stripe logo), signalling and location-coding all using CR prefixes (not E or EL) EL wouldn't have been available anyway, EL is the prefix for the East London Line signalling.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jan 29, 2017 11:00:01 GMT
When Crossrail is fully open, where will the drivers be based? And will they be signed off for the whole route? Remember this is a National Rail service, not a tube line. Intercity drivers and freight drivers have a very large route card, there's no reason that Crossrail drivers couldn't sign the entire route. With the core tunnel section being ATO, it would be benficial for drivers to sign the entire route.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Dec 13, 2016 7:14:45 GMT
Let me just reiterate.
1. The stairs are fully supported by the train itself. 2. The stairs would only be used in a situation where there has already been an Emergency Switch Off of the current. 3. The stairs would only be used in locations where there isn't a fourth rail in the four-foot (Primarilay ELL Core Route). 4. The stairs are used as a last resort only and the door and stairs are a PITA to close back up again.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Oct 27, 2016 14:24:17 GMT
When the stations from New Cross Gate southwards had their platforms lengthened to accommodate 10 car trains, most of it was done whilst in full service and at night.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Aug 20, 2016 9:38:29 GMT
Officially it's the East London Railway from Highbury to New Cross Gate, it's used in all publications and we even have the East London Line signal box. The signals are prefixed EL, such as the North London Line uses NL prefix for those controlled by Upminster. These two definitely won't change.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Aug 18, 2016 9:06:35 GMT
The ELL between a point just before the Dalston Western curve and a point(s) at NXG is TfL owned infrastructure. However it is maintained and signalled by NR under an agreement with the Infrastructure owner - TfL. The rest of LO infrastructure is all NR owned. To be a bit more pedantic, the RfL owned part of the East London Line is maintained by Carillion, not Network Rail.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jul 29, 2016 4:22:55 GMT
There is the tunnel telephone system from Surrey Quays to Whitechapel. It is no longer used for communication (although there still are handsets in each cab), however it is used as a last resort for DC isolation and turning on the tunnel lighting.
The dual voltage units are tripcock fitted, the DC only units are not. When a dual voltage unit is used on the East London Line they have to have their tripcocks isolated and tucked up out of the way.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jul 7, 2016 18:28:56 GMT
Expect to see more extreme measures of service recovery. Due to the change of "on time" meaning arriving within 5 minutes of scheduled time to within 3 minutes, and having to pay TfL a small percentage of delay fines caused by OTHER operators, regardless who's fault it was, they will be highly incentivised to get back to time. So expect more running fast and missing out stations, terminating early and as used to happen on the East London Line, suspend the service, return all trains to the depot and start from scratch.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jun 29, 2016 15:42:47 GMT
Cheers Daz! NXG are really kept out of the loop, it seems the further away from Swiss Cottage you get, the more forgotten you are! God help Chingford!
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jun 28, 2016 13:32:21 GMT
Uniform is set by TfL and won't change (well, supposedly we are getting the new uniform after the new concession starts, West Anglia already have the luxury!) I haven't seen any actual internal documentation saying that it will change from LOROL, just the ownership of LOROL.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jun 15, 2016 3:30:40 GMT
As has been said, from New Cross Gate up to Dalston Western Curve, is Rail for London (RfL)owned. Maintenance is carried out by Carillion, with signalling staff provided by Network Rail.
As for ATO, it has been touted that anything above 18tph would require some form of ATO on the "core route", however there are no firm plans for it yet.
|
|
|
Post by redbond on Jun 4, 2016 10:34:26 GMT
No mention then of MTR Crossrail who will operate it, I guess that just would've added too much confusion! Haha!
|
|