diamond geezer

 Wednesday, May 01, 2013

WEST END APPEAL FOR 24 HOUR TUBE screamed the headline in yesterday's Evening Standard. Their front page article referred to a report published by the West End Commission, a 12-strong thinktank set up to investigate how best to support the future of the West End. The Standard duly voxpopped a handful of Londoners to ask them what they thought of all-night tubes, and not surprisingly they approved. "Not doing this would be silly," said one. Meanwhile the paper's editorial led with the plea 'Our city needs its tube to run all night'.

Unfortunately, if you bothered to read it, that's not what the report said. The report said the tube should run an hour later on Fridays and Saturdays, and that Crossrail and Thameslink should consider later running too. The report briefly suggested that certain tube lines be extended to run "post 3am to meet the night club exodus", but a 24 hour tube was never mentioned. It's a lovely-sounding idea, except that century-old lines require overnight maintenance, and there isn't the funding, and most of the extra trains would run nigh empty anyway.

London has a fantastic nightbus service which snakes to all corners of the capital. But apparently some people don't feel safe on buses, or can't abide how long they take, so end up taking taxis instead. We'd all rather get home quickly and cheaply after a late night out, obviously, but perhaps it's a little selfish to expect TfL to run an all-night tube service especially for clubbers and casino employees. And surely the problem isn't solely restricted to the underground? Across much of south London the issue isn't the tube, it's the other rail services, many of which stop running rather earlier.

So I thought I'd investigate "last trains from the West End". I've used TfL's Journey Planner to identify the time of the last train home from the West End this Friday evening. I've assumed that all journeys begin within a triangle bounded by Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road and Embankment. I've routed via rail journeys only, no nightbuses. And I've been fairly subjective in my choice of destinations, most inside London but some a little further out. Apologies if I've missed any later services.

NW 23.56 Amersham 00.07 Denham 00.31 Harrow 00.33 Uxbridge 00.33 Stanmore 00.35 St Albans 00.41 Watford	N 23.45 Cheshunt 23.59 Enfield 00.17 Elstree 00.34 Barnet 00.35 Cockfosters 00.39 Potters Bar 00.41 Edgware	NE 23.54 Dalston 00.31 Epping 00.31 Stratford 00.31 Ilford 00.31 Shenfield 00.39 Chingford 00.39 Walthamstow
W 23.43 Shepperton 23.46 Staines 00.11 Slough 00.32 Heathrow 00.33 Ealing	Last train from the West End Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square, Charing Cross or Embankment	E 23.47 Beckton 23.54 Wapping 00.00 Grays 00.40 Barking 00.40 Upminster
SW 23.39 Leatherhead 23.58 Weybridge 00.02 Ewell 00.04 Epsom 00.04 Sutton 00.06 Twickenham 00.15 Surbiton 00.30 Kingston 00.30 Richmond 00.35 Wimbledon	S 23.59 Caterham 00.04 Wandsworth 00.15 Peckham 00.20 Crystal Palace 00.22 Herne Hill 00.30 Brixton 00.30 Streatham 00.35 Morden 00.35 Purley 00.40 Croydon	SE 23.52 Catford 23.52 Hayes 00.02 Bexleyheath 00.10 Sidcup 00.15 Sevenoaks 00.18 Greenwich 00.18 Dartford 00.18 Erith 00.22 Bromley 00.48 Orpington

Does London really have a late night travel problem when these are the times of the last trains home from the West End? Or would an extra hour's drinking-up time really make a huge difference to the lifeblood of our capital?

posted 07:00 :

<< click for Newer posts

click for Older Posts >>

click to return to the main page

...or read more in my monthly archives
Jan24  Feb24  Mar24  Apr24  May24  Jun24  Jul24  Aug24  Sep24  Oct24  Nov24  Dec24
Jan23  Feb23  Mar23  Apr23  May23  Jun23  Jul23  Aug23  Sep23  Oct23  Nov23  Dec23
Jan22  Feb22  Mar22  Apr22  May22  Jun22  Jul22  Aug22  Sep22  Oct22  Nov22  Dec22
Jan21  Feb21  Mar21  Apr21  May21  Jun21  Jul21  Aug21  Sep21  Oct21  Nov21  Dec21
Jan20  Feb20  Mar20  Apr20  May20  Jun20  Jul20  Aug20  Sep20  Oct20  Nov20  Dec20
Jan19  Feb19  Mar19  Apr19  May19  Jun19  Jul19  Aug19  Sep19  Oct19  Nov19  Dec19
Jan18  Feb18  Mar18  Apr18  May18  Jun18  Jul18  Aug18  Sep18  Oct18  Nov18  Dec18
Jan17  Feb17  Mar17  Apr17  May17  Jun17  Jul17  Aug17  Sep17  Oct17  Nov17  Dec17
Jan16  Feb16  Mar16  Apr16  May16  Jun16  Jul16  Aug16  Sep16  Oct16  Nov16  Dec16
Jan15  Feb15  Mar15  Apr15  May15  Jun15  Jul15  Aug15  Sep15  Oct15  Nov15  Dec15
Jan14  Feb14  Mar14  Apr14  May14  Jun14  Jul14  Aug14  Sep14  Oct14  Nov14  Dec14
Jan13  Feb13  Mar13  Apr13  May13  Jun13  Jul13  Aug13  Sep13  Oct13  Nov13  Dec13
Jan12  Feb12  Mar12  Apr12  May12  Jun12  Jul12  Aug12  Sep12  Oct12  Nov12  Dec12
Jan11  Feb11  Mar11  Apr11  May11  Jun11  Jul11  Aug11  Sep11  Oct11  Nov11  Dec11
Jan10  Feb10  Mar10  Apr10  May10  Jun10  Jul10  Aug10  Sep10  Oct10  Nov10  Dec10 
Jan09  Feb09  Mar09  Apr09  May09  Jun09  Jul09  Aug09  Sep09  Oct09  Nov09  Dec09
Jan08  Feb08  Mar08  Apr08  May08  Jun08  Jul08  Aug08  Sep08  Oct08  Nov08  Dec08
Jan07  Feb07  Mar07  Apr07  May07  Jun07  Jul07  Aug07  Sep07  Oct07  Nov07  Dec07
Jan06  Feb06  Mar06  Apr06  May06  Jun06  Jul06  Aug06  Sep06  Oct06  Nov06  Dec06
Jan05  Feb05  Mar05  Apr05  May05  Jun05  Jul05  Aug05  Sep05  Oct05  Nov05  Dec05
Jan04  Feb04  Mar04  Apr04  May04  Jun04  Jul04  Aug04  Sep04  Oct04  Nov04  Dec04
Jan03  Feb03  Mar03  Apr03  May03  Jun03  Jul03  Aug03  Sep03  Oct03  Nov03  Dec03
 Jan02  Feb02  Mar02  Apr02  May02  Jun02  Jul02 Aug02  Sep02  Oct02  Nov02  Dec02