AMEX expansion - there must be a plan hidden away somewhere......

[Guy Fawkes]

I wouldn't quite go that far. Having longer platforms at Falmer would give Southern some operational flexibility. For instance, on Sundays, when half the number of trains are timetabled than the rest of the week and extra staff might be difficult to obtain it might be more cost effective to run 12 car trains as opposed to additional trains. The extra dwell time at short platforms isn't so much of an issue when fewer trains are running.

Another consideration is what will happen to the 3 car units that generally work the Coastway routes when the franchise is up in the next couple of years. IIRC they date from the mid-70s and are the oldest mainline trains in operation. They might get a refurb, but are far more likely to be scrapped, in which case the next incumbent will either have to order new trains or source some hand-me-downs.

South West Trains have 30 5-car trains that are only a couple of years old, but are being replaced in the next year or two. They currently have no home to go to. IMO they would be a good fit for the Coastway routes. They are configured for metro operation and hence have a greater capacity than the current 3-car units (800 v 300). They can also be coupled together to form 10-car trains which have a capacity of 1600. Probably won't happen, but it would like it to.

It's not just Falmer where short platforms are an issue, there are plenty of other too, like Lewes so in reality it's not just 1 platform you would need to extend, but several others too (and not all of them will have the pace available to do that)

 

[Change at Barnham]

It's not just Falmer where short platforms are an issue, there are plenty of other too, like Lewes so in reality it's not just 1 platform you would need to extend, but several others too (and not all of them will have the pace available to do that)

I've never thought about the other stations on the route, I only ever thought about the need to extend the Falmer platforms.
It's not as easy as I thought.

 

[Uter]

It's not just Falmer where short platforms are an issue, there are plenty of other too, like Lewes so in reality it's not just 1 platform you would need to extend, but several others too (and not all of them will have the pace available to do that)

Yes I am aware of that, but you wouldn't necessarily HAVE to extend the platforms at other stations because of selective door opening (which is already used for 8 car trains at pretty much every nearby Coastway east station bar Falmer and Brighton). Extending Falmer in isolation would not be perfect, but it could still be beneficial if the cost were not prohibitive. Given the cost of other interventions it's probably the best value option.

Edit: Discussing platform extensions in my 1000th post. Rock and Roll.

 

[Rogero]

With the regard to maybe a better transport system ,who owns the field next to the ground? If you could shave 25 metres off it you could park buses better .

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Concourse, loos etc couldn’t cope with that kind of increase without significant expansion.

Surely they didn’t throw out the Falmer Yes buckets?


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[Wardy's twin]

At the end of the day, it's their ticket, they can do what they like with it as long as they pay for it.

club might take a different view if for instance people missed half the games and there were 5k of people hammering the door down for a ticket. If people attend it means more on the day sales.

Not sure why people would object either. If i don't attend i make sure my seat is filled. If you can't find a taker but could get £30 for seat then why would it be an issue.

It all depends on the ease of supply and the strength of demand. personally I am not sure there are lots wanting to and missing games so we don't need to do anything regards numbers at the ground.Turning the NS into a more traditional home end is a different issue.

 

[Joey'The Bull'Gambino]

From a technical point of view can the Amex be expanded within reason?