The gas leak in Canterbury has taken on larger proportions. The line between Ashford and Canterbury has been closed all day and is likely to be closed all tomorrow, too.
The bus service between Ashford and Canterbury has been institutionalised and given a timetable. I wish I had known that this morning as I had a 20 minute wait at the station for the bus to arrive. Bizarrely, though the bus to Ashford makes a reasonable connection, the bus from Ashford is timetabled to depart 1 (that's one) minute before the train it's due to connect with arrives in. That this ensures that the journeys will always qualify for delay/repay is, perhaps, the good side of an otherwise quite strange decision.
During the day, the 'live' travel information from South eastern and National Rail continues to give spurious outputs. At 0810 I had a message from SouthEastern to say that the 0808 departure from Chilham would be 5 minutes late, followed, shortly after, by a correction to say that the 0808 would now run to time. Needless to say, it wasn't running at all. This evening, too, the National Rail live departures site showed two or three trains running to time from Ashford to Canterbury, and even showed their progress on the little graphic. They, too, weren't running. It all undermines any confidence one has in the 'live' information.
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Monday, 13 February 2012
Gas
Gas leaks by the railway are a serious problem because they can be so unpredictable. I was not surprised, therefore, that a gas leak at Canterbury West this afternoon closed the Ashford to Ramsgate line. Perhaps a little bit more surprised that the closure will last into Tuesday.
On this occasion SouthEastern were reasonably efficient about organising a replacement bus service and I was only 45 minutes late getting home. It would have been more helpful if they had announced that the buses were going from the international side as a number of people were waiting on the domestic side with no staff there to give information. Nevertheless, the system worked.
I am glad I am not going in tomorrow, though, because there's no knowing how long I would have to wait at Chilham station because the bus service is not timetabled.
On this occasion SouthEastern were reasonably efficient about organising a replacement bus service and I was only 45 minutes late getting home. It would have been more helpful if they had announced that the buses were going from the international side as a number of people were waiting on the domestic side with no staff there to give information. Nevertheless, the system worked.
I am glad I am not going in tomorrow, though, because there's no knowing how long I would have to wait at Chilham station because the bus service is not timetabled.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Short formations and tall stories
The 1610 from Charing Cross is normally an 8 car train. It splits at Ashford, with four going round the coast and four going to Canterbury. Today it was only one unit - a technical failure on the way up at Ashford. It happens.
Indeed, London Bridge announcers said it would only be four cars so that helped bring people back from the far end of the platform and reduce delays. That's sensible.
In fact it was only 3 cars, packed so full that people were left behind at London Bridge. I'm glad it didn't include me. It was a bitterly cold evening and I would rather be on a short train, standing all the way to Ashford (which I was), than not have a train at all. And I would rather have the connection at Ashford right at the farthest end of the platform (which it was) than not there at all.
The conductor was duly apologetic, on frequent occasions. But why did she have to say the train was normally 7 cars, when it's normally 8? And why did the SouthEastern website say the train was reduced to 4 cars when it was reduced to 3? I suppose 7 cars reduced to 4 sounds better than 8 cars reduced to 3. But these silly attempts to try and minimise problems just damage the credibility of every pronouncement.
Indeed, London Bridge announcers said it would only be four cars so that helped bring people back from the far end of the platform and reduce delays. That's sensible.
In fact it was only 3 cars, packed so full that people were left behind at London Bridge. I'm glad it didn't include me. It was a bitterly cold evening and I would rather be on a short train, standing all the way to Ashford (which I was), than not have a train at all. And I would rather have the connection at Ashford right at the farthest end of the platform (which it was) than not there at all.
The conductor was duly apologetic, on frequent occasions. But why did she have to say the train was normally 7 cars, when it's normally 8? And why did the SouthEastern website say the train was reduced to 4 cars when it was reduced to 3? I suppose 7 cars reduced to 4 sounds better than 8 cars reduced to 3. But these silly attempts to try and minimise problems just damage the credibility of every pronouncement.
Snow (2)
What a turnround. Full marks to SouthEastern for getting Monday morning's services going without a hitch. After gloomy forecasts on Sunday evening and threats of more cancellations on Monday morning there were no problems at all. So, gold stars all round.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Snow
As usual the first hint of snow brings South Eastern to a standstill. The official line is that signal failures at Tonbridge and Ashford mean that trains will be delayed by up to 45 minutes. The reality, as usual, is that most trains are not running and those that are are running well over an hour late.
At Chilham we have had virtually no trains today, despite the 'live travel information' recording most trains as expected 'on time'. Occasionally we have had a 'delayed*', and sometimes just a 'delayed'. By the time these are over 90 minutes late - that is, by the time they are due at Ashford they are still marked 'delayed' and not left Charing Cross - you would think they might at least admit to the fact that these trains are not going to run.
Similarly, they mark the trains that start at Canterbury West as 'on time' until their departure time has come and gone, then they just disappear from the system. The fact that the train could never have run, because the inward train from Charing Cross never got through, doesn't seem to suggest that the departure from Canterbury West should have been marked as cancelled from the outset.
By this evening, South Eastern has decided to show the Ashford Line as running a 'good service'. This seems to be despite about 50% of trains being cancelled and the rest continuing to run over an hour late. I have to say, even trying to dig down into the website leaves it hard to know what is truth and what is fantasy. My last check, thinking about trains in the morning, shows the 1940 from Minster leaving Chilham 72 minutes late (booked for 2012, actually 2124). It then shows it leaving Wye, 66 minutes late (booked for 2018, actually 2124). Maybe SouthEastern have found a way of travelling at the speed of light, but I doubt it. If this is 'good service' I wonder what poor service might be.
Snow is a problem, but a continued glossing over the facts and minimising the disruption helps no-one.
At Chilham we have had virtually no trains today, despite the 'live travel information' recording most trains as expected 'on time'. Occasionally we have had a 'delayed*', and sometimes just a 'delayed'. By the time these are over 90 minutes late - that is, by the time they are due at Ashford they are still marked 'delayed' and not left Charing Cross - you would think they might at least admit to the fact that these trains are not going to run.
Similarly, they mark the trains that start at Canterbury West as 'on time' until their departure time has come and gone, then they just disappear from the system. The fact that the train could never have run, because the inward train from Charing Cross never got through, doesn't seem to suggest that the departure from Canterbury West should have been marked as cancelled from the outset.
By this evening, South Eastern has decided to show the Ashford Line as running a 'good service'. This seems to be despite about 50% of trains being cancelled and the rest continuing to run over an hour late. I have to say, even trying to dig down into the website leaves it hard to know what is truth and what is fantasy. My last check, thinking about trains in the morning, shows the 1940 from Minster leaving Chilham 72 minutes late (booked for 2012, actually 2124). It then shows it leaving Wye, 66 minutes late (booked for 2018, actually 2124). Maybe SouthEastern have found a way of travelling at the speed of light, but I doubt it. If this is 'good service' I wonder what poor service might be.
Snow is a problem, but a continued glossing over the facts and minimising the disruption helps no-one.
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