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Old c2c timetable back on Monday

9:40am Wednesday 3rd January 2007

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Rail company c2c has confirmed that its popular "old" timetable will be reintroduced on Monday.

The schedule will replace the rail company's new timetable, which has been scrapped less than a month after its introduction after being plagued by problems.

Thousands of angry commuters had called for the move after the new timetable, introduced on December 11, was hit by delays, cancellations and overcrowded trains.

Following a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, c2c bosses decided to bite the bullet.

Managing director Mark Hopwood said: "The peak timetable introduced on December 11 has not been well received by many of our customers and we feel it is right to withdraw it and to revert to the previous timetable at the earliest possible opportunity.

"We are sorry many of our customers have been upset by the recent changes and we are responding to their concerns by reverting to the old timetable."

The weekday 4.20pm and 6.22pm departures from Fenchurch Street to Stanford-le-Hope via Ockendon will be extended from four to eight carriages.

The company has decided to retain its new weekend timetable, which includes new through trains to Southend via Ockendon.

Commuters have welcomed the decision.

Laindon Passengers' Action Group spokeswoman Sarah Lockett said: "I did not know one person who liked the new timetable. We are just grateful the old timetable is back."

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Your Say YourEcho

Alan Lafage, says...
10:37am Wed 3 Jan 07

Thank goodness for that. I am so relieved. All credit for c2c though for admitting it was wrong...albeit after a big campaign supported by the Echo

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Ben, says...
11:55am Wed 3 Jan 07

Don't jump for joy just yet. Last night's 17:35 out of London was 8 coaches instead of 12 because of an earlier unit failure. These trains are meant to be state of the art and shouldn't be failing.

How many unexpected 'unit failures' will muck up the Laindon starters/finishers in next week's rush hours?

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Phil Lunn, says...
1:12pm Wed 3 Jan 07

Im an avid train spotter from Chafford Hundred and I say bring back Steam E ngines!

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Andrew Durrant, says...
2:28pm Wed 3 Jan 07

I'm not sure about Steam but I do know that I preferred the good old class 317/1, at least they had ventilation if you needed it!

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Observer, says...
4:26pm Wed 3 Jan 07

In any timetable change there will be 'winners and losers', but this one was never allowed to settle, with customers making small adjustments for their own benefit. It's perfectly reasonable for individuals to be selfish, as per most comments posted here ad nauseam; but if the Laindon group hopes to become more than a one-trick pony they will have to start to respect others' preferences, as do the Southend group. They all know perfectly well who would, just for once in living memory, have benefitted from the new timetable - namely, most of c2c's customers from Thurrock and Rainham, i.e. outside this newspaper's area of interest and therefore presumably of no consequence. It's not as if many people live there...?!

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paul, says...
5:30pm Wed 3 Jan 07

ive no objections to c2c improving the service for other areas, but not to the detriment of the vast majority of the line and its customers.

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Coconut, says...
3:30pm Thu 4 Jan 07

I travel from Chafford Hundred and can't wait for the old timetable to be reinstated. The new one was dire and 'bedding in' would not have changed that.

Well done C2C and the Echo.

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Train traveller, says...
7:40pm Thu 4 Jan 07

I travel from Chafford Hundred and was very unhappy with the new timetable - it wasn't just the Laindon commuter group who complained. Before the change the trains were reliable and the timetable was a good one. The new timetable might have increased rush hour trains for thurrock people but that's no good if the train is cancelled or very late.
Besides I'm sure a large part of the reaon for the old timetable being reinstated so quickly, is probably more to do with money than anything else - the puncuality figures must have gone through the floor and that would have triggered fare reductions...

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bob, says...
11:42am Fri 5 Jan 07

thank fu(k

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Anon, says...
12:30pm Fri 5 Jan 07

This is such fantastic news. Post your view:

http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/templates/Survey.aspx?id=482

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Phil, says...
4:29pm Fri 5 Jan 07

I have just scrutinised the "new" old timetable and noticed that the 06:16 and 06:20 departures from Shoebury have been reduced from 8 to 4 carriages; unless this is a timetable error it will not be good news for users of these services. Others might want to check the "small print" in their own regular services!

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Paul Martin, says...
2:19pm Mon 8 Jan 07

I also enjoy spending time on the platform at Chafford using my Nikon D70 to take pictures of the trains and their number references. As long as the implementation of the old timetable allows me to take extra pictures I will be more than happy.

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