Oasis, Knebworth ‘96

[Lifelong]

I was there on the Saturday night. I have vague memories of the train journey to Stevenage being quite ordered on the way there and utterly chaotic at the end - but we got home.

How did the railway cope with these monumental gigs? It feels like it must have been a huge operation. Could it be repeated next year if the gigs are repeated?

Just interested in the facts behind my hazy memories…

 

[The Foghorn]

I do remember that a tsr was put in place through the station due to the anticipated crowds.

I also recall a story from someone on a coach trip from Newcastle. After the gig he got back on the coach and fell asleep. He woke up three hours later expecting to be near Thirsk only to find he was still in the coach park!

 

[Taunton]

I do remember that a tsr was put in place through the station due to the anticipated crowds.

I recall that, this being the early 1996 days of privatisation, the huge crowds on the island platforms at Stevenage arriving on the Slow lines and backed up from the narrow exits were seen as an issue with services passing on the other side of the island at 125mph. The prospect of delay attribution if they were passed at caution cancelling out any revenue benefit led to a plan for substantial extra platform staff numbers, which many felt still hazardous. It took whatever was the 1990s equivalent of the RSSB to become aware, come over, and put an immediate 20mph TSR in place, with comments to the new privatised world of "don't be so silly".

Bit of a contrast to the 1978 music festival at Blackbushe, Bob Dylan et al, ¼ million attendees, including myself, which the old Southern Region handled immaculately to/from Fleet, on the SWML, which I have described elsewhere here.