Brighton Main Line Blocked

[DJ_K666]

So what will you say for the hundreds of people who will lose everything for it ?

"Sorry but we may need to use the new line occasionally for some diversions". If the Lewes line was to be reopened, only possible way in my eyes would be to tunnel through to somewhere near Southerham Jct, but this would cost too much, why the Arundel chord looks better, as it would be handy if any place on the mainline (South of Balham) was badly affected by disruption and theres the opportunity of a new direct service linking Horsham and Arundel to Worthing and Brighton.

Compulsory Purchase powers, don't you just love em...

Joking aside however, the current idea is for a tunnel at Ashcombe, coming off the East Coastway near Falmer, joining the Lewes line north of Hamsey with the original approach to Lewes using the 1858 line to give an approach to Newhaven, Seaford and Eastbourne.

 

[ushawk]

Southern website has posted on the service update page that the line is to reopen at 4AM.

 

[djh1986]

Southern have had a shocking Summer really what with this, the Croydon landslide, the major trespassing incident at Thornton Heath/Norbury and plenty of other smaller incidents like over running engineering works, cable theft at London Bridge/Littlehampton etc.

I has all demonstrated what a huge effect on the whole network what one incident can have.

As someone who's moving to Brighton within the next six months, it's a touch annoying as when something happens between Balham and Preston Park excluding the Redhill area, you're looking at a lengthy delay between the Capital and Brighton.

 

[paul1609]

No great loss, a load of 70s buildings and a Tesco. None of which ought to be there.

Arundel Curve would still mean an 80 mile diversion and an ALL STATIONS CRAWL for much of it...

Not really,Diverted Brighton Services are timetabled 1 hr 16 mins to Littlehampton calling at Clapham junction, East Croydon, Gatwick, Three Bridges and Horsham divert that at Arundel junction and call at Angmering, Worthing, Shoreham by Sea Hove and Brighton. Go via Dorking and I reckon you could cut another 10 mins.

 

[yorksrob]

So what will you say for the hundreds of people who will lose everything for it ? "Sorry but we may need to use the new line occasionally for some diversions". If the Lewes line was to be reopened, only possible way in my eyes would be to tunnel through to somewhere near Southerham Jct, but this would cost too much, why the Arundel chord looks better, as it would be handy if any place on the mainline (South of Balham) was badly affected by disruption and theres the opportunity of a new direct service linking Horsham and Arundel to Worthing and Brighton.

i'm afraid that i really can't see that theres a lot to gain from direct crawley - brighton services that isn't already provided through connections at gatwick. The connectivity of the wealden area is already so much worse, uckfield - lewes would provide far more benefit in terms of connectivity.

 

[paul1609]

As the various investigations have proven there is insuficient demand Uckfield to Lewes to support a business case.
While reopening the line looks good on the railway map, the fact is that by and large people do not commute away from London. The average person living in Uckfield travels to work in London, Croydon or Crawley/ Gatwick Airport. They live in Uckfield because house prices are lower there.

Connex for a couple of years ran a bus link from Uckfield to lewes connecting with the Uckfield Line trains and serving Ringmer the only settlement of any size between the 2. It was withdrawn because it mostly carried fresh air. Passengers preferred to use the 28 service bus as it it directly served Brighton Churchill Square.

 

[yorksrob]

As the various investigations have proven there is insuficient demand Uckfield to Lewes to support a business case. While reopening the line looks good on the railway map, the fact is that by and large people do not commute away from London. The average person living in Uckfield travels to work in London, Croydon or Crawley/ Gatwick Airport. They live in Uckfield because house prices are lower there. Connex for a couple of years ran a bus link from Uckfield to lewes connecting with the Uckfield Line trains and serving Ringmer the only settlement of any size between the 2. It was withdrawn because it mostly carried fresh air. Passengers preferred to use the 28 service bus as it it directly served Brighton Churchill Square.

the wealden campaign have done a much better job at debunking the methodology of the 'business case' studies provided so far than me so i'll refer you to them. Are you seriously comparing a glorified 'replacement bus service' with a fully integrated through train service !?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Also, most people in ashford don't travel to hastings every day (or visa versa) but that does not make the route any less vital as a through link.

 

[DJ_K666]

The business case was a stitch up. If you want to prove a poor case then a study can produce one. ESCC want it to stay shut and so any reopening would have to go over their heads. If they can build HS2 on a dodgy business case then they can build Lewes - Uckfield too.

 

[Bald Rick]

The business case was a stitch up. If you want to prove a poor case then a study can produce one. ESCC want it to stay shut and so any reopening would have to go over their heads. If they can build HS2 on a dodgy business case then they can build Lewes - Uckfield too.

No it wasn't. It was done to all the same rules as every other rail project, and done with more scrutiny and challenge than any other rail project any of the project team had been involved in.

Simple fact is that not enough people would use the line.

 

[paul1609]

No it wasn't. It was done to all the same rules as every other rail project, and done with more scrutiny and challenge than any other rail project any of the project team had been involved in.

Simple fact is that not enough people would use the line.

Yep, I agree. I think ESCC are very positive in the promotion of public transport. However there is no business case as a local line and the business case as a diversionary route to the BML is even weaker.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Even if you can get a business case that has a benefit ratio of over 2 , there is a slight issue of affordability. (i.e who has the money , or the ability to borrow the money)

Unless there is a major and proven all year round level of business , you will never justify a line like Lewes - Uckfield on "nice to have" diversionary capabilty - for one thing it takes far too long.(same thing for the often mooted diversion line to avoid the sea wall at Dawlish)

The Brighton main line is all about serving the dense flows from Croydon - Gatwick and the coast , - I suspect there is very little latent demand for a Lewes to London via Oxted.

The curve at Arundel is probably a more sensible option and a further signal upgrade on the Arun Valley - but even that costs money and is awkward to justify.

In passing - the BML has been very unlucky this last few months ...though the tunnel issue ought to have been more avoidable than cable theft or a burst major water main.

 

[Smudger105e]

The problem is that these sorts of incidents are rare... ...(when was the last time the BML was blocked for more than 2 hours when a diversion via Uckfield would have been usable?)...

I used to commute Aldrington - Croydon and Aldrington - Clapham (total 11 years commuting) and closures over the weekends for engineering works are extremely regular over this route, diversionary routes would be rather useful most weekends.

 

[Minstral25]

Perhaps extending from East Grinstead to Copyhold Junction (north of Haywards Heath) is better as a diversionary route.

Then only Copyhold Junction to Wivelsfield is the only section without an alternative direct route and would be much cheaper to do than BML2