Xmas Train Alert - Some Windy Weather.....

[worthingseagull123]

How unusual.

To think, it's the 21st Century, fares rise all the time and yet we're still expected to put up with toilet-less, archaic trains and an infrastructure which can't cope with the British weather.

I cannot see any justification for any fare rises. The service does not improve year after year. Was better services in 2004 when I first started commuting. The slam door trains seemed more reliable and there were never issues getting a seat like today.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

What happens if, come lunchtime tomorrow, there is no extreme weather?

Presumably the restrictions would be lifted?

Ha,Ha.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

I am sure the new Southern London routes are served by 5 coach trains. They look high density and do not have first class. Ideal for rush hour coastway trains (they should do away with first class as it seems to be used only by Southern senior managers as well as Network Rail managers (see a lot of first class users go into Southern House in Croydon - I think that is what it is called, by the Waitrose).

Also could the Gatwick Express trains ever split at Haywards Heath like the Southern ones do (for Ore, Littlehampton etc).

Yeah, i meant the Gatwick Express trains and forgot that Southern have just introduced brand new 5-car trains. They are specified for use in the London area, but are planned to run weekend London - Brighton trains as no one uses first class then.

The GatEx units can be split, though depends if the staff know how to - shouldnt take long to train them. Id rather the Gatwick Express trains just get withdrawn and replaced ASAP, they are too old !!

I cannot see any justification for any fare rises. The service does not improve year after year. Was better services in 2004 when I first started commuting. The slam door trains seemed more reliable and there were never issues getting a seat like today.

Thats what happens when you have a government who want the passenger to pay for everything, yet in most other countries, the state fund pretty much more of the Railways.

 

[clapham_gull]

They were meant to have sorted that the other day. They either didnt do a decent enough job or all the rain has made it fail again.

It's been happening there for years. The line is very low there. Presumably a permanent solution is too expensive.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

They need to scrap Gatwick Express, or make it same price as regular Southern services and have it stop at East Croydon.

So much to comment on...

- Gatwick Express trains are comfier and roomier and less packed-sardine-like than any other train on the Brighton line. Almost a pleasure to travel on.
- It IS the same price as regular Southern services if you're a STH
- If it stopped for the six-deep marauding hordes at East Croydon it'd be there for an hour in the morning while they all attempted to pile on. It'd never get away. There is the odd Gatwick Express that stops there in the evening which is most welcome, but those don't then stop at Gatwick. Which I guess just makes them 'Express'.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We probably have some of the most contrasting weather in the world. It can either be incredibly cold with lots of snow, then incredibly wet with lots of rain, then incredibly hot, then incredibly windy.

Interesting use of the word 'incredibly'. I'd have used the word 'moderately' meself.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

So much to comment on...

- Gatwick Express trains are comfier and roomier and less packed-sardine-like than any other train on the Brighton line. Almost a pleasure to travel on.
- It IS the same price as regular Southern services if you're a STH
- If it stopped for the six-deep marauding hordes at East Croydon it'd be there for an hour in the morning while they all attempted to pile on. It'd never get away. There is the odd Gatwick Express that stops there in the evening which is most welcome, but those don't then stop at Gatwick. Which I guess just makes them 'Express'.

But the base equipment on them is over 40 years old, which is why they fail regularly. A cross between the normal Southern units and the Express trains would be good.

Interesting use of the word 'incredibly'. I'd have used the word 'moderately' meself.

Maybe, but it is very contrasting unlike some parts of the world.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

But the base equipment on them is over 40 years old, which is why they fail regularly. A cross between the normal Southern units and the Express trains would be good.

Agree with that.

Maybe, but it is very contrasting unlike some parts of the world.

Agree with that also.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Agree with that.



Agree with that also.

That's us agreed then.

Theres a first for everything then !!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Theres a first for everything then !!

There can only be one logical explanation...

 

[Lord Bracknell]

In other news ... there are no plans to restrict access to the roads or to prevent motorists having unexpected collisions with fallen trees or branches. A spokesman for the motorists' lobbying organisation, the AA, said "What the hell? Who cares about safety?"

 

[Lord Bracknell]

What happens if, come lunchtime tomorrow, there is no extreme weather?

Presumably the restrictions would be lifted?

Are afternoons not allowed to be windy?

 

[worthingseagull123]

So much to comment on...

- Gatwick Express trains are comfier and roomier and less packed-sardine-like than any other train on the Brighton line. Almost a pleasure to travel on.
- It IS the same price as regular Southern services if you're a STH
- If it stopped for the six-deep marauding hordes at East Croydon it'd be there for an hour in the morning while they all attempted to pile on. It'd never get away. There is the odd Gatwick Express that stops there in the evening which is most welcome, but those don't then stop at Gatwick. Which I guess just makes them 'Express'.

Sorry I did not make myself clear enough. I was referring to the Gatwick Express services that run only between the airport and London (and vice versa). Those services that terminate at or start from Gatwick. They are woefully underused and other services suffer as a consequence. Why keep them running in their present form?

 

[beorhthelm]

Sorry I did not make myself clear enough. I was referring to the Gatwick Express services that run only between the airport and London (and vice versa). Those services that terminate at or start from Gatwick. They are woefully underused and other services suffer as a consequence. Why keep them running in their present form?

i dont believe such a service exists, all Gatwick Express trains run through to or from Brighton. certainly they do in the rush hour when this is an issue.

 

[Gwylan]

i dont believe such a service exists, all Gatwick Express trains run through to or from Brighton. certainly they do in the rush hour when this is an issue.

Not true at all. I have to change at Gatwick to get my train to work as that's where the train starts from. And the 17.00 and 17.15 from Victoria only go to Gatwick

 

[British Bulldog]

Network rail are also very poor. It seems every week there are signal problems. Perhaps if they gave less to shareholders and spent more on maintanence we would not have weekly signal failures.

I'm not quite sure how many times this has to be pointed out on these railway threads but Network Rail does not have any shareholders.

 

[oddsonlaughter]

Have to say Southern do not help themselves

Yesterday they were replying to peoples enquiries on Twitter saying you could travel with a pre-booked ticket at any time today - people have been showing screenshots - and now today they are saying that is not the case and you needed to do it yesterday and you can only travel at the specified time

If you are going to have a system in place it has to be consistent, not surprised a few people are getting angry with them this morning

 

[Beach Hut]

Have to say Southern do not help themselves

Yesterday they were replying to peoples enquiries on Twitter saying you could travel with a pre-booked ticket at any time today - people have been showing screenshots - and now today they are saying that is not the case and you needed to do it yesterday and you can only travel at the specified time

If you are going to have a system in place it has to be consistent, not surprised a few people are getting angry with them this morning

That is plain stupid and rubbish PR as the train manager said you could use advance tickets earlier yesterday.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

That is plain stupid and rubbish PR as the train manager said you could use advance tickets earlier yesterday.

Which is the correct info, you can travel when you want.

Their Twitter can be really poor at times

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

i dont believe such a service exists, all Gatwick Express trains run through to or from Brighton. certainly they do in the rush hour when this is an issue.

Only peak services run to/from Brighton - all others are only between Gatwick and London.