London Banter - View Single Post

Roland Perry · July 31st 11, 03:20 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In message , at 07:34:56
on Sun, 31 Jul 2011, remarked:

The Horsham Cambridge trains are to be 12-car. Only for half the
semi-fast off-peak service calls at stations between Cambridge and
Royston. I expect the hourly Horsham-Cambridge service will take over the
semi-fast services that currently depart KGX at xx.53 (was xx.52 until
May) and CBG at xx.26.

That's only 1tph, and the Horsham line needs 2tph. Where's that other
one going to come from.

The list posted by the OP only had one.

"each pairing is 2 tph; except Brighton - Bedford which is 4tph"

I presume the xx.06 ex KGX and xx.55 ex CBG will remain 4 cars and
continue to call at all stations to Hatfield.

Terminating at Kings Cross?

Yes.

What they will do in the peaks and evenings when all trains call between
Cambridge and Royston I don't know.

All trains, including the fasts?

No, just the semi-fasts. There are two an hour but only one calls at
stations between Royston and Cambridge off-peak. In the peaks and much of
the evening they all call.

So there will have to be a scheme for stopping the 12-car trains at
these stations. Therefore they can do it all day.

Of course, another possible pattern would be the Cambridge-KX fasts
to go to Horsham, with only the hourly Kings Lynn service being IEP
(and terminating at Kings Cross). Plus the stopper as you suggest
above. But then the stopper would be a strange animal, needing some
4-car legacy stock.

Why not?

Because they try to keep fleets as homogeneous as possible, and having a
few odd sets like that just doesn't fit their thinking.
--
Roland Perry