Public Transport

No way out. The newly installed gate at Palmers Green station is a serious impediment to anyone with a heavy load or who has difficulty climbing stairs On the Sunday before last I arrived at Palmers Green station after a couple of weeks away.  I had with me a very heavy suitcase, but was easily able to pull it up the three small steps between Platform 2 and the car park and then wheel it home.  If I had returned one day later, I would have been in trouble, because the gate to the car.......

The consumer group Which? has released its 2017 customer satisfaction survey results for rail companies and Thameslink/Great Northern are almost bottom with some absolutely dire scores.  The numbers in the table below are star ratings (maximum 5 stars).   Leisure Commuter Punctuality 2 2 Reliability 2 2 Seat availability 3 2 Standing space 3 2 Frequency 3 1 Carriages 2 1 Toilets 2 2 Value for money 2 2 Customer score.......

Because of delays caused by the Cycle Enfield road works along the A105, the 329 bus is currently not running south of Wood Green station.  This will allow frequencies to be retained between Palmers Green and Enfield.  According to the TfL website, the route curtailment runs from 5th January to 30th March. Southbound buses are terminating very close to the usual stop outside Wood Green station.  However, buses towards Palmers Green on the 329 are not serving the northbound Wood.......

"It stands to reason  that trains are large and heavy, whilst leaves are small and light, so leaves can’t stop a train." "It stands to reason  that trains have solid metal wheels, so trains can’t get ‘flat tyres.’" Well, you might think so, but you'd be wrong (though since tube train wheels don't actually have tyres, you'd be strictly speaking right about the second point). For a highly detailed discussion of the problems afflicting the Piccadilly Line.......

The current phase of the public consultation about Govia's proposals for changes to rail timetables from 2018 finishes at 5pm on Thursday 8th December. Under the proposals, offpeak services between Palmers Green and Moorgate will be doubled.  However, at some other stations along the line the increase will be smaller and offpeak frequencies may even be reduced. The proposed Monday to Saturday offpeak services would be six trains an hour, made up of: Two trains an hour from Stevenage.......

Govia Thameslink Railway, the company that runs trains through Palmers Green, has published details of its plans for improved services on all its lines due to come into operation in 2018.  For Palmers Green the off-peak service will be six trains an hour to and from Moorgate on Mondays to Saturdays (with additional trains on M-F peaks) and four trains an hour on Sundays. This more frequent service on the "Great Northern Metro" will be operated by new fully accessible six-car trains with.......

A petition has been launched to try to persuade Govia Great Northern to reopen a gate at the Alexandra Park end of the footbridge across Alexandra Pallace station. Automatic ticket gates are now in operation at Alexandra Palace station.  They are located in the building at the Wood Green end of the footbridge.  Until recently it was possible for passengers accessing the station from the Alexandra Park (Bedford Road) end of the footbridge to reach the platforms without having to walk.......

A strike of station staff employed by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) that was scheduled for Wednesday 7th September has been called off. The strike would have been the first in a campaign of industrial action mounted by the RMT union in opposition to the rail operator's plans to close ticket offices at a large number of stations (the union says 84) and introduce "station hosts", who would be based on station concourses. The RMT has suspended the campaign following discussions at the ACAS.......

In connection with the start of Night Tube services on the Central, Northern and Victoria Lines, four bus routes serving North London will this weekend introduce overnight services on Friday night/Saturday mornings and Saturday night/Sunday mornings. The routes are: 34 (Walthamstow - Edmonton - Palmers Green - New Southgate - Barnet) 123 (Ilford - Woodford - Walthamstow - Tottenham - Turnpike Lane - Wood Green) W3 (Finsbury Park - Hornsey - Alexandra Park - Wood Green - Tottenham) W7.......

Station staff employed by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have voted in favour of strike action.  GTR's operating franchise includes the Great Northern services, so Palmers Green and other Hertford Loop stations are likely to be affected by any eventual strike action. GTR corporate identity at Palmers Green StationThe strike ballot, called by the RMT union, is a response to GTR's plans to close ticket offices or reduce their opening hours.  As well as Great Northern, the proposals.......

Recently published data show that the operator of the Great Northern services - Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) - was the worst performing rail operator in the UK during May 2016. GTR's "performance and punctuality measure" for May (referred to as "Period 2") was 78.1% - representing the percentage of services which run and complete their journey "on time" (ie were less than five minutes late).  This compares with 87% for May 2015.  GTR also had the highest cancellation and significant.......

Many readers will have noticed that there has been no noticeable reduction in the number of train cancellations on Great Northern.  They mostly occur at weekends (when the service is nominally only half-hourly in the first place) and during school holidays, reflecting the fact the fact that the chronic shortage of drivers continues.  Punctuality also continues to be extremely poor. Govia Thameslink Railway, the company behind Great Northern, is a joint venture between the Go Ahead.......