Do southern run ghost trains at late night?

[tube train]

Absolute bollocks

why?? it happened.... i really have better things to do then make up that rubbish story!!!

 

[GT49er]

They certainly used to - usually to get trains back to where they were needed to start the next mornins's timetable......and with slam doors and a friendly chat to the guard you could usually get on.
Now, I'm not so sure - for trains to run, the signalling needs to be on, and I don't think that many signal boxes are manned 24 hours a day any more.

 

[markw]

I work for Network rail and Ernest is right. They run Ghost trains only in snow or extreme cold/icy weather to prevent the build up on the rails, they also run a de icing train on main routes. There are a few trains in some locations that run just before the first train carrying just drivers to get them to stabled trains. One reason they cannot run trains at night is that we carry out the maintenance at this time and whole sections are blocked after the last passenger train has run.

 

[Ernest]

why?? it happened.... i really have better things to do then make up that rubbish story!!!

There are no trains that are not in the timetable that passengers can catch on Southern, it sounds like you caught the 0119 to Hove which technically is a set down only service but sometimes and sometimes not passengers are allowed to board

 

[tube train]

There are no trains that are not in the timetable that passengers can catch on Southern, it sounds like you caught the 0119 to Hove which technically is a set down only service but sometimes and sometimes not passengers are allowed to board

if thats the case then thats not what my mate said and i know the train wasnt advertised on the boards so make of it what you will...

 

[Exiled in Exeter]

"Southern runs empty passenger trains - known as ghost trains - overnight across the Southern network, especially in areas which are more vulnerable to freezing conditions. This activity also helps prevent ice building up on the conductor rail. As the shoes on these trains come into contact with the conductor rail, they scrape away any small build up of ice before it becomes thick enough to prevent proper connection between trains and the conductor rail."

Problems with snow and ice : Southern

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Absolute bollocks

He's probably referring to the last two trains at night that go to Worthing? Don't they stop along the coast just to set down (officially), but not pick up passengers? The last train of the night from London goes via Brighton (or it used to). Whats the big deal about picking up passengers who want to travel back towards Worthing? Seems crazy but I'm sure the rail company will have some nutty reason?

Always wondered if the rail staff would forcibly stop anyone getting on those last two trains along the coast?

 

[Dr Q]

Do those long and bloody noisy gravel trains still run late at night on the Portsmouth - Brighton Line? I used to remember hearing them if the wind was right, and we lived a few miles from a station?

 

[BensGrandad]

When I was a young lad there used to be a goods train of quite long length that ran through Worthing westwards at about 3 am and if awake I would count the carriages to wait for the guards van at the end which always had rhe lights of a fire showing . When there was a rail strike it didnt run and consequently woke me up.

 

[Yoda]

He's probably referring to the last two trains at night that go to Worthing? Don't they stop along the coast just to set down (officially), but not pick up passengers? The last train of the night from London goes via Brighton (or it used to). Whats the big deal about picking up passengers who want to travel back towards Worthing? Seems crazy but I'm sure the rail company will have some nutty reason?

Always wondered if the rail staff would forcibly stop anyone getting on those last two trains along the coast?

I have wondered that, as the other week I almost missed the last "official" train from Lancing to Worthing (was at my mum's) due to it being five minutes EARLY!!! It's a good job she only lives 300-400m from the station so I could sprint for it.

 

[Spider]

Even if ghost trains did run, why on earth would they let people on? Most of whom are probably going to be pissed as farts considering they are attempting to get back from Brighton or London so late!

 

[British Bulldog]

They certainly used to - usually to get trains back to where they were needed to start the next mornins's timetable......and with slam doors and a friendly chat to the guard you could usually get on.
Now, I'm not so sure - for trains to run, the signalling needs to be on, and I don't think that many signal boxes are manned 24 hours a day any more.

There's very few signal boxes that close overnight as the signalmen are needed for other duties to do with maintenance/engineering work, As for regular ghost trains overnight it does'nt happen unless as others have stated there's bad weather.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

He's probably referring to the last two trains at night that go to Worthing? Don't they stop along the coast just to set down (officially), but not pick up passengers? The last train of the night from London goes via Brighton (or it used to). Whats the big deal about picking up passengers who want to travel back towards Worthing? Seems crazy but I'm sure the rail company will have some nutty reason?

Always wondered if the rail staff would forcibly stop anyone getting on those last two trains along the coast?

When they first stopped picking up passengers on the late trains out of Brighton, the reason given was that British Transport Police recommended this as a way of dealing with late night troublemakers at stations (Brighton, in particular). I remember a debate about this at the Transport Committee of East Sussex County Council and Pat Drake, a Brighton Tory councillor and - at the time - Chair of the Sussex Police Authority, getting into a right strop about this not being the way to police troublemakers. Deal with the trouble, don't shut down public services.

The early shutdown of services to passengers, even though there are trains available to carry them, is a disgrace in a city like Brighton. Buses run all night. Why can't trains?

 

[Grendel]

My house overlooks the station and railway line in Seaford, and I can say with absolute certainty that no untimetabled trains run.

 

[British Bulldog]

When they first stopped picking up passengers on the late trains out of Brighton, the reason given was that British Transport Police recommended this as a way of dealing with late night troublemakers at stations (Brighton, in particular). I remember a debate about this at the Transport Committee of East Sussex County Council and Pat Drake, a Brighton Tory councillor and - at the time - Chair of the Sussex Police Authority, getting into a right strop about this not being the way to police troublemakers. Deal with the trouble, don't shut down public services.

The early shutdown of services to passengers, even though there are trains available to carry them, is a disgrace in a city like Brighton. Buses run all night. Why can't trains?

It was a case of the pissheads ruining it for themselves with those late trains, I remember the days when the last train for the wild west coast used to leave Brighton at 0106 picking up along the way and on friday and saturday nights in particular it was nothing but trouble with assaults, vandalism and endless delay's waiting for the police to turn up.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

It was a case of the pissheads ruining it for themselves with those late trains, I remember the days when the last train for the wild west coast used to leave Brighton at 0106 picking up along the way and on friday and saturday nights in particular it was nothing but trouble with assaults, vandalism and endless delay's waiting for the police to turn up.

That was then. These days, the N98 bus manages to run westbound services from West Street at 0145 and 0305 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, without too much trouble. £3 flat fare.

 

[British Bulldog]

That was then. These days, the N98 bus manages to run westbound services from West Street at 0145 and 0305 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, without too much trouble. £3 flat fare.

Trouble is now the late trains have gone they'll allways find a case for not bringing them back again.

 

[BensGrandad]

It was a case of the pissheads ruining it for themselves with those late trains, I remember the days when the last train for the wild west coast used to leave Brighton at 0106 picking up along the way and on friday and saturday nights in particular it was nothing but trouble with assaults, vandalism and endless delay's waiting for the police to turn up.

If there are transport police on duty could they not put a few on the train. It is suprising what the uniform does to make people behave or it did perhaps that has now changed but if you take a police car driving up the mortorway as an example as soon as anybody sees one they drive slowly behind it.

 

[British Bulldog]

If there are transport police on duty could they not put a few on the train.

You could put some on trains but back when the late trains used to run there was a lot fewer transport police about and they were never known for they're rapid response, In fact if you called them on a friday night you done well if they turned up by tuesday ( and i'm not joking ) We had the option of calling the civil police but they were never that keen on attending drunken fights on trains.

 

[8ace]

The spooky truth about Newhaven's ghost train (From The Argus)