East London Line Extension - update on progress

The place for serious discussion, announcements and breaking news about Sydenham
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biscuitman1978
Posts: 1588
Joined: 16 May 2006 20:14
Location: Chislehurst; previously Sydenham

East London Line Extension - update on progress

Post by biscuitman1978 »

Forum readers may be interested in page 15 of the document at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/ ... Report.pdf

(The document can be accessed from http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-t ... /1438.aspx.)

It looks as though we can expect to see the first new trains running, albeit only testing, at the end of October, with trains in service in June 2010.
TRIX
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Joined: 8 Jul 2009 10:38
Location: se23

route for trains

Post by TRIX »

Hi there
can anyone tell me will the new trains be running on the track at the rear of Devonshire Road in Forest Hill - I was looking to buy a flat there and was just wondering what the impact will be of having something like 20 trains an hour running along that piece of track

Thanks very much
T
TRIX
Posts: 4
Joined: 8 Jul 2009 10:38
Location: se23

route for trains

Post by TRIX »

Hi there
can anyone tell me will the new trains be running on the track at the rear of Devonshire Road in Forest Hill - I was looking to buy a flat there and was just wondering what the impact will be of having something like 20 trains an hour running along that piece of track

Thanks very much
T
Gaz
Posts: 366
Joined: 17 Sep 2007 23:22
Location: Sydenham

Post by Gaz »

Yes, they will be running on those same tracks.

I wouldn't have thought that they would make any more noise than the current trains that serve Sydenham and Forest Hill (and the ones that rush straight past in the fast lanes!) though.
TRIX
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Joined: 8 Jul 2009 10:38
Location: se23

thanks for that

Post by TRIX »

Would you recommend it around there?
Gaz
Posts: 366
Joined: 17 Sep 2007 23:22
Location: Sydenham

Re: thanks for that

Post by Gaz »

TRIX wrote:Would you recommend it around there?
Oh yes, indeed!

DevRd is Forest Hill rather than Syd but I used to live just off there (Tyson Rd - the highest bit!). My mate has recently moved to DevRd, towards the Hob end more and track-side. He has a really nice place and loves it there.

Put it this way, I'd love to move back there (although not at the top as I was previously as the walk uphill knackered me out!).

Good luck.
TRIX
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Joined: 8 Jul 2009 10:38
Location: se23

Post by TRIX »

Thanks very much - very helpful
DanW
Posts: 85
Joined: 25 Oct 2007 17:10
Location: Sydenham

Post by DanW »

Just saw this update on the East London Line on SE23.com if anyone is interested: http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com ... impse.html

Dan
Tim Lund
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Joined: 13 Mar 2008 18:10
Location: Silverdale

Post by Tim Lund »

For a more Sydenham centric version - i.e. with the arithmetic for travel time from here, not Canada Water :D - see this on the SydSoc web site. And also some more updates on other changes

http://www.sydenhamsociety.com/index.ph ... cle&id=323
bensonby
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Joined: 18 Jun 2008 12:28
Location: Kent

Post by bensonby »

According to that link the journey time between sydenham and new cross gate will be 11 1/2 minutes. It is currently 10 minutes. That is an journey time increase of 15%.

Is this true? If so, why is this?
JRobinson
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Joined: 5 Jan 2010 12:40
Location: De Frene Rd

Post by JRobinson »

from what I hear (nudge nudge wink wink), it will be open before planned.

it will certainly reduce my travel time to Hackney - Hurrah!
michael
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Joined: 26 Sep 2006 12:56
Location: Forest Hill

Post by michael »

The central section (North of New Cross Gate) is likely to be open before May (probably in April). Our section will not see ELL trains until 23rd May when the Southern timetable is adjusted to allow spaces for the additional trains.

Just 121 days to go! http://timeanddate.com/s/1jcu
bensonby
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Location: Kent

Post by bensonby »

can anyone answer my earlier post?

Nasaroc?
JRobinson
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Post by JRobinson »

bensonby - it might be a 15% increase, and for most train journeys this would be obscene, however it's only a 10 minute journey now, and will only be 11.5 mins after the change - trains often make up or lose a couple of mins between 4 or 5 stops - why is this such a problem to you?

my answer, which is just a guess, would be that the London Overground/tube trains have a slower max speed between stations, than National Rail trains.
Ulysses
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Location: Sydenham

Post by Ulysses »

I'd like to know the last time a journey from Sydders to New Cross Gate took ten minutes...or just ran to time.

Assuming the service is to time you get the usual pantomime at Honor Oak Park/Brockley of those people stopping the doors closing by squeezing too many on etc. 5 times on Monday the driver had to ask those people not to block the doors!

As for the clearly unacceptable 90 second increase it might be a number of things. Capacity on the line (the slow line is now coping with 12tph rather than 6tph) or it could a 'pinch-point' at NCG as the ELL changes onto the new line to go up over the new bridge or that it is actually a more realistic assessment of journey-times.
bensonby
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Joined: 18 Jun 2008 12:28
Location: Kent

Post by bensonby »

JRobinson wrote:bensonby - it might be a 15% increase, and for most train journeys this would be obscene, however it's only a 10 minute journey now, and will only be 11.5 mins after the change - trains often make up or lose a couple of mins between 4 or 5 stops - why is this such a problem to you?

my answer, which is just a guess, would be that the London Overground/tube trains have a slower max speed between stations, than National Rail trains.
It just seems to be quite a common tactic for train companies to make their lateness figures look better by "padding" the timetable. Yes, an extra 90 seconds isn't a great deal in the grand scheme of things - but is that 15% increase in journey time going to be multiplied across the entire line? Which, iin my opinion, would represent a significant increase in journey times from people travelling to London from, say, Croydon.
Eagle
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Location: F Hill

Post by Eagle »

I am sure I recall in the 70's a 5.18 train from LB which went fast to Forest Hill and got there at 5.28.
It was usually on time
DaveT
Posts: 70
Joined: 9 Nov 2004 16:10
Location: Sydenham

and also in the 70s...

Post by DaveT »

BR were running about 13,000 to 14,000 timetabled trains per day. At BR's peak it was up to 16,000 per day.

Now it is up to 24,000 timetabled train moves per day.


So, yes it does take longer to traverse these sections, and that is because space has to be built into the timetable to allow for trains to cross paths - where there would have been less potential for conflict before.

<edited to correct 26,000 to 24,000>
LivesNearby
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Joined: 21 Feb 2008 11:44
Location: Forest Hill

Post by LivesNearby »

Maybe they're allowing longer for the 30% increase in passengers to get on the train?
Pstaveley
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Location: Croydon

Post by Pstaveley »

The real answer is going to be very boring and technical, so here goes.

The station to station times are calculated by taking the technical average performance of the train (i.e. the time it takes to start, run up to line speed, obey all track line speeds and brake to stop at the next station with the maximum number of people on the train). To that time needs to be added the dwell time, which is the time taken for passengers to board and alight.

Each different type of train has different speed/acceleration/braking/dwell time characteristics.

The person constructing the train timetable takes all the above times for each section of line. He then needs to ensure that each train complies with the Rules of the Plan (which are available on the Network Rail website). Effectively, there is the line's headway (the number of minutes between consecutive trains, which is determine by the line's signalling (and the performance of each train)).

Whilst this does not apply to Sydenham the timetable has to comply with the Rules of the Plan's junction conflict rules to ensure that a train is not delayed by another train crossing in its path. There is normally a 3 minute allowance for that, but that varies with each location.

The slam-door trains tended to be quicker for stopping trains because of the number of doors per coach and because there was no interlock between the door lock and the power controller. Also since passengers closed the doors themselves the guard knew that the train was ready to depart when all the doors were shut. Obviously the guard (or in this case the driver) has to wait to ensure that there are no further passengers to alight.

The 'padding' that you referred to is normally a couple of minutes only approaching the last station for that train. It is there so that a train can be late arriving according to the Working Timetable but on time according to the Public Timetable.

On a congested railway the timetabler might also have to put in padding at the approach to junctions or stations because the platform is occupied or there is a conflicting movement at a junction. However, in a congested railway there is a limit to the amount of padding you can use otherwise you delay the following trains meaning that eventually you have to reduce the service.

So ultimately DaveT is correct. If you run more trains and you do not increase the track capacity then you end up running slower trains.
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