Southern Rail STRIKE details

[beorhthelm]

Welcome to your new premium service! Hard backed seats, no more luggage space, full if you get on a train that's arrived at Gatwick from Brighton and with no one onboard to assist any uncertain travellers or to help ensure their safety.

so no change from the old service then, except the seats.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Entertaining guard on our train to Victoria yesterday. Was standing room only from Worthing in a four car train that started from Southampton. The guard apologised to all those standing telling us that someone thought it was a good idea to run a four car train when there were three times the amount of people on the service as it was covering the Bognor and Littlehampton services affected by engineering works!

 

[Springal]

Can we just try this DOO stuff for a bit. Anything to get a remotely reliable service.

5 out of 6 legs eligible for delay repay from Worthing to London this week is ridiculous

 

[pasty]

i was reading some press guff from southern about their great new trains, how much room they have, the air conditioning, so much thought for the passengers comfort etc... it occured to me he'd never actually sat on the train. its just so hard, for short trips like 30 min i'd rather stand. what cost would an inch of foam have cost?

It's not just the hardness of the seat though The back of the seat is at a completely ridiculous angle forcing you to sit almost bolt upright. I like to slouch and sleep, but sleep in particular is nigh on impossible.

 

[Springal]

1 train in the last 2 hours has managed to get from Haywards Heath to Hove. Queueing system at Brighton now for west Coastway and they've just sent a 3 carriage train...

 

[yxee]

Why can't they just buy some more bloody trains and hire some more bloody staff. It's obviously not working the current way is it

 

[Hotchilidog]

Trying to get to Shoreham from Gatwick tonight, delay nearly 30 minutes which is a shame as I just missed the last westbound train by a minute 40minutes ago. It is a shambles and the management should be held to account for not even attempting to run a functioning service. It's crazy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Albumen]

Brighton to Portslade took 40 mins (well I was chucked off at Hove so i got a bus).

 

[AK74]

Currently suffering my first experience of the new Gatwick Express. To echo the views of others, the seats are truly abysmal in terms of comfort.

 

[whitelion]

Littlehampton to Southwick - caught London train on time 16.51 but noticed info boards at Worthing where I'd usually change, that eastbound to Brighton were cancelled so went to Hove thinking westbound would be a better option. Wrong!!! Waited 'til 18.25 as 1 earlier around 17.50 was jam - packed and the longer Littlehampton train went sailing through. Then the eastbounds started coming through again whilst at Hove. Wrong call.

 

[Deadly Danson]

Can't argue with any of the above. The service is absolutely shambolic at the moment and I am ashamed to be working for this mob. The High court has just served Aslef an injunction so that the drivers can't strike so the commuters will have at least some semblance of a service for the next few weeks at least. I'm here to tell you that no one (guards or drivers) will now work rest days, no one will "go the extra mile" for the company and any last vestiges of goodwill between staff and GTR have now evaporated. The Dft in league with the High Court have ensured that your trains will be less safe for the foreseeable future and I guarantee that this shambles will go on for the rest of the summer at least. The only hope train users have for getting any kind of decent service is to sign petitions, write to your MPs and demand that Govia have the franchise taken away from them.

 

[smeg]

Had an interview in London yesterday afternoon, this is how it went: No trains running in the afternoon from Durrington without being cancelled or severely disrupted, so, drove to Hassocks, caught the Bedford train from there which was late but not enough to impact my interview. Arrived at Blackfriars and got a tube to Canary Wharf, 30 minutes early for interview so all good. Interview went OK, was in for roughly 75 minutes so no time for a drink or anything civilised as anticipating more chaos back home. Tube back to London Bridge, got a train to East Croydon, another to Haywards Heath and then waited 25 minutes for my last rail journey back to Hassocks. In the car and back to Shoreham in time to be late for my Mother in law's Birthday meal......... oops. Oh and standing room only obviously as twelve carriages reduced to eight and previous Brighton train(s) cancelled, plus, Ticket offices shut at Haywards Heath and Hassocks. Surely Southern are running this one close, they will lose their franchise soon............... Won't they?

 

[dazzer6666]

Had an interview in London yesterday afternoon, this is how it went: No trains running in the afternoon from Durrington without being cancelled or severely disrupted, so, drove to Hassocks, caught the Bedford train from there which was late but not enough to impact my interview. Arrived at Blackfriars and got a tube to Canary Wharf, 30 minutes early for interview so all good. Interview went OK, was in for roughly 75 minutes so no time for a drink or anything civilised as anticipating more chaos back home. Tube back to London Bridge, got a train to East Croydon, another to Haywards Heath and then waited 25 minutes for my last rail journey back to Hassocks. In the car and back to Shoreham in time to be late for my Mother in law's Birthday meal......... oops. Oh and standing room only obviously as twelve carriages reduced to eight and previous Brighton train(s) cancelled, plus, Ticket offices shut at Haywards Heath and Hassocks. Surely Southern are running this one close, they will lose their franchise soon............... Won't they?

That's pretty much a normal day for any commuters in Sussex. Hope the interview went well BTW.

 

[Superseagull]

Currently suffering my first experience of the new Gatwick Express. To echo the views of others, the seats are truly abysmal in terms of comfort.

Wait till you try the seats in the new Thaneslink trains. A plastic seat with a light coating of fabric. Standing may be the more comfortable option!

 

[AK74]

Wait till you try the seats in the new Thaneslink trains. A plastic seat with a light coating of fabric. Standing may be the more comfortable option!

*makes purchase*

 

[Taybha]

............. Won't they?

10 months in to a new 7 year franchise i doubt it , but stranger things happen .

 

[Ernest]

10 months in to a new 7 year franchise i doubt it , but stranger things happen .

If the Government feel they are being blamed instead of GTR then the U turn will happen and Southern will be out

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I am lucky enough not to rely on SASTA for my daily commute. However, the current issues start to impact on us occasional travellers as well.

I have a trip to Manchester in a couple of weeks time. Advance tickets to Manchester are great but you have the gamble of how many trains earlier than needed to you get from the coast to ensure you get to London in time? Can't see Virgin being too sympathetic if I miss my connection due to SASTA's troubles.

My meeting finishes around 6pm so getting the train back shouldn't be so bad. However, as the later trains from London to Worthing seem to be permanently cancelled at the moment, I don't want to risk a similar issue to [MENTION=26937]smeg[/MENTION] where I get as far as Haywards Heath and then struggle to get home from there - especially that late at night.

Instead it is likely that I will fly to Manchester from Southampton and then a cab home from Southampton as at least I have a fighting chance of getting home at a reasonable hour despite the extra expense.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

My Journey with Southern was a consistent standard today. I arrived into Victoria exactly 35 minutes late at 12.30 and tonight I arrived at my home station, again, 35 minutes late. At least I made it to my station. The Littlehampton portion terminated at Haywards Heath.

 

[rippleman]

I find it extremely worrying that there is a virus or bacteria that has evolved to afflict only Southern train crew.

Or could it be that they just a bunch of overpaid, lazy, skiving four letter chappies?