Good video. You mentioned the planned Thameslink services from Maidstone, the last I heard from a friend who works at Maidstone, he said Thameslink aren't going to bother, and Southeastern are planning on running more Maidstone to Blackfriars services during the day. Which I'd be happy with, I don't want 700s on my local line, delays would go up ten fold.
It's the faff of changing at Blackfriars that troubles me. It's worse going south as you need to go from platform 1 to 3. No fun with luggage as it is a long walk to the end of the platform in either direction. I'm sure it would put many people off. We often do the journey northbound but take the Victoria Line back to Victoria on the way home.
@@BoogiesTrains yeah I guess it would be convenient for inner London services. But if they do what Thameslink does on the Strood line, they'll stop at every single station so it might take a change of train out, but it'd take longer. If they did introduce a Maidstone to Cambridge service I wouldn't use it. It'd be quicker going via the high speed service to St. Pancras and walk to King's Cross
The service which used to run every 15 minutes from Victoria to Orpington was ideal. It was cut back to every 30 mins due - apparently - to lack of bay platforms at Orpington which were now needed for more Thameslink services. And instead we got the stopping services from Victoria to Bromley South where there are no bay platforms at all, so these trains sit at platform 2 blocking that line for 7 minutes every half-hour. And at the first hint of trouble they get diverted into the bay platform at Beckenham Junction and never make it as far as Bromley South anyway. In the meantime the "increased" Thameslink services amount to a handful of rush-hour services to Luton and Welwyn Garden City. These changes would never been designed by anyone who actually uses this line frequently - they have made things a lot worse all round for most passengers.
Thanks for the comment. I use Bromley South mainly so I'm not too badly affected by this, except there are times of the day when the terminating train doesn't exist. I've been caught out a couple of times changing from Thameslink at Herne Hill and being left with a long wait. My personal bug bear is the lack of a reasonably fast and through service to Farringdon. Interchange with the Elizabeth Line is going to be a must have in the future and it doesn't look like Bromley South is getting one soon. Plans for a Thameslink service on the Maidstone East line don't seem to be going anywhere and in any case seemed to involve using a route via Chislehurst. Orpington does have the benefit of frequent services to both Victoria and London Bridge. The Catford Loop finally got its 4tph and then Covid wiped out demand. Not sure if the off peak traffic merits 4 tph unless it was a semi-fast calling at, say. Catford, Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill. That might attract traffic heading for the Elizabeth Line as mentioned above. There is one Maidstone East to Blackfriars service each day. It is operated by Southeastern. I think it features in this video. I don't understand the rationale for when it runs.
Over a year later, and the service frequency on this line is still only 2 an hour in the daytime, much to the annoyance of the residents. Most of the other metro routes that SE run (the Hayes, Woolwich, Eltham, Sidcup and Grove Park) all still benefit from 4 trains an hour throughout on most weekdays. Needless to say, the locals of Beckenham and Penge are quite miffed about the cut in service.
The rest of the Class 707s should been transferred from South Western Railway to Southeastern that Southeastern will have all 30 Class 707 “City Beam” on their network operating in Southeast London.
Nice little video. Well done 🤓
Nice railway video Boogies Trains
Great video
Good video. You mentioned the planned Thameslink services from Maidstone, the last I heard from a friend who works at Maidstone, he said Thameslink aren't going to bother, and Southeastern are planning on running more Maidstone to Blackfriars services during the day. Which I'd be happy with, I don't want 700s on my local line, delays would go up ten fold.
It's the faff of changing at Blackfriars that troubles me. It's worse going south as you need to go from platform 1 to 3. No fun with luggage as it is a long walk to the end of the platform in either direction. I'm sure it would put many people off.
We often do the journey northbound but take the Victoria Line back to Victoria on the way home.
@@BoogiesTrains yeah I guess it would be convenient for inner London services. But if they do what Thameslink does on the Strood line, they'll stop at every single station so it might take a change of train out, but it'd take longer. If they did introduce a Maidstone to Cambridge service I wouldn't use it. It'd be quicker going via the high speed service to St. Pancras and walk to King's Cross
The service which used to run every 15 minutes from Victoria to Orpington was ideal. It was cut back to every 30 mins due - apparently - to lack of bay platforms at Orpington which were now needed for more Thameslink services. And instead we got the stopping services from Victoria to Bromley South where there are no bay platforms at all, so these trains sit at platform 2 blocking that line for 7 minutes every half-hour. And at the first hint of trouble they get diverted into the bay platform at Beckenham Junction and never make it as far as Bromley South anyway.
In the meantime the "increased" Thameslink services amount to a handful of rush-hour services to Luton and Welwyn Garden City. These changes would never been designed by anyone who actually uses this line frequently - they have made things a lot worse all round for most passengers.
Thanks for the comment.
I use Bromley South mainly so I'm not too badly affected by this, except there are times of the day when the terminating train doesn't exist. I've been caught out a couple of times changing from Thameslink at Herne Hill and being left with a long wait.
My personal bug bear is the lack of a reasonably fast and through service to Farringdon. Interchange with the Elizabeth Line is going to be a must have in the future and it doesn't look like Bromley South is getting one soon. Plans for a Thameslink service on the Maidstone East line don't seem to be going anywhere and in any case seemed to involve using a route via Chislehurst.
Orpington does have the benefit of frequent services to both Victoria and London Bridge.
The Catford Loop finally got its 4tph and then Covid wiped out demand. Not sure if the off peak traffic merits 4 tph unless it was a semi-fast calling at, say. Catford, Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill. That might attract traffic heading for the Elizabeth Line as mentioned above.
There is one Maidstone East to Blackfriars service each day. It is operated by Southeastern. I think it features in this video. I don't understand the rationale for when it runs.
Over a year later, and the service frequency on this line is still only 2 an hour in the daytime, much to the annoyance of the residents. Most of the other metro routes that SE run (the Hayes, Woolwich, Eltham, Sidcup and Grove Park) all still benefit from 4 trains an hour throughout on most weekdays.
Needless to say, the locals of Beckenham and Penge are quite miffed about the cut in service.
I use Bromley South regularly. It is no longer a turn up and go service even there with a big gap between 34 and 03 to Victoria.
8:00 As Class 465 Southeastern Leaves Beckenham Junction Station, his Friend: Class 377 Electrostar Southern Catches Up
3:13 Either there is something wrong with that motor or the regenerative braking was turned off.
I wouldn't know. It does sound different.
The rest of the Class 707s should been transferred from South Western Railway to Southeastern that Southeastern will have all 30 Class 707 “City Beam” on their network operating in Southeast London.