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Post by route53 on Jul 15, 2020 18:46:34 GMT
Is there a way to speed up services and the stopping pattern on the Reading & Windsor lines
The Windsor service could be sped up by skipping Ashford, Whitton, Putney and Vauxhall.
The Reading service could 1tph were its skips out a couple of stations near the Reading end of the line.
What became of the 2tph Windsor via Hounslow proposals also?
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Post by vjaska on Jul 15, 2020 22:32:08 GMT
Is there a way to speed up services and the stopping pattern on the Reading & Windsor lines The Windsor service could be sped up by skipping Ashford, Whitton, Putney and Vauxhall. The Reading service could 1tph were its skips out a couple of stations near the Reading end of the line. What became of the 2tph Windsor via Hounslow proposals also? Granted, I've only done one return trip on the Reading service from Vauxhall before and I'm no train expert of any level at all but on the journey back, those stations near Reading had a lot of people boarding the service. |
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Post by galwhv69 on Jul 16, 2020 9:14:48 GMT
All the capacity is required at least part of the way along the route in the AM peak. If I take the train in the morning from Putney to Clapham kunction, it is definitely busy
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Post by route53 on Jul 16, 2020 10:40:55 GMT
Is there a way to speed up services and the stopping pattern on the Reading & Windsor lines The Windsor service could be sped up by skipping Ashford, Whitton, Putney and Vauxhall. The Reading service could 1tph were its skips out a couple of stations near the Reading end of the line. What became of the 2tph Windsor via Hounslow proposals also? Granted, I've only done one return trip on the Reading service from Vauxhall before and I'm no train expert of any level at all but on the journey back, those stations near Reading had a lot of people boarding the service. I recall there used to be 4tph from Reading until 2003/2004, 2tph ran via Hounslow and was fast from Reading to Wokingham, but had Putney and Vauxhall as stops then the one ran via Richmond, which ran fast from Richmond to Clapham Junction During Sunday’s the service calls additionally at Putney and Vauxhall I recall. I think there could scope for the Windsor service to be sped up, while having an additional 2tph via Hounslow calling at Ashford, Whitton, Putney and Vauxhall |
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Post by Catford94 on Jul 16, 2020 21:49:48 GMT
The Reading - Waterloo line isn't really there for getting between Reading and central London as quick as possible - that's what the GWR is there for.
There is a lot of short distance traffic between Reading and Bracknell, at commuter times for jobs / college / university in Reading, jobs at the big business park at Winnersh Triangle (and connecting bus to the Thames Valley Business Park), modest amount of jobs at Wokingham, and there's probably nearly as much commuting in to Bracknell as commuting out of it.
Winnersh Triangle also acts as a 'Woodley and Lower Earley Parkway'
Then there's travel to Egham (Royal Holloway College) and quite a lot of interchange at Feltham (including with buses to Heathrow) Richmond and Clapham Junction (probably more so now the Overground is there) as well, and Vauxhall (for interchange with the Victoria Line)
(all of the above from a Before-Covid perspective)
One obstacle to increased frequency at the Reading end is the level crossing on a fairly busy road at Wokingham - there was local objection to this when it was last proposed.
At some stages of the past, trains joined / divided at Ascot (one part towards Camberley, one to Reading), at other stages, the stopping pattern that the Reading trains now take was done by the trains to / from the Camberley line, and the Reading trains made fewer stops between Ascot and Waterloo - in the up direction at least they were usually timed to allow a cross platform change at Ascot between the two. I can't remember how it worked in the down direction.
The Reading trains suffer significant overcrowding at the London end by being seen as the 'fast trains' for Richmond and Twickenham residents, to the extent that it can be difficult to get on a down train at Clapham Junction in the evening peak. Ideal would be more trains to serve that market (although I'm not sure there are the train paths for it, even though there's now more platforms at Waterloo now the Eurostar bit has turned in to the replacement for the 'Windsor station' that was demolished for its construction...
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Post by ADH45258 on Jul 16, 2020 23:02:50 GMT
Likely to be controversial, but I would consider introducing a 2tph shuttle service between Windsor and Weybridge, via Staines and Virginia Water (reversing at Staines).
At Windsor, it is currently much faster to take GWR shuttle to Slough to change for connections to Paddington for central London, compared to the existing direct SWR services to Waterloo via Staines. On the Weybridge section, it is much faster to travel to Waterloo via Surbiton (the same for Addlestone and Chertsey, changing at Weybridge).
This would then allow a significant increase in services on the Reading section. Could perhaps be 4tph between London and Reading via Staines, with 2tph of these having fewer stops. Then maybe 2tph could go divert from Staines to Ascot, then take over the service via Camberley to Aldershot, giving a regular direct London service to some of these stations.
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Post by route53 on Jul 23, 2020 8:24:30 GMT
Likely to be controversial, but I would consider introducing a 2tph shuttle service between Windsor and Weybridge, via Staines and Virginia Water (reversing at Staines). At Windsor, it is currently much faster to take GWR shuttle to Slough to change for connections to Paddington for central London, compared to the existing direct SWR services to Waterloo via Staines. On the Weybridge section, it is much faster to travel to Waterloo via Surbiton (the same for Addlestone and Chertsey, changing at Weybridge). This would then allow a significant increase in services on the Reading section. Could perhaps be 4tph between London and Reading via Staines, with 2tph of these having fewer stops. Then maybe 2tph could go divert from Staines to Ascot, then take over the service via Camberley to Aldershot, giving a regular direct London service to some of these stations. I would probably make the service from Reading a shuttle, perhaps a Reading to Weybridge reversing at Ascot would be useful, curtailing the Hounslow service at Ascot, then upping the Windsor service to 4tph, 2 semi fast, 2 fast, the fast would call at all stations to Staines then call only at Feltham, Twickenham, Richmond, Clapham then Waterloo |
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Post by route53 on Jul 23, 2020 11:06:59 GMT
Better idea actually, keep the Reading service to Waterloo but have it fast from Staines to Clapham, still have 4tph to Windsor (2tph S/F, 2tph Fast) this will benefit commuters to/from Reading, also gives Twickenham and Richmond their fasts as well,
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