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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2023 13:19:20 GMT
I'm trying to think of what local commuter rail in the 21st Century has toilets? Pretty much the majority of UK ones outside London! The majority? I hardly think that is the case for subway lines around the world. I've traveled to many countries and have never encountered on on city rail. For longer trips? Of course.
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Post by sf on Aug 26, 2023 14:52:44 GMT
Perhaps it's because I don't live in London, but even the Elizabeth Line shocks me as to how primitive it is in the 21st century. The seats are incredibly uncomfortable, there are no on-board toilets, and the time to get from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Tottenham Court Road (just under 19 miles) is a staggering 37 minutes. That's an average speed of just 31mph. And all this for how many millions! The seats are perfectly OK for the journeys the trains are designed for. I don't find them uncomfortable. 37 minutes from T5 to Tottenham Court Road is pretty good given the number of stops the train makes on the way. Paddington to T5 on the Heathrow Express is about 20 minutes; by the time you've got off the Heathrow Express at Paddington, made your way to the Elizabeth Line platforms, and got on the next eastbound train, you haven't saved much more than perhaps five minutes. Given that Heathrow Express uses the fast lines between Hayes and Harlington and Paddington and the Elizabeth Line doesn't, that's a huge achievement. Speed, anyway, was never the point. The Elizabeth Line represents - on its own - a 10% increase in rail capacity in central London in terms of the number of people per hour the network is capable of moving. On that basis, it is a huge success. (Yes I use it regularly, I live in Windsor and my usual route into London is via Slough.)
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2023 16:44:00 GMT
Pretty much the majority of UK ones outside London! The majority? I hardly think that is the case for subway lines around the world. I've traveled to many countries and have never encountered on on city rail. For longer trips? Of course. In the UK, most local commuter railway services are not subway/metro, and most have toilets. For those of us with weak bladders, even the tube is a problem. I've had journeys of over an hour on the tube, after a night in a pub, where, despite using toilet facilities immediately before, I've had to interrupt the journey midway (and pay twice!) to find another toilet. While I love coming to London, I could never live there. It's just so slow to get around, whatever the mode of transport, even with this new line. It would drive me mad. I'm used to being able to do the 100 miles to London in under an hour, and to get to local cities fast by car.
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Post by mkb on Aug 26, 2023 16:52:32 GMT
...I use it regularly, I live in Windsor and my usual route into London is via Slough. Windsor is a good example. I travelled there from central London to see Frank and Percy, and I was surprised that the train there took so long, about an hour in fact.
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Post by ruthieh on Aug 26, 2023 16:56:28 GMT
From Paddington to the west end this is a game changer. Last night, Wizard of Oz, admittedly starting at 7, 5 mins walk to Bond Street, back to Paddington, and managed to get the 10.03 to Didcot. We were home by 11. Pre Lizzie Line, there is no way…
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Post by sf on Aug 26, 2023 17:03:18 GMT
...I use it regularly, I live in Windsor and my usual route into London is via Slough. Windsor is a good example. I travelled there from central London to see Frank and Percy, and I was surprised that the train there took so long, about an hour in fact. Waterloo to Windsor is usually around an hour. Via Slough, the journey time is generally significantly less than that. The quickest connections from Windsor to Paddington via Slough - which admittedly use GWR trains rather than the Elizabeth Line - take 30 minutes. What *is* a game-changer from here is the Elizabeth Line for journeys *across* London. I went to meet my cousin and her husband in Stratford the other day (it's a convenient halfway point between where I live and where they live, with good train connections for me and easy parking for them). Getting there from Paddington is much quicker and easier than it used to be. Coming home from the West End after a show, it's very convenient to get on the Elizabeth Line and just change at Slough. Getting to the Barbican is much easier. And so on. In terms of journey time, the benefits from here are marginal - but it is often significantly more convenient than going to Paddington or Waterloo and then getting on the tube. And there's air conditioning all the way, and in summer that can be a big deal.
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Post by sf on Aug 26, 2023 17:05:50 GMT
From Paddington to the west end this is a game changer. Last night, Wizard of Oz, admittedly starting at 7, 5 mins walk to Bond Street, back to Paddington, and managed to get the 10.03 to Didcot. We were home by 11. Pre Lizzie Line, there is no way… Exactly. Travelling in the same direction (though not as far), I find the Elizabeth Line often means that after a show I am home half an hour earlier. That quick jump from the West End to Paddington makes a huge difference.
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Post by alece10 on Aug 26, 2023 17:46:39 GMT
My journey to the west end is pretty quick as I live in East London. Central line to Tottenham Court Road is 20 mins. Lizzie Line is 12 mins. Central line is hot as hell and so noisy in places you can't even hear someone sitting next to you talking. Lizzie line has air con, quiet, spacious and I swear people are better behaved especially where litter is concerned.
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Post by sph on Aug 27, 2023 2:26:04 GMT
My journey to the west end is pretty quick as I live in East London. Central line to Tottenham Court Road is 20 mins. Lizzie Line is 12 mins. Central line is hot as hell and so noisy in places you can't even hear someone sitting next to you talking. Lizzie line has air con, quiet, spacious and I swear people are better behaved especially where litter is concerned. God yes! The Central Line is so noisy you'd think you were on the space shuttle. The Elizabeth Line is so quiet and smooth. I can hardly believe I put up with the Central Line for so long. A tin can being forced through a drainpipe.
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Post by tmesis on Aug 27, 2023 6:17:10 GMT
It comes into its own when there is a rail strike like yesterday, when it still runs normally.
I normally come in on the Reading line to Waterloo from Virginia Water but it’s easy to drive to Burnham or Langley and start my journey from there. Don’t tend to use Slough as it’s easier to get free parking from the other two starting points.
However it was very busy last night, probably because of the strike.
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