Old style timetabling for 2026?

[Rescars]

I see it reported today that the new Southern timetable now offers services between East Grinstead and London Victoria which will be half-hourly during the middle of the day on weekdays during school holidays, but only on Thursday's and Friday's in term-time. No doubt there are compelling 21st century operational or marketing reasons for this, but am I alone in thinking that this sort of timetabling complexity looks like it has been borrowed from the pages of Bradshaw's?

(I have posted this thread here on the assumption that the readers of this forum are more familiar than others with the arcane mysteries of Bradshaw's)

 

[jfollows]

East Grinstead line, December 2025

Is there a particular reason why the off-peak service is doubled, but only on Thursday and Friday? It does seem rather bizarre. I can't believe it is demand-led, so my only thoughts are (a) there still aren't enough crew to cover Mondays to Weds, or (b) it's some kind of maintenance regime...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[mike57]

I see no problem with services being tailored to demand, even if this results in some oddities.

Our local line has runs roughly 1 hour later on Fridays and Saturday, and has done for the past year.

However this does not sound like 'demand led' unless there is a significant increase in usage at these times. One other thought, is it linked to operating days of the Bluebell railway?

Growing up there were a still quite a few 'FO' (Fridays Only) services on various lines, as well as the complex mix of summer Saturday services. Given that most people probably use their phone or computer when making a longer distance booking complex timetables are less of an issue.

 

[Taunton]

I see it reported today that the new Southern timetable now offers services between East Grinstead and London Victoria which will be half-hourly during the middle of the day on weekdays during school holidays, but only on Thursday's and Friday's in term-time. No doubt there are compelling 21st century operational or marketing reasons for this, but am I alone in thinking that this sort of timetabling complexity looks like it has been borrowed from the pages of Bradshaw's?

Actually Bradshaw didn't have a lot of that, given that they just represented whatever the service was. The real comparison would be with 'Chaix', the French equivalent, where you found services the like of 'Thursdays and alternate Saturdays, except August when every Saturday, and on the one after Nouvion fair when it runs 3 hours later'.

 

[nw1]

Certainly seems to go against the theory that one of the aims of modern timetabling is to make the service simpler and easier to remember.

FO long-distance services are of course as old as the hills, but Thursday and Friday only on a commuter line seems quite bizarre for those of us used to the norms of 1980s-2010s timetables!