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Post by snoggle on Jun 17, 2016 11:45:39 GMT
The old TfL consultation machine has churned out another new consultation. This time it is rerouting and a new terminus at Barking Riverside for the EL1 / 387. The 387 would be renumbered as EL3, be diverted in Barking Town Centre via the EL1/EL2 route and also increased to x10 M-F. consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/el1-387( amazed I managed to post a consultation before routew15 )
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Post by routew15 on Jun 17, 2016 12:11:05 GMT
The old TfL consultation machine has churned out another new consultation. This time it is rerouting and a new terminus at Barking Riverside for the EL1 / 387. The 387 would be renumbered as EL3, be diverted in Barking Town Centre via the EL1/EL2 route and also increased to x10 M-F. consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/el1-387( amazed I managed to post a consultation before routew15 )d*mn! Last time i go for a late lunch EDIT:. Back on topic: I still have not travelled on the current routing! So that's must do. But I think they should leave it alone this routing has only been in place for a short amount of time, on top of the El2 which has just changed. Also why can't a school bus be introduced? why do two major routes need to be extended there?
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Jun 17, 2016 15:07:04 GMT
Been waiting for this one Nothing too major, I'm not too keen about route EL3 also cutting through Barking Town Centre as there have been many near misses on that road and just adding another route will make the situation worse. It is nice to see that the link into Goodmayes is still retained however I am quite surprised that the route isn't continuing any further into Dagenham Dock which if I remember was actually the plan. EDIT: while in the middle of writing up my response TfL took the page down claiming they're updating it ANOTHER EDIT : TfL have put up the proposed frequency for route EL3, the service would run every 10 minutes from the currently every 12 minutes offered by route 387.
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Post by routew15 on Jun 17, 2016 16:46:20 GMT
Been waiting for this one Nothing too major, I'm not too keen about route EL3 also cutting through Barking Town Centre as there have been many near misses on that road and just adding another route will make the situation worse. It is nice to see that the link into Goodmayes is still retained however I am quite surprised that the route isn't continuing any further into Dagenham Dock which if I remember was actually the plan. EDIT: while in the middle of writing up my response TfL took the page down claiming they're updating it ANOTHER EDIT : TfL have put up the proposed frequency for route EL3, the service would run every 10 minutes from the currently every 12 minutes offered by route 387. This section of the EL3 came across my mind after working out the route will use it but not for the same reason you mention above pollution may become a topic that crops up. I wonder how many routes or buses will be pumped through there.. Could a limit/cap will be placed? The ELT is definitely one to watch especially on tendering will the route be won as a group or as (semi-)separately as existing. (I'd not gripe at an Arriva win with E400H City) I
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Jun 17, 2016 17:38:10 GMT
Been waiting for this one Nothing too major, I'm not too keen about route EL3 also cutting through Barking Town Centre as there have been many near misses on that road and just adding another route will make the situation worse. It is nice to see that the link into Goodmayes is still retained however I am quite surprised that the route isn't continuing any further into Dagenham Dock which if I remember was actually the plan. EDIT: while in the middle of writing up my response TfL took the page down claiming they're updating it ANOTHER EDIT : TfL have put up the proposed frequency for route EL3, the service would run every 10 minutes from the currently every 12 minutes offered by route 387. This section of the EL3 came across my mind after working out the route will use it but not for the same reason you mention above pollution may become a topic that crops up. I wonder how many routes or buses will be pumped through there.. Could a limit/cap will be placed? The ELT is definitely one to watch especially on tendering will the route be won as a group or as (semi-)separately as existing. (I'd not gripe at an Arriva win with E400H City) I Can't rule out BK as well, with the EL2 now passing and EL3 going to pass, EL1 is barely off route as well. But I wouldn't be upset with a GAL retain, they do quite a good job at the route whoever every other route at BE is quite questionable.
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Post by ThinLizzy on Jun 17, 2016 20:21:16 GMT
This section of the EL3 came across my mind after working out the route will use it but not for the same reason you mention above pollution may become a topic that crops up. I wonder how many routes or buses will be pumped through there.. Could a limit/cap will be placed? The ELT is definitely one to watch especially on tendering will the route be won as a group or as (semi-)separately as existing. (I'd not gripe at an Arriva win with E400H City) I Can't rule out BK as well, with the EL2 now passing and EL3 going to pass, EL1 is barely off route as well. But I wouldn't be upset with a GAL retain, they do quite a good job at the route whoever every other route at BE is quite questionable. They do an OK job, a lot of the WVLs sound absolutely knackered- in fact one struggled to get up the hill at Barking Station the other morning, whilst the original B9s make some rather unhappy noises. I wouldn't say no to an Arriva win, there's a marked difference in their operation on the 368 in terms of vehicle and particularly driver appearance compared with the Go Ahead operation
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Post by snoggle on Jun 17, 2016 20:35:12 GMT
Can't rule out BK as well, with the EL2 now passing and EL3 going to pass, EL1 is barely off route as well. But I wouldn't be upset with a GAL retain, they do quite a good job at the route whoever every other route at BE is quite questionable. They do an OK job, a lot of the WVLs sound absolutely knackered- in fact one struggled to get up the hill at Barking Station the other morning, whilst the original B9s make some rather unhappy noises. I wouldn't say no to an Arriva win, there's a marked difference in their operation on the 368 in terms of vehicle and particularly driver appearance compared with the Go Ahead operationDX does seem to be a little jewel in Arriva's London crown. Buses are usually smartly turned out and they seem to do a reasonable job with their routes.
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Post by ThinLizzy on Jun 17, 2016 21:14:55 GMT
They do an OK job, a lot of the WVLs sound absolutely knackered- in fact one struggled to get up the hill at Barking Station the other morning, whilst the original B9s make some rather unhappy noises. I wouldn't say no to an Arriva win, there's a marked difference in their operation on the 368 in terms of vehicle and particularly driver appearance compared with the Go Ahead operation DX does seem to be a little jewel in Arriva's London crown. Buses are usually smartly turned out and they seem to do a reasonable job with their routes. Couldn't agree more, must be the influence of Grey Green still running through the management of the depot.
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Post by vjaska on Jun 18, 2016 0:38:12 GMT
DX does seem to be a little jewel in Arriva's London crown. Buses are usually smartly turned out and they seem to do a reasonable job with their routes. Couldn't agree more, must be the influence of Grey Green still running through the management of the depot. DX do seem to be a well run operation - down south, I'd say our DX would be N - vehicles are looked after quite well and bar the 417 (TBH, the 417's reliability is not all Arriva's fault), the routes are run well from experience. They've always been a firm favourite of mine as they operated the last L's in London which were sadly run down by the plethora of vandals that plagued the southern sections of Lambeth & the northern sections of Croydon.
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Post by enviroPB on Jun 18, 2016 3:36:18 GMT
Ahhh it's time! At the start of May when I was searching for River Road's garage, had a lovely chat to a 387 driver on a whole manner of topics, bus related of course Anyways I've waited this long to not sound like a looney, but here goes: -the driver expressed concerns about the 387 being retained with BK. This is with its 11reg Enviro400s and spare deckers; not least new MMCs that were being delivered at the time of the conversation -sometime in the near future, the EL3 will be extended to Marks Gate; and routes 296 & 396 will be restructured to give a "more regular service" to Ilford Broadway. Now call me crazy all you want; but I knew about the consultation changes before it came to air. Ridicule my source if you want, but the bus driver was really friendly and though I prodded him initially, he was more than happy to give me insider info and then some! He figured he let too much slip though; so when I started to ask questions relating to Marks Gate changes with the EL3, he kicked me off the bus!! To be fair though I was meant to get off 3 stops prior but the gossip was too good haha
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Post by snowman on Jun 18, 2016 7:05:18 GMT
The old TfL consultation machine has churned out another new consultation. This time it is rerouting and a new terminus at Barking Riverside for the EL1 / 387. The 387 would be renumbered as EL3, be diverted in Barking Town Centre via the EL1/EL2 route and also increased to x10 M-F. consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/el1-387( amazed I managed to post a consultation before routew15 ) Another one of TfLs silly timed consultations Issue specs for tender Feb, request tender bids Mar, announce tender results June, consultation closes Aug Oh look, forgot to mention on consultation page that it is a done deal as we will have signed the contracts before it closes.
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Post by routew15 on Jun 18, 2016 7:27:34 GMT
Ahhh it's time! At the start of May when I was searching for River Road's garage, had a lovely chat to a 387 driver on a whole manner of topics, bus related of course Anyways I've waited this long to not sound like a looney, but here goes: -the driver expressed concerns about the 387 being retained with BK. This is with its 11reg Enviro400s and spare deckers; not least new MMCs that were being delivered at the time of the conversation -sometime in the near future, the EL3 will be extended to Marks Gate; and routes 296 & 396 will be restructured to give a "more regular service" to Ilford Broadway.Now call me crazy all you want; but I knew about the consultation changes before it came to air. Ridicule my source if you want, but the bus driver was really friendly and though I prodded him initially, he was more than happy to give me insider info and then some! He figured he let too much slip though; so when I started to ask questions relating to Marks Gate changes with the EL3, he kicked me off the bus!! To be fair though I was meant to get off 3 stops prior but the gossip was too good haha I think the EL3 would be to long and need more bus priority along the way to keep it reliable. I'd think these would be proposed alongside Crossrail area changes, Because there is no way the 362 could still exist after that extension.
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Post by ThinLizzy on Jun 18, 2016 10:08:04 GMT
This is pure speculation on my part, but it could be the EL3 contract will be separate from the EL1/2 contracts so it the "re-numbered" and polished 387 could be run by DX, BK or RR.
*here comes a rant* The whole EL network is just renumbered versions of other routes anyway and isnt anything that special apart from a committee designed livery, that loses its effect when the current operator plastered the branding over dents on recently transfered vehicles- they didn't even take the SW codes off one they branded.
If it was special, the buses would be kept clean and in better condition. The EL1 is the 369 and the EL2 is now a slightly extended version of the old pre-1991 peak hour 87 that used to run down to Creekmouth.
The network doesn't serve anywhere useful either, missing out half of Barking Town Centre and in Ilford terminates nowhere near anything useful. More useful links would be to Dagenham Asda, Beckton to link with the DLR (I'm biased but it's a nicer journey into the city) or even Romford. *rant over*
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Post by thesquirrels on Jun 18, 2016 10:37:30 GMT
This is pure speculation on my part, but it could be the EL3 contract will be separate from the EL1/2 contracts so it the "re-numbered" and polished 387 could be run by DX, BK or RR. *here comes a rant* The whole EL network is just renumbered versions of other routes anyway and isnt anything that special apart from a committee designed livery, that loses its effect when the current operator plastered the branding over dents on recently transfered vehicles- they didn't even take the SW codes off one they branded. If it was special, the buses would be kept clean and in better condition. The EL1 is the 369 and the EL2 is now a slightly extended version of the old pre-1991 peak hour 87 that used to run down to Creekmouth. The network doesn't serve anywhere useful either, missing out half of Barking Town Centre and in Ilford terminates nowhere near anything useful. More useful links would be to Dagenham Asda, Beckton to link with the DLR (I'm biased but it's a nicer journey into the city) or even Romford. *rant over* I think a decent link from Barking into the DLR at Beckton isn't a bad idea at all, especially for connections to Canary Wharf and South London - the 366 does perform the function (Gallions Reach being the best connection from Barking but it can be a painfully slow process. There is also the ASDA across the road which would serve as an alternative to the Dagenham store although there is a branch in Vicarage Fields right in Barking Town Centre, though it isn't one of their bigger stores and can be a ballache to use (see also: Morrisons in Wood Green. If you know..) The question to consider is how you could tweak the current routes to link it in. I'd be open to having a bus run fast from the Barking Roundabout down the 406 to the A13, then as route 173 into Beckton. Conversely, the areas which I think would benefit from it most - the Barking Riverside area and Thames View Estate (the Ilford Lane end of the EL1/2 routes do have the 366 already fairly close by), would still have a fairly slow slog in via Barking - changing at the A13 to a 173 would probably be faster. Perhaps once the density of housing development around Barking Riverside has grown sufficiently then an ELT service straight from D.Dock/Barking Riverside via Thames View and the A13, missing Barking altogether and running straight into Beckton ASDA could be justified. I'm not sure we're at that point yet though - perversely, the lack of a 'proper' built transport link is placing a stranglehold on the ability for the housing around there to expand any further. That would originally have been the DLR extension in any case! EDIT: thinking further, I'd start a route tomorrow performing a DD/TVE/BR - Beckton direct function, heading into Beckton via the 173 then running on to Gallions Reach and the Woolwich Ferry, on a x15-20 headway with single decks. But throwing a x10-12 ELT-branded DD service onto such a route now would be a waste of resources.
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Post by ThinLizzy on Jun 18, 2016 10:48:35 GMT
This is pure speculation on my part, but it could be the EL3 contract will be separate from the EL1/2 contracts so it the "re-numbered" and polished 387 could be run by DX, BK or RR. *here comes a rant* The whole EL network is just renumbered versions of other routes anyway and isnt anything that special apart from a committee designed livery, that loses its effect when the current operator plastered the branding over dents on recently transfered vehicles- they didn't even take the SW codes off one they branded. If it was special, the buses would be kept clean and in better condition. The EL1 is the 369 and the EL2 is now a slightly extended version of the old pre-1991 peak hour 87 that used to run down to Creekmouth. The network doesn't serve anywhere useful either, missing out half of Barking Town Centre and in Ilford terminates nowhere near anything useful. More useful links would be to Dagenham Asda, Beckton to link with the DLR (I'm biased but it's a nicer journey into the city) or even Romford. *rant over* I think a decent link from Barking into the DLR at Beckton isn't a bad idea at all, especially for connections to Canary Wharf and South London - the 366 does perform the function (Gallions Reach being the best connection from Barking but it can be a painfully slow process. There is also the ASDA across the road which would serve as an alternative to the Dagenham store although there is a branch in Vicarage Fields right in Barking Town Centre, though it isn't one of their bigger stores and can be a ballache to use (see also: Morrisons in Wood Green. If you know..) The question to consider is how you could tweak the current routes to link it in. I'd be open to having a bus run fast from the Barking Roundabout down the 406 to the A13, then as route 173 into Beckton. Conversely, the areas which I think would benefit from it most - the Barking Riverside area and Thames View Estate (the Ilford Lane end of the EL1/2 routes do have the 366 already fairly close by), would still have a fairly slow slog in via Barking - changing at the A13 to a 173 would probably be faster. Perhaps once the density of housing development around Barking Riverside has grown sufficiently then an ELT service straight from D.Dock/Barking Riverside via Thames View and the A13, missing Barking altogether and running straight into Beckton ASDA could be justified. I'm not sure we're at that point yet though - perversely, the lack of a 'proper' built transport link is placing a stranglehold on the ability for the housing around there to expand any further. That would originally have been the DLR extension in any case! That's very true, although the Dagenham Dock extension to the DLR is still "in the background" although a good bus link straight down the A13, even diverting to serve Beckton Sainsburys and Gallons Reach Shopping Park on route would be an alternative. The 366 is a really useful link, especially for me as it stops right outside Beckton depot! The Asda has moved out of Vicarage Fields, now and is on the corner of London Road/North Street but isn't much bigger than the old store, and is now a bit of a walk from the ELs. Perhaps they could keep the EL3 going via North Street, then divert it to serve the new Sainsburys on Abbey Road when that's built.
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