Calls for Sunday trains at Taplow

[Lee]

Rail users in Taplow say they have seen little improvement with the new train timetable and are sick of the station being marginalised (link below.)
http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news_article.php?section=5&category=85&story=5192

Taplow Rail Users Group are making fresh calls for the return of a Sunday service after the publication of First Great Western's timetable earlier this month and are disappointed to see that weekday train services have been slashed.

Jon Willmore, chairman of Taplow Rail Users Group, said: "There is a crying need for Sunday services to be restored at Taplow."

"We are obviously also very disappointed at a net loss of two weekday services from Taplow, which involves three morning services to London being lost," he said.

But he added: "On the positive side, there is a glimmer of comfort in the provision of an extra mid-evening commuter train from London to Taplow and we are pleased that  the overall service pattern has been tweaked so that it provides a slightly more even service."

FGW :

"We have a very diverse customer base all with different needs and we have to balance that with a very complicated rail network. We are not the only users of it and we have to negotiate for access."

"It's very difficult to make everyone happy at the same time but we are trying."

[chris from nailsea]

From the Maidenhead Advertiser:

Fresh calls for a Sunday service at Taplow railway station have been made as traffic chaos returns to the area with the start of the controversial car boot season.

Gridlock fears in Bath Road resurfaced following this year's first Giant Car Boot Sale on Sunday last week. Cars often queue for more than an hour between Maidenhead and Slough as they battle with bargain hunters at the weekly sale.

But organiser Jack Davenport believes opening up the station, located in nearby Approach Road, would help ease congestion. Trains do not stop at the station in Taplow on Sundays despite villagers' calls for a new service.

Jack said: "With Tesco opening at The Bishop Centre as well as Sainsbury's and our car boot sale, this would help the whole area and would be profitable for the train company too."

Taplow Rail Users Group has been asking First Great Western to consider a Sunday service since it formed in 2005. "We're often there doing the flower beds on Sundays and people turn up expecting to find trains but have to travel in alternative ways," said John Fowler, vice chairman of the group and Hag Hill Rise resident.

A First Great Western spokesman said weekend engineering works by Network Rail mean two tracks are often closed near Taplow while main lines are left open.

He added: "Unfortunately, Taplow doesn't have any suitable main line platforms, meaning it's impossible for the main line services to stop when these regular engineering works are taking place. If we could find a solution to this we would still need to ensure any Sunday services were sustainable, and look very closely at the business case."

[Electric train]

I doubt the car booters would travel by train (bit of a contradiction in terms)

[IndustryInsider]

I wonder if Crossrail intends on heightening the through platforms so that trains can once again stop at them during engineering work?  Can't find any mention though - all that's mentioned on the Crossrail website is:

   

• Canopies modified (cut back)
• Footbridge parapets made imperforate
• OLE gantries positioned for free running under bridge
• Use of Selective Door Opening on all platforms

[eightf48544]

It's not the platforms that need raising it's the rails lowering which I would imagine they would have to do in anycase to get the wires under the footbridge.

The reinstatement of the mainline platorms really needs to be done now so that during electrification work on the Relief lines when trains cannot stop at Burnham they can stop at Taplow, with a bus to Burnham and Slough. It means that passengers from Burnham and Taplow to and from the West don't have to go via Slough and spend over an hour doing so.

[eightf48544]

I should have added on the previous post about Crossrail as listed by Industry Insider.

I thought we were getting 10 coach platforms at least on the Reliefs, extended at the Maidenhead end. Surprised to see selective door opening can you have that with OMO?

[paul7755]

...Surprised to see selective door opening can you have that with OMO?

I think SN can use individual coach SDO already on their 377s with DOO, indeed the opening part of the procedure is automatic even where there is a guard, it is controlled by a combination of GPS to give location and platform mounted balises to confirm direction and the distinct platform where they vary in length. (If you weren't aware, some SN services change from DOO to 'guard present' depending where they are on the route.)

LU use SDO (at individual door level) on the new S stock.  I'd suggest that as Crossrail stock will probably have walk through gangways, and far better passenger information displays than current, it will be manageable, especially if just the odd carriage at one end of the train.

Paul

[eightf48544]

So  we aren't getting extended platforms then?

[IndustryInsider]

Not judging from the Crossrail website, though of course that may change.  Taplow's platforms can't be too far off of accepting a 10 car 200 metre train?