Brighton Line closure and Arun Valley

[grove]

Periodically the Brighton Main line is closed for Engineering works. When this happens the usual diversion takes place from Three Bridges to Horsham, Arun Valley to Littlehampton, reverse and Coastway to Brighton. I know it is the "long way round" but when it happens, delighted passengers from Horsham southwards take advantage of the through service to Brighton.

Question for the timetable and route experts: how feasible would it be for the Victoria - Dorking - Horsham services to regularly continue to Brighton via this route?

I recall at the time of several franchise renewals proposals for an Arundel chord were made but they are soon quietly forgotten on grounds of no capacity or funding.

 

[zwk500]

Question for the timetable and route experts: how feasible would it be for the Victoria - Dorking - Horsham services to regularly continue to Brighton via this route?

I recall at the time of several franchise renewals proposals for an Arundel chord were made but they are soon quietly forgotten on grounds of no capacity or funding.

You've answered your own question, unfortunately. There's no capacity if the full service is running through Worthing. Also it would require many more units and Drivers, and pose a major performance risk.

 

[PGAT]

Going via Dorking would leave out all the East Croydon and Gatwick passengers who make up the bulk of people travelling to Brighton

 

[Starmill]

The journey time from Horsham to Brighton via Littlehampton is very poor. It's always going to be quicker to change trains at Three Bridges - except of course during the engineering works which prompt the temporary diversion.

The typical journey time via the A23 of 45 - 55 minutes is also substantially faster.

 

[SussexSeagull]

If only the Steyning Line had stayed open!

 

[zwk500]

If only the Steyning Line had stayed open!

Solves precisely 0 of the actual problems - Stock, Crew and Capacity at the Brighton/Hove end.

 

[yorksrob]

If only the Steyning Line had stayed open!

Here here !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Nov 2022 ==

Solves precisely 0 of the actual problems - Stock, Crew and Capacity at the Brighton/Hove end.

It would solve the underlying problems of not having a diversionary route and lack of access to parts of Sussex, but you're correct - it wouldn't solve the superficial problems caused by the way the railway's managed.

 

[zwk500]

It would solve the underlying problems of not having a diversionary route and lack of access to parts of Sussex, but you're correct - it wouldn't solve the superficial problems caused by the way the railway's managed.

The OP is specifically asking about extensions in normal service. The whole premise of the thread is that there IS a diversionary route for West Sussex.

 

[yorksrob]

The OP is specifically asking about extensions in normal service. The whole premise of the thread is that there IS a diversionary route for West Sussex.

@SussexSeagull pointed out that the Steyning line would have been very useful as a diversion, which is 100% correct.

 

[SussexSeagull]

If there were still direct Horsham to Brighton trains there wouldn't be a question of having to extend other services to do the same.

 

[zwk500]

If there were still direct Horsham to Brighton trains there wouldn't be a question of having to extend other services to do the same.

This is true, but would direct services have survived? Capacity at Horsham and between Brighton and Shoreham was, pre-covid, under extreme pressure and the dominant flows are Horsham to London and Brighton along the coast. I could easily have seen the Steyning line being closed in the early 80s even if it had survived beyond Beeching.

But 'what if the steyning line had survived' would be a different thread.

 

[grove]

The OP is specifically asking about extensions in normal service. The whole premise of the thread is that there IS a diversionary route for West Sussex.

Absolutely, this was for regular, normal operation. Aside from the Steyning route, which I too see as a sad loss, my thoughts were that the track is there today to run this type of service pattern and maybe the rolling stock, paths and crews are there too if the existing services are 'repurposed'.

 

[JonathanH]

If service patterns are a zero sum game then it is hard to see how running Victoria - Sutton - Dorking - Horsham - Littlehampton - Worthing - Brighton trumps the current service the Arun Valley and West Coastway gets.

Brighton to Portsmouth / Southampton and the Arun Valley stopper running via East Croydon and Gatwick Airport seems more useful in the grand scheme of things. There isn't rolling stock or revenue support to run additional services.

 

[zwk500]

Absolutely, this was for regular, normal operation. Aside from the Steyning route, which I too see as a sad loss, my thoughts were that the track is there today to run this type of service pattern and maybe the rolling stock, paths and crews are there too if the existing services are 'repurposed'.

Unfortunately, the rolling stock and paths are not there, and so you would need to be cancelling other trains. I struggle to see any Brighton-based trains you could justify removing to give over to Horsham via Littlehampton.

 

[SussexSeagull]

This is true, but would direct services have survived? Capacity at Horsham and between Brighton and Shoreham was, pre-covid, under extreme pressure and the dominant flows are Horsham to London and Brighton along the coast. I could easily have seen the Steyning line being closed in the early 80s even if it had survived beyond Beeching.

But 'what if the steyning line had survived' would be a different thread.

Fair comment. It was only a throwaway remark.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Yeah the fact you only have 2 Platforms at the Brighton end is the biggest issue, well you have 3 but one is a 4 car only for West Coastway and thatis if its not being used by BML services. Plus squeezing trains through Arundel Junction can be really quite difficult as well.