....or lack of. I can get from South Kensington to Luton in an hour
almost exactly, but today it took me about an hour and a half from High
Wycombe to Gloucester Road (a shorter distance). Why? Not because the
Chiltern is that much slower (fast trains from Wycombe to Marylebone
take around 35 minutes, from Luton to KXTL around 30 mins).

I had heavy (wheeled) luggage so I didn't want to go down to the
Bakerloo at Marylebone (down escalator closed), so I went to Edgware
Road for the Circle instead... and waited for about 25 minutes.

I know the Circle has problems with all the flat junctions but don't
they timetable them to account for this?

I was wondering whether the Circle suffers from understaffing, low train
reliability or something else.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7

Dave Arquati wrote the following in:


I was wondering whether the Circle suffers from understaffing, low
train reliability or something else.

I remember reading that C stock trains are quite unreliable because of
the 4 sets of double doors per side, the doors being one of the most
failure prone parts of a train. I'm not sure whether that's right or if
it's a particularly significant factor here, but it's worth a mention I
suppose.

--
message by Robin May, but you can call me Mr Smith.
Hello. I'm one of those "roaring fascists of the left wing".

Then and than are different words!

The circle line, like all subsurface lines, is a hole. Not as bad as
Hammersmith and City, but give me a deep line tube any day.

Dave,
At the moment the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines are suffering from
stock shortage due to problems with the C stock trains which are causing
many cancellations to services as well as T/Op availibility.

Keith.


"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...
...or lack of. I can get from South Kensington to Luton in an hour
almost exactly, but today it took me about an hour and a half from High
Wycombe to Gloucester Road (a shorter distance). Why? Not because the
Chiltern is that much slower (fast trains from Wycombe to Marylebone
take around 35 minutes, from Luton to KXTL around 30 mins).

I had heavy (wheeled) luggage so I didn't want to go down to the
Bakerloo at Marylebone (down escalator closed), so I went to Edgware
Road for the Circle instead... and waited for about 25 minutes.

I know the Circle has problems with all the flat junctions but don't
they timetable them to account for this?

I was wondering whether the Circle suffers from understaffing, low train
reliability or something else.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7

jaz wrote:
"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...
...or lack of. I can get from South Kensington to Luton in an hour
almost exactly, but today it took me about an hour and a half from
High Wycombe to Gloucester Road (a shorter distance). Why? Not
because the Chiltern is that much slower (fast trains from Wycombe
to Marylebone take around 35 minutes, from Luton to KXTL around 30
mins).

I had heavy (wheeled) luggage so I didn't want to go down to the
Bakerloo at Marylebone (down escalator closed), so I went to Edgware
Road for the Circle instead... and waited for about 25 minutes.

I know the Circle has problems with all the flat junctions but don't
they timetable them to account for this?

I was wondering whether the Circle suffers from understaffing, low
train reliability or something else.

At the moment the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines are suffering
from stock shortage due to problems with the C stock trains which are
causing many cancellations to services as well as T/Op availibility.

Trains being withdrawn to clean the graffiti off perhaps?

Dave should have been advised to take a Wimbledon train and change at
Earl's Court, but such advice is either non-existent or unintelligible at
many Circle stations.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

Richard J. wrote:
jaz wrote:

"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...

...or lack of. I can get from South Kensington to Luton in an hour
almost exactly, but today it took me about an hour and a half from
High Wycombe to Gloucester Road (a shorter distance). Why? Not
because the Chiltern is that much slower (fast trains from Wycombe
to Marylebone take around 35 minutes, from Luton to KXTL around 30
mins).

I had heavy (wheeled) luggage so I didn't want to go down to the
Bakerloo at Marylebone (down escalator closed), so I went to Edgware
Road for the Circle instead... and waited for about 25 minutes.

I know the Circle has problems with all the flat junctions but don't
they timetable them to account for this?

I was wondering whether the Circle suffers from understaffing, low
train reliability or something else.


At the moment the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines are suffering
from stock shortage due to problems with the C stock trains which are
causing many cancellations to services as well as T/Op availibility.


Trains being withdrawn to clean the graffiti off perhaps?

Dave should have been advised to take a Wimbledon train and change at
Earl's Court, but such advice is either non-existent or unintelligible at
many Circle stations.

....and I would have done if not for having to lug a suitcase up and down
the stairs at Earl's Court to change lines.

Although yes, information at Paddington is particularly poor. Edgware Rd
wasn't too bad; gave 5-minute warning of a Circle train (but obviously
this was after waiting for 20 minutes...)

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7

Richard,
LUL's policy for withdrawing trains from service due to graffiti is only if
it is offensive, ie racial or obsene graffiti.

Dave,
There is an alternative by changing at Edgware Rd station and a couple of
minutes walk from the station you could catch a lowfloor 414 bus to South
Kensington from the bus stop in Edgware Road, but hopefully you would'nt
need to do that.

Keith




Trains being withdrawn to clean the graffiti off perhaps?

Dave should have been advised to take a Wimbledon train and change at
Earl's Court, but such advice is either non-existent or unintelligible
at
many Circle stations.

...and I would have done if not for having to lug a suitcase up and down
the stairs at Earl's Court to change lines.

Although yes, information at Paddington is particularly poor. Edgware Rd
wasn't too bad; gave 5-minute warning of a Circle train (but obviously
this was after waiting for 20 minutes...)

Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7