The Pre-match trains tonight

[Herr Tubthumper]

Then you're just not thinking it through. I don't know the details of this incident but...person falls off train at Newhaven. Guard attends to person who has broken his leg. Guard cannot leave this person until at least emergency services arrive and possibly beyond as a duty of care to passengers. Train cannot go anywhere without the guard on this line. Train behind blocks one line at Lewes and train behind that cannot get through Lewes. Guard and driver of the first affected train at Newhaven may have then been scheduled to work the next eastbound train from Brighton but are still stuck at Newhaven so that train is cancelled OR may legally be required to take their break when they finally get back to Brighton so they can't work their next train. So, within a few minutes on a very crowded network at a very busy time you have trains and staff at the wrong place at the wrong time and chaos descends very quickly.

Then why design a rail system which is so prone to the slightest issue? I'm sorry but there's no excuse, they've had 180 years to get this right after all.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Or as I explained earlier if there were adequate spare stock and crew available then trains would be stepped up and no or just minimal disruption for the punters

Quite

 

[BrianWade4]

Disgraceful but due to an earlier incident so won't be that bad every game

 

[BrianWade4]

If it helps, I often walk from Brighton station to the ground

Takes an hour....

 

[Return of the Rev]

Did you read the post ? Leaving Lewes 75 minutes before kick off with a 10 minute train ride you would hope you might get to the ground on time. When do you suggest people leave 2 hours before, 3 hours before, 4 hours before, 5 hours before, a day before ?

Seems like some people just like to turn up late! I think its a power thing or possibly just an excuse to moan Never been late in 45 years of watching the Albion myself

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Seems like some people just like to turn up late! I think its a power thing or possibly just an excuse to moan Never been late in 45 years of watching the Albion myself

Your medal is in the post

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Or as I explained earlier if there were adequate spare stock and crew available then trains would be stepped up and no or just minimal disruption for the punters

You are then having to pay crews to be standing around waiting, in case they're needed? Fares would have to go up to cover their wages.

 

[Ernest]

You are then having to pay crews to be standing around waiting, in case they're needed? Fares would have to go up to cover their wages.

Or Southern profits wouldn't be so big, of course if the railways were run to the benefit of the passenger and not shareholder it would happen. Under BR there was sufficient spare stock and crew to cover things that happened like this

 

[Deadly Danson]

Then why design a rail system which is so prone to the slightest issue? I'm sorry but there's no excuse, they've had 180 years to get this right after all.

This is precisely the problem with the railway and specifically the railway in the south east. It was built and designed so long ago that it is no longer fit for purpose. You would never design a railway like this now but unless someone takes massive decisions like building a main line 2 (and for that you need massive investment, get through numerous planning and logistical hurdles, conquer the nimbys and then build the thing) it will never get better and it really doesn't make much difference who is running the train service.

 

[Deadly Danson]

Or Southern profits wouldn't be so big, of course if the railways were run to the benefit of the passenger and not shareholder it would happen. Under BR there was sufficient spare stock and crew to cover things that happened like this

Don't disagree necessarily but BR carried millions fewer passengers and ran a much less intensive service. Just too many people wanting to use a Victorian railway now and ultimately a return to BR wouldn't alter this.

 

[Ernest]

Don't disagree necessarily but BR carried millions fewer passengers and ran a much less intensive service. Just too many people wanting to use a Victorian railway now and ultimately a return to BR wouldn't alter this.

BR carried a much more intensive service and the depot at Brighton included all types of traction and work before privatisation, it was the splitting up of everything that has made the chaos and the beancounters who insist on the minimum number of crew and stock needed as well as the tightest of diagrams which don't cope well with any disruption

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

This is precisely the problem with the railway and specifically the railway in the south east. It was built and designed so long ago that it is no longer fit for purpose. You would never design a railway like this now but unless someone takes massive decisions like building a main line 2 (and for that you need massive investment, get through numerous planning and logistical hurdles, conquer the nimbys and then build the thing) it will never get better and it really doesn't make much difference who is running the train service.

With your attitude maybe you should get a job with Southern? Your defeatist outlook will fit in.

It might take "massive decisions" but progression often does. And it would appear many countries around the world have taken these massive decisions and made up-grades along the way. Besides, a lot of what we're talking about here is the logistics and staff levels which isn't to do with infrastructure and could be fixed by renationalising; having the network split into myriad companies competing against each other does help in situations like the Friday night one.

 

[Rugrat]

Then you're just not thinking it through. I don't know the details of this incident but...person falls off train at Newhaven. Guard attends to person who has broken his leg. Guard cannot leave this person until at least emergency services arrive and possibly beyond as a duty of care to passengers. Train cannot go anywhere without the guard on this line. Train behind blocks one line at Lewes and train behind that cannot get through Lewes. Guard and driver of the first affected train at Newhaven may have then been scheduled to work the next eastbound train from Brighton but are still stuck at Newhaven so that train is cancelled OR may legally be required to take their break when they finally get back to Brighton so they can't work their next train. So, within a few minutes on a very crowded network at a very busy time you have trains and staff at the wrong place at the wrong time and chaos descends very quickly.

Don't accept that

All of the money BHA pay Southern is incremental ... surely putting a person "on duty" at each station during these high volumes wouldn't impact on their incremental profit too much

Fella falls off train at xxxx and breaks leg, entire system comes to a standstill? Not beyond the wit of man this one!

 

[8ace]

With your attitude maybe you should get a job with Southern? Your defeatist outlook will fit in.

It might take "massive decisions" but progression often does. And it would appear many countries around the world have taken these massive decisions and made up-grades along the way. Besides, a lot of what we're talking about here is the logistics and staff levels which isn't to do with infrastructure and could be fixed by renationalising; having the network split into myriad companies competing against each other does help in situations like the Friday night one.

Except they are all the same company down here so the passenger gets no benefit from the "competing" franchises.
Don't get me started on the not running trains on Boxing Day issue.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Your medal is in the post

Make sure you don't miss the post!

 

[meeching gull]

Dont know full facts but the person who broke leg did so at Bishopstone which would have been 430ish train.
Ambulance turned up in tidy faishon but at Newhaven town
1715 the Train stops at Newhaven with no stops until Brighton as blood still in cairrage
so must of been a bad break

 

[Guinness Boy]

Then you're just not thinking it through. I don't know the details of this incident but...person falls off train at Newhaven. Guard attends to person who has broken his leg. Guard cannot leave this person until at least emergency services arrive and possibly beyond as a duty of care to passengers. Train cannot go anywhere without the guard on this line. Train behind blocks one line at Lewes and train behind that cannot get through Lewes. Guard and driver of the first affected train at Newhaven may have then been scheduled to work the next eastbound train from Brighton but are still stuck at Newhaven so that train is cancelled OR may legally be required to take their break when they finally get back to Brighton so they can't work their next train. So, within a few minutes on a very crowded network at a very busy time you have trains and staff at the wrong place at the wrong time and chaos descends very quickly.

Don't accept that

All of the money BHA pay Southern is incremental ... surely putting a person "on duty" at each station during these high volumes wouldn't impact on their incremental profit too much

Fella falls off train at xxxx and breaks leg, entire system comes to a standstill? Not beyond the wit of man this one!

I'm not a railway person admittedly but I have travelled on an awful lot of them. What I've noticed is this. At most stations there is someone on the platform holding a white table tennis bat that allows the guard and driver to see that the doors can be closed / train can leave. Admittedly not at every station but at every BUSY station and every busy time.

25,000 people going to a football match in the middle of Friday rush hour and they can't pay overtime for a few station attendants? Laziness, profits before travel or excuses.

 

[Ernest]

I'm not a railway person admittedly but I have travelled on an awful lot of them. What I've noticed is this. At most stations there is someone on the platform holding a white table tennis bat that allows the guard and driver to see that the doors can be closed / train can leave. Admittedly not at every station but at every BUSY station and every busy time.

25,000 people going to a football match in the middle of Friday rush hour and they can't pay overtime for a few station attendants? Laziness, profits before travel or excuses.

What if nobody wanted to do overtime ? Maybe they wanted to go to the match too

 

[rippleman]

Southern staff seemed to have passed responsibility over to the "event stewards" who refuse to assist passengers. In fact they won't even talk to them and BTP who all went missing when the queue got too long and the queue-jumping started.

I'm sure Barber needs some copy for his programme article so let's see him travel from Worthing for our next evening home game then he can tell us what a pleasant and comfortable experience he had.

Nothing will change until Messrs Bloom & Barber travel with us, see what we have to endure, and then stick the boot in to the lazy incompetent gits (Southern staff, stewards & BTP).

 

[dazzer6666]

Or Southern profits wouldn't be so big, of course if the railways were run to the benefit of the passenger and not shareholder it would happen. Under BR there was sufficient spare stock and crew to cover things that happened like this

My London commute was much worse 20 years ago than it is now...........still loads that could be done better, but for me things have improved (from 'utter shite' to 'slightly less shite' perhaps)