"chunkyoldcortina" wrote in message
...
Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.

I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing
better connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between
Euston and Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).

Why would anybody want to go to Heathrow from Watford via Paddington at
horrendous cost when there are perfectly good coaches going direct.

Kevin

On 24/05/2010 18:36, Bruce wrote:
On Mon, 24 May 2010 15:26:35 +0100, chunkyoldcortina
wrote:
Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.

I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing better
connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between Euston and
Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).


That's an excellent idea.

No it's not. A Crossrail branch to Watford Junction is, but was rejected
by the Crossrail team.

chunkyoldcortina wrote:

Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.

I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing better
connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between Euston and
Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).

So, you want the Bakerloo line to go to Watford again?

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9683768.html
(143 613 at Cardiff Central, 30 Jun 1999)

Zen83237 wrote:

"chunkyoldcortina" wrote in message
...
Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.

I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing
better connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between
Euston and Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).

Why would anybody want to go to Heathrow from Watford via Paddington at
horrendous cost when there are perfectly good coaches going direct.

There are people don't like coaches. For some it's the ambience, for
some it's the space, and for others there are other reasons, too.

--
http://gallery120232.fotopic.net/p9683849.html
(159 003 at Reading, 30 Jan 1999)

On Mon, 24 May 2010 22:38:28 +0100, Chris Tolley
(ukonline really) wrote:

chunkyoldcortina wrote:

Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.

I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing better
connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between Euston and
Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).

So, you want the Bakerloo line to go to Watford again?

... or the Rickmansworth branch rebuilt and extended via the originally
planned route to/past Uxbridge ?

On 24 May, 21:00, "Zen83237" wrote:

Why would anybody want to go to Heathrow from Watford via Paddington at
horrendous cost when there are perfectly good coaches going direct.

Because the M25 is fundamentally unreliable. Those coaches have been
pared back to a slightly less than hourly non-dedicated Green Line
service because people go via London and HEx instead in order to stay
on rail.

OTOH, the "round the side" trains from MK to East Croydon are proving
phenomenally popular. An increased "round the side" service onto the
GWML would be a very good thing, though I would say that as it would
make it easier for me to get to our head office at Slough

Neil

On 24 May, 23:40, Chris Tolley (ukonline
really) wrote:

There are people don't like coaches. For some it's the ambience, for
some it's the space, and for others there are other reasons, too.

I'm fine with coaches, but would trust rail better than the M25 in
terms of arriving in time for the flight.

Neil

Zen83237 wrote:
"chunkyoldcortina" wrote in message
...
Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.
I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing
better connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between
Euston and Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).

Why would anybody want to go to Heathrow from Watford via Paddington at
horrendous cost when there are perfectly good coaches going direct.


Have you ever used the coach service?

Having to negotiate your way between your terminal and "heathrow central"
(probably the most depressing place to be when you've just got off a 10 hour
flight, with no decent comfortable waiting area) and then buy a separate
ticket for the coach, and then wait for it to turn up, get crammed into tiny
seats and then spend an hour in traffic on the M25, get soaked by rain when
you walk from the coach stop into Watford Junction station, and then have to
buy another ticket for the train element of your journey is not my idea of fun...

The lack of any decent train service to Heathrow is why so many people in the
catchment of the WCML north of watford will rent a one way car, pay for a
taxi or even put up with the coach service rather than take the train.

A quick straw poll around this Milton Keynes office suggests that people
would take the train particularly for business but also for leisure to
Heathrow if it was easy to do so and competitive with other ways of getting
there.
And I wasn't just talking about Heathrow, but destinations on the GWML in
general.

On Mon, 24 May 2010 20:59:00 +0100, Basil Jet
wrote:
On 24/05/2010 18:36, Bruce wrote:
On Mon, 24 May 2010 15:26:35 +0100, chunkyoldcortina
wrote:
Mizter T wrote:

If there ever was to be a diversion of the DC line service, then it
could be mitigated by what Andy suggested - a Watford to Euston
shuttle service. Not sure how do-able it would be to stop it at
Queen's Park, but that would make such a thing x times more useful.

I think a Watford to Paddington shuttle would be most useful, allowing better
connections to the GWML and Heathrow from the WCML (tube between Euston and
Paddington is a nightmare if you have any luggage).


That's an excellent idea.

No it's not.


Well, you are entitled to your opinion. Just as I am entitled to
mine. ;-)


A Crossrail branch to Watford Junction is, but was rejected
by the Crossrail team.


That I can understand, as a Watford to Crossrail service would not
make sense. But a Watford to Heathrow service does make sense to
improve access to Heathrow Airport by public transport from the WCML
and its large catchment.

Currently, most of these people drive to the airport. Some masochists
go by rail via Euston, the Victoria Line to Green Park thence the
Piccadilly Line, or the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus then the
Bakerloo Line to Paddington, then Heathrow Express/Connect or walk to
Euston Square, Teacup Line and Heathrow Express/Connect. Very few
people use the Green Line coach.

The more I think of it - and the more I look at the alternatives - the
more attractive a Watford to Heathrow service looks.

On 24 May, 13:53, Tom Anderson wrote:
So let me get this straight: if they reopened York Road, at the cost of
god knows how many hundreds of millions of pounds, then the NLL option
would offer "plenty of decent connections". As opposed to the Euston
option, which costs nothing, and offers plenty of extremely good
connections. Okay, i can agree with that.

You're assuming that that would be the only major reason for opening
York Road - that the cost would be primarily to aid the NLL. It
wouldn't. The biggest commercial construction project in Europe is
happening right next to York Road station.