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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 31, 2013 18:15:34 GMT
I have been using south eastern now for 7 years. Totally agree about evening and Sunday services, not only are they infrequent, the are often only 4 carriages. There needs to be a standard 8 car format every day on the metro services. They tried to push Kent commuters onto the mega expensive high speed services, and in doing so cut in half the semi fast route Faversham to Victoria, There has been some improvements, like the 0035 Victoria service stopping at more stations and getting extended from Swanley to Gillingham. I would like to see a standard x15 service daily Gravesend to Charing cross via Woolwich / Sidcup , running all day up ,to close of business, Earlier trains on Sunday's for shift workers, which there are many in this region, Worst is the service at Crofton Park/Catford/Bellingham, three of a handful of stations in Zone 3 to get 2tph each way. To be fair, Catford is next door to Catford Bridge which has 4tph (alas uneven between services) and Crofton Park is close to Brockley and Honor Oak Park with 12tph, although that line should have 4tph at least.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 11, 2013 16:37:12 GMT
Yes, I seem to recall the 166 going all the way to Beckenham via village way which is now covered by the 367. As a youngster, I remember some of the prefix routes like the 171A and the 22A/B. The 171 and 171A were completely different routes? Same with the 22 and 22A/B You have just reminded me of the Saturdays service 185A, which ran with the 185 from Lewisham to Camberwell Green then branched off up Walworth Road to Elephant and Castle. Yes, from what I recall, it operated out of Q along with the 185. Sunday to Friday Route 185 was operated from TL. Route 185A was designed to add extra buses between Camberwell and Forest Hill as the 176 didn't operate past East Dulwich on Saturdays and to add extra capacity to the 185 to Lewisham.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 10, 2013 18:42:15 GMT
Without the GLA, we wouldn't have seen discounted travel for certain adult groups, the free bus travel for those under 19 in full time education and even Boris introducing Oyster 60+ for those who don't meet the age requirements for the Freedom Pass.
London Overground has transformed the former Silverlink Metro service and the East London line.
Yes, there have been at least one vanity project from each mayor, Ken with the Arctics and Boris with NBfL, but at least we have elected politicians who take an active interest in our transport system. The direct funding from government was terrible for London.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 10, 2013 15:00:13 GMT
I remember two buses per hour on the main routes in my area on Sundays, which have steadily increased to at least five buses per hour.
There are still some single decker routes which have a PVR of 4, such as the P13 and 356, but with much earlier starts.
Boxing Day until more recently used to have at least two buses per hour and special routes, some extended to cover other routes, but is now the standard Sunday timetable with a late start (except for Heathrow routes).
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 6, 2013 17:40:19 GMT
You wouldn't think that Southern and Southeastern have the same parent company considering the contrast in customer service and train services. Some things have improved since GoVia took over the franchise from public hands, such as at least 6tph off-peak on the Greenwich line and 8tph at Abbey Wood, Woolwich Arsenal and Charlton. Yet it drops in the evening and only 2tph all day on Sunday. Even if TfL had have taken over, I suspect it'd be evenings and weekends where they could've make improvements. They have an opportunity to respond favourably to proposals for their franchise extension - let's see if they do so. The one extra train from Victoria to Barnehurst (Dartford from December) is a start. The old franchise I don't think took into consideration the increase in patronage off-peak, which in neighbouring TOC's has increased dramatically. Compare Sydenham with Lower Sydenham on a Sunday afternoon. Sydenham has 12tph, Lower Sydenham 2tph.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 6, 2013 15:49:23 GMT
I hope that some of the Travelwatch recommendations are acted on. I doubt they will be, but I live in hope. The biggest drawback to Southeastern Trains at the moment is a perception that the company couldn't care less about its passengers. It has much to do to revise that perception. You wouldn't think that Southern and Southeastern have the same parent company considering the contrast in customer service and train services. Some things have improved since GoVia took over the franchise from public hands, such as at least 6tph off-peak on the Greenwich line and 8tph at Abbey Wood, Woolwich Arsenal and Charlton. Yet it drops in the evening and only 2tph all day on Sunday. Even if TfL had have taken over, I suspect it'd be evenings and weekends where they could've make improvements.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 4, 2013 18:50:49 GMT
I already saw a comment on the Evening Standard's page blaming Boris and wanting the arctics back. Thanks, but no thanks.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 3, 2013 17:36:43 GMT
This franchise by now should have been moved to TfL, yet a politically motivated decision by the DfT on behalf of Kent County Council and Tory MP's had unwarranted fears about rail paths being lost to Londoners.
The current situation on Southeastern where services drop to 2tph on during evenings and Sundays is woeful, along with the poor Victoria to Dartford service (which recently got an extension of ONE extra train per day) needs to be addressed. When London Overground and Southern can come up with something that resembles a metro train service on Sundays, SET comes over as a TOC who'll stick to the letter of the franchise and not for it's passengers in London.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 3, 2013 17:25:08 GMT
Sydenham School appears to have staggered leaving times and even got TfL to move the 122 bus stop slightly up the road to segregate the pupils travelling towards Lewisham away from those using the 176 and 197 towards Dulwich. Teachers or support staff supervise the boarding on each bus.
Route 122 also has an afternoon school service which starts from the school which has taken some pressure off the normal 122's from Crystal Palace.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 3, 2013 17:17:46 GMT
The option to pay cashless debit card should be displayed on every vehicle in London on the protective screen. They certainly are on the local Arriva/Go Ahead/Stagecoach routes in my area.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 1, 2013 20:40:44 GMT
While I completely understand your point I can't see the policy changing. Schools don't have vast budgets for discretionary spend these days (from what I understand) plus TfL's pricing policy positively encourages use of the bus and tube network at off peak times. There are also special discounts for school group travel. TfL school ticketsMy secondary school didn't even have the funds during the good years lol. When I was at school, we tended to use rail and the Tube for the educational trips. For recreational, during the days of ILEA, they utilised the school buses for special needs kids. Horniman Museum is near to me, so seeing school parties on public transport is nothing new, which has increased since London Overground's East London line was extended, alongside the local schools who use the routes I use. If Countdown is stuck at 3 mins at my local stop, I know it's down to 50 kids boarding at the museum!
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Oct 1, 2013 17:42:47 GMT
It's become more common in recent years for schools to use buses to ferry children on day trips around town instead of hiring private charted buses/coaches. However at 3pm, I saw a class of around 40 kids alongside the teaching staff boarding an already busy single decker 484 at East Dulwich station towards Lewisham which as you can imagine would be busy with shoppers and parents picking up the children from school.
While it's common sense to use underused buses, especially double decker routes to transport school children on day trips during the school day, there has to be a cut off point, especially on single decker routes?
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Sept 30, 2013 20:19:50 GMT
Reading London Travelwatch's reply, I agree that the Tramlink TVM's need to be upgraded and an increase of Oyster Ticket Stop agents in Surrey, although I don't know of any TfL routes in Merstham. Redhill does have Oyster Ticket Stops, including at the Bus Station for the 405 bus route.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Sept 29, 2013 17:59:07 GMT
10.4m/Gemini 2 2D, B5L/Eclipse Gemini 2D - Route 12
Trident 9.9m/Enviro400 2D - Route 40
10.6m/ALX400 2D DB250LF 10.2m/ALX400 2D Trident 9.9m/Enviro400 2D§ - Route 176
10m/President 2D B7TL 10.6m/Eclipse Gemini 2D - Route 185
DB250LF/Pulsar Gemini 2D Trident 9.9m/Enviro400 2D§ - Route 197
10m/President 2D Trident 9.9m/Enviro400 2D§ B9TL 10.4m/Gemini 2 2D§ - Route 363
Dart SLF 10.2m/Pointer 2D - Route P4
Dart SLF 8.8m/Pointer 1D - Route P13.
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Post by overgroundcommuter on Sept 25, 2013 11:23:46 GMT
Going back to the P area routes, there was also the P14 which became the 395.
All of the P routes join up with another P route along part of the route.
Route P4 runs alongside the P12 in Honor Oak Park, P13 alongside the P12 in Peckham and P4 in Dulwich and the P4 and P5 in Brixton.
Route 484 I think is a combination of the old L1 (Lewisham) and the original 184.
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