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Post by 6HP502C on Dec 8, 2019 11:32:03 GMT
Noticed Abellio and Arriva buses on rail replacement at Canning Town but cant see what service are covering as no lines appear to be closed according to the TfL site! They aren't now - the closure was only until 10:30 - should be almost done and dusted by now.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2019 11:35:53 GMT
Noticed Abellio and Arriva buses on rail replacement at Canning Town but cant see what service are covering as no lines appear to be closed according to the TfL site! They aren't now - the closure was only until 10:30 - should be almost done and dusted by now. O that explains why most were empty! Thanks!
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Post by rugbyref on Dec 9, 2019 8:57:58 GMT
Several of the MEC training fleet were flying around Orpington on Saturday on rail replacement. If they are still licensed for public carriage, could MB have made a bid for a couple for the 358? I am sure there must be technical reason why not..just the colour?
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Post by kenmet on Dec 9, 2019 9:28:01 GMT
Several of the MEC training fleet were flying around Orpington on Saturday on rail replacement. If they are still licensed for public carriage, could MB have made a bid for a couple for the 358? I am sure there must be technical reason why not..just the colour? They are a regular feature on rail replacement work, the assault screens and ticketing equipment have been removed though.
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Post by redexpress on Dec 9, 2019 11:36:05 GMT
Several of the MEC training fleet were flying around Orpington on Saturday on rail replacement. If they are still licensed for public carriage, could MB have made a bid for a couple for the 358? I am sure there must be technical reason why not..just the colour? I believe they still have their Red Arrow layout, with not many seats and a big standing area. I guess the cost of converting them to a conventional seating layout is not worth it, given that the 358 contract doesn't have long to run, and the buses will probably be too old for a new contract.
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Post by 6HP502C on Dec 24, 2019 17:30:12 GMT
Walworth's 8343 has somehow made it out on the Ealing Broadway to Slough rail replacement service!
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Post by YY13VKP on Dec 24, 2019 17:52:37 GMT
Walworth's 8343 has somehow made it out on the Ealing Broadway to Slough rail replacement service! As has BC’s 8524, 8526 and 8783
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Post by Hassaan on Dec 24, 2019 21:10:49 GMT
Walworth's 8343 has somehow made it out on the Ealing Broadway to Slough rail replacement service! Shame about the number of tiny on this very busy rail replacement: 8108, 8143 and 8239. There is a low bridge at Langley so the Slough service (W1) must be singles. Luckily the Hayes & Harlington shorts (W2) were deckers, giving a combined 4bph between Ealing Broadway and Hayes & Harlington, very poor when the usual service is 8tph (6tph at Southall). Hopefully at Ealing Broadway and Southall they made sure that people for West Drayton, Langley and Slough didn't get left behind on their 2 buses per hour…
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Post by 6HP502C on Dec 28, 2019 13:00:39 GMT
So I drove the Ealing Broadway to Slough Elizabeth Line rail route. New contract and I believe the first instance of TfL operating the replacement service on this line instead of First.
The route
x30 Ealing Broadway to Slough - single deckers x30 Ealing Broadway to Hayes and Harlington - double deckers
The stops were Ealing Broadway, Southall, Hayes and Harlington, West Drayton, Langley and Slough
From Ealing Broadway, it was via the Uxbridge Road and South Road to Southall Station, spin around at the roundabout and back onto the Uxbridge Road as far as Hayes Grapes, then via the 140 along Coldharbour Lane to Hayes station. Then via the U4 to Station Road then Shepiston Lane and Cherry Lane,following the 222 into West Drayton, where the service runs into the forecourt. Then back down Station Road and Harmondsworth Road to follow the U3 through Harmondsworth Village to the A4 Colnbrook By-Pass. Then along the A4 as far as Sutton Lane, then Parlaunt Road, Langley High Street, under the 12'6" bridge on Station Road to serve the station. Finally, back via Station Road, Langley Road and London Road to Slough, setting down and picking up in the station car park.
A few comments on the routing.
We did this service for First Great Western a couple of years ago. Southall to Hayes was a nice, direct route via Southall Green and North Hyde Road which took about 8-15 minutes during the day. This is what the 195 does and there is a bus friendly roundabout just north of Hayes station to facilitate this. TfL's preference is to route the buses via Southall Broadway which seemed to take 30+ minutes as standard during the day - and having to negotiate the narrow roads in Hayes Town too. Both of these town centres are dominated by cars that clog the place up whilst scrambling in and out of parking spaces and would, in my opinion, be better off avoided if possible.
West Drayton to Langley - previously we went via Cherry Lane and the M4 between Junctions 6 and 7. The specified route via Colnbrook carries a time penalty of about 8 minutes each way.
West Ealing and Hanwell were unserved. I think the decision to structure the service to pass through these areas without stopping is controversial. Anyone travelling to/from the west to these stations is given a hard time as local buses don't connect with the replacement service. I had a passenger get on at West Drayton asking how to get to Hanwell and I couldn't even offer a direct route to connect from Southall station. I think a better service could be provided for people making these journeys. The 607 was very busy.
Iver was served by way of a single deck shuttle service from Slough. There was also a Slough to Hillingdon service for faster journey opportunities to/from London.
The signposts were very good - clear and well placed. No wrong turns on my part. The stations that were served were served very well - all outside the station entrance.
Loadings
For several hours many of the single deck buses were severely overloaded with people crowded off the Slough service at Ealing Broadway and at stops mid route. The double decks were coping ok.
Running times
The Hayes service was reportedly running ok in terms of leaving each end on time - it had adequate recovery time.
The Slough service...during the day I was losing a good 20-25 minutes each way and the recovery time did not cover that.
Mad scramble for stand space in Ealing Broadway - it's just as well this route had negative recovery times as it meant buses were in and out of Haven Green.
Vehicle Choice
No choice. I was ordered to take an 8.9m Enviro200 MMC from the garage and later had a 10.2m E200.
Abellio put out a few 8.9m buses. Slightly longer 8343 was loaned from Walworth and some 10.2m and 10.9m buses were out.
Summary
I would be very happy NOT to work on this route again. The main problem is the location of Southall Garage - the accessibility for those of us using public transport is very poor. I found myself shelling out for Ubers between the garage and Boston Manor tube station. And when the Picc had finished for the day it was taking me 2 hours to get home.
The conditions don't lend themselves to enjoyment. Constant crowding, late running, no stand time, unhappy passengers, sitting in traffic in Southall etc. I can't see myself spending any more of my weekends doing this route in its present form. Doing the Hayes service was a lot less stressful but same issue with Southall garage.
Route difficulty rating - 2/3 (intermediate)
Enjoyability - 1/5 (very unenjoyable)
Next route review - Stockwell to Morden
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Post by 6HP502C on Dec 28, 2019 13:56:15 GMT
So I drove the Stockwell to Morden Northern Line replacement service.
The route
The service ran up to every 4 minutes during the day, calling at Stockwell, Clapham North, Clapham Common, Clapham South, Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon and Morden.
Very simple route following the N155 from end to end.
Loadings
The 155 was taking the brunt of the demand from Stockwell, despite having to take on passengers from Elephant, Kennington and Oval too. More resources were needed to keep people walking past the 155 bus stop to the replacement bus stop. The replacement buses didn't seem to be as busy as they should have been heading south, although I saw a small number with standing loads.
Running times
Very generous. 33-56 minutes were given but I was doing it in 21-28 minutes and standing for 40+ minutes during the day. With a bus every 4 minutes, stand space was at a premium to put it lightly! However it worked itself out from my perspective.
Despite the long stand times on offer I found leaders were leaving on my time. I also left on my time and consequently had a few empty trips and overtook a few buses over the course of the day.
Vehicle Choice
Mix of QB E400s and hybrids. LTs were out but luckily I wasn't allocated one. I know hybrid and electric buses are the future but I can't see myself hanging about once the Euro 4 and 5 E400s go.
Summary
Nice, simple job. Bus stops clearly marked and no drama.
Route difficulty rating - 1/3 (easy)
Enjoyability - 4/5 (fairly enjoyable)
Next route review - Baker Street to Wembley[/quote]
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Post by galwhv69 on Dec 28, 2019 18:49:04 GMT
So I drove the Stockwell to Morden Northern Line replacement service. The routeThe service ran up to every 4 minutes during the day, calling at Stockwell, Clapham North, Clapham Common, Clapham South, Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon and Morden. Very simple route following the N155 from end to end. LoadingsThe 155 was taking the brunt of the demand from Stockwell, despite having to take on passengers from Elephant, Kennington and Oval too. More resources were needed to keep people walking past the 155 bus stop to the replacement bus stop. The replacement buses didn't seem to be as busy as they should have been heading south, although I saw a small number with standing loads. Running timesVery generous. 33-56 minutes were given but I was doing it in 21-28 minutes and standing for 40+ minutes during the day. With a bus every 4 minutes, stand space was at a premium to put it lightly! However it worked itself out from my perspective. Despite the long stand times on offer I found leaders were leaving on my time. I also left on my time and consequently had a few empty trips and overtook a few buses over the course of the day. Vehicle ChoiceMix of QB E400s and hybrids. LTs were out but luckily I wasn't allocated one. I know hybrid and electric buses are the future but I can't see myself hanging about once the Euro 4 and 5 E400s go. SummaryNice, simple job. Bus stops clearly marked and no drama. Route difficulty rating - 1/3 (easy) Enjoyability - 4/5 (fairly enjoyable) Next route review - Baker Street to Wembley [/quote] Really like that route, straightforward but useful. You mentioned that buses weren't that busy, which suprised me as back when this route was last on (with the Gem 1's) the rail rep buses and the 155 were packed and were leaving people behind at each stop. (Also people were having to stand on the upper deck on each bus, slightly naughty, I know )
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Post by 6HP502C on Dec 29, 2019 2:40:58 GMT
Really like that route, straightforward but useful. You mentioned that buses weren't that busy, which suprised me as back when this route was last on (with the Gem 1's) the rail rep buses and the 155 were packed and were leaving people behind at each stop. (Also people were having to stand on the upper deck on each bus, slightly naughty, I know ) Yes, I remember that weekend ( and wrote some notes on it!). The A23 corridor is a lot busier on a normal weekend and its smooth operation is heavily reliant on a good service operating on the Northern Line. If it closes on a normal weekend the chaos you recall will likely return, but these days TfL don't often close the Tube lines on weekends. Boxing Day was very quiet.
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Post by Hassaan on Dec 29, 2019 9:53:56 GMT
So I drove the Ealing Broadway to Slough Elizabeth Line rail route. New contract and I believe the first instance of TfL operating the replacement service on this line instead of First. The routex30 Ealing Broadway to Slough - single deckers x30 Ealing Broadway to Hayes and Harlington - double deckers The stops were Ealing Broadway, Southall, Hayes and Harlington, West Drayton, Langley and Slough From Ealing Broadway, it was via the Uxbridge Road and South Road to Southall Station, spin around at the roundabout and back onto the Uxbridge Road as far as Hayes Grapes, then via the 140 along Coldharbour Lane to Hayes station. Then via the U4 to Station Road then Shepiston Lane and Cherry Lane,following the 222 into West Drayton, where the service runs into the forecourt. Then back down Station Road and Harmondsworth Road to follow the U3 through Harmondsworth Village to the A4 Colnbrook By-Pass. Then along the A4 as far as Sutton Lane, then Parlaunt Road, Langley High Street, under the 12'6" bridge on Station Road to serve the station. Finally, back via Station Road, Langley Road and London Road to Slough, setting down and picking up in the station car park. A few comments on the routing. We did this service for First Great Western a couple of years ago. Southall to Hayes was a nice, direct route via Southall Green and North Hyde Road which took about 8-15 minutes during the day. This is what the 195 does and there is a bus friendly roundabout just north of Hayes station to facilitate this. TfL's preference is to route the buses via Southall Broadway which seemed to take 30+ minutes as standard during the day - and having to negotiate the narrow roads in Hayes Town too. Both of these town centres are dominated by cars that clog the place up whilst scrambling in and out of parking spaces and would, in my opinion, be better off avoided if possible. West Drayton to Langley - previously we went via Cherry Lane and the M4 between Junctions 6 and 7. The specified route via Colnbrook carries a time penalty of about 8 minutes each way. West Ealing and Hanwell were unserved. I think the decision to structure the service to pass through these areas without stopping is controversial. Anyone travelling to/from the west to these stations is given a hard time as local buses don't connect with the replacement service. I had a passenger get on at West Drayton asking how to get to Hanwell and I couldn't even offer a direct route to connect from Southall station. I think a better service could be provided for people making these journeys. The 607 was very busy. Iver was served by way of a single deck shuttle service from Slough. There was also a Slough to Hillingdon service for faster journey opportunities to/from London. The signposts were very good - clear and well placed. No wrong turns on my part. The stations that were served were served very well - all outside the station entrance. LoadingsFor several hours many of the single deck buses were severely overloaded with people crowded off the Slough service at Ealing Broadway and at stops mid route. The double decks were coping ok. Running timesThe Hayes service was reportedly running ok in terms of leaving each end on time - it had adequate recovery time. The Slough service...during the day I was losing a good 20-25 minutes each way and the recovery time did not cover that. Mad scramble for stand space in Ealing Broadway - it's just as well this route had negative recovery times as it meant buses were in and out of Haven Green. Vehicle ChoiceNo choice. I was ordered to take an 8.9m Enviro200 MMC from the garage and later had a 10.2m E200. Abellio put out a few 8.9m buses. Slightly longer 8343 was loaned from Walworth and some 10.2m and 10.9m buses were out. SummaryI would be very happy NOT to work on this route again. The main problem is the location of Southall Garage - the accessibility for those of us using public transport is very poor. I found myself shelling out for Ubers between the garage and Boston Manor tube station. And when the Picc had finished for the day it was taking me 2 hours to get home. The conditions don't lend themselves to enjoyment. Constant crowding, late running, no stand time, unhappy passengers, sitting in traffic in Southall etc. I can't see myself spending any more of my weekends doing this route in its present form. Doing the Hayes service was a lot less stressful but same issue with Southall garage. Route difficulty rating - 2/3 (intermediate) Enjoyability - 1/5 (very unenjoyable) Next route review - Stockwell to Morden On Christmas Eve there was significantly more traffic approaching Bulls Bridge from both directions (especially Western Road), compared to the route it took via Southall Broadway. London United were aggressive with their controlling by curtailing many 105s away from that area to keep a service at both ends, including my on-time bus being terminated at Southall Town Hall from Greenford to then run light further down the route via The Broadway and A312. One 482 I saw was almost an hour late by the time it got terminated at Hatton Cross! The frequency of the service should have been much higher, at least between Ealing Broadway and Hayes & Harlington. The train provides 8tph between the two (of which 6tph call at Southall) and they're always busy on this section. Replacing it with just 4bph was never going to work, especially with the Slough service being single deckers. I have no doubt that many people for West Drayton, Langley and Slough, who had no choice but to use the single deckers, got left behind because the bus was filled by Southall and Hayes & Harlington passengers . For buses from Southall to Hanwell, there is the 195.
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Post by wirewiper on Dec 29, 2019 10:08:44 GMT
So I drove the Ealing Broadway to Slough Elizabeth Line rail route. New contract and I believe the first instance of TfL operating the replacement service on this line instead of First. The routex30 Ealing Broadway to Slough - single deckers x30 Ealing Broadway to Hayes and Harlington - double deckers The stops were Ealing Broadway, Southall, Hayes and Harlington, West Drayton, Langley and Slough From Ealing Broadway, it was via the Uxbridge Road and South Road to Southall Station, spin around at the roundabout and back onto the Uxbridge Road as far as Hayes Grapes, then via the 140 along Coldharbour Lane to Hayes station. Then via the U4 to Station Road then Shepiston Lane and Cherry Lane,following the 222 into West Drayton, where the service runs into the forecourt. Then back down Station Road and Harmondsworth Road to follow the U3 through Harmondsworth Village to the A4 Colnbrook By-Pass. Then along the A4 as far as Sutton Lane, then Parlaunt Road, Langley High Street, under the 12'6" bridge on Station Road to serve the station. Finally, back via Station Road, Langley Road and London Road to Slough, setting down and picking up in the station car park. A few comments on the routing. We did this service for First Great Western a couple of years ago. Southall to Hayes was a nice, direct route via Southall Green and North Hyde Road which took about 8-15 minutes during the day. This is what the 195 does and there is a bus friendly roundabout just north of Hayes station to facilitate this. TfL's preference is to route the buses via Southall Broadway which seemed to take 30+ minutes as standard during the day - and having to negotiate the narrow roads in Hayes Town too. Both of these town centres are dominated by cars that clog the place up whilst scrambling in and out of parking spaces and would, in my opinion, be better off avoided if possible. West Drayton to Langley - previously we went via Cherry Lane and the M4 between Junctions 6 and 7. The specified route via Colnbrook carries a time penalty of about 8 minutes each way. West Ealing and Hanwell were unserved. I think the decision to structure the service to pass through these areas without stopping is controversial. Anyone travelling to/from the west to these stations is given a hard time as local buses don't connect with the replacement service. I had a passenger get on at West Drayton asking how to get to Hanwell and I couldn't even offer a direct route to connect from Southall station. I think a better service could be provided for people making these journeys. The 607 was very busy. Iver was served by way of a single deck shuttle service from Slough. There was also a Slough to Hillingdon service for faster journey opportunities to/from London. The signposts were very good - clear and well placed. No wrong turns on my part. The stations that were served were served very well - all outside the station entrance. LoadingsFor several hours many of the single deck buses were severely overloaded with people crowded off the Slough service at Ealing Broadway and at stops mid route. The double decks were coping ok. Running timesThe Hayes service was reportedly running ok in terms of leaving each end on time - it had adequate recovery time. The Slough service...during the day I was losing a good 20-25 minutes each way and the recovery time did not cover that. Mad scramble for stand space in Ealing Broadway - it's just as well this route had negative recovery times as it meant buses were in and out of Haven Green. Vehicle ChoiceNo choice. I was ordered to take an 8.9m Enviro200 MMC from the garage and later had a 10.2m E200. Abellio put out a few 8.9m buses. Slightly longer 8343 was loaned from Walworth and some 10.2m and 10.9m buses were out. SummaryI would be very happy NOT to work on this route again. The main problem is the location of Southall Garage - the accessibility for those of us using public transport is very poor. I found myself shelling out for Ubers between the garage and Boston Manor tube station. And when the Picc had finished for the day it was taking me 2 hours to get home. The conditions don't lend themselves to enjoyment. Constant crowding, late running, no stand time, unhappy passengers, sitting in traffic in Southall etc. I can't see myself spending any more of my weekends doing this route in its present form. Doing the Hayes service was a lot less stressful but same issue with Southall garage. Route difficulty rating - 2/3 (intermediate) Enjoyability - 1/5 (very unenjoyable) Next route review - Stockwell to Morden On Christmas Eve there was significantly more traffic approaching Bulls Bridge from both directions (especially Western Road), compared to the route it took via Southall Broadway. London United were aggressive with their controlling by curtailing many 105s away from that area to keep a service at both ends, including my on-time bus being terminated at Southall Town Hall from Greenford to then run light further down the route via The Broadway and A312. One 482 I saw was almost an hour late by the time it got terminated at Hatton Cross! The frequency of the service should have been much higher, at least between Ealing Broadway and Hayes & Harlington. The train provides 8tph between the two (of which 6tph call at Southall) and they're always busy on this section. Replacing it with just 4bph was never going to work, especially with the Slough service being single deckers. I have no doubt that many people for West Drayton, Langley and Slough, who had no choice but to use the single deckers, got left behind because the bus was filled by Southall and Hayes & Harlington passengers . For buses from Southall to Hanwell, there is the 195. This has been the service pattern on previous occasions when Slough-Paddington is blocked. People from further out are encouraged to use other routes where possible, including SWR between Reading and London Waterloo and Chiltern Railways between Oxford and London Marylebone. Rail replacement buses also run from Slough to Hillingdon (as has been mentioned) and from Maidenhead and Marlow to High Wycombe to connect with Chiltern Railways. Ticket acceptance is also in place on many local bus routes in the affected areas. The Slough service is restricted to single deck because of the low bridge at Langley. I think it would be better to operate Slough-Langley-West Drayton as a self-contained shuttle and a 4bph (or better) service between West Drayton and Ealing Broadway using double-decks.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2019 18:27:56 GMT
On Christmas Eve there was significantly more traffic approaching Bulls Bridge from both directions (especially Western Road), compared to the route it took via Southall Broadway. London United were aggressive with their controlling by curtailing many 105s away from that area to keep a service at both ends, including my on-time bus being terminated at Southall Town Hall from Greenford to then run light further down the route via The Broadway and A312. One 482 I saw was almost an hour late by the time it got terminated at Hatton Cross! The frequency of the service should have been much higher, at least between Ealing Broadway and Hayes & Harlington. The train provides 8tph between the two (of which 6tph call at Southall) and they're always busy on this section. Replacing it with just 4bph was never going to work, especially with the Slough service being single deckers. I have no doubt that many people for West Drayton, Langley and Slough, who had no choice but to use the single deckers, got left behind because the bus was filled by Southall and Hayes & Harlington passengers . For buses from Southall to Hanwell, there is the 195. This has been the service pattern on previous occasions when Slough-Paddington is blocked. People from further out are encouraged to use other routes where possible, including SWR between Reading and London Waterloo and Chiltern Railways between Oxford and London Marylebone. Rail replacement buses also run from Slough to Hillingdon (as has been mentioned) and from Maidenhead and Marlow to High Wycombe to connect with Chiltern Railways. Ticket acceptance is also in place on many local bus routes in the affected areas. The Slough service is restricted to single deck because of the low bridge at Langley. I think it would be better to operate Slough-Langley-West Drayton as a self-contained shuttle and a 4bph (or better) service between West Drayton and Ealing Broadway using double-decks. I recall London United running these services. It was Hayes to Slough using single decks via West Drayton etc, then double decks Slough to Reading. All seemed fine. Although I think trains were shuttling Hayes to Paddington.
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