On 2 Jan, 22:53, BVETubeTrains
tiscali.co.uk> wrote:> On Jan 2, 9:20 pm, Paul Speller
paulspeller.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>> Last year we had a good view of the fireworks from the Embankment but
>> the impossibility of getting into Charing Cross put us off ever going
>> back (we caught two night buses home instead, taking three hours to get
>> to our home, in Zone 6).
>
>> This year, however, we were lured back into London after all, to a great
>> party at the Royal Festival Hall. We finally left there at 01.40, and
>> crossed the footbridge to go to Charing Cross.
>
>> As we were crossing, we saw a twelve-carriage train to Dartford via
>> Bexleyheath departing on the railway bridge next to us. It was pretty
>> much empty - by which I don't mean only half the seats were taken, I
>> mean it was literally almost empty. I think there were more people on
>> the 05.55 Crayford to Gravesend train I caught one Friday in November.
>
>> All the back entrances to Charing Cross, and the whole of Embankment
>> station, were closed so we were forced around near Trafalgar Square and
>> past a load of police, some on horseback, etc. in the Strand.
>
>> Then we saw the most enormous queue of people waiting to get into
>> Charing Cross. The back end of the queue was almost at Aldwych. This was
>> a good 90 minutes or more after the fireworks had ended. In all the time
>> we were walking past the station we didn't see anyone getting let in
>> from the queue.
>
>> My question is this: when that many people are standing in a queue
>> outside a station, why on earth are twelve-carriage trains leaving that
>> same station completely empty? They could have filled that train up to
>> rush-hour levels and still had the same number left to go onto the next
>> one.
>
>> When we realised the night buses' starting points had been moved even
>> further from Trafalgar Square than last year, we decided to cross
>> Waterloo Bridge and go to London Bridge station instead. As we crossed,
>> we could again make out a distinctly empty-looking train leaving Charing
>> Cross in the distance.
>
>> Ultimately we got into Southwark tube without any problem to save a bit
>> of walking, then of course caught our train at London Bridge, which was
>> no busier than during a typical weekend 'closing time' period. The train
>> was of course about 75%% empty (or nearer 90%% by rush-hour standards!) so
>> we were able to choose from a wide selection of vacant double seats.
>
>> Quite why I'm posting that previous paragraph on the internet when my
>> plan for next year (if we go back) is to head straight for London Bridge
>> via Southwark, is anyone's guess - now our fast-track route will be full
>> of Usenet users ;)
>
>> Does anyone know what on earth was going on at Charing Cross? Why did
>> they not let enough people in to fill the available trains? Is the crowd
>> management always that atrocious?
>
>> Paul
I don't have an answer to your question Paul, but I have just perused
the TfL New Year's Eve travel info leaflet and there's no specific
information about closures of Charing X station on NYE. It might be
the Met Police being overzealous, I don't know.
>
> As far as I know, Charing Cross wouldn't have been open at all for
> trains at twoish in the morning, as the last trains leave some time
> around midnight, and dont start till about five.
Aha - but there were special services in the early hours of New Years
day, sponsored by TfL and free to use. Charing X was the start point
of four separate half-hourly services.
