Minimum connection time at Southampton Central too short?

[antharro]

I have a relative travelling from Brighton to Bournemouth today. They're arranging their own travel but out of curiosity, I tried to see what trains they'd be on. The National Rail journey planner suggests this is the 1305 Brighton - Southampton (1N18) then Southampton - Bournemouth (1W69). This gives a five minute transfer at Southampton Central. This seems a bit short - I'm sure I could do it with just my rucksack; up over the bridge and down to the correct platform. But doing the same transfer with luggage, using the lifts... even a one or two minute delay could be the difference between making the transfer and not. I know there's a slow service that departs six minutes after - should the journey planner have suggested this one instead?

 

[BeijingDave]

I have a relative travelling from Brighton to Bournemouth today. They're arranging their own travel but out of curiosity, I tried to see what trains they'd be on. The National Rail journey planner suggests this is the 1305 Brighton - Southampton (1N18) then Southampton - Bournemouth (1W69). This gives a five minute transfer at Southampton Central. This seems a bit short - I'm sure I could do it with just my rucksack; up over the bridge and down to the correct platform. But doing the same transfer with luggage, using the lifts... even a one or two minute delay could be the difference between making the transfer and not. I know there's a slow service that departs six minutes after - should the journey planner have suggested this one instead?

I don't think so, otherwise people would complain that there is a train arriving earlier they weren't aware of.

The likely worst outcome as it stands is: someone misses the faster service, asks when the next service is, is told "Don't worry, there's another train for your destination in six minutes".

 

[Towers]

It'll probably end up being largely irelevant when they inevitably terminate the Southern short at Fareham!

Sorry, cynic mode OFF!

 

[swt_passenger]

There’s no point catching the train 6 mins later because it’s overtaken by the next SWR xx51 while it sits at Brockenhurst for half an hour. If it’s the odd hours that it runs, the fallback connection should probably be the next XC, at about xx45.

 

[miklcct]

I have a relative travelling from Brighton to Bournemouth today. They're arranging their own travel but out of curiosity, I tried to see what trains they'd be on. The National Rail journey planner suggests this is the 1305 Brighton - Southampton (1N18) then Southampton - Bournemouth (1W69). This gives a five minute transfer at Southampton Central. This seems a bit short - I'm sure I could do it with just my rucksack; up over the bridge and down to the correct platform. But doing the same transfer with luggage, using the lifts... even a one or two minute delay could be the difference between making the transfer and not. I know there's a slow service that departs six minutes after - should the journey planner have suggested this one instead?

Unfortunately your connection is from platform 2 to platform 4 which requires going via the footbridge.

In some hours the Bournemouth fast train uses platform 3B which becomes a cross-platform interchange from the Brighton train, under such circumstances the minimum connecting time of 4 minutes is appropriate.

Also, if you are taking this connection in peak hours, beware of the misleading sign at Southampton Central - I got caught out and boarded the wrong portion while trying to do this connection from Brighton to Bournemouth in peak hours when the train divided into Weymouth and Poole portions at Southampton after a delayed arrival into Southampton Central, and ended up submitting a Delay Repay claim.

 

[infobleep]

There’s no point catching the train 6 mins later because it’s overtaken by the next SWR xx51 while it sits at Brockenhurst for half an hour. If it’s the odd hours that it runs, the fallback connection should probably be the next XC, at about xx45.

I would not want the connection time to be increased. It's bad enough it's 10 minutes at Gatwick Airport for Greast Western Railway to Govia Thaneslink services and I don't think 6 minutes at Surbiton is necessary. 5 would be enough.

On the latter point, I raised it in a timetable consultation but perhaps it was considered out of scope as I never saw any reference to it in the resulting report.

 

[swt_passenger]

I would not want the connection time to be increased. It's bad enough it's 10 minutes at Gatwick Airport for Greast Western Railway to Govia Thaneslink services and I don't think 6 minutes at Surbiton is necessary. 5 would be enough.

On the latter point, I raised it in a timetable consultation but perhaps it was considered out of scope as I never saw any reference to it in the resulting report.

Southampton can and does see massive queues for lifts though, especially if you accidentally turn up at the same time as a cruise liner turnround. Most SN services arrive on the central island platforms and nearly all westbound connections will be over on P4.

 

[infobleep]

Southampton can and does see massive queues for lifts though, especially if you accidentally turn up at the same time as a cruise liner turnround. Most SN services arrive on the central island platforms and nearly all westbound connections will be over on P4.

OK. So is it like Wimbledon in that, that has a 6 minute connection but in the morning peak you can take over 6 minutes to get from one set of platforms to another if you are far from the stairs.

 

[swt_passenger]

OK. So is it like Wimbledon in that, that has a 6 minute connection but in the morning peak you can take over 6 minutes to get from one set of platforms to another if you are far from the stairs.

I can’t comment on Wimbledon, it’s nearly always just a blur from a Weymouth train…

 

[toffeedanish]

In general terms many people like a tight connection time as if you make it it is a bonus and if you don't then you collect the delay repay. A looser minimum would mean the same journey times but with fewer instances of delay repay.

 

[yorkie]

I have a relative travelling from Brighton to Bournemouth today. They're arranging their own travel but out of curiosity, I tried to see what trains they'd be on. The National Rail journey planner suggests this is the 1305 Brighton - Southampton (1N18) then Southampton - Bournemouth (1W69). This gives a five minute transfer at Southampton Central. This seems a bit short - I'm sure I could do it with just my rucksack; up over the bridge and down to the correct platform. But doing the same transfer with luggage, using the lifts... even a one or two minute delay could be the difference between making the transfer and not. I know there's a slow service that departs six minutes after - should the journey planner have suggested this one instead?

Not by default.

If they would like an itinerary with a longer connection, there are booking sites that allow this to be specified.

 

[infobleep]

I can’t comment on Wimbledon, it’s nearly always just a blur from a Weymouth train…

At certain times of the day, probably for the best, it's a blur.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Aug 2022 ==

In general terms many people like a tight connection time as if you make it it is a bonus and if you don't then you collect the delay repay. A looser minimum would mean the same journey times but with fewer instances of delay repay.

That is a nice bonus but in all seriousness, in some cases a longer minimum connection time can add an hour to your journey