please empty your brain below
Not only no more timetable leaflets at Sevenoaks, there are no A-Z posters of destinations and times either. Mind you, I haven't caught Covid, yet.

Waterhouse | 06.12.22 - 7:26 a.m. | #

Wish I’d known where you were yesterday, dg. Not too far to pop in for a cuppa. 😉🫖

Jo W | 06.12.22 - 7:54 a.m. | #

That FOI request is cringe worthy

Simon G | 06.12.22 - 8:12 a.m. | #

5 trains from Beckenham Junction to Blackfriars via Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction in the morning, but only one the other way (18:29).

What’s the point in that?

Southern Heights (Light Railway) | 06.12.22 - 8:26 a.m. | #

Love that cushion!

Matt | 06.12.22 - 8:56 a.m. | #

I'm not sure transport is actually why I am here - but maybe I'm an outlier.

cau1khead | 06.12.22 - 9:01 a.m. | #

It hurts me whenever people cheer about disabled access. It only applies to wheelchairs, not to mobility scooters.

Caroline | 06.12.22 - 9:05 a.m. | #

Not the only one, cau1khead, but it is one part of the delightful mix. I can’t remember exactly but I think it was the Olympics that brought me here first, some time before 2012, not the transport. That said, there do seem to be a lot of people who "like" buses, trains, trams, etc, so perhaps we are outliers together.

Andrew | 06.12.22 - 9:21 a.m. | #

Not many unconfident passengers will see the bus notice, but maybe friends or carers will see it and avail of the service and enrichen those people's lives

Ian | 06.12.22 - 9:32 a.m. | #

Some classic bah humbug creeping in today. And we're still only on the 6th. Excellent.

Stuart R | 06.12.22 - 9:37 a.m. | #

I'm very much not here for the nerd-level transport stuff either, but enjoy the generalist transport overview.

Frank F | 06.12.22 - 10:17 a.m. | #

A-Z timetable posters seem to have disappeared from all train stations, based on some recent trips I have done

Maybe DfT stopped mandating the display of such, expecting passengers to rely on digital sources. I did see a large format digital touch screen in an on platform waiting room at Richmond that could look up any journey but defaulted to an expanded departures board for the whole station.

MilesT | 06.12.22 - 10:17 a.m. | #

I was making a journey from Waterloo East Platform A and the planned train was cancelled. So I thought check the A-Z timetable panels that have been on the wall there for years to consider options. They've gone. I took the first train and hoped for better luck at London Bridge. Good thing I did as it gave me a far faster alternative than the digital indicator at Waterloo East did.

ap | 06.12.22 - 10:22 a.m. | #

On the topic of suspension Dad jokes:
A few years ago I picked up a couple of magnetic TfL board stickers from the Transport Museum for 50p each. I placed them above my coat rack (“Suspended”) and on my entry door closing mechanism (“Closed”), so when you look at them, they’ll indicate the current state of relevant items.
When I explain this to guests, as I occasionally need to, it cues rather pitiful glances.

commonliner | 06.12.22 - 10:43 a.m. | #

Bit harsh on the smug guy, he was indeed very wrong but seems to be using the request as a helpful suggestion rather than a 'I know more than you', it's not likely the overloaded regular contact centre could give much help here. There's lots of processes out in the world that can be improved with a fresh pair of eyes, suggestions should always be encouraged.

The cable car prices are expensive - normally just a fiver for two o/w journeys for kids. No idea how you are supposed to use contactless for them - many people seem to use it like the tube and take them through the gates with the adults.

If I were designing the Welcome Aboard poster, the good behaviour request I'd feature would be to remind people it's illegal to play music or watch videos without headphones.

Sarah | Homepage | 06.12.22 - 10:45 a.m. | #

Chiltern Railways are only offering printed timetables by post. I've requested one and am waiting to see if it's a proper durable booklet or just an A4 of the pdf that I could have printed out myself or attempted to read on my phone.
Still much prefer a full timetable over a journey planner as it lets you see at a glance options the planning algorithm has filtered out; alternative connection points, a train that is likely to be less crowded due to its calling pattern and so on.

Andrew S | 06.12.22 - 10:51 a.m. | #

Printed timetables to me are most useful for regular commuters, who will predominantly be commuting into London, so if they are to be produced, they will be of most use if available at the station where they get on, rather than the London terminus.

And even then, with the growth of technology, the number of people using them will be tiny now. Read the pdf on your phone, rather than have a printed version cluttering up your handbag or getting crumpled in your pocket.

Mikey C | 06.12.22 - 11:02 a.m. | #

It’s far too easy to fall into the expectation that everyone has a smartphone and is always able to consult timetables or other relevant information on them at the drop of a hat; it’s also cheaper not to print posters or timetables, which is a far more likely driving force for their disappearance. This is the default premise of so many businesses now, not just railway companies. But there are still many people who don’t have, or cannot use, smartphones (or computers) for very good reasons — eg age, eyesight or physical impairment — and they’re increasingly excluded by companies that can’t be bothered to provide alternatives.

Labourer | 06.12.22 - 12:57 p.m. | #

Not have the printed version of a map or timetable is restricting, it's harder to spot alternatives if you've only got access to the filtered online version, this applies to the pdf timetables as well because of the way the services can be grouped.

Still Anon | 06.12.22 - 1:04 p.m. | #

I remember the excitement of being at Beckenham Junction in the mid-90s when Connex South Central introduced timetable booklets, like the one pictured on the left, to replace the smaller foldaway format of British Rail. They came resplendent with glossy, yellow covers which heralded a bright new future. (This was a time when Connex promised us a turn-up-and-go South London Metro in the not-to-distant future.) A few months later, those Connex South Central timetables were joined at Beckenham Junction by similar looking ones for Connex South Eastern, including, I believe, trains into Blackfriars as well as the stopping and semi-fasts to Victoria.

winklepicker | 06.12.22 - 1:54 p.m. | #

I didn't know that you didn't need to tap out on trams - so Smug Petitioner has done me a favour there - if ever I find myself on one and remember, that is!

Cornish Cockney | 06.12.22 - 4:32 p.m. | #

If you take a bus first and connect to the tram then you might have exceeded the one hour so you would pay again if you touch out on the tram.

Surbitonian | 06.12.22 - 6:51 p.m. | #

Two big thumbs up for "a freezing dangle".

James Webber | 06.12.22 - 7:07 p.m. | #

The number of people relying on printed pocket timetables will be minimal now. People with eyesight issues may find them too small to read anyway!

Mikey C | 06.12.22 - 10:14 p.m. | #

I wonder if I may put in a FoI request to DG Towers and ask whether the number of comments along the lines of "I don't come here for X / I'm not so keen on X-related material" has changed over the years? :-)

David F | 07.12.22 - 9:07 a.m. | #

I'm really looking forward to learning about that cul-de-cac in Mitcham soon! I already know of a couple of wonderful ones, so can't wait to widen my horizons.

cau1khead | 07.12.22 - 9:41 a.m. | #











TridentScan v2.10.0 | Privacy Policy