Brighton line Blockade

[nottsnurse]

It's not a town, it's one of our premier seaside cities

Brighton is a town. It took roping in Hove (Actually) to scrape together enough to be considered a 'city'.

Pebble beach, pretentious locals and over-priced....everything, there are far better seaside destinations in the SE.

 

[Agent_Squash]

It's not a town, it's one of our premier seaside cities.

Do you work for the Brighton Tourist Information Centre?

 

[JonathanH]

Brighton is a town. It took roping in Hove (Actually) to scrape together enough to be considered a 'city'.

Pebble beach, pretentious locals and over-priced....everything, there are far better seaside destinations in the SE.

That doesn't change the fact that it is the cheapest seaside to reach by train from London as this analysis indicates.
https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2018/04/day-out-stimulus-matrix.html

 

[Robertj21a]

Do you work for the Brighton Tourist Information Centre?

No, just a regular visitor. I'm not sure they need much help to attract tourists given how busy the place is all the time.

 

[yorksrob]

How about reinstating the missing link between Uckfield and Lewes so there is a viable diversionary route? Should have been done years ago.

Yes, many of us have agreed with this for a long time. It certainly doesn't hurt reiterating it though.

 

[otomous]

Who on earth planned engineering work on a key seaside route on a Sunday in the middle of summer - it just beggars belief!

Sorry, we’ll ask NR to close it on Monday instead, when everyone’s trying to get to work. How’s that?

 

[Mag_seven]

Sorry, we’ll ask NR to close it on Monday instead, when everyone’s trying to get to work. How’s that?

No lets close it on a Sunday in another season when there is less likely to be lots of daytrippers.

 

[yorksrob]

The key thing is, are they sending a diversionary service via Dorking ?

If not, we can get our justified condemnation in early.

 

[JonathanH]

The key thing is, are they sending a diversionary service via Dorking ?

If not, we can get our justified condemnation in early.

No.

There is no need to send anything via Dorking - the line is open north of Three Bridges and through to Horsham and the Arun Valley. There are hourly trains from Victoria to Brighton via Littlehampton - arguably this is underprovision but Dorking is irrelevant.

 

[JonathanH]

No lets close it on a Sunday in another season when there is less likely to be lots of daytrippers.

How many months away is that? Is it even before the nine day closure in October?

 

[Kite159]

Cue pictures of the queues outside Brighton station around 5pm tomorrow when everybody tries to head home at once with the usual choice quotes from certain folk.

When network rail were planning the works did they expect the country to be in the middle of a heatwave? It could have easily been wet & miserable

 

[neilm]

Cue pictures of the queues outside Brighton station around 5pm tomorrow when everybody tries to head home at once with the usual choice quotes from certain folk.

When network rail were planning the works did they expect the country to be in the middle of a heatwave? It could have easily been wet & miserable

Actually I think the reason for the mass broadcast of this closure is because thanks to Network Rails own incompetence they were only able to announce it this last week because of the timetable disaster. If you checked journey plan the week before it would of shown a normal peak summer Sunday service.

If there are problems tomorrow, so,e people would of rightly of said they checked before travel before they booked tickets to events, etc...

 

[87015]

Actually I think the reason for the mass broadcast of this closure is because thanks to Network Rails own incompetence they were only able to announce it this last week because of the timetable disaster. If you checked journey plan the week before it would of shown a normal peak summer Sunday service.

If there are problems tomorrow, so,e people would of rightly of said they checked before travel before they booked tickets to events, etc...

*GTR. They've been the organisation choosing not to bid timetables around blocks at all to NR at weekends. The Southern stuff has been in at their usual timescales, just not Thameslink.

 

[neilm]

*GTR. They've been the organisation choosing not to bid timetables around blocks at all to NR at weekends. The Southern stuff has been in at their usual timescales, just not Thameslink.

I stand corrected! But it seems Network Rail is taking the flak then for it only been announced last week :-/

 

[AlexNL]

Looks like the information about the line being closed hasn't reached Google Maps (yet). Google happily suggests taking Thameslink from East Croydon / Gatwick / Three Bridges down to the coast.

Interestingly enough, Google does know about the Southern trains being amended. They either send you via Littlehampton, or advise about a rail replacement bus from Three Bridges to Brighton.

 

[al78]

Who on earth planned engineering work on a key seaside route on a Sunday in the middle of summer - it just beggars belief!

Perhaps when they planned it they were anticipating a normal English summer, instead of the Mediterranean version we seem to have got this year. In any case, is it not true that rail travelk demand is lowest on Sunday, and there are buses that go to Brighton.

 

[fergusjbend]

Brighton is a town. It took roping in Hove (Actually) to scrape together enough to be considered a 'city'.

Pebble beach, pretentious locals and over-priced....everything, there are far better seaside destinations in the SE.

Brighton and Hove is a city, having received its charter in 2000. Sneering put-downs can't alter facts.

 

[HowardGWR]

Brighton is a town. It took roping in Hove (Actually) to scrape together enough to be considered a 'city'.

I didn't know that an alternative name for Hove is Actually. You learn something every day.

 

[yorksrob]

No.

There is no need to send anything via Dorking - the line is open north of Three Bridges and through to Horsham and the Arun Valley. There are hourly trains from Victoria to Brighton via Littlehampton - arguably this is underprovision but Dorking is irrelevant.

Fair point, if its that bit thats closed.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Of course , the Victorians ran a social railway -"To Brighton and back for 3/6" - in the Birmingham City Art Gallery.

 

[al78]

Brighton and Hove is a city, having received its charter in 2000. Sneering put-downs can't alter facts.

People do that all the time, as well as presenting their opinions as if they were facts. It is one thing not to like something or someone, that is your opinion which you have the right to hold. It is another thing to claim or imply your opinion represents some universally accepted truth. I have no interest in football, but I accept it is a popular game in the UK, just like
Brighton is a popular place to visit.

 

[tsr]

I didn't know that an alternative name for Hove is Actually. You learn something every day.

I trust you are aware of the longstanding regional joke...

 

[jon0844]

Brighton is a popular place to visit at any time. It's far more than just the beach or pier. Loads of shops and pubs, so there is never a good day for engineering works. But it has to be done sometime so may as well be now if it leads to other improvement work sooner.

 

[HowardGWR]

I trust you are aware of the longstanding regional joke...

No, do tell. Actually, I think I can guess, but perhaps others may not.

 

[Caleb2010]

I don't think it's the fact that there's engineering works - this has to be done, it's the communications that are the problem , given enough warning people can make other arrangements.

It doesn't help that until yesterday thameslink services were still shown as operating the whole route to Brighton and Passenger Assist think nothing is leaving Brighton - in any direction!

Complete lack of communication.

 

[swt_passenger]

No-one has mentioned BML2 yet!
http://www.bml2.co.uk/the-news/236-south-east-demands-a-bigger-trainset.html

But the main part of that, Uckfield to Lewes, had been mentioned?

 

[tsr]

No, do tell. Actually, I think I can guess, but perhaps others may not.

People often claim or initially agree they are from Brighton because more people have heard of it (fair enough) instead of Hove, but can't resist then adding “well, Hove, actually”, because they are actually quite pedantic about living there instead. This means Hove has gained the nickname of “Hove (Actually)”.

You often get it at central London stations... “next train towards Brighton please... well, Hove, actually, especially if there’s anything direct”.

 

[AndrewE]

But the main part of that, Uckfield to Lewes, had been mentioned?

yes, except that Lewes will always be a problem for trains to Brighton, so BML2's Falmer to Uckfield direct line has a lot of benefits for fast services.

 

[Hophead]

I see that the 07:54 Brighton to Victoria is cancelled (shortage of train crew).

There are additional trains advertised between Gatwick and Brighton, so half-hourly on this section (so better than previously stated).

 

[otomous]

No lets close it on a Sunday in another season when there is less likely to be lots of daytrippers.

Firstly, this is a precursor to the blockades in later seasons this year, there is no spare other season to do a closure. Secondly, this is a major route. There is never a good time to close it, full stop. It has to be done, so Sunday is the least disruptive day to do it.