Are the trains really that bad ?

[clippedgull]

I'm ALWAYS in bed before midnight after an evening game, and I live in North-West London. I don't think that's too bad at all, seeing as the game doesn't usually finish much before 9.45pm and I have to make 3 changes.

Blimey!, that's impressive.

I boarded a No.25 bus at 21:50 in Village Way and walked through my door in Central Brighton, 1 hour and 5 minutes later. Village Way needs a dedicated bus lane to counteract all those people who insist on being picked up after the game along there.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

There used to be trains going along the coast from West to East.

I think they should do that more often, not just on match days

They cant as it basically cuts off the main throat of the station for a few minutes, why it can only happen in certain situations. What happened last night as reported is a good idea of doing this though and should be done more often where possible.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Was anything up with the trains going east after the game last night?

Last night we stayed for a couple of pints as we normally do but normally you stroll on to the platform and jump on the first train. Last night there were still allot of people waiting to go east. A train did turn up but it was only going to Lewes so we managed to get on it.

As for the trains in general I think they've pretty much got it nailed now. They could do with having longer trains from Brighton out there before evening games but I guess that is the case of having the available rolling stock.

Nothing whatsoever wrong with the eastbound trains last night as far as I know? Remember, the stadium has a bigger capacity & no doubt, many of that extra capacity will be using the train.

Last night as usual, I left right on the final whistle. Last season for midweek games, I was usually queuing about halfway down the bridge. Last night, I was right at the top of the bridge despite having the same departure pattern. However, just as last season, I was able to get on the Eastbourne train around 10pm. It was heaving to Lewes, but had loads of space heading towards Polegate.

 

[Commander]

Blimey!, that's impressive.

I boarded a No.25 bus at 21:50 in Village Way and walked through my door in Central Brighton, 1 hour and 5 minutes later. Village Way needs a dedicated bus lane to counteract all those people who insist on being picked up after the game along there.

I leave dead on the final whistle and jog down to the station. Always get a train to Brighton in time to catch the 22.19, change at East Croydon and get the train to West Hampstead, gets in at 23.40. Pretty easy really.

 

[Yoda]

***HOLD THE PRESS***

Was on a packed 6pm train (6.11pm by the time it arrived late) leaving Portslade, absolutely rammed. Bit p*ssed off, but there you go, and everyone made the best of it.

Arrived at Brighton on Platform 3.....where.....(wait for it)......we departed straight away direct to Falmer!!

Now, I was under the impression trains could only get to Falmer from the far platforms 6 to 8 or whatever??

I actually like a train geek watched with great interest at our traversing the points from Platform 2 to the Lewes bound track. A direct train from Portslade and beyond to Falmer - BRILLIANT!!!

I was on that train, but what they didn't allow was, for those of us who wanted to get off, get off first. People ramming themselfs in to the train before we had a chance. (Had great fun putting someone in he place about it though).

One of the main problems is lack of carriages out of Brighton before the match. From what I can gather, the last THREE trains before kick off were only THREE cars long. Already rammed when left Brighton so no one could get on at London Road or Moulscombe, yet the one first one after was 6.

 

[Gazwag]

Brighton bound is fine after the game but, as I have said many times before, Lewes bound is a long wait this season because to many selfish people refuse to get on the first train that comes in despite every train stopping at Lewes.

 

[Albion 4ever]

Nothing whatsoever wrong with the eastbound trains last night as far as I know? Remember, the stadium has a bigger capacity & no doubt, many of that extra capacity will be using the train.

Last night as usual, I left right on the final whistle. Last season for midweek games, I was usually queuing about halfway down the bridge. Last night, I was right at the top of the bridge despite having the same departure pattern. However, just as last season, I was able to get on the Eastbourne train around 10pm. It was heaving to Lewes, but had loads of space heading towards Polegate.

This is the issue really... I left on 90 minutes and I caught the 22:03 train last night and sat in 1st carriage. 1 or 2 seats left and no one in aisles. At Lewes virtually everyone got off, so there was only 5 people on 1 carriage to Eastbourne!

Instead of having a designated lane in the queue for disabled we should have a Seaford/Lewes side and an Eastbourne/Hastings side so they can load up the right people wanting the right trains.

On that note, without being too up-PC, why do people who have a walking stick or are in a wheelchair have priority over everyone else?

 

[perseus]

***HOLD THE PRESS***

Was on a packed 6pm train (6.11pm by the time it arrived late) leaving Portslade, absolutely rammed. Bit p*ssed off, but there you go, and everyone made the best of it.

Arrived at Brighton on Platform 3.....where.....(wait for it)......we departed straight away direct to Falmer!!

Now, I was under the impression trains could only get to Falmer from the far platforms 6 to 8 or whatever??

I actually like a train geek watched with great interest at our traversing the points from Platform 2 to the Lewes bound track. A direct train from Portslade and beyond to Falmer - BRILLIANT!!!

I am not taking that train again. I don't mind the queues at the end but I was claustrophobic stressed out before I got there. It was the worst train I have been on (including tube trains and a trip to Spurs in the seventies) except from one back from Withdean in the slam door days.

I knew the trains could cross over. I can't see it happening as a regular occurrence though. Somebody showed some initiative.

I don't like the train stopping on the viaduct on the way back. I know the story about the German bomber. My Dad was working for the railways in Brighton at the time.

 

[Gazwag]

There still seems to be some people who expect to leave a stadium at exactly the same time as 25,000 other people and get on to a 300 capacity train straight away with no queuing. It's pretty simple mathematics to work out that isn't going to happen, but then I think we have some pretty simple fans.

I absolutely agree but when over 50 people (a direct quote from one of the railway police last night) did not get on the Seaford bound train that means over 50 people end up queueing 20 minutes longer than they should do.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I knew the trains could cross over. I can't see it happening as a regular occurrence though. Somebody showed some initiative.

I think you are probably right, but it would make real sense to me, to have a few 'football' trains from the West, that go direct to Falmer. Southern at the moment are having to deal with 500 odd people jumping off a packed train on P1 or P2, having to get out of the barriers, and re-queue to reboard another packed train. They'd save themselves a lot of bother by allowing a stop at Brighton dropping off those that want to get off, then taking the majority to Brighton. Definitely something they should look at.

 

[Brovion]

...

I don't like the train stopping on the viaduct on the way back. I know the story about the German bomber. My Dad was working for the railways in Brighton at the time.

There are a fair few things that can go wrong with the railways, but having the Germans bomb the viaduct again is NOT one of them. Trust me on this.

 

[perseus]

Don't bring up the War, just don't!

There are a fair few things that can go wrong with the railways, but having the Germans bomb the viaduct again is NOT one of them. Trust me on this.

There were Germans in the crowd.

 

[Jam The Man]

My last two games went thus:

Birmingham - waited 15 mins in the WSU and then went to get train. From final whistle to home in Worthing= 2 hours
Ipswich - left straighth after the game and then went to Mill rd P&R. From final whistle to home = 1.5 hours

I personally think that's quite a long time.

I also think people's perception of the wait time in the queue is a bit out of sync. The guy benhind me last night reckoned we were queueing for 15 mins..when in actuality it was 45 mins!


I know it's 5000 extra fans, but on the face of it there doesn't seem to be extra trains or buses to cope.

 

[Easy 10]

I know it's 5000 extra fans, but on the face of it there doesn't seem to be extra trains or buses to cope.

Thats because there aren't.

I shinned it at the final whistle, was on the 2nd train out, and was home and hosed in Portslade by about 10.50. Not TOO bad, but getting on at Brighton and off 1 stop later in Hove to get a connection the rest of the way along the coast is always a right pain in the 'arris.

 

[KneeOn]

Thats because there aren't.

I shinned it at the final whistle, was on the 2nd train out, and was home and hosed in Portslade by about 10.50. Not TOO bad, but getting on at Brighton and off 1 stop later in Hove to get a connection the rest of the way along the coast is always a right pain in the 'arris.

You'd have to do that anyway - the Hove Shuttle connects to the London Victoria - Littlehampton/Ore service, and basically allows an extra west coastway train (LA-Brighton) and an extra mainline train (Victoria-Brighton) for the cost of one train and one shuttle.

 

[coagulantwolf]

Remember going to a West Ham game where the queue for the underground was much longer than the one we get at Falmer. Had to walk about a mile just to get to the back of the queue!

 

[Hiney]

***HOLD THE PRESS***

Was on a packed 6pm train (6.11pm by the time it arrived late) leaving Portslade, absolutely rammed. Bit p*ssed off, but there you go, and everyone made the best of it.

Arrived at Brighton on Platform 3.....where.....(wait for it)......we departed straight away direct to Falmer!!

Now, I was under the impression trains could only get to Falmer from the far platforms 6 to 8 or whatever??

I actually like a train geek watched with great interest at our traversing the points from Platform 2 to the Lewes bound track. A direct train from Portslade and beyond to Falmer - BRILLIANT!!!

But there was NO official announcement that the train would form the next service to Falmer. It was only the people getting ON, who told us to get back on the train.

Made a nice change not to have to queue and watch people stroll up and join the queue where they like

 

[mikevapour]

I travelled to the game by train last night and it was not as bad as i was expecting after reading on here beforehand, we were back in worthing by 11

 

[Notters]

I think they're fantastic!

 

[Notters]

My last two games went thus:

Birmingham - waited 15 mins in the WSU and then went to get train. From final whistle to home in Worthing= 2 hours
Ipswich - left straighth after the game and then went to Mill rd P&R. From final whistle to home = 1.5 hours

I personally think that's quite a long time.

I also think people's perception of the wait time in the queue is a bit out of sync. The guy benhind me last night reckoned we were queueing for 15 mins..when in actuality it was 45 mins!


I know it's 5000 extra fans, but on the face of it there doesn't seem to be extra trains or buses to cope.

I find it very hard to believe that you were waiting at the station for 45 minutes having left after the final whistle given that there were no queues there whatsoever at 10.20!