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Post by mkay315 on May 25, 2022 21:00:04 GMT
Something I forgot to mention yesterday. That was the first time since 2006 that I stood at Custom House station and it was not on a DLR platform. I was reminiscing on the Skeleton services Silverlink used to provide. (Believe me when I say those were some dark days 😂😂) and to think I was still a teenager when that part was open in the mid 2000s
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Post by YX10FFN on May 25, 2022 21:27:10 GMT
Something I forgot to mention yesterday. That was the first time since 2006 that I stood at Custom House station and it was not on a DLR platform. I was reminiscing on the Skeleton services Silverlink used to provide. (Believe me when I say those were some dark days 😂😂) and to think I was still a teenager when that part was open in the mid 2000s Limited memories I have of Silverlink (my first train memories were when I was around 5/6 so right before it ended) usually revolve around waiting on a platform for a train that never came or having to deal with extreme crowds onboard. It was a lazy, unreliable operation that did not suit the demand of the lines it served.
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Post by LondonNorthern on May 25, 2022 21:50:24 GMT
Something I forgot to mention yesterday. That was the first time since 2006 that I stood at Custom House station and it was not on a DLR platform. I was reminiscing on the Skeleton services Silverlink used to provide. (Believe me when I say those were some dark days 😂😂) and to think I was still a teenager when that part was open in the mid 2000s Limited memories I have of Silverlink (my first train memories were when I was around 5/6 so right before it ended) usually revolve around waiting on a platform for a train that never came or having to deal with extreme crowds onboard. It was a lazy, unreliable operation that did not suit the demand of the lines it served. I only remember using it maybe from 1999 to 2006 and my experiences of it were similar, I also found it a lousy service & there were major capacity issues between Highbury & Islington and Stratford, I assume why the 30/277 had to be bumped up to such high frequencies in the early & mid 00s. Of course with an improved Overground with an extra carriage now in 378s (from 4 to 5) this isn’t such an issue although it could be argued that the 30s frequency is slightly too low & of course the Overground has completely changed travel habits in East London, and has especially hit routes like the 30/38/56/73/242/277 quite hard with more people switching to the Overground, and as a result the LO is now starting to outgrow itself.
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Post by route53 on May 25, 2022 21:55:22 GMT
I haven’t ridden on the line yet But a colleague of mine who lives in Plumstead Common has used it today.
Her old journey was two buses to North Greenwich then Jubilee to Canada Water then Overground to Rotherhithe, more often than not she was delayed, she had to let at least three Jubilee line trains pass before she could board, not to mention traffic along the Woolwich Road to North Greenwich.
Her Journey today was bus to Woolwich, Lizzie line to Whitechapel then Overground to Rotherhithe, not only was her journey a lot easier but she was twenty five minutes early to work!
Another friend who lives in Belvedere and commutes to Denmark Hill via a change at Blackheath, usually misses out on a seat, yet this morning he witnessed loads of passengers getting off at Abbey Wood, and he was able to get a seat and what Plumstead passengers who did get on actually got off at Woolwich Arsenal and they were headed for Woolwich Crossrail, he did inform them that it would be easier bussing it from there but they seemed happy with their journey.
I always knew this would be the game changer line, the shift from the North Kent/Greenwich, Jubilee & DLR lines in this area would be massive.
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Post by mkay315 on May 26, 2022 2:30:20 GMT
Something I forgot to mention yesterday. That was the first time since 2006 that I stood at Custom House station and it was not on a DLR platform. I was reminiscing on the Skeleton services Silverlink used to provide. (Believe me when I say those were some dark days 😂😂) and to think I was still a teenager when that part was open in the mid 2000s Limited memories I have of Silverlink (my first train memories were when I was around 5/6 so right before it ended) usually revolve around waiting on a platform for a train that never came or having to deal with extreme crowds onboard. It was a lazy, unreliable operation that did not suit the demand of the lines it served. Exactly that. Also it was easy for some to have a free ride on it as there were hardly any barriers at the stations (apart from the main ones)
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Post by Paul on May 26, 2022 9:22:02 GMT
The thing I like about the Elizabeth Line? My TfL Bus Operator pass is valid on the entire line from Reading/Heathrow to Shenfield/Abbey Wood. I’m still one or two buses away from my nearest Elizabeth Line station but it’s good to know I can go quite far afield!
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Post by uakari on May 26, 2022 9:31:05 GMT
The thing I like about the Elizabeth Line? My TfL Bus Operator pass is valid on the entire line from Reading/Heathrow to Shenfield/Abbey Wood. I’m still one or two buses away from my nearest Elizabeth Line station but it’s good to know I can go quite far afield! What's a 'TfL bus operator pass' and does it have different validity from a Freedom Pass?
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Post by Paul on May 26, 2022 9:33:13 GMT
The thing I like about the Elizabeth Line? My TfL Bus Operator pass is valid on the entire line from Reading/Heathrow to Shenfield/Abbey Wood. I’m still one or two buses away from my nearest Elizabeth Line station but it’s good to know I can go quite far afield! What's a 'TfL bus operator pass' and does it have different validity from a Freedom Pass? A TfL Bus Operator Pass is the pass supplied to all bus drivers driving TfL services. I’m not sure if the validity is the same as that of a Freedom Pass but I very much doubt there’s much difference
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Post by Paul on May 26, 2022 9:35:32 GMT
The thing I like about the Elizabeth Line? My TfL Bus Operator pass is valid on the entire line from Reading/Heathrow to Shenfield/Abbey Wood. I’m still one or two buses away from my nearest Elizabeth Line station but it’s good to know I can go quite far afield! What's a 'TfL bus operator pass' and does it have different validity from a Freedom Pass? And further to that www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedom-pass/using-pass/crossrail-elizabeth-lineIt would appear it’s similar to Freedom Pass use on the buses; valid o the whole line after 9am and all day on weekends
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Post by Dstock7080 on May 26, 2022 10:28:20 GMT
It would appear it’s similar to Freedom Pass use on the buses; valid o the whole line after 9am and all day on weekends Bus Operator passes are valid at all times on TfL Buses, Underground, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth Line but are not valid on any other National Rail services.
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Post by Paul on May 26, 2022 11:45:40 GMT
It would appear it’s similar to Freedom Pass use on the buses; valid o the whole line after 9am and all day on weekends Bus Operator passes are valid at all times on TfL Buses, Underground, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth Line but are not valid on any other National Rail services. Precisely. I could use the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Reading with my pass but not the GWR service
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Post by joefrombow on May 26, 2022 11:47:41 GMT
Limited memories I have of Silverlink (my first train memories were when I was around 5/6 so right before it ended) usually revolve around waiting on a platform for a train that never came or having to deal with extreme crowds onboard. It was a lazy, unreliable operation that did not suit the demand of the lines it served. I only remember using it maybe from 1999 to 2006 and my experiences of it were similar, I also found it a lousy service & there were major capacity issues between Highbury & Islington and Stratford, I assume why the 30/277 had to be bumped up to such high frequencies in the early & mid 00s. Of course with an improved Overground with an extra carriage now in 378s (from 4 to 5) this isn’t such an issue although it could be argued that the 30s frequency is slightly too low & of course the Overground has completely changed travel habits in East London, and has especially hit routes like the 30/38/56/73/242/277 quite hard with more people switching to the Overground, and as a result the LO is now starting to outgrow itself. Extra 2 carriages on the Overground 😉 Elizabeth line passengers are very spoilt in comparison to the Silverlink days , A 3 car class 313 turning up usually late (if it at all ran) and packed to the rafters , shoddy platforms , no or little information and very clakety clack especially through the Connaught tunnel , it was quite an experience though especially the Stratford to North Woolwich section , sort of like a "run down" London kind of tour , the shubbery growing though the old rusty rails and the Tate & Lyle factory and the one platform never staffed shoddy Silverton & City Airport station good old days 💠can't believe it's been 15 years already time literally flies by ... One thing from the Silverlink days that should of been kept IMO on Elizabeth Line though was the platforms East (E) and West (W) for direction of travel instead of A & B Anyway back into 2022 for anyone interested in seeing where the Elizabeth trains are at any moment and the signal/tracks diagrams I found this helpful little website seems to cover most of UK very handy traksy.uk/live/M+63+BONDST
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Post by wirewiper on May 26, 2022 12:15:06 GMT
The North Woolwich line nearly died out in the late 1970s. When North Woolwich opened in the 1850s it had direct trains from Liverpool Street, which ran on a spur west of Stratford and served a separate station (Stratford Market) that was situated where the DLR's Stratford High Street Station is today. Later it was joined up the Seven Sisters-Alexandra Palace line running via Lea Bridge - an early orbital route if you like. By 1978 it had been reduced to a Stratford-North Woolwich shuttle with a two-car diesel unit shuttling back and forth. The line was single from Canning Town to North Woolwich, an economy measure partly dictated by the need to reinforce the Connaught Tunnel.
The line was proposed for withdrawal, but with the redevelopment of Docklands on the horizon the Greater London Council instead supported the extension of the service to Camden Road, which occurred in 1979 - stations at Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central and Hackney Wick were added in the early 1980s. They were very basic structures indeed, as were the rebuilt stations at Canning Town, Custom House, Silvertown and North Woolwich. The line received a further boost when it was electrified and the North London Line service to Broad Street was diverted to Stratford and on to North Woolwich. Initially it ran every 20 minutes throughout, but when the frequency between Richmond and Stratford increased to every 15 minutes only half the service could continue to and from North Woolwich due to the single-line section.
Nevertheless the service was deemed a success, by the (admittedly low) standards of the time, and proved there was a need for a railway in the area. Ironically it contributed to its own demise, as it was replaced by the DLR service that it had helped to foster. And now part of the route has been incorporated into London's latest state-of-the-art railway, the futuristic Elizabeth Line. The days of the run-down diesel shuttle of 1978 seem a long way away now.
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Post by YX10FFN on May 26, 2022 15:52:38 GMT
First Elizabeth Line trip today. It seemed rather surreal to have this brand new railway running through Central London! The trains, whilst they don't feel brand new due to their service on TFL Rail, are superb on the new section of the line and the journey times are lightning quick compared to the alternative. Paddington Station in particular I thought was very impressive. One thing that didn't quite take my fancy was the yellow escalators at Canary Wharf. Nevertheless, absoluetly fantastic addition to London's transport arsenal.
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Post by route53 on May 26, 2022 17:37:45 GMT
So I rode the Jubilee line today, first time in over a year as I found that line unbearable in the peaks, rode it from NG to Canada Water it was still busy but there was some room, I switched to the 53 from Blackheath to New Cross then got the Overground because it was a more pleasant commute, but I may occasionally use the Jubilee line again as it is faster and I no longer have to compete with Abbey Wood and Woolwich commuters for as much space 😉
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