Information for GTR Southern passengers during strike (no DOO discussion)

[Bishopstone]

Seems to be a focus on getting additional trains to Eastbourne, especially from the east, to cater for the Airbourne crowds.

 

[infobleep]

If it's not possible to reinstate a timetable in the Network Rail systems at short notice, as GTR claim it is, how long do Network Rail require?

I understand about staff not being available so they probably couldn't run a service anyway. However I'm interested in the timetable reinstatement part as I wasn't aware there was a required gap.

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[sarahj]

They were sending staff from Brighton to Eastbourne to work an XX.14 all stops (and I mean ALL stops) service to Ore.

I left EBN at 11.14 with no punters, none at Hampden Park, 3 at Pev and Westham, none at Pev Bay :roll:, 1 at Normans Bay, 2 at Cooden, 3 at Collington. A few more got on at Bexhill. 1 went through to Ore. Back was more busy, tho' Pev Bay, still none I then passed back to Brighton. There were staff at EBN to run them, but the less said about that, the better.

 

[infobleep]

Interestingly the 17.30 London to Brighton Gatwick Express isn't stopping at Clapham Junction or East Croydon tonight, according to National Rail Enquiries App. So may be last night was a one off for some unknown reason. I don't know if it stopped at those stations on Monday or Tuesday on that particular service.

Eirher way it suited me.

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[swt class 450]

Just wondering does anyone know why during this strike (and all of the previous ones as well) no trains are stopping at Faygate? As trains are running on that line why have they not been able to stop any trains at Faygate?

 

[Starmill]

Are any of the trains that would normally serve Faygate running? How many people actually use the station? Is it worth slowing down the rare remaining services in the line to call there, given its in the middle of nowhere and those travelling already likely to be subject to delays, cancellations and ammendments?
I often wonder what the point of trains stopping at Faygate is during the normal timetable. The station (and the stop) would be more use picked up and moved to the West Ifield.

 

[infobleep]

Well now the strike is over, along with the post strike timetable, can I wish warm welcome back to emergency timetable!

Out of interest, how reliable is the Saturday timetable, given they are attempting to run a full Saturday service?

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[MrB]

Just wondering does anyone know why during this strike (and all of the previous ones as well) no trains are stopping at Faygate? As trains are running on that line why have they not been able to stop any trains at Faygate?

It's not just Faygate. Earlswood & Salfords were also closed but services ran on that line.

 

[tsr]

Are any of the trains that would normally serve Faygate running? How many people actually use the station? Is it worth slowing down the rare remaining services in the line to call there, given its in the middle of nowhere and those travelling already likely to be subject to delays, cancellations and ammendments?
I often wonder what the point of trains stopping at Faygate is during the normal timetable. The station (and the stop) would be more use picked up and moved to the West Ifield.

You'd be surprised. There's an industrial estate there, and some housing, which usually attract at least a couple of people per each train which calls in the morning peak (for some reason, it seems somewhat fewer people seem to travel in the evening, so they must be car sharing to get home or something). On services like the 0704 Three Bridges-Horsham, Faygate is just as busy as Ifield, for example. It certainly has regular customers and, unlike many of those travelling locally between Crawley, Ifield and Littlehaven, they actually pay...!

As it's only a couple per train, though, I should imagine that extra calls were deemed to be overkill - rightly or wrongly. After all, if the whole Uckfield line is closed, I shouldn't think anybody was too worried about varying a calling pattern for an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere in Sussex!

 

[GodAtum]

On the flip side I am on a class 700 train. Not been on one of these before. I assume it has no first class. It feels odd and more European metro than mainline service.
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Lol it does but if you stand on the wrong end of the platform, you are screwed.

 

[Deepgreen]

Lol it does but if you stand on the wrong end of the platform, you are screwed.

The 700s have first class in both driving cars on the eight and twelve car versions.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Two consecutive Horsham - Dorking - Vicotrias cancelled this morning "due to issues with the train crew" - one ran ECS Leatherhead to Horsham! There was a better service during the strike when Southern claimed the line from Dorking to Horsham would not be served but trains ran!

 

[Bishopstone]

Strange goings on at Falmer: station for the AMEX stadium.

Although the strike is off and the 'revised' timetable back in place, nothing is stopping at Falmer after 17.00 tonight, and (apparently) on subsequent match days, on police advice.

 

[tony6499]

Strange goings on at Falmer: station for the AMEX stadium.

Although the strike is off and the 'revised' timetable back in place, nothing is stopping at Falmer after 17.00 tonight, and (apparently) on subsequent match days, on police advice.

It has always been like that, did the same for the Fat Boy Slim concert a couple of years ago. If they can't run the normal football service they won't run anything and shut the station instead, I wonder what they will do at Moulsecoomb though ?

 

[Bishopstone]

Now they ARE running to Falmer tonight, every ten minutes, having found some additional resource.

 

[tony6499]

Now they ARE running to Falmer tonight, every ten minutes, having found some additional resource.

Absolute shambles of a company, they are beyond contempt now

 

[sarahj]

Now they ARE running to Falmer tonight, every ten minutes, having found some additional resource.

Meanwhile the football co are putting on buses from Brighton and Lewes to the stadium, with free parking at lewes station. Glad all my announcements today on this matter have been worth it.:-x

 

[swt class 450]

Even though it is a small village Faygate definitely seems fairly well used. It seems to get more passengers than places like Betchworth and Chilworth. It is used enough as Southern have installed a TVM on P1 (and there is a PERTIS on P2). I usually see a few other people every time that i board and alight at Faygate. I think that during the strike they definitely should have stopped a few trains at Faygate as i am sure that this definitely inconvinienced some people.

 

[Bishopstone]

Should have checked earlier, but unimpressed to discover the Seaford branch is closed all weekend for engineering work, with a (halved frequency) replacement bus service.

Over the last five weeks Network Rail could have taken possessions Monday-Friday between 08.30 and 17.30, but instead are blocking the line to a coastal resort over a peak holiday season weekend.

Buses during the week, now buses at the weekend, too. It's very poor.

 

[Quakkerillo]

Should have checked earlier, but unimpressed to discover the Seaford branch is closed all weekend for engineering work, with a (halved frequency) replacement bus service.

Over the last five weeks Network Rail could have taken possessions Monday-Friday between 08.30 and 17.30, but instead are blocking the line to a coastal resort over a peak holiday season weekend.

Buses during the week, now buses at the weekend, too. It's very poor.

The engineering work will have been planned well in advance, prior to the revised timetable and strike that is going on. The works will need a lot of staff, engineers, and equipment, and they can't just juggle that around. The staff will have been working on other projects elsewhere earlier, making it impossible to have the Seaford branch works brought forward.

 

[Bishopstone]

The engineering work will have been planned well in advance, prior to the revised timetable and strike that is going on. The works will need a lot of staff, engineers, and equipment, and they can't just juggle that around. The staff will have been working on other projects elsewhere earlier, making it impossible to have the Seaford branch works brought forward.

In the circumstances, whatever the cost and inconvenience to Network Rail and Southern, the right decision would have been to defer or re-time these works. Unless undertaking them immediately is absolutely critical, for safety reasons, to the operation of (substantively) a weekend-only rail service, which is all we'll have until early 2017 I suspect.

 

[MK Tom]

There was a Southern train taking the West London Line at Wembley today when I went past at 5pm. I tweeted Southern asking about it and they confirmed that the West London Line service has been restored to an amended timetable. This seems to be running to Watford.

 

[Sanatogen]

There was a Southern train taking the West London Line at Wembley today when I went past at 5pm. I tweeted Southern asking about it and they confirmed that the West London Line service has been restored to an amended timetable. This seems to be running to Watford.

Only 4 trains per day mon-fri (2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon) and already some have been cancelled.

 

[greaterwest]

There was a Southern train taking the West London Line at Wembley today when I went past at 5pm. I tweeted Southern asking about it and they confirmed that the West London Line service has been restored to an amended timetable. This seems to be running to Watford.

Indeed, currently 4 trains per day in each direction Clapham Junction - Watford Junction.

 

[MK Tom]

Thanks - which four and when did that take effect? It was 2 377/2s and hardly anybody was on it.

 

[Sanatogen]

06.38 08.21 15.39 17.39 from Clapham, 07.38 09.15 16.52 18.51 from Watford.

Came in Monday but first 2 were cancelled due to staff shortage I believe.

 

[Deepgreen]

Also noted (from RTT) that there was nothing from Redhill to London this morning between 0819 and 0904! Shortly after this the following Horsham to Victoria train did not call at Redhill, but then did call at Merstham and further stations towards London (so not diverted via Quarry but simply missing out Redhill)! Disastrous performance when we have been assured that the emergency timetable allows us certainty of service provision! Glad I happened to go via Dorking this morning instead, to Waterloo, and even at Dorking, some Victoria trains were up to 45 minutes late and being turned short at Sutton. What a shambles.

I also note that Southern appear to have simply abandoned responding to complaints as I have several outstanding from weeks ago without reply (only acknowledgement).

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Could it be a side effect of this:

http://www.crawleynews.co.uk/watch-...dges-station/story-29621380-detail/story.html

Passengers standing on Three Bridges station have described hearing a loud bang, as a fire broke out on the train tracks on at the weekend.

It is understood that Network Rail's engineers have been onsite for the past two days attending to the problem, and Southern Rail have explained today that speed restrictions will remain in place until the work is carried out to repair the damaged cables around the track.

On Saturday, shortly after 10.30am, commuters witnessed a fire on the tracks between Platform 4 and 5.

 

[Deepgreen]

Right, that's actually a bit of a disservice to what happened. As it just so happens I was able to tell exactly what happened on that service. It's by no means as clear cut as you think.

The conductor and driver diagrams for that train stated that it would divide at Redhill and run all the way through to both destinations. This was also reflected by the information that staff looked up at stations using official software. None of the crew, of which 4 were involved in the operation of that train up to and including Redhill, were familiar with running this train under the emergency timetable and therefore presumed, as of course you would if your diagram said so, that it would divide. It was noted just prior to departure from Victoria that the CIS systems were not showing a split at Redhill, but Control could not be reached by phone to properly clarify the situation until the train had reached Coulsdon South. (The station staff were asked for advice at East Croydon, which was the next convenient point to reach such staff, but could not remember how the service should run.) At this point the onboard crew held a discussion and requested the onboard passenger information systems be deactivated by the driver, which failed to work (it sometimes does).

By this point the train was pretty much at Merstham and the automatic announcements were left to play for this station, after which two announcements were made manually and the audio (not also visual, sadly), PIS was eventually muted. There was a further announcement, repeated twice, at the platform at Redhill. Passengers were advised to change for all destinations not served by the Three Bridges portion.

The following evening, the crew had been made aware of the diagram error, and lessons were learned so this did not happen again. Once information had been relayed correctly, no complaints were made onboard before or at Redhill on either day, but there were two conductors onboard in the middle of the train (coaches 4/5) on both days to assist, had anyone asked for clarification (and a few people did).

By the way, the Three Bridges portion is first stop Earlswood, not Gatwick Airport...

Well - it happened again yesterday, only somewhat worse than last time! The 1649 was advertised at every station as being for Three Bridges (i.e. no Reigate portion), but the on-train recorded announcements and scrolling displays consistently said it would divide at Redhill. The conductor also consistently made live announcements to the same effect. I was suspicious. We arrived at Redhill after all the (many) laden Gatwick passengers had struggled through to the front four throughout the journey, and the conductor awaited his expected divide. But no - he was whistled away by the platform staff! A discussion ensued and he discovered that, again, his roster was wrong and he would be going to Three Bridges. He was not amused, and neither were the people who had crammed into the front four!

Several minutes were wasted while the conductor ensured that Reigate people had alighted (I don't know if all did).

Good to know that, after last time, this wouldn't happen again!! No lessons learned here, methinks.

Incidentally, praise to the conductor for actually checking first class en route and chucking out a family who claimed they didn't know they couldn't sit in first with a standard ticket as they "never travelled by train"!

 

[amarshe]

Any news on when the Beckenham Junction / Wimbledon to London Bridge services might be restored?

There is, currently, an hour long gap in the mornings from East Dulwich to London Bridge (0730 and 0830). Tolerable at the moment but not when local private schools go back around 5th September.

Coming back isn't much better, an 1808 and 1851. I won't complain about the 1730, at least it runs, even if it does stop at South Bermondsey for 12 minutes!

Have had a few visitors over the summer and it's been fun explaining this is the service from a zone 2 station during the rush hour.

 

[Deepgreen]

Same again tonight on the 1649 to Three Bridges - recorded announcements and scrolling displays showing a non-existent divide at Redhill! Conductor made a couple of announcements but there was still much confusion among foreigners (and some elderly) heading for Gatwick. The recorded information only changed to "Listen to Announcements" at Coulsdon South. Once again so many passengers with heavy luggage struggled needlessly through the train on the basis of what they were reading (usually easier for foreigners than trying to translate live announcements).

How hard can it be to get this right?! Clearly, despite previous assurances, no lessons have been learned here.