Are Southern going to lose their franchise?

[Virgo's Haircut]

I do not use trains that often as they are too expensive but do they still run the non stop Brighton to London train that takes less than 1 hour.

Yep, at xx19 and xx49 past each hour.

An off peak (in both directions) return to Victoria will cost you £13.50. Is that too expensive?

 

[bigc]

Yep, at xx19 and xx49 past each hour.

An off peak (in both directions) return to Victoria will cost you £13.50. Is that too expensive?

and xx06 xx36 from Victoria?

£13.50 is the pricebuster return, I'm guessing they will have to get rid of that under the new rules and equalise all prices in that direction?

I can but hope.

 

[British Bulldog]

Ahhh, that's what I thought. Did that mean you had to work for the failure that was railtrack?

I've been there from the old days of BR, Through Railtrack and now Network Rail. I fully agree on Railtrack being a failure.

 

[Albion Rob]

Yep, at xx19 and xx49 past each hour.

An off peak (in both directions) return to Victoria will cost you £13.50. Is that too expensive?

Don't suppose there are any plans to alter the Eastbourne - Victoria service?

 

[bigc]

Don't suppose there are any plans to alter the Eastbourne - Victoria service?

Well eventually I think Eastbourne will receive the Thameslink service route trains as well, as the the project continues.

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

Well the Pricebuster tickets are still available. £13.50 off peak return from pretty much every Southern coastal station to Victoria.

 

[bigc]

Well the Pricebuster tickets are still available. £13.50 off peak return from pretty much every Southern coastal station to Victoria.

Don't they have to remove this soon, under the rationalisation into just three ticket types?

 

[pasty]

Don't suppose there are any plans to alter the Eastbourne - Victoria service?

Well eventually I think Eastbourne will receive the Thameslink service route trains as well, as the the project continues.

No no no bigc. He asked if there were any plans to improve the Eastbourne service.

Edit - okay, I've re-read it, no he didn't. I'm a clown. Move along now, nothing to see here.

 

[bigc]

No no no bigc. He asked if there were any plans to improve the Eastbourne service.

Haha

Well like I said, by then I hope FCC no longer hold that franchise anyway!

Now most Eurostar trains don't call at Ashford, surely they can remove that diesel train, and give us more Brighton to Eastbourne services, and an extra train per hour to Falmer...in preparation for Falmer..

 

[BensGrandad]

Well the Pricebuster tickets are still available. £13.50 off peak return from pretty much every Southern coastal station to Victoria.

The cheapest I was quoted from HH to London wa £15.50 which for 1 is ok but for wife and I to go to London is expensive.

In my young days BR did a 'workingmans return' to Victoria from Worthing at about 5s (25p) but you had to be in London by 8.00am and couldnt return until after 7.00pm but it was great value. They could do similar now at about £5 and it would pack the otherwise empty trains.

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

The cheapest I was quoted from HH to London wa £15.50 which for 1 is ok but for wife and I to go to London is expensive.

In my young days BR did a 'workingmans return' to Victoria from Worthing at about 5s (25p) but you had to be in London by 8.00am and couldnt return until after 7.00pm but it was great value. They could do similar now at about £5 and it would pack the otherwise empty trains.

There aren't too many empty trains these days

 

[Beach Hut]

If First get hold of Southern expect a radid downhill of service and train punctuality.

FCC is a joke and impossible to work with whereas I like FGW as the more they get in the shit the more money they spend with us - good customer !

 

[BensGrandad]

There aren't too many empty trains these days

I wouldnt argue with that as I do not know but am judging on what it appears when sat at the level crossings in Junction Rd Burgess Hill or South Farm Rd and West Worthing crossings in Worthing when most appear to be nearly empty.

 

[bigc]

The cheapest I was quoted from HH to London wa £15.50 which for 1 is ok but for wife and I to go to London is expensive.

In my young days BR did a 'workingmans return' to Victoria from Worthing at about 5s (25p) but you had to be in London by 8.00am and couldnt return until after 7.00pm but it was great value. They could do similar now at about £5 and it would pack the otherwise empty trains.

I think the problem we have is there is only really one line from Brighton to London, if there was a slightly slower route, I'm sure it would be possible to offer a cheaper route where there was less demand.

But thanks to Beeching cuts, that was removed!

 

[bigc]

If First get hold of Southern expect a radid downhill of service and train punctuality.

FCC is a joke and impossible to work with whereas I like FGW as the more they get in the shit the more money they spend with us - good customer !

I very much doubt First would get Southern.

Stranger things have happened though, I would be very unhappy though, as you say, they are a shambles.

I think the poor performance of FGW has put First in general in the TOC doghouse..

 

[BensGrandad]

But thanks to Beeching cuts, that was removed!

That must go down in history as one of the biggest f*** ups by any one man on any one particular sunject to get it so completely wrong.

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

As seen on a Southern mess room wall.

 

[Beach Hut]

I can SWT being in with a shout for it however they are another difficult company to work with.

Don't really see Virgin as a commuter TOC.

When are the preferred bidders announced ?

 

[bigc]

How many incarnations of the SouthCentral franchise have you worked for then Virgo?

 

[Screaming J]

The Southern service seems fine - it's Thameslink/FCC's management that want shooting at dawn: grotty, old trains; no guards, just hoards of predatory ticket inspectors; no announcements when things screw up; services cancelled at the drop of a hat etc etc.

I met 2 of those predatory ticket inspectors on Saturday a.m. I was in Brighton station chaperoning my eldest son who has autism and is a train nut. He was innocently taking pictures of trains (I always tell him he mustn't take pictures of people - no need really - he is not interested in them!!). Anyway two of FCC 'revenue protection officers' (I think they are called) pounced on him and said words to the effect of "you can't do that 'ere ". I intervened as Tom can have difficulty explaining himself so they said it was for security and anti terrorism reasons. They said I should go and check with the people running the station.

So I went to a guy on the ticket barrier who was in a Southern uniform and started to ask him. I can't remember exactly what he said but it was words to the effect of "I saw what was going on. Take no notice of those 2. Tell your son he can carry on as far as I am concerned".

Bozos.