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Post by route53 on Dec 28, 2020 13:45:06 GMT
....What changes do you hope will happen? How do you think the timetable around the Dartford routes will change once CrossRail finally opens up
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Post by lazy_eye_metaphor on Dec 30, 2020 16:59:26 GMT
Clearly there will be a new major interchange at Abbey Wood, and quite likely less traffic on the North Kent Line west of Abbey Wood. We may see some adjustments to reflect that.
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Post by Dillon95 on Jan 2, 2021 20:06:30 GMT
The Rainham via Woolwich Arsenal Thameslink stopping services should be semi fast to speed up the link between North Kent and the Elizabeth Line & DLR. Between London Bridge and Dartford I’d have them just stop at Woolwich Arsenal & Abbey Wood.
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Post by thesquirrels on Jan 2, 2021 21:32:42 GMT
The Rainham via Woolwich Arsenal Thameslink stopping services should be semi fast to speed up the link between North Kent and the Elizabeth Line & DLR. Between London Bridge and Dartford I’d have them just stop at Woolwich Arsenal & Abbey Wood. I think there is a demand for a service like this, but on a two-track line without any passing loops the task of trying to abstract/squeeze in an almost-non-stop service through Woolwich, which already juggles a mix of 8tph stopping and skip-stop, would be very difficult and result in a pretty fragile service structure. If the Thameslink units are going to sit stuck behind stopping Southeastern trains they might as well make some extra calls to be useful! |
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Post by route53 on Jan 3, 2021 3:29:12 GMT
The Rainham via Woolwich Arsenal Thameslink stopping services should be semi fast to speed up the link between North Kent and the Elizabeth Line & DLR. Between London Bridge and Dartford I’d have them just stop at Woolwich Arsenal & Abbey Wood. The Rainham via Woolwich Arsenal Thameslink stopping services should be semi fast to speed up the link between North Kent and the Elizabeth Line & DLR. Between London Bridge and Dartford I’d have them just stop at Woolwich Arsenal & Abbey Wood. I think there is a demand for a service like this, but on a two-track line without any passing loops the task of trying to abstract/squeeze in an almost-non-stop service through Woolwich, which already juggles a mix of 8tph stopping and skip-stop, would be very difficult and result in a pretty fragile service structure. If the Thameslink units are going to sit stuck behind stopping Southeastern trains they might as well make some extra calls to be useful! It wouldn’t be possible to call only at Abbey Wood & Woolwich sadly, however it could still be sped up by axing Plumstead and Slade Green, and reroute it via Blackheath, then down the slow lines through New Cross then enter the Thameslink core that way, Charing Cross trains would go inevitably unfortunately. Then the Greenwich line can revert to 6tph to Cannon Street, either way I think they will looking the stopping pattern on the Rainham Thameslink service eventually. |
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Post by greenboy on Jan 3, 2021 9:26:57 GMT
The Rainham via Woolwich Arsenal Thameslink stopping services should be semi fast to speed up the link between North Kent and the Elizabeth Line & DLR. Between London Bridge and Dartford I’d have them just stop at Woolwich Arsenal & Abbey Wood. In the long term I think Crossrail should be extended to Rainham, it's about the same distance from London as Reading is and I can't see any way of speeding up the existing service for the reasons others have mentioned. |
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Post by route53 on Jan 3, 2021 12:48:30 GMT
The Rainham via Woolwich Arsenal Thameslink stopping services should be semi fast to speed up the link between North Kent and the Elizabeth Line & DLR. Between London Bridge and Dartford I’d have them just stop at Woolwich Arsenal & Abbey Wood. In the long term I think Crossrail should be extended to Rainham, it's about the same distance from London as Reading is and I can't see any way of speeding up the existing service for the reasons others have mentioned. With a post Covid economy I don’t think there will be any extension to CrossRail until 2050 at the earliest, and if it does Ebbsfleet has been cited at being the terminus, even Gravesend has been binned, I doubt it’ll go beyond to Medway, Reading was a one off because and it makes more sense to add Reading than Medway since Reading is a much larger settlement with more going than Medway has, personally I’m against TfL going beyond its boundaries and that includes Reading. As for Thameslink, I think that this should be re-routed to Blackheath, yes it’ll mean losing Charing Cross trains but both the Woolwich and Bexleyheath lines are losing CX in the next few years anyway, then the Greenwich line can revert to 6tph to Cannon Street and there might be more scope to skip stations on the Woolwich line Thameslink service, or Plumstead and Slade Green or perhaps further out like Stone, Swanscombe and Northfleet |
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Post by greenboy on Jan 3, 2021 13:01:19 GMT
In the long term I think Crossrail should be extended to Rainham, it's about the same distance from London as Reading is and I can't see any way of speeding up the existing service for the reasons others have mentioned. With a post Covid economy I don’t think there will be any extension to CrossRail until 2050 at the earliest, and if it does Ebbsfleet has been cited at being the terminus, even Gravesend has been binned, I doubt it’ll go beyond to Medway, Reading was a one off because and it makes more sense to add Reading than Medway since Reading is a much larger settlement with more going than Medway has, personally I’m against TfL going beyond its boundaries and that includes Reading. As for Thameslink, I think that this should be re-routed to Blackheath, yes it’ll mean losing Charing Cross trains but both the Woolwich and Bexleyheath lines are losing CX in the next few years anyway, then the Greenwich line can revert to 6tph to Cannon Street and there might be more scope to skip stations on the Woolwich line Thameslink service, or Plumstead and Slade Green or perhaps further out like Stone, Swanscombe and Northfleet Extending Crossrail to Rainham would be relatively cheap as it would be using existing infrastructure. I think the Thameslink service is ok as far as Dartford or possibly Gravesend but it's just too slow to Rainham and I don't think rerouting it via Blackheath would make any significant difference as it still has to get through a congested area. |
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Post by route53 on Jan 6, 2021 17:04:22 GMT
With a post Covid economy I don’t think there will be any extension to CrossRail until 2050 at the earliest, and if it does Ebbsfleet has been cited at being the terminus, even Gravesend has been binned, I doubt it’ll go beyond to Medway, Reading was a one off because and it makes more sense to add Reading than Medway since Reading is a much larger settlement with more going than Medway has, personally I’m against TfL going beyond its boundaries and that includes Reading. As for Thameslink, I think that this should be re-routed to Blackheath, yes it’ll mean losing Charing Cross trains but both the Woolwich and Bexleyheath lines are losing CX in the next few years anyway, then the Greenwich line can revert to 6tph to Cannon Street and there might be more scope to skip stations on the Woolwich line Thameslink service, or Plumstead and Slade Green or perhaps further out like Stone, Swanscombe and Northfleet Extending Crossrail to Rainham would be relatively cheap as it would be using existing infrastructure. I think the Thameslink service is ok as far as Dartford or possibly Gravesend but it's just too slow to Rainham and I don't think rerouting it via Blackheath would make any significant difference as it still has to get through a congested area. My thinking is that a Thameslink service rerouted via Blackheath could take the line through St. John’s rather than over Tanners Hill fly down. There’s lots of ways to speed up the service, but overall I think Thameslink should be rerouted via Sidcup long term but that’s for another thread The CX to Dartford should be extended to Gravesend at all times |
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Post by greenboy on Jan 27, 2021 16:32:19 GMT
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Post by Eastlondoner62 on Jan 27, 2021 16:38:21 GMT
Surprised they're bothering consulting on this when they can't even get the suburbs of London linked properly yet. |
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Post by SILENCED on Jan 27, 2021 16:42:09 GMT
Oh one of those fantasy consultations where there is noone to pay for it. Probably go down a bomb obpn here |
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Post by Dillon95 on Jan 29, 2021 0:50:59 GMT
They are living in cuckoo land if they think there is any chance of an Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet rapid bus system being created. Pure and utter fantasy. |
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Post by TB123 on Jan 29, 2021 6:38:32 GMT
They are living in cuckoo land if they think there is any chance of an Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet rapid bus system being created. Pure and utter fantasy. Why so? I think it's probably one of the ideas more likely to actually progress given the scale of new developments in the area. There are also already proposals in the works for a BRT scheme between Abbey Wood and Woolwich |
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Post by busman on Jan 29, 2021 11:13:47 GMT
They are living in cuckoo land if they think there is any chance of an Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet rapid bus system being created. Pure and utter fantasy. Why so? I think it's probably one of the ideas more likely to actually progress given the scale of new developments in the area. There are also already proposals in the works for a BRT scheme between Abbey Wood and Woolwich You mean the same “rapid” bus scheme they were talking about over a decade ago? We were given the 472 instead LOL. No bus around here will be rapid without causing traffic misery for regular buses and other road users. Once you get to Charlton and beyond, the mainly Victorian roads (naturally) become very narrow. I don’t want a rapid transit. I just want bus priority, reliability and comfort on the existing services. Besides, I can’t take ideas about a rapid anything through Woolwich seriously unless something is done to stop queues for the Woolwich ferry spilling across and blocking the roundabout on the main road. There are simpler things that could be done now to improve traffic flows, before spending money on a bus service with fancy infrastructure. Whilst I agree that not building Crossrail through to Ebbsfleet is a huge missed opportunity, the consultation is very poorly presented and constructed. I also wonder about the viability of a rapid bus transit scheme from Ebbsfleet or wherever in Kent to Abbey Wood. No matter how fast it is, it wouldn’t be any quicker than having a shorter bus ride to a local South Eastern/Thameslink station on the North Kent line into Abbey Wood. Many of those stations are already well served by Arriva’s excellent Fast track services. Perhaps they and KCC should instead focus on lobbying for better connections between Ebbsfleet and Northfleet? For all the fanfare around Ebbsfleet Garden City (a legacy from the Cameron/Osborne years), it seems that it isn’t getting the level of connectivity that was envisaged. Of course, the one factor that could swing Crossrail further into Kent and see a shift in SouthEastern and Thameslink frequencies is the London Resort. If that park gets approval, a Crossrail extension may be back on the table with private and potentially government investment for the work. The resort went to stage 2 of its planning application yesterday. Early days, but the project isn’t completely dead in the water: infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/BC080001/BC080001-000805-LONR%20-%20Notification%20of%20Decision%20to%20Accept%20Application%20-%2028%20January%202021.pdf |
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