howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
18 January 2009
19:4913111i used the national rail timetable website for a while, then through experience discovered that it bore scant resemblance to the real timetable.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
18 January 2009
21:1513146I found the national rail site to be useful for up to date service announcements and ok for timetable information
the best site for timetable information is Deutsche Bahn
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?newrequest=yes&protocol=http:&;
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 682- Registered: 19 Jan 2009
- Posts: 146
20 January 2009
09:1513277I have forwarded Bern's posting to Southeastern's Public Affairs Manager at Blackfriars asking for comments.
The engineering work is installing new track for the arrival of HS1 in December - I saw the new track alongside Platform 1 last Friday - concrete sleepers for anyone interested.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
20 January 2009
09:5113286Too easy Nigel I cant resist .Were Customer Services concrete sleepers??
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
21 January 2009
15:1513406Southeastern have announced a dramatic improvement in the anticipated high speed train journey time between London and Dover. Up until now this has been quoted as 74 minutes. They now estimate that the journey will take 64 minutes. Surprised that this announcement has not received greater prominence.
http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Folkestone-London-49-minutes/article-629260-detail/article.html
http://southeastern2009.go-cms.co.uk/index.php/cms/pages/view/66Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
21 January 2009
16:2613408Heard about Folkestone being now under 50 minutes I think ?
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
21 January 2009
17:1413409All on the links above, Scotchie. Folkestone West 49 minutes, Folkestone Central 52 minutes, Dover Priory 64 minutes.
All the time saving using the high speed trains is of course on the run down from St.Pancras to Ashford on the High Speed 1 (HS1) line, the new name for the CTRL, where they can achieve their maximum speed of 140mph giving a journey time of 37 minutes. At Ashford, they leave HS1 and trundle down the classic line to Dover so the speeds are the same as the classic trains.
Where the new time saving has come from has to be from eliminating the time spent at Ashford. The trains will split there to go to Ramsgate or Dover. They were postulating an incredible ten or twelve minutes to divide the train.
Possibly this refers to trains proceeding direct from London to Dover and may only apply to the rush hour with off-peak trains continuing to divide at Ashford as before. Dunno.
Whatever, this improves the prospects for the high speed train. The jury is still out as to whether it will prove a success. Most current train passengers are commuters who want to go to the established terminii where they can walk to work. Going to St.Pancras in North London requires an additional tube journey which negates the time saving and costs more for the HS1 supplement and the tube fare.
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
21 January 2009
22:2313425It is good news however, it is interesting to note that despite 2 less stops on the high speed service between Dover and Ashford the running time is the same as they have not eliminated the 3 minutes per station (dwell time) that they allow when trains stop. Also the time from Dover to Folkestone is 1 minute more than the current services.
Therefore I believe there is still some fat in their timetable and we will see at least 2 trains a day with a headline journey time of 59 minutes Dover to London once the service is up and running.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
22 January 2009
06:1213432Speaking of the high speed trains, Castle Forum including Roger and myself paid a visit to the Hitachi maintenance depot in Ashford last night and had a guided tour by the manager. Most interesting and enlightening.
Guest 674- Registered: 25 Jun 2008
- Posts: 3,391
22 January 2009
08:2013435All i can say is i use the national rail web site and to date not had a problem
just me?
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
22 January 2009
08:4513444Nice picture there Ed, it looks a very impressive place and the trains themselves look fab. It will be a very exciting time for rail travel with these new trains when they get here. Lets hope they are affordable to use for both commuters and pleasure travellers. One hears of fares rising and so on...alarming. But the whole idea is great. Interesting post from Nigel there pointing out that the current track work going on is actually a preparation for these great machines. So it's really happening. Its real...pinch me why dont yer!
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
22 January 2009
08:5913451Yes, indeed, a very valuable and interesting visit to Hitachi last night - organised by The Castle Forum.
We were introduced to the Japanese work ethic and the guy who gave the talk and guided tour really loves is job - and the company; his enthusiasm shines through.
If only more firms had this approach, it was so refreshing.
Good luck to Hitachi in getting more contracts.
Roger
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
22 January 2009
10:2613474The highspeed train will no doubt be welecomed by many ,however I shall not be travelling on it very often .Most meetings are held around Charing Cross ,ie House of Commoms or the Conference centre near Westminister Abbey .I will not want to land up in St Pancras .My journey to Guildford last week ineeded to alight at Waterloo East .Most people travelling from East Kent go to London Bridge or Cannon Street .The fares will also be problamatic
St pancras will only be useful if you are travelling to the north ..
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
22 January 2009
21:5813549Sue for those who work in the City or Canary Wharf the HST looks viable now it is down to just over the hour. It is a 25 minute walk from St Pancras into the City giving a journey time of approx 1.30 compared with the current 2 hours plus to Cannon Street. For Canary Wharf the train will stop at Stratford allowing transfer to the Jubilee Line or DLR cutting almost 45 minutes off the total journey time
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
22 January 2009
23:4513560thanks ross .I bow to your update knowledge .Isuppose for an old duck like me who never uses the underground it does seem rather bewildering .I used to alight at London Bridge and caught a 48 bus to Liverpool Street when visiting Dunmow .It was a case of catching the Stansred Express then a bus ride to Dunmow .
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
23 January 2009
04:5813566Have uploaded a full set of photos of our visit to the Hitachi high speed train maintenance depot to my fotopic site at:
http://shipsintheportofdover.fotopic.net/Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
23 January 2009
20:5913667As I can't say too much about Southeastern and having to spend 17 hrs there this weekend with buses to Folkestone Shepherdswell and Deal,I thought I would ask to questions on train travel,first one is for the Boss.
1.How much is the fare by train and boat to Dublin.
2.If 4 people travel by train after 10.00 Mon-fri to london for the day how much is it,or anytime at weekends.
3.True or false the advance fare to Durham first class one way is £49.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 677- Registered: 8 Jul 2008
- Posts: 150
23 January 2009
22:3913678I look forward to experiencing the new high speed train, although I tend to agree that alighting at St Pancras is going to cause additional problems for me as I travel to Croydon, but I'm sure I'll be able to overcome and if not I'll stick to the old route (if it's still available). My question is will this new train service mean that people who catch the 16:31 from London Bridge will be able to sit down. The station is only two stops down from the starting point of Charing Cross and eight carriages are full until Ashford. (I made that journey once when pregnant with my youngest and I can tell you it was not pleasant). Would it be possible to have a couple more carriages or is that too extravagent.
It's not the man in my life, its the life in my man!!
Ross Miller- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
23 January 2009
23:0813686The introduction of the HST will see the first complete rewrite of the timetable in 50 odd years so it is likely that all services will be reviewed or revised and most likely re-timed.
Certainly the classic service (i.e. to Cannon Street and Charing Cross via Tonbridge) will remain but will have lower frequency during the peak service periods and is likely to have less convenient departure/arrival times than now. This is to encourage commuters onto the HST.
As far as I understand the service frequency for the HST is 1 per hour off peak and 3 every 2 hours during the peak period. The likely consequence is that we will lose 1 per hour service during off peak and 2 during the peak period on the classic service. There is also an unsubstantiated rumour that Cannon Street Services will be routed via Faversham only adding a minimum of 15 minutes to the overall journey time.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
26 January 2009
19:2513919Ah! yes Stephanie, I know what you mean about standing all the way from London Bridge to Ashford, have done that myself a number of times untill I saw sense and went back to Charing Cross and started from there with a comfortable seat. Well worth that bit of extra time.
Also, just thought I would share the following update with you all and especially Bern. I am Happy to report that the Deal to Dover rail replacement bus service on Sunday morning was, and wait for it, warm, clean and with a very courteous and cheery bus driver, so its not all bad then.
