Discrepancies between NRE, paper timetables and reality

[BRX]

Tonight I returned to London from a day trip to Brighton. I wanted to come back on the last train.

A couple of days ago, I checked online when the last train would be, and it was listed as at 2311.

When I arrived in Brighton today, I picked up some paper timetables (one from FCC and one from Southern).

They both listed the last train as leaving at 2337. I was a bit surprised by this but decided I must have misremembered the 2311 time I'd been given online.

Nearer to the time I double-checked on NRE (on my phone) and it told me the last train was at 2311. Rather than risking being stranded in Brighton for the night, I left in time to get this one. On turning up at the station, though, the 2337 departure did exist and was listed on the boards.

What's going on here? I thought the database used by NRE ought to be the definitive information but in this instance it seems to be incorrect.

 

[CliveJones]

National rail website shows a 23:37 for next Saturday and also for a random weekday I picked.

Possibly PEBKAC?

 

[Ivo]

This is *not* a "PEBKAC" (I had to check what that stands for! ). There are engineering works between East Croydon and Gatwick Airport and services are amended on the Brighton Main Line. My source indicates that the 23:37 FCC service, which is usually the last from Brighton to London, did not run on Saturday April 16th (although I cannot confirm this). The 23:11 service did run as planned.

What is a "PEBKAC", however, is the person responsible for writing this advice in the engineering works section of the NRE site. Apparently it runs from Saturday 16th to Monday 19th. No, I don't see how that works either.

 

[BRX]

The 2337 was on the departures board at Brighton at 11pm; I saw it with my (admittedly not entirely sober) own eyes!

And it definitely wasn't listed on NRE; I double checked, and a friend I was travelling with had also been given the 2311 as the last departure, looking on NRE yesterday.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I checked on the FCC website by the way, and there is no mention of alterations there:

http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/plan-your-journey/planned-timetables-changes/2011-04-16/

 

[CliveJones]

Perhaps there was planned engineering works that where cancelled. or perhaps it didn't run but the CIS lied (THAT happens a lot!)

 

[BRX]

Perhaps there was planned engineering works that where cancelled. or perhaps it didn't run but the CIS lied (THAT happens a lot!)

Either way, it seems like the only way to know about these engineering works was to do an online check, possibly at the last minute. No specific details are given on NRE, and they aren't mentioned on the FCC website.

Either they were due to take place, in which case they should have been properly announced in advance, or they weren't, in which case the trains should have been listed correctly on NRE.

I turned up at the station, picked up a timetable, and checked the notice boards for engineering works (none that I could see for that day/route). If it weren't for the fact that my friend had expressed doubt about the 2337 running, I would have shown up at the station expecting it to be there, and if it hadn't have been I would have been stranded in Brighton for the night. What would the excuse have been ... sorry you should have checked on the internet sir?

 

[bb21]

Tonight I returned to London from a day trip to Brighton. I wanted to come back on the last train.

A couple of days ago, I checked online when the last train would be, and it was listed as at 2311.

When I arrived in Brighton today, I picked up some paper timetables (one from FCC and one from Southern).

They both listed the last train as leaving at 2337. I was a bit surprised by this but decided I must have misremembered the 2311 time I'd been given online.

Nearer to the time I double-checked on NRE (on my phone) and it told me the last train was at 2311. Rather than risking being stranded in Brighton for the night, I left in time to get this one. On turning up at the station, though, the 2337 departure did exist and was listed on the boards.

What's going on here? I thought the database used by NRE ought to be the definitive information but in this instance it seems to be incorrect.

Which one did you eventually catch? I cannot find the 2337 either, only the 2311. Where did the 2337 terminate?

 

[BRX]

I went on the 2311. The 2337 was up on the board as going to London Bridge (as per the printed timetable).

 

[wintonian]

My information suggests that the 23:11 left Brighton from platform 4 on time which appears to be the last one to London.

So I don't know why a 33:47 was showing at the station as it appears that there wasn't a train due to depart Brighton at 23:47, maybe a bus replacement service?