[Travel] No Clapham junction-Brighton direct trains anymore ....

[dwayne]

I might be late to the party here but another classic from southern rail. Anyone know when they will start running this route again?!?

 

[tigertim68]

Any idea when they will start running a proper service anywhere

 

[Madafwo]

I might be late to the party here but another classic from southern rail. Anyone know when they will start running this route again?!?

From memory it's been a while, since they switched to Gatwick Express doing the Brighton to Victoria service.

 

[dwayne]

From memory it's been a while, since they switched to Gatwick Express doing the Brighton to Victoria service.

Yes tbf I haven’t needed this route for a few years but I was pretty surprised when I saw it wasn’t available. Thought this used to be a major route.

 

[Chicken Run]

Yes tbf I haven’t needed this route for a few years but I was pretty surprised when I saw it wasn’t available. Thought this used to be a major route.

I think those that require Clapham use Hove now

 

[dwayne]

I think those that require Clapham use Hove now

That’s no good for falmer !

 

[A1X]

Force people onto the (more expensive) GatEx service and let Thameslink pick up the slack. I think in practical terms it’s because they now run two separate services from Victoria for Littlehampton (via Hove) and Eastbourne whereas previously they ran as one and split at Haywards Heath.

 

[Chicken Run]

That’s no good for falmer !

Oh sorry you’re coming south

 

[Richy_Seagull]

Been like it for many years now. Very annoying. There is a direct on the Sunday, but that’s it.

 

[Grizz]

Yeah I tried to do it last year and was stunned that there wasn't a direct service. Supposedly to enhance the reliability of the rest of the railway? I'm a railway man and don't get it.

 

[Happy Exile]

One other consequence of this (maybe) is fewer Gatwick trains stopping at Clapham too. I regularly get the Eastbourne line back from Clapham Junction and there are periods of the year and times of day when any service that stops at Gatwick is almost impossible to get on due to the large numbers of people boarding at Clapham with multiple enormous suitcases

 

[dwayne]

Yeah I tried to do it last year and was stunned that there wasn't a direct service. Supposedly to enhance the reliability of the rest of the railway? I'm a railway man and don't get it.

Certainly the ticket man on the train was pretty frustrated about it as well.

I came from Battersea park yesterday and it wouldnt let me buy a ticket via a main London hub (again incedibly annoying). So in theory I would have had to change 3x to get to Falmer as no directs from clapham, which is ridiculous.

In the end I went to victoria and got the Gatwick express..... But it cost me another fiver to do that.

Maybe @jackalbion knows if the direct route is coming back?