london bridge trains again (6th Jan 2014)

[Bic Basher]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

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> Do you know when that is, by any chance?

> Occasionally I do ask to speak to a manager - next

> day, obviously, as they don't admit to any being

> around at the time - but nothing ever seems to

> change.

The next Meet the Manager at London Bridge is on the 30th January from 7.30-9.30am.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Thanks, I'll go along and unburden myself.

[Nigello]

It'd be great to ask the manager to get their people to speak clearly and slowly. So much fuss and stress could be saved through the use of good diction. Accents don't bother me, but unclear, indistinct voices do! (I cannot go myself as I am work.)

[MarkE]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

> Still no day

> without delays since at least November (which

> wasn't when they did run on time, just when I

> started noticing).

Would suggest you've been extremely unlucky if that really is the case. Getting the train from ED around 8am and returning from LBG around 7.30 has been fine probably three or four times a week. That in itself isn't ideal, but it's nowhere near as bad as you describe in my experience.

[Jeremy]

Delays on the return journey are currently the rule rather than the exception, in my epxerience. The lack of information (and incorrect info on the departure board) make it worse.

[JohnL]

I get the feeling information is not being shared at present. Cancellations pop up way after they have happened - then no thought goes into management of the consequences just a free for all.

[rjsmall]

I'd agree that the evening trains leaving London Bridge seem to work to a somewhat random schedule. I usually catch the 17:30, 17:40 or 17:50 and these seem to be consistently delayed usually due to late arrival of the inbound train.

Last night they excelled themselves by delaying the train for about seven minutes as the driver was on their break. I would have thought they could have scheduled the train departure and driver break a bit more sensibly.

[MarkE]

On the basis that they're operating all the West Croydon/Wimbledon/Beckenham via ED trains out of one platform, the moment that one is delayed the rest are all held up such is the restricted turnaround time at Platform 13.

This thread originated on a day when they tried using (or were forced to use) other platforms and it didn't go well. Hopefully once 15/16 are back up and running in a few months we'll get some relief.

That said, though, a few minutes delay on a service that runs every ten minutes is scarcely the end of the world, is it? A 20-30 minute break is perhaps going to put one out a bit, but a few minutes here or there? Really?

[AbDabs]

I guess those who get so upset about trains being delayed must live in Wimbledon/Croydon/Epsom etc. With a train every ten minutes to ED, I find I manage to catch an earlier train that was a few minutes late (and so get home earlier) almost as many times as the train that I intended to catch is late. The balance of lateness is really quite low.

But I'm not keen on the extra (monstrous?) additional few metres I'll have to walk once we're moved onto the new platforms...

[Robert Poste's Child]

I live in Dulwich and I waited about 45 minutes last night and nearly 30 tonight, so unfortunately it's not as straightforward as that.

For anyone else who didn't know either, apparently the live departures board on the Network Rail website seems to be more up to date than the displays - and staff - at LB.

[silverfox]

What a load of nonsense in this day and age. Signal failure at Peckham Rye disrupts thousands of passengers at London Bridge. What a third world country we are now living in.

There is no excuse for this in this day and age with 3 million people out of work (forget all that app checking stupidity).

If a policeman can direct four way traffic at a junction with traffic lights temporarily out of order why can't railway staff direct trains along two tracks? The Victorians would have had an old oil-filled lamp and a flag. 21st century Britain can't sort it out?

A signal is a light, green for go and red for stop (and maybe amber for slow down). There is no reason why people along the tracks can't give the train drivers this info, properly linked by phone to a control centre.

God help us if a discharge from the Sun temporarily disabled all our satellites (and apps). We'll be back in the age before we discovered how to make fire and use a wheel.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Dunno about the sun, but what's the betting it gets worse when we get a light dusting of snow later this month. Can't wait.

[AbDabs]

silverfox Wrote:

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> ...

> God help us if a discharge from the Sun

> temporarily disabled all our satellites (and

> apps). We'll be back in the age before we

> discovered how to make fire and use a wheel.

If that happened, very few of us would have a job to go to so the lack of trains would be largely irrelevant.

Last night I arrived to catch the 18:50 from LB. I got on a train that left at - guess what - 18:50. OK, so it wasn't 'the' 18:50 (I think it may have been the 18:20), but I don't really care if the train is called Fred as long as it goes when I want it to.

[KidKruger]

They've started naming trains now ? That's ridiculous when they can't even make the trains run on schedule.

How weird !

[BrandNewGuy]

AbDabs Wrote:

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> Last night I arrived to catch the 18:50 from LB. I

> got on a train that left at - guess what - 18:50.

> OK, so it wasn't 'the' 18:50 (I think it may have

> been the 18:20), but I don't really care if the

> train is called Fred as long as it goes when I

> want it to.

Agreed - which is why I rarely check the live timetable for LB - ED trains. With trains leaving every ten minutes I don't really care if you get 'the train before' or the one you wanted. Like the tube, where the only timetable anyone looks at are first and last trains.

[llyamah]

It doesn't always work out like this. I arrived at the station the other day and there should have been a train to LB within 1-2 minutes of my arrival. I ended up waiting about 25 minutes and, even when one did turn up, it took longer than the 12 minutes to LB that it is meant to take - it was more like 20.

Net effect was that I was very late for my appointment.

To make it worse, I checked the trains before I traveled and there was nothing on the National Rail website or the phone app suggesting the trains were delayed.

AbDabs Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> silverfox Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > ...

> > God help us if a discharge from the Sun

> > temporarily disabled all our satellites (and

> > apps). We'll be back in the age before we

> > discovered how to make fire and use a wheel.

>

> If that happened, very few of us would have a job

> to go to so the lack of trains would be largely

> irrelevant.

> Last night I arrived to catch the 18:50 from LB. I

> got on a train that left at - guess what - 18:50.

> OK, so it wasn't 'the' 18:50 (I think it may have

> been the 18:20), but I don't really care if the

> train is called Fred as long as it goes when I

> want it to.

[MarkE]

silverfox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If a policeman can direct four way traffic at a

> junction with traffic lights temporarily out of

> order why can't railway staff direct trains along

> two tracks? The Victorians would have had an old

> oil-filled lamp and a flag. 21st century Britain

> can't sort it out?

>

> A signal is a light, green for go and red for stop

> (and maybe amber for slow down). There is no

> reason why people along the tracks can't give the

> train drivers this info, properly linked by phone

> to a control centre.

Assuming this is in jest, it's a delightful image.

In case it isn't, the delusion itself is also a delightful image.

Thanks.

[Annasfield]

Platform 13 is ridiculous. You'd think as a minimum they'd clear the water after heavy rainfall.

[Robert Poste's Child]

It takes several minutes to get off the platform in the morning. I have wondered what they'd do if there were an emergency.

[Robert Poste's Child]

This morning the train was delayed by 10 minutes, then they decided to terminate it at Bermondsey and threw everyone off - no explanation why, though the driver did apologise. Now on another waiting outside LB due, apparently, to congestion. The day-to-day management and communication is totally unacceptable.

[Robert Poste's Child]

...so in the end the train part of my journey in took 50 minutes.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Stuck on a train outside London bridge for 40 minutes today. All in all took me over an hour from ed. Could have walked in a similar time.

[rjsmall]

That may explain to me why a London Bridge train went through Peckham Rye without stopping around 8:15am this morning (I assumed it was meant to be the 8:13am). Thankfully I was able to get on the Overground and go to Canada Water - sounds like I got a lucky break.

[INMCD]

Its not just the trains leaving London Bridge to East Dulwich that's the problem. The 09.10 always leaves at 09.08 so its a mad dash from school to catch it but it sits outside London Bridge every morning - sometimes for about 5 minutes but this morning it didn't get into LB until 09.45! I only work 2 days a week and both nights coming home I get delayed at London Bridge. I've given up and go to Victoria now - less trains to Peckham Rye but a much easier journey. x

[FJDGoose]

I was at South Bermondsey waiting for a train around 9 this morning delays, delays, and more delays. Train broke down outside London Bridge was te cause, various anouncements where given out for trains that didnt actaully arive - f*cking useless!! I gave up in the end and got a bus - what a waste of time!