Timetable at Pevensey Bay

[Joey Beauchamp]

I am somewhat unusual in that I have an annual season ticket from Pevensey Bay that I actually use to get to work every day (before anyone says anything I know Hatton - Lapworth is now cheaper for the Gold Card!)

I catch the 8.01, which gets me to Bexhill just right for me to cycle to work on time. On the way home I always rush for the 17.29, as the next service that stops before Eastbourne is the 18.05. However, this train rushes through Pevensey Bay (in fact there are no services at all in that direction after 5pm) and I'm forced to go to Pevensey & Westham.

As I alighted there today I realised that the train rolls in at about 17.40 and sits in the platform until it's scheduled departure time of 17.42. This happens every day, unless it's running late. Could this time not be better spent pausing at Pevensey Bay?

I realise this is a self motivated suggestion, but it would also make it possible for passengers to commute easily in the Hastings direction. Also, Westham level crossing, presumably being one of the modern ones that is automatically triggered as a train approaches, remains closed for the entirety of the time the train is stationary in P&W station, by which time a queue has built up that blocks up half the village.

So my questions are threefold;
1. Is my suggestion sensible, possible and workable in reality?
2. Is it worth bringing this up with Southern or would they dismiss it?
3. Who should I contact? I'm not on Twitter or Facebook so those methods are out.

I also think that their should be more (ie. any at all) services at weekends. The disparity of service between Pevensey Bay and Norman's Bay is ludicrous, especially in winter when there's no tourists, but that can wait for another day!

 

[30907]

There's no harm in trying, even if it's out of self interest.
However, adding a stop will increase journey time by 1.5 or 2 minutes, and the booked stop at P and W is only 1 minute, so, given the constraints of Hampden Park to Eastbourne it may not be possible until the timetable is re-cast (and, as you know, that has only just happened).

 

[Hadders]

It's worth a try but you'll need to persist. The initial response from customer services will be just a copy and paste fob off reply. You need to get the query onto the desk of a timetable planner.

I've had a couple of amendments made to timetables by persisting:

- Following 'Project 110' on the WCML Northampton lost almost all of its direct services to Crewe. There was a connection of 4 minutes at Rugby but as it was less than the 5 minute minimum interchange for Rugby it wasn't shown in online journey planners. I wrote to London Midland and they amended the arrival time of the train from Northampton to enable an official connection to be made (it helped that they had promised a 5 minute connection at Rugby as part of Project 110)

- The c.02:00 Fishguard Harbour - Swansea was timed not to connect with the first Swansea - Paddington service despite the Working Timetable comfortably making the connection. This was an issue for people with Sail Rail tickets which are Advance tickets so booked train only. I wrote to GWR, they agreed with me and the timetable got changed by a few minutes to enable an official connection.

 

[LAX54]

The actual times are 1741 to 1742, but if you try an add an additional stop, you will have to factor in, slowing down, pulling away and the dwell time in the platform, this will have a knock on effect on the rest of the diagram and possibly other services elsewhere ?