Redhill Station - Extra Platform

[greaterwest]

This whole saga is utterly bizarre. Southern (Redhill management in particular) seem to have no interest or pride in fault-fixing whatsoever. I had been told previously that it was simply the proximity of the track that meant that a possession would be required to prevent workers who are removing the indicator from accidentally falling onto the adjacent track. There are very few movements overnight anyway, and all of those could be re-routed through platform 1 (the other side of the wide island) to give several hours clear on platform 2 for the work. In any case, there have been several possessions recently, all of which have been missed for undertaking this work.

Then there is the question of the alleged wiring renewal under the track - what??!! There is another working indicator about 100 metres away on the same platform which shows exactly the same information at all times - just connect to/extend from that - what wiring under the track is there to be renewed?

In addition to this fault, the departures summary screen in the waiting room had been broken for about four months before it was finally fixed and that is within an enclosed room nowhere near any danger and is about the size of a small TV!

At no point during the five months-plus that these faults have existed has there been any apology or explanation locally - what the hell does the local management do?!

Indeed, the management of Redhill station is an outright disaster, whenever I've been there it's just been generally filthy and it looks dilapidated.

The information system there has always had problems whenever I've been there too, consistent stuttering during announcements & the fact that it was still announcing GWR services at First Great Western a month after the rebrand.

 

[Deepgreen]

Indeed, the management of Redhill station is an outright disaster, whenever I've been there it's just been generally filthy and it looks dilapidated.

The information system there has always had problems whenever I've been there too, consistent stuttering during announcements & the fact that it was still announcing GWR services at First Great Western a month after the rebrand.

What I cannot understand is the complete lack of interest seemingly taken by Southern in the performance of its local management. Redhill is an important node but is run atrociously - information is either wrong or lacking, particularly when it's most needed during disruption, the facitilies are run down and not repaired properly, and the PR element is notable by its absence.

The strong overall impression is that they simply don't care about their image or have any performance standards to be met. I heard somehwere (this thread I suspect) that Southern's corporate information display standards will not allow posters to be displayed which might explain or apologise for the state of the place! Any complaints to Southern via their so-called 'Customer Service' route are met by illiterate, dis-interested and often downright wrong standard responses which generally go nowhere near the actual issue being raised. Their recent claim that cabling under the track needs repairing to bring the second train indicator into service again is a case in point - absolutely unbelievable (literally!).

 

[tom1649]

Any complaints to Southern via their so-called 'Customer Service' route are met by illiterate, dis-interested and often downright wrong standard responses which generally go nowhere near the actual issue being raised. Their recent claim that cabling under the track needs repairing to bring the second train indicator into service again is a case in point - absolutely unbelievable (literally!).

Isn't their customer service outsourced? The fact that the postal address for customer service is in Ashby-de-la-Zouch rings alarm bells. Probably better to complain directly to the head office in London if you get no joy.

 

[Deepgreen]

Isn't their customer service outsourced? The fact that the postal address for customer service is in Ashby-de-la-Zouch rings alarm bells. Probably better to complain directly to the head office in London if you get no joy.

No doubt, but to me that's not the point (not aimed at you, BTW) - it is their responsibility to ensure that they have a competent service, whether in-house or not. At the moment, they do not.

 

[Deepgreen]

Back to the failed train indicator - a shot of its location and feeds. No cabling goes anywhere near the track here and the electrical box label says (if I have interpreted the code correctly) it is fed from the Station Supervisor's office node. The identical indicator at the south end presumably runs off the same feed. Why, therefore, does it apparently require the track to be dug up to repair/replace it?!

 

[Deepgreen]

Hurrah! The platform indicator at Redhill was working this morning after six months of failure! This only a few days after I had set up a case with Travel Watch. What an utter farce this saga has been. Irony - the first train I have seen displayed on it (mine this morning) was cancelled!

Also, the worksite fencing for the extra platform, comprising very heavy duty steel stanchions, was being erected this morning.

 

[greaterwest]

Hurrah! The platform indicator at Redhill was working this morning after six months of failure! This only a few days after I had set up a case with Travel Watch. What an utter farce this saga has been. Irony - the first train I have seen displayed on it (mine this morning) was cancelled!

That took far too long and far too much effort to rectify, IMO.

 

[Deepgreen]

That took far too long and far too much effort to rectify, IMO.

Not to mention the lies told to us over the months by Southern about the issue, and the scandalous lack of any apparent interest in it by the station 'management'.

 

[Deepgreen]

The expression "you couldn't make it up" is over-used, but I think it applies here. Now that the platform 2 indicator at the north end of the canopy has been fixed after six months of failure, the other one has lost its top line of text (i.e. the first train)!!

A little closer to the topic of the extra platform, this is the fencing being erected to protect the work site.

 

[Phil.]

The expression "you couldn't make it up" is over-used, but I think it applies here. Now that the platform 2 indicator at the north end of the canopy has been fixed after six months of failure, the other one has lost its top line of text (i.e. the first train)!!

A little closer to the topic of the extra platform, this is the fencing being erected to protect the work site.

Fencing to protect the work site? Good grief, it looks like what the East Germans erected in 1962 to keep the filthy capitalists out of their social paradise.

 

[swt_passenger]

Fencing to protect the work site? Good grief, it looks like what the East Germans erected in 1962 to keep the filthy capitalists out of their social paradise.

A substantial barrier will allow for the worksite to be considered to be outside of the operational railway, so the workforce won't need rail safety accreditation. Probably reduces costs.

It protects the operating railway from the worksite.

 

[MarkyT]

A substantial barrier will allow for the worksite to be considered to be outside of the operational railway, so the workforce won't need rail safety accreditation. Probably reduces costs.

It protects the operating railway from the worksite.

Yes it must be the activity being carried out behind the fence. I reckon large items of mobile plant and heavy objects being lifted (at low level), such as precast platform sections, should be able to move about fairly unhindered behind this substantial fence without risk of a train in platform 1 being struck. Just to establish a long term green zone for worker safety alone would not need such a strong barrier.

 

[Deepgreen]

Well, the platform zero worksite fencing continues to grow (picture attached), and, yes, the platform train indicator at the south end of platform two has now completely failed, after the one at the north end was repaired last week following six months of failure! Staggering!

 

[Deepgreen]

Just a small further item - yesterday, in warm sunshine, the electric fan heaters above the ticket hall street entrance doors were blasting hot air at people below! A station management out of control.

 

[Phil.]

Just a small further item - yesterday, in warm sunshine, the electric fan heaters above the ticket hall street entrance doors were blasting hot air at people below! A station management out of control.

Management? I wouldn't trust them to run a bath!

 

[Minstral25]

What I cannot understand is the complete lack of interest seemingly taken by Southern in the performance of its local management. Redhill is an important node but is run atrociously - information is either wrong or lacking, particularly when it's most needed during disruption, the facitilies are run down and not repaired properly, and the PR element is notable by its absence.

The strong overall impression is that they simply don't care about their image or have any performance standards to be met. I heard somehwere (this thread I suspect) that Southern's corporate information display standards will not allow posters to be displayed which might explain or apologise for the state of the place! Any complaints to Southern via their so-called 'Customer Service' route are met by illiterate, dis-interested and often downright wrong standard responses which generally go nowhere near the actual issue being raised. Their recent claim that cabling under the track needs repairing to bring the second train indicator into service again is a case in point - absolutely unbelievable (literally!).

Redhill is 4th largest station on the Southern Network outside London.

They are planning to repaint later this year apparently.

I heard Southern also plan a number of enhancements hopefully including a separate website for the Redhill route integrated with Thameslink to give customers better service information. We shall see.

They are also planning an advert that says "No Fuss Delay Repay" - hahahahahahahaha own goal

 

[Deepgreen]

Redhill is 4th largest station on the Southern Network outside London.

They are planning to repaint later this year apparently.

I heard Southern also plan a number of enhancements hopefully including a separate website for the Redhill route integrated with Thameslink to give customers better service information. We shall see.

They are also planning an advert that says "No Fuss Delay Repay" - hahahahahahahaha own goal

Interesting. Re-painting won't solve the chronic mis-management of the station that manifests itself daily, and in fact the paintwork isn't in too bad a state anyway. It also won't solve the congestion problems on the staircase from platform 3 or the very poor signing around the station - for example, given the obvious long-standing confusion generated by the splitting of platforms 1 and 2 into north and south sections, why can't very large, very clear signs be provided to make the demarcation between the platform sections far better? The platform train indicators are poorly-placed to help with this issue too (when they work!), which is particularly prevalent when GWR Gatwick and Reading trains abut.

Also, why not provide signs that inform passengers that train doors are closed while splitting/joining occurs, to reduce the confusion and worry that arises with many passengers who simply stab at the door buttons in despair? In other words, look at the operation of the station from a passenger's viewpoint not the operators'!

As an aside, platform 1/2 has a weather station on a lamp-post at its southern end - as a matter of interest, what is the information generated by this used for?

 

[Phil.]

Interesting. Re-painting won't solve the chronic mis-management of the station that manifests itself daily, and in fact the paintwork isn't in too bad a state anyway. It also won't solve the congestion problems on the staircase from platform 3 or the very poor signing around the station - for example, given the obvious long-standing confusion generated by the splitting of platforms 1 and 2 into north and south sections, why can't very large, very clear signs be provided to make the demarcation between the platform sections far better? The platform train indicators are poorly-placed to help with this issue too (when they work!), which is particularly prevalent when GWR Gatwick and Reading trains abut.

Also, why not provide signs that inform passengers that train doors are closed while splitting/joining occurs, to reduce the confusion and worry that arises with many passengers who simply stab at the door buttons in despair? In other words, look at the operation of the station from a passenger's viewpoint not the operators'!

As an aside, platform 1/2 has a weather station on a lamp-post at its southern end - as a matter of interest, what is the information generated by this used for?

The weather station may be used by the Met. office. One of the Duty Station Manager's night jobs at Gatport Airwick was to ring the temperature in to CONtrol at 02.00 each morning. Apparently this was passed on to the met office.

 

[Deepgreen]

The weather station may be used by the Met. office. One of the Duty Station Manager's night jobs at Gatport Airwick was to ring the temperature in to CONtrol at 02.00 each morning. Apparently this was passed on to the met office.

Will done, Wall!

 

[Minstral25]

Question for those who know better than me. To run a train down the quarry Line takes 6 minutes less than running via Redhill fast. However the distances are equal. What are the problems along the Redhill line that slow the trains down so much?

 

[JonathanH]

Question for those who know better than me. To run a train down the quarry Line takes 6 minutes less than running via Redhill fast. However the distances are equal. What are the problems along the Redhill line that slow the trains down so much?

Is that true? The 0700 London Victoria to Gatwick Airport is timed 32 minutes via Redhill (the only fast daytime service which now goes that way). The preceding 0645 London Victoria to Gatwick Airport is timed 28 minutes. That is only a 4 minute difference.

0645 http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W70537/2016/07/08/advanced

0700 http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W70541/2016/07/08/advanced

Slowing down for the crossing at Stoats Nest Junction will account for some of that, slower line speed presumably the rest. Both seem to get a fairly clear run and are timed through Purley 16 minutes after leaving Victoria.

 

[Phil.]

Question for those who know better than me. To run a train down the quarry Line takes 6 minutes less than running via Redhill fast. However the distances are equal. What are the problems along the Redhill line that slow the trains down so much?

Quarry line - save for the 80 mph curve after the sand'ole is 90 mph all the way. Not so via Redhill

 

[Bald Rick]

Is that true? The 0700 London Victoria to Gatwick Airport is timed 32 minutes via Redhill (the only fast daytime service which now goes that way). The preceding 0645 London Victoria to Gatwick Airport is timed 28 minutes. That is only a 4 minute difference.

0645 http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W70537/2016/07/08/advanced

0700 http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W70541/2016/07/08/advanced

Slowing down for the crossing at Stoats Nest Junction will account for some of that, slower line speed presumably the rest. Both seem to get a fairly clear run and are timed through Purley 16 minutes after leaving Victoria.

Linespeed won't make that much difference over the distance involved - about half a minute. The Redhill route is a mix of 90/80/75/70. In theory there should only be about one minute in it when you allow for Stoats Nest.

The via Redhill train in the link has 3 minutes pathing time and 2 x half minute performance allowances.

 

[Minstral25]

Linespeed won't make that much difference over the distance involved - about half a minute. The Redhill route is a mix of 90/80/75/70. In theory there should only be about one minute in it when you allow for Stoats Nest.

The via Redhill train in the link has 3 minutes pathing time and 2 x half minute performance allowances.

Thank you

 

[JonathanH]

As a further illustration yesterday morning the train linked below (a Victoria to Arun Valley service) operated down the Redhill line instead of the Quarry line. (I saw it at Earlswood but the giveaway on RTT is that it shows platform 2 rather than no platform indication.) It only lost two minutes between Stoats Nest Junction and Earlswood (and may have lost some of that time following a stopping service at Redhill).

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W71295/2016/07/09/advanced

 

[Deepgreen]

According to an item in the latest edition of the Southern Electric Group's journal 'Live Rail', Network Rail has released the final layout drawing for the station once platform 0 is in operation. There is to be an additional bi-directional track for some distance towards Earlswood, and it also appears to show that connections will be provided from the two centre (fast) roads to the Reigate line, which are not present now. Given the very low usage these connections would be likely to see, I wonder if this is an error on the track diagram provided by NR? Platform 0 becomes the up through loop platform, with platform 1 becoming a south-facing bay. Platform 4 (the short north-facing bay) is removed.

 

[Deepgreen]

Redhill is 4th largest station on the Southern Network outside London.

They are planning to repaint later this year apparently.

I heard Southern also plan a number of enhancements hopefully including a separate website for the Redhill route integrated with Thameslink to give customers better service information. We shall see.

They are also planning an advert that says "No Fuss Delay Repay" - hahahahahahahaha own goal

Underway, including this exemplary piece of work on the yellow lining!

 

[BuryBlue]

Underway, including this exemplary piece of work on the yellow lining!

That is shocking!

 

[talldave]

Underway, including this exemplary piece of work on the yellow lining!

Brings back memories of the "Gap/Step the Mind" platform markings at Carshalton Beeches back in the 1980s!!!

 

[Deepgreen]

Update -

A permanent chain-link fence is being erected between the up Reigate line and the erstwhile engineers' siding fan, with that area having had all track lifted, cleared and surfaced with tarmac, including a ramp down to the adjacent main road.

A large number of NR contractors were surveying 'platform 4' (the short ex-GPO bay) yesterday, presumably in readiness for its removal.

Once the work site/storage area (the old siding fan) is complete, I assume that actual works can begin on the platform construction.