Olympic lanes

Mike P wrote:

On Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:09:14 +0100, David Horne wrote:

Martin wrote:
[]
Try living in Holland before saying Dutch PT works.

Yes, the problem is that people will often go somewhere abroad on
holiday, have a few problem-free experiences with public transport, and
assume it works like that all the time.

Some people might. I lived in Hong Kong and Athens before the millenium.
Both had better PT than London does now..

Most of my experience in the UK
is fine- the large number of trains I'm on run bang on time... but
things can also go arse up- and not always the fault of the system. My
biggest delays in the last 5 years were as the result of suicides on the
line.

Bully for you. My experience differs somewhat.

Ah, rudeness. Excellent!

David

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)

On Aug 2, 6:14*pm, (David Horne) wrote:
Mike P wrote:
On Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:09:14 +0100, David Horne wrote:

Martin wrote:
[]
Try living in Holland before saying Dutch PT works.

Yes, the problem is that people will often go somewhere abroad on
holiday, have a few problem-free experiences with public transport, and
assume it works like that all the time.

Some people might. I lived in Hong Kong and Athens before the millenium..
Both had better PT than London does now..

Most of my experience in the UK
is fine- the large number of trains I'm on run bang on time... but
things can also go arse up- and not always the fault of the system. My
biggest delays in the last 5 years were as the result of suicides on the
line.

Bully for you. My experience differs somewhat.

Ah, rudeness. Excellent!

That's not rudeness. It's a fact.

On Aug 2, 6:00*pm, Dave Plowman wrote:
In article ,
* *Mike P wrote:

Some people might. I lived in Hong Kong and Athens before the millenium..
Both had better PT than London does now..

Neither city is in the least bit comparable to London.

Well, they're all cities, they're all busy. HK has far more population
density, yet the PT works, is far cleaner, quieter, more efficient,
cheaper and more pleasant to use than it is in London. That's now. It
was aeons better back in the 80s.

know how their PT system is now to compare.

I do, thanks. Both far, far better than London.

In article
,
Mike P wrote:
Neither city is in the least bit comparable to London.

Well, they're all cities, they're all busy.

The area their PT covers makes a very big difference. London is unusual in
that many of the tube lines are very long.

HK has far more population
density, yet the PT works, is far cleaner, quieter, more efficient,
cheaper and more pleasant to use than it is in London. That's now. It
was aeons better back in the 80s.

The worst thing about PT is overcrowding. Notice you've missed that out.

--
*Okay, who stopped the payment on my reality check? *

Dave Plowman London SW 12

On Thursday, August 2, 2012 10:17:26 AM UTC+1, Martin wrote:
On Thu, 2 Aug 2012 09:48:43 +0100, (David Horne)

wrote:



Martin wrote:



On Thu, 2 Aug 2012 09:09:14 +0100, (David Horne)

wrote:

[]

Yes, the problem is that people will often go somewhere abroad on

holiday, have a few problem-free experiences with public transport, and

assume it works like that all the time. Most of my experience in the UK

is fine- the large number of trains I'm on run bang on time... but

things can also go arse up- and not always the fault of the system. My

biggest delays in the last 5 years were as the result of suicides on the

line.



In one case somebody admitted to comparing taking the train from

Schiphol to Amsterdam in summer with winter rail problems in UK, Dutch

newspapers are full of criticisms of the Dutch railways.



The last time I took the train in NL was from Schiphol to Leiden in May

a few years ago, usually a very straightforward journey, but due to

maintenance we had to get off early and transfer to a bus, which seemed

to take the slowest possible road imaginable!



There are frequent complaints from commuters using Leiden station.



It's not just the trains. Bus services have been reduced.



Next time you are in Leiden say hallo.

--



Martin

I have to say that I've used Diutch trains countless times, often commuting along the Rotterdam/Amsterdam line, the last series of trips being a year ago, and I've always founf the service absolutely excellent.

Equally, I have to praise the Wembley stadium system. We went to an Olympic match a couple of days ago, and deliberately drove to Uxbridge so as to travel onm the Metropolitan against the much more populated London crowds.
It was a full stadium - 80,000. We exited with the main crowds and were 'walked' slowly but continuously down the approx. half mile of Olympic Way into the station. Platforms seemed hardly crowded, including those London-bound.
It can't have been much for than 30/45 minutes from stadium seat to train seat.
I was dumbfounded, I expected pure hell.

We sent some Dutch this morning by train from west Surrey to Greenwich Park - through and right across London.
We heard that their total trip was entirely trouble-free and door to seat was about 2 hours, including a 3-course breakfast at Victoria!

So our experience of Olympic travelling hell so far has been exactly the opposite.
All kudos to all concerned!

Surreyman wrote:

[]
I have to say that I've used Diutch trains countless times, often
commuting along the Rotterdam/Amsterdam line, the last series of trips
being a year ago, and I've always founf the service absolutely excellent.

Equally, I have to praise the Wembley stadium system. We went to an
Olympic match a couple of days ago, and deliberately drove to Uxbridge so
as to travel onm the Metropolitan against the much more populated London
crowds. It was a full stadium - 80,000. We exited with the main crowds and
were 'walked' slowly but continuously down the approx. half mile of
Olympic Way into the station. Platforms seemed hardly crowded, including
those London-bound. It can't have been much for than 30/45 minutes from
stadium seat to train seat. I was dumbfounded, I expected pure hell.

We sent some Dutch this morning by train from west Surrey to Greenwich
We Park - through and right across London. heard that their total trip was
We entirely trouble-free and door to seat was about 2 hours, including a
We 3-course breakfast at Victoria!

So our experience of Olympic travelling hell so far has been exactly the
opposite. All kudos to all concerned!

I expect that when there are problems it will be reported. R4 reported a
closure on the Central Line this morning. That would not _normally_ be
for national news consumption. I'm only entering London once during the
Olympics- next Wednesday evening, don't have to travel much within
London and don't expect problems...

David

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)

On Friday, August 3, 2012 2:55:30 PM UTC+1, Martin wrote:
On Fri, 3 Aug 2012 13:51:51 +0100, (David Horne)

wrote:



Surreyman wrote:



[]

I have to say that I've used Diutch trains countless times, often

commuting along the Rotterdam/Amsterdam line, the last series of trips

being a year ago, and I've always founf the service absolutely excellent.



Equally, I have to praise the Wembley stadium system. We went to an

Olympic match a couple of days ago, and deliberately drove to Uxbridge so

as to travel onm the Metropolitan against the much more populated London

crowds. It was a full stadium - 80,000. We exited with the main crowds and

were 'walked' slowly but continuously down the approx. half mile of

Olympic Way into the station. Platforms seemed hardly crowded, including

those London-bound. It can't have been much for than 30/45 minutes from

stadium seat to train seat. I was dumbfounded, I expected pure hell.



We sent some Dutch this morning by train from west Surrey to Greenwich

We Park - through and right across London. heard that their total trip was

We entirely trouble-free and door to seat was about 2 hours, including a

We 3-course breakfast at Victoria!



So our experience of Olympic travelling hell so far has been exactly the

opposite. All kudos to all concerned!



I expect that when there are problems it will be reported. R4 reported a

closure on the Central Line this morning. That would not _normally_ be

for national news consumption. I'm only entering London once during the

Olympics- next Wednesday evening, don't have to travel much within

London and don't expect problems...



A two week summer holiday in Westland is hardly a representative

sample of Dutch railway reliability :-)

--



Martin

Er ... see above.
Included was many periods of commuting over some 50 years, often while resident in Den Haag.

On Sunday, August 5, 2012 4:51:46 PM UTC+1, Martin wrote:
On Sun, 5 Aug 2012 08:08:11 -0700 (PDT), Surreyman

wrote:



On Friday, August 3, 2012 2:55:30 PM UTC+1, Martin wrote:

On Fri, 3 Aug 2012 13:51:51 +0100, (David Horne)



wrote:







Surreyman wrote:







[]



I have to say that I've used Diutch trains countless times, often



commuting along the Rotterdam/Amsterdam line, the last series of trips



being a year ago, and I've always founf the service absolutely excellent.







Equally, I have to praise the Wembley stadium system. We went to an



Olympic match a couple of days ago, and deliberately drove to Uxbridge so



as to travel onm the Metropolitan against the much more populated London



crowds. It was a full stadium - 80,000. We exited with the main crowds and



were 'walked' slowly but continuously down the approx. half mile of



Olympic Way into the station. Platforms seemed hardly crowded, including



those London-bound. It can't have been much for than 30/45 minutes from



stadium seat to train seat. I was dumbfounded, I expected pure hell.







We sent some Dutch this morning by train from west Surrey to Greenwich



We Park - through and right across London. heard that their total trip was



We entirely trouble-free and door to seat was about 2 hours, including a



We 3-course breakfast at Victoria!







So our experience of Olympic travelling hell so far has been exactly the



opposite. All kudos to all concerned!







I expect that when there are problems it will be reported. R4 reported a



closure on the Central Line this morning. That would not _normally_ be



for national news consumption. I'm only entering London once during the



Olympics- next Wednesday evening, don't have to travel much within



London and don't expect problems...







A two week summer holiday in Westland is hardly a representative



sample of Dutch railway reliability :-)



--







Martin



Er ... see above.

Included was many periods of commuting over some 50 years, often while resident in Den Haag.



A long time ago. Things are getting worse all the time.

--



Martin

Can only bow to your local knowledge.
But a year ago we did two return trips Delft/Amsterdam, one run Delft/Den Haag/Rotterdam (and a couple of Rotterdam/Brussels runs if they count), all in usual comfort and speed.

Maybe, to us, Netherlands railways are just better than in UK, and you're used to even higher standards than both! :-))