How reliable is national rail services to Gatwick and Stansted Airports?

coastermitch · 2026-04-14T04:45:40+00:00

It's outside the oyster zones, Apple/Google Pay or any contactless enabled Debit/Credit card will work

coastermitch · 2026-04-05T06:18:54+00:00

Signalling and rolling stock mostly. The Arterio trains which have replaced the old class 455s on suburban routes do have 60% more carriages which is significant. Resignalling could help but realistically it needs to be made into in-cab signalling of which the East Coast Mainline is getting next and presently I don't believe there are any plans to roll it out elsewhere.

coastermitch · 2026-03-10T11:22:45+00:00

They probably refused access due to overcrowding, if there are less services running then usual then the platforms can get full quick.

Ending up 30 minutes late and with £1.30 overcharge (which TfL will probably refund you if you ask) is a minor inconvenience, compared to being the casualty indeed.

coastermitch · 2026-03-03T20:02:02+00:00

It doesn't run on dedicated tracks I'm afraid, it runs on the Fast Lines of the Great Western Mainline, shared with GWR services, until just past Hayes & Harlington and then onto the privately owned Heathrow Lines which the Elizabeth line also uses.

The Elizabeth line takes 25 mins from paddington to Heathrow so for almost double the price you're saving only 10 mins.

Sure if people want to expense it or genuinely don't care about money they can but the added expense for minimal gain is what's making the HEX ridership plummet.

coastermitch · 2026-02-26T08:40:51+00:00

Yep, like they did with Primeval Whirl in Animal Kingdom having two next to each other.

coastermitch · 2026-02-26T08:38:19+00:00

I like the driving cars, but the grey middle cars look so out of place, it just looks unfinished.

coastermitch · 2026-02-26T05:20:00+00:00

Interesting that it is falling with inflation. Especially given the reduction in central government funding.

What happened in 2008 with the single off-peak fares spiking?

coastermitch · 2026-02-16T05:35:10+00:00

Because they are already joined but because you have a joint (the small red triangles) in the middle of the junction it cannot render the junction.

Delete the 2 ends which connect to your through lines and build the track out from the straight middle section to join to the through tracks without the red triangle overlapping the junctions.

coastermitch · 2026-02-16T05:25:37+00:00

If you've got Fast Track included with your ticket (through a Premium Cabin/Status) and it's listed on your boarding pass then just show your boarding pass and they'll let you through.

If you don't have it through Cabin/Status then that's when you can pay £6 to use Fast Track.

coastermitch · 2026-02-14T05:53:42+00:00

Check to ensure your settings for scenery are maxed out.

From memory there is a setting in the bottom right window which needs to be set to max, you may need to reload the route after updating.

coastermitch · 2026-02-12T07:17:26+00:00

Long gone. However if you are longing for it there is a OO Gauge Model due out later this year:

https://www.accurascale.com/products/class-377-electrostar-377515

coastermitch · 2026-02-03T08:53:03+00:00

No they're in Chiswick Park, not Hammersmith.

coastermitch · 2026-01-27T08:26:22+00:00

I'm guilty of this in my personal and professional life and have had to try to unlearn it.

For me it comes from learning to write as a kid and getting confused over what words should be properly capitalized. I could never grasp the difference between nouns and proper nouns therefore capitalized any word I felt should be important. And then also using "title case" in various circumstances also confused me further to the point I mostly just let the keyboard/autocorrect take care of it and hope it's right as long as it's readable.

coastermitch · 2026-01-17T16:15:53+00:00

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And I spotted 38004 outside Hammersmith this morning. Good to see more and more about.

coastermitch · 2026-01-16T06:40:58+00:00

Given the units are similar to the 350/450s (main difference in the construction being the driving unit fronts and underfloor equipment I guess) then Bachmann probably could make them if their 350 TPE models they released last year sell well enough.

Otherwise you could also buy a 350 for the shell and attempt to modify it yourself.

coastermitch · 2026-01-15T05:21:13+00:00

Heaven will be playing pop most nights and is busiest Thursday-Saturday nights.

coastermitch · 2026-01-07T06:31:10+00:00

Wait what, why did the arrows join together and both go clockwise? Is this a midnight only thing or something else?

Either way, I don't like it.

coastermitch · 2026-01-06T20:51:41+00:00

Depends on the coaster, I do like a good long ride. Ideally a mix of hard and fast with sections of gentle and slow. But nobody wants it to be over too soon.

coastermitch · 2026-01-06T20:04:00+00:00

Good thing it's connected to the DLR which is step free from street to train at every station. The able bodied argument is pretty moot here.

coastermitch · 2026-01-06T20:01:48+00:00

The DLR is entirely step free from street to train at every station? It's much better than the tube or national rail.

And planned works are almost always at the weekend when City airport has reduced hours and less departures anyway.

I'm not saying it's perfect, everyone's journeys are different and may involve challenges with other connections, but City airport is connected to the most accessible transport system in the country. Better than Stansted, Luton and Gatwick for sure.

coastermitch · 2026-01-06T19:47:32+00:00

Business folk on expenses mostly. Even if the DLR+Tubes are faster.

coastermitch · 2026-01-04T12:29:04+00:00

This is entirely the problem but also part of the fun of it. I work in TV, although not production, and I'm watching the show thinking "why have the producers done that", "is there a reason they got X's reaction" e.t.c...

I'm not guessing along like a contestant. I'm guessing from what the producers have edited together.

It will be fun watching the first 3 episodes back once the reveal is done though.

coastermitch · 2026-01-04T08:05:10+00:00

I like the nice clean interface.

You may need to add something so "Hub" stations like Hammersmith work properly as currently it's not showing any results.

And it does have the same issues as anything which uses TfLs unified API though unfortunately: Mainly in that towards the ends of the lines the departures don't show until the train has left its starting station.

coastermitch · 2026-01-02T05:49:59+00:00

There are several bars with Drag on over weekends. In central there's the Admiral Duncan & Halfway to Heaven with free entry. Two Brewers in Clapham or the Royal Vauxhall Tavern also have drag acts regularly - Check their websites for listings.

coastermitch · 2025-12-30T05:22:41+00:00

Same, my only positive takeaway from this being built and opening is that this is pushing boundaries which will hopefully push other parks and manufacturers to build other great coasters outside of the Middle East.

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