Crowborough double-back delay: Fancy a Laugh?

[Chrisgr31]

Peak line services on the Uckfield line are very busy, and the one that gets to Crowborough for the 6.40 departure is often standing room only for those travelling from Crowborough.

So therefore some commuters get to Crowborough ear;y enough to catch it on its down joourney, so they are already on it with a seat and sleeping by the time it arrives at Crowborough. This worked well until Thursday, when the down train left Crowborough and all was normal.

However it got to Uckfield where it broke down! The outcome being that they were the best part of 2 hours late into London!

 

[anti-pacer]

Peak line services on the Uckfield line are very busy, and the one that gets to Crowborough for the 6.40 departure is often standing room only for those travelling from Crowborough.

So therefore some commuters get to Crowborough ear;y enough to catch it on its down joourney, so they are already on it with a seat and sleeping by the time it arrives at Crowborough. This worked well until Thursday, when the down train left Crowborough and all was normal.

However it got to Uckfield where it broke down! The outcome being that they were the best part of 2 hours late into London!

Anybody else struggling to understand this?

 

[Fred26]

Anybody else struggling to understand this?

No, but I don't know why it's supposed to be funny.

 

[MyFriendMary]

People take train before it terminates and turns around. Train broke down and those who do this got caught out by it.

 

[Qwerty133]

Thought this would be something to do with EMT using a single 153 on Derby to Crewe services today (even though I have no idea if they were)

 

[GodAtum]

Lol ive done that at Worplesdon, go back to Guildford to get the fast train.

 

[dvboy]

I struggled but I think I've got there.

There are people getting on the train at Crowborough, on its previous journey in the opposite (down) direction towards Uckfield, just so that they get a seat on the way back to London, but on one occasion it broke down at its destination.

I wonder if enough people are doing it to be worth a visit by RPIs.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Wouldn't these people have been 2 hours late anyway even if they hadn't done this? Or did they let an earlier up train go in order to do this?



Note - on a few occasions in the evening peak I have been known to board a train a Clapham Jct or Vauxhall which I know will form the train back out of Waterloo for Epsom in order to guarantee myself a seat; no ticketing problems though as I'm on a Travelcard when I try this. Obviously I also need to be sure I have very recent gen on the specific units first!

 

[scotsman]

Struggling to understand...

 

[tbtc]

Lol ive done that at Worplesdon, go back to Guildford to get the fast train.

Its worth doing on a weekend afternoon if taking a Supertram from Meadowhall - go to Meadowhall South to board a tram to Meadowhall, then stay sat on it when hundreds of shoppers pile on for the journey to Sheffield (via Meadowhall South).

Takes an extra five minutes, but guarantees a seat

 

[ian1944]

It's not the detail of the OP I'm struggling to understand, but the supposed humour in the circumstances at Uckfield. If I found overcrowded, delayed, stranded or broken-down passengers a matter of mirth, then the everyday experience of those unfortunate enough to commute in the SE of England would leave me with a permanent grin on my face.

 

[Chrisgr31]

No need for RPIs as most commuters at Crowborough have a ticket from Uckfield as it is the same price, in fact it appears the ticket office at Crowborough may sell season tickets from Uckfield by default.

And the subsequent down trains termintated at Crowborough and started their up journey from Crowborough, whilst those on the 6.40 would have had to wait to 7.21 the later trains from Crowborough all ran on time.

 

[SPADTrap]

Peak line services on the Uckfield line are very busy, and the one that gets to Crowborough for the 6.40 departure is often standing room only for those travelling from Crowborough.

So therefore some commuters get to Crowborough ear;y enough to catch it on its down joourney, so they are already on it with a seat and sleeping by the time it arrives at Crowborough. This worked well until Thursday, when the down train left Crowborough and all was normal.

However it got to Uckfield where it broke down! The outcome being that they were the best part of 2 hours late into London!

Whatchu been smokin'?

 

[yorkie]

Peak line services on the Uckfield line are very busy, and the one that gets to Crowborough for the 6.40 departure is often standing room only for those travelling from Crowborough.

Is it really that busy that all seats are taken by Crowborough? There's still a lot of stations to go after that before the train gets to London Bridge.

So therefore some commuters get to Crowborough ear;y enough to catch it on its down journey, so they are already on it with a seat and sleeping by the time it arrives at Crowborough. This worked well until Thursday, when the down train left Crowborough and all was normal.

Commuters really take the 0614 to Uckfield to remain on board before it turns back to Crowborough, rather than take the 0643?

However it got to Uckfield where it broke down! The outcome being that they were the best part of 2 hours late into London!

On Thursday 13 March there were no delays to this service as far as I can determine.

Did you witness this yourself? If not, I suggest you go back to your source and seek clarification...

 

[ushawk]

The train failure at Uckfield occurred last Tuesday for the record.

 

[Chrisgr31]

On reflection it may not have been Thursday, was definitely one day this week (tuesday apparently). I wasn't on the 6.40 but was on the 7.21 from Crowborough which went from Platform 2. It had left Crowborough heading to Uckfield, but due to the failed train it had to return to Platform 2, whilst the 7.13 (or thereabouts) down train went in to Platform 1.

I used to regularly catch the 6.41 ex Crowborough but stopped, partly because I kept missing it, but also because it was too busy. I still occasionally catch it and have had to stand from Crowborough and I usually travel in the 6th carriage which is the least busy one.

There are a number of people who catch the down service apparently because the reality is that you do not need to get to the station much earlier to get it down. People arrive to catch the 6.40 at 6.20 apparently. I know when I get there at 6.30 there are already quite a few people on the platform.

Its partly to do with parking and issues leaving the station in the evening. Basically you want to be one of the early cars out the car park or there is a big queue. I tend to get to my parking space in a road near the station at about 6.55 for the 7,21 train. I am on the platform just after 7 and there will already be half a dozen or so people waiting for the 7.21.

So people do get there early, I also understand some are dropped by their partners who are going on to work etc and by going on the down train they get extra sleep on the train and of course have a seat at the front when it gets to London Bridge!

Of course the 18.08 ex London Bridge to Uckfield in the evening is even worse, people will be on the platform 30 minutes before its due to depart.

And it may be mean but the whole thought of someone getting the down train just so they are at the front of the train at London Bridge and then it breaking down is amusing.

 

[Shempz]

Is it really that busy that all seats are taken by Crowborough? There's still a lot of stations to go after that before the train gets to London Bridge.

Commuters really take the 0614 to Uckfield to remain on board before it turns back to Crowborough, rather than take the 0643?

On Thursday 13 March there were no delays to this service as far as I can determine.

Did you witness this yourself? If not, I suggest you go back to your source and seek clarification...

Yes it really is that busy, however I think it pretty much fills up completely at Eridge rather than Crowborough. I get on at Ashurst (2 stations up from Crowborough) at 6.55, and am lucky if I get a flipdown seat once a week - and thats normally a Friday when lots of people "work from home"!