Thinking Of Commuting To London Tomorrow ?

[worthingseagull123]

Surely many of the trees are on private land.
I use the train to get to and from work and generally over the year find them very reliable. I also think the bus service in Brighton is excellent although there are also many moaners about them on here. Even if everything was perfect they still wouldn't be happy and have to find something else to fret about.

I am counting a log of commuting this year on trains.

So far 45 minutes of my time wasted. I am thinking in excess of 24 hours by the years end.

 

[Justice]

I am counting a log of commuting this year on trains.

So far 45 minutes of my time wasted. I am thinking in excess of 24 hours by the years end.

You don't have a girlfriend do you

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Because conservationists kick off when trees are chopped down

That.......and removing trees from embankments can in some cases make them unstable - making landslides more likely. When they on private land, Network Rail cant do anything about it, simple as that.

This weather is certainly not the fault of the rail companies, but it just adds to the countless other times of poor service across the year that gets me.

The service was more reliable (and better value for money) before privitisation.

No point having so called fancy new trains, if the service is crap.

So the weather isnt their fault, but its their fault they cant run trains because of the weather ?

Less services ran on the railway before privatisation, the more trains you run - the more that can go wrong and because you run more services within a short timeframe - you get 1 delayed train - you delay the one behind that, which delays one behind that. The service isnt crap at all, i mean 7 trains an hour between London and Brighton isnt bad !! Though the amount of delays can be annoying, especially when they can be prevented.

I am counting a log of commuting this year on trains.

So far 45 minutes of my time wasted. I am thinking in excess of 24 hours by the years end.

If you want to fret about a 3 minute delay most days then be my guest - whiffs of an obsession of moaning about trains if anything.

 

[British Bulldog]

The service isnt crap at all,

I beg to differ the service is crap, hence why they find it nearly impossible to recover the service once there's been a problem somewhere.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

I beg to differ the service is crap, hence why they find it nearly impossible to recover the service once there's been a problem somewhere.

When you have such an intense service with tight turnarounds at each station - the slightest delay cocks up the next service, and the one after that, and after that etc. This is also why some get cancelled or terminated short.

One of the disadvantages of having too many trains running with short turnarounds. Intercity companies have 45/60 minutes where as Southern have only 10 in places - that's why.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Coming back from London, Victoria on 2/1, one train cancelled the next delayed and then at Redhill decided it was not going to go to Brighton but to Portsmouth. Had to get off at Gatwick and wait for another train. Total journey 2 hours. How can a train advertise a destination and then change that destination on the way ?

 

[British Bulldog]

When you have such an intense service with tight turnarounds at each station - the slightest delay cocks up the next service, and the one after that, and after that etc. This is also why some get cancelled or terminated short.

One of the disadvantages of having too many trains running with short turnarounds. Intercity companies have 45/60 minutes where as Southern have only 10 in places - that's why.

It's nothing to do with tight turnarounds, A lot of that can be got around by stepping up the stock when there's delays. The big problem was Southern trying to keep their promise to run more trains and the only way they could achieve it was to introduce more trains splitting and attaching at other locations as terminus stations like Brighton and Victoria were already at full capacity. The more splits and attachments you introduce the more you rely on the service having to run on time both for the rolling stock and train crews and the harder it becomes to recover the service when it goes tits up, Not only that but when an incident does occur it now affects the services in a lot more areas.

 

[worthingseagull123]

When you have such an intense service with tight turnarounds at each station - the slightest delay cocks up the next service, and the one after that, and after that etc. This is also why some get cancelled or terminated short.

One of the disadvantages of having too many trains running with short turnarounds. Intercity companies have 45/60 minutes where as Southern have only 10 in places - that's why.

Southwest trains have similar circumstances and seem more more reliable.

I agree though. There is too much capacity.

Instead of HS2 we could have doubled up lines from Brighton to 3 Bridges, reopening of Lewes Uckfield line and maybe all the tracks lowered to install double decker trains.

Plus change to build a proper motorway from Folkstone to Honiton. But lets leave that to knock 20 minutes off trains from London to Brum.

 

[Beach Hut]

Instead of HS2 we could have doubled up lines from Brighton to 3 Bridges, reopening of Lewes Uckfield line and maybe all the tracks lowered to install double decker trains.

Which would might no difference to travelling to London as that is where the bigger capacity issue is.

 

[British Bulldog]

and maybe all the tracks lowered to install double decker trains.

Have you really thought that bit through?

 

[Beach Hut]

Have you really thought that bit through?

I don't think he has - totally clueless and thankfully not in charge of UK Transport policy.

 

[beorhthelm]

Coming back from London, Victoria on 2/1, one train cancelled the next delayed and then at Redhill decided it was not going to go to Brighton but to Portsmouth. Had to get off at Gatwick and wait for another train. Total journey 2 hours. How can a train advertise a destination and then change that destination on the way ?

?? you sure you didnt get on the wrong train? Brighton trains dont go via Redhill do they?

 

[Husty]

When you have such an intense service with tight turnarounds at each station - the slightest delay cocks up the next service, and the one after that, and after that etc. This is also why some get cancelled or terminated short.

One of the disadvantages of having too many trains running with short turnarounds. Intercity companies have 45/60 minutes where as Southern have only 10 in places - that's why.

Does this change the fact that the service is shit though? No it doesn't.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

It's nothing to do with tight turnarounds, A lot of that can be got around by stepping up the stock when there's delays. The big problem was Southern trying to keep their promise to run more trains and the only way they could achieve it was to introduce more trains splitting and attaching at other locations as terminus stations like Brighton and Victoria were already at full capacity. The more splits and attachments you introduce the more you rely on the service having to run on time both for the rolling stock and train crews and the harder it becomes to recover the service when it goes tits up, Not only that but when an incident does occur it now affects the services in a lot more areas.

Trouble is, if you dont split/attach trains, places like Littlehampton, Worthing, Lewes and Eastbourne get their London service halved. Its a case of trying to please everyone, but pleasing no one - they can and will never win.

Southwest trains have similar circumstances and seem more more reliable.

I agree though. There is too much capacity.

Instead of HS2 we could have doubled up lines from Brighton to 3 Bridges, reopening of Lewes Uckfield line and maybe all the tracks lowered to install double decker trains.

Plus change to build a proper motorway from Folkstone to Honiton. But lets leave that to knock 20 minutes off trains from London to Brum.

ANYTHING would be better than HS2, especially when our current network needs upgrading badly. To 4-track Brighton - Three Bridges - large parts of Burgess Hill, Hassocks and Wivelsfield would need demolishing unless you have 4 tracks everywhere else except stations, but then you still have an issue with fast trains being unable to get round the stoppers. The other 2 ideas are non-starters, but are still better than HS2, which seems to cost £1 Billion more each week, perhaps its being financed by a Wonga loan.

Does this change the fact that the service is shit though? No it doesn't.

In what way ? Service frequency is fine and when there is no delays - the service is fine too. Other than that you have missed the point spectacularly.

 

[beorhthelm]

Instead of HS2 we could...

HS2 is irrelevent to us in Sussex. the funding for HS2 doesnt come from a central "rail improvment" pot that will be redistributed elsewhere, if t doesn't go to HS2 the money will either go to some other London/Birmingham/North scheme, maybe not even on the rail. or not spent at all. the cost of HS2 is supported (however vaguly) by its own business plan. If we are to see doubling of lines Brighton to Three Bridges or Lewes-Uckfield they would have to justify themselves on their own merit. as far as i can tell, they arent cost effective which is why they wont happen. most likley hope is that Gatwick's owners pay for improvments to London to draw customers away from Heathrow.

 

[British Bulldog]

Trouble is, if you dont split/attach trains, places like Littlehampton, Worthing, Lewes and Eastbourne get their London service halved. Its a case of trying to please everyone, but pleasing no one - they can and will never win.

Like I said it doesn't work when there's disruption and it's been proved time and time again, It's not as if they ever have any decent contingency plans for when it goes wrong either.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Like I said it doesn't work when there's disruption and it's been proved time and time again, It's not as if they ever have any decent contingency plans for when it goes wrong either.

Contingency plan removes attaching/detaching - which in turn screws up service on the East/West coast lines.

 

[British Bulldog]

Contingency plan removes attaching/detaching - which in turn screws up service on the East/West coast lines.

When was the last time you saw them stop splitting and attaching trains as part of a contingency plan?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

?? you sure you didnt get on the wrong train? Brighton trains dont go via Redhill do they?

They did on 2/1.

 

[worthingseagull123]

I don't think he has - totally clueless and thankfully not in charge of UK Transport policy.

Well the cretins in charge now are hardly doing a better job.