[News] Brighton commuters to face 18 days of closures for engineering work

[Hamilton]

Maybe. They were also asked how long their current commute is and 23% said more than an hour - nearly half the total that said they'd be prepared to commute for that length of time, but still pretty hefty.
Not many commuting for more than three hours though.

And surely it depends on salary. I gave up the London job because I hated the commute but if I were offered a six-figure salary, I'd be up at 5.00 in the morning again ready for the delights of SASTA

I'm assuming that this 6 figure salary would have to have a 2 at the front at least? I work in London, and I'd do anything I could to avoid SASTA. In fact, it's not even SASTA. After a while, long hours on trains just gets you down. Still, it's all middle class problems and I should just buck up! PS, I don't have a '2'.

 

[Gwylan]

It depends on salary for a period of time. Then even that becomes irrelevant, unless they are foolish enough to trap themselves by adjusting their lifestyle to fit the higher salary.

Usually, anyway. Some people can do it indefinitely.

I'm assuming that this 6 figure salary would have to have a 2 at the front at least? I work in London, and I'd do anything I could to avoid SASTA. In fact, it's not even SASTA. After a while, long hours on trains just gets you down. Still, it's all middle class problems and I should just buck up! PS, I don't have a '2'.

Hell no, I'd be happy to work for £100k. I'd pay the mortgage off in a couple of years, give a hefty boost to my pension and retire after five or six years.

But I doubt whether I'd want to do that for 25 or 26 years

 

[Hamilton]

Hell no, I'd be happy to work for £100k. I'd pay the mortgage off in a couple of years, give a hefty boost to my pension and retire after five or six years.

But I doubt whether I'd want to do that for 25 or 26 years

I need to talk to your accountant. Where are you living? In a caravan?

 

[Gwylan]

I need to talk to your accountant. Where are you living? In a caravan?

What? You think I'm a Gillingham supporter?

My mortgage is due to finish in four years, it wouldn't take that much to pay it off a couple of years early

 

[Bozza]

A godsend to most commuters, surely?

"Sorry boss but it's the trains. I'll work at home and I'll get more done because I'll be able to start earlier.*"


(* - and enjoy a leisurely cheeky **** each day and catch up on Come Dine With Me.)

 

[The Large One]

The 5% being people travelling from Brighton. And possibly Lewes.

Do you have the official figures which state fewer than one commuter in 20 from Brighton to London gets on at Brighton?

The 95% being the people travelling from anywhere north of Brighton, or whose trains join the BML north of Preston Park coming from (e.g.) Hove, Haywards Heath, Littlehampton, Bognor, Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastbourne, Worthing, Horsham, Reigate, Tonbridge, Crawley etc. Doesn't do an awful lot for them as people will still need trains from Brighton to the likes of Gatwick, so no serious reduction in trains just by sending them via. Uckfield.

For a start, commuter trains from Southampton to London don't go via BML, and only one per day (05.47) from Portsmouth does.

The principle issue for BML is the lines south of Haywards Heath which cannot increase capacity. So your '95%' argument doesn't apply for Horsham, Reigate, Tonbridge and Crawley. North of there, there is capacity until you get to East Croydon, another bottleneck but with plans for expansion.

 

[kevo]

Not true. The Lewes end has been built upon, and they would need to either re-route it or knockdown the civic buildings and private housing built on its route.

Yes you are correct. I think previous proposals suggest a different route into Lewes. Most of the rest of the line isnt built on though.

 

[beorhthelm]

The principle issue for BML is the lines south of Haywards Heath which cannot increase capacity. So your '95%' argument doesn't apply for Horsham, Reigate, Tonbridge and Crawley. North of there, there is capacity until you get to East Croydon, another bottleneck but with plans for expansion.

i think the point is, looking past the exact % involved, that the BML2 solution only helps those living in Brighton and Lewes and offers little to no advantage for all those along the rest of the line. in the cost/benefit analysis that works against BML2 quite badly. for example could you simply lay more track alongside existing BML for similar cost, and increase benefit?

 

[perseus]

It's amazing calls for an alternative route have been consistently rejected. Even without BML2 just reopening the 7 miles of track between Lewes and Uckfield would provide a solution and would be a tiny, tiny fraction of the cost of HS2.

A spur from the Arundel line eastwards would provide an alternative route for some.

 

[pasty]

I wonder how much longer this kind of nonsense can continue before people just simply decide that commuting from Brighton to London isn't worth the hassle

It's finally forced me into learning to drive at the ripe old age of 52. I only commute to East Croydon, and my office is on the Purley Way so reckon I will be able to drive it quicker.

 

[dazzer6666]

I run a recruitment company and I can tell you that those people are wrong. They might think that they are willing to do that now, but they won't be after a couple of months of doing it. I see it all the time.

Agreed. Very easy thing to say in a survey with no consequences.......but in practice??

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

(* - and enjoy a leisurely cheeky **** each day and catch up on Come Dine With Me.)

You do that to Come Dine With me? Each to their own I suppose!

 

[Bozza]

You do that to Come Dine With me? Each to their own I suppose!

No, after. Sometimes before. Like to vary the routine - working at home permits that kind of flexibility.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Yes you are correct. I think previous proposals suggest a different route into Lewes. Most of the rest of the line isnt built on though.

The last study I saw was looking at options to join the line around Hamsey but the locals were not impressed and the costs of buying the land required very high. People in Brighton really push for the Lewes / Uckfield link as a backup but the last time it was looked at, the daily use of the line didn't make it anywhere near cost effective to reinstate the line and certainly not just for a backup when BML is closed.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Funnily enough, I'm working with a recruitment company at the moment analysing some data. Nearly 40% of employees would be willing to travel more than an hour to work and 4% would be happy to travel more than three hours.

Wouldn't suit me, but you'd be surprised how long people would be willing to travel. And that's across a range of different job sectors.

I should have added we’re looking for experience as well. The very good and experienced candidates can call the shots more than others.

 

[sir albion]

We're such a tolerant NATION that will keep on paying for a shit service.
Just no backbone to this nation anymore and in many aspects.

 

[Beach Hut]

We're such a tolerant NATION that will keep on paying for a shit service.
Just no backbone to this nation anymore and in many aspects.

Hardly tolerance it is a compromise, London wages far outstrip any other area so if you are happy to accept the commute and the cost for the higher wage it is a choice.

What will eventually happen is London wages will surely start dropping as companies twig staff no longer actually have to work at the head office location.

My company moves to smaller office in Holborn next month and the current occupancy in the office we are in are staggering low - occupancies of 20% are common daily so why should the company waste huge money on rents