13 May 2024 Transport
for London's new timetable has enabled long gaps between trains to be
minimised but you may still have to wait longer for a train than before
the disruption. Their intention is to run trains every 5-8 minutes.
According to the current ("temporary") timetable,
there are no trains starting at Loughton during the 7am - 9pm peak, so
you will continue to be lucky to find a seat on the morning commute.
12 April 2024 The
service on the Central Line remains disrupted with fewer trains in
service due to motor failures. Transport for London (TfL) has said that
they have increased the rate at which they can repair and replace
defective motors, and are working to reduce the number of trains out of
service for other age-related reasons. The majority of speed
restrictions on the Epping and Hainault branches have now been lifted
although some speed restrictions remain in place for safety reasons
because of issues with track monitoring equipment.
The temporary shuttle buses between Chingford, Loughton and Epping have stopped as very few people used them.
27 March 2024 Transport
for London (TfL) have announced that the temporary shuttle buses
between Chingford, Loughton and Epping will stop running
after Thursday 28 March as very few people used them.
Most speed
restrictions on the Epping branch have now been lifted, however
some restrictions remain for safety reasons because of
issues with track monitoring equipment.
22 March 2024 The
service on the Central Line remains disrupted with fewer trains in
service due to motor failures. With the new temporary timetable in
place from late February, Transport for London (TfL) is able to better
regulate gaps between trains, however wait times may be longer than
before the disruption.
In addition temporary speed restrictions
remain in place in certain sections due to the breakdown of the Track
Recording Train (which inspects the track for faults). TfL has said
that the restrictions on the eastern sections of the line should be
lifted around now.
If you are going into or via Liverpool
Street, there is a TfL shuttle bus between Loughton and Chingford
stations on Mondays to Fridays during peak hours that connects with
London Overground services to Liverpool Street (more details from TfL).
1 March 2024 Central Line Service Disruption
Service
on the Central Line deteriorated further this week. Trains continue to
have an abnormally high number of motor failures, with far fewer trains
available to run the service which is particularly noticeable at peak
times. On top of that a week ago the Track Recording Train (which
inspects the track for faults) suffered a breakdown, so trains have
been running slower this week in sections that have not been able to be
checked.
Disruption is likely to continue for some time as the motor failures are widespread and difficult to fix. The £500 million Central Line Improvement Programme (CLIP) will eventually replace the motors but won't have a noticeable impact on the service this year.
A
temporary timetable has been introduced to increase reliability and
minimise unpredictable long gaps between trains. At peak times gaps
between trains are a lot longer (e.g. 6-8 minutes instead of 3-5
minutes). With no trains turned around at Loughton, they will all come
through from Epping, thus they will be very full when they arrive at Debden and Loughton stations.
Once
the Track Recording Train is back in service, trains should return to
their normal speed, unless TfL can find an alternative way to check the
track.
If you are going into or via Liverpool Street, there is a
TfL shuttle bus between Loughton and Chingford stations on Mondays to
Fridays during peak hours that connects to London Overground services
to Liverpool Street.
- Morning service from Loughton to Chingford stations (06:28 - 09:58). Departures at 08, 23, 38 and 53 minutes past the hour. - Evening service from Chingford to Loughton stations (15:25- 19:25). Departures at 10, 25, 40 and 55 minutes past the hour.
The
journey time is approximately 25 minutes. (There is also another
shuttle bus between Epping and Chingford.) In addition, the 397 bus
between Debden and Loughton to Chingford stations is another option.
LRA Comment: As we reported in November,
spending £500 million to extend the life of the present 1992 stock by
refurbishing them may be a false economy and can be seen as a stop-gap
measure. They are already 30 years old and likely to be completely
obsolete in a decade's time. With a less restricted government
investment policy in TfL, they would be due for replacement now, not in
15 years' time with the cost of new trains possibly at £1.5 billion
(based on the current cost of replacing Piccadilly Line trains).
We
also note that continued expansion of housing in the area implies
greater use of public transport. The disconnect between housing targets
and investment in Central Line infrastructure is stark.
9 February 2024
Central
Line trains continue to have an abnormally high number of motor
failures. Transport for London (TfL) engineers say the work to fix the
motors is complex and this means fewer trains are available each day
while the work takes place. This is particularly noticeable at peak
hours with greater demand on the service. It is reported
that the number of trains available over the last fortnight had ranged
from 44 to 66, and typically little more than 50. To run a peak
service, 78 trains are required. More in this news report with video.
Refurbished
motor parts have been delivered and are being fitted them to allow
several trains back into service over the coming weeks. Disruption is
likely to continue for some months, and the only practical advice from
TfL is to allow for more time for your journey.
It is also reported
that an emergency timetable will be introduced (we understand on 4
March) to try to regulate the gaps between trains. There will also be
more buses on bus route 20 between Debden and Walthamstow Central.
A
shuttle bus from Epping to Chingford via Loughton is reported to have
started running this week (and residents have reported seeing such
buses out and about), enabling passengers get to Chingford and onto the
Overground service into Liverpool Street. TfL have not published a
schedule yet but we have seen them appear and disappear on TfL's Journey Planner, but only Loughton to/from Chingford as a 25 minute journey.
This problem is separate to the Central Line Improvement Programme
which is overhauling the existing trains over the next few years. The
programme will replace the (currently failing) DC motors with AC
motors. In 2016 this replacement was planned to be done by 2022,
however the work was delayed by the pandemic. Even so the risk of
failing motors must have been envisaged by TfL along with some thought
to mitigate the disruption that could (and did) happen.
TfL have also issued this email to customers. TfL have not published a schedule for the shuttle bus
We are sorry for the ongoing disruption to your Central line service. As
promised, we are writing to provide you with an update on the work we
are doing to improve the situation.
We
know that the disruption has been going on too long and whilst it is
likely that this will continue for a few more weeks, we are working
around the clock to bring improvements as quickly as possible.
As
noted in our last email, the Central line trains are over 30 years old
and despite our engineers working hard to keep the fleet in good
operating condition, we are experiencing higher than normal rates of
motor failure. This is the main reason for the disruption you're
currently experiencing.
Our
engineers are working with external experts to fully diagnose the issue
and identify lasting solutions. We are fully focused on getting more
trains back in service so that we can operate a good service as soon as
possible.
To do this, we
are increasing the rate at which we can repair and replace defective
motors. We are also working to reduce the number of trains out of
service for other age-related reasons.
We
are also introducing other measures to help improve the situation. In
the short term, to increase reliability and minimise unpredictable long
gaps between trains, we plan to introduce a new temporary timetable in
the next four weeks.
This
is an intricate process requiring changes to signalling, rostering,
power supply and other operating systems on the Tube network. We need to
make sure these changes are made safely. As soon as we are ready to
introduce the new timetable, we will let you know.
For
now, we have increased the number of buses at some of the affected
stations in east London to give you better and more frequent connections
to other lines. There is also a dedicated bus shuttle service to help
with journeys between Epping and Chingford via Loughton during weekday
peak times. Use Journey Planner or the TfL Go app to plan your journey.
In
the meantime, please continue to allow more time for your journeys,
check before travelling and consider using alternative routes to or
through central London.
If your journey has been delayed by 15 minutes or more, you may be entitled to a refund. Visit our refunds page for more details.
We thank you for your patience and are sorry for the disruption to your Central line service.
13 May 2024
9 February 2024