[Football] Train chaos

[durrington gull]

We left on 75min when it was plainly obvious that we were never going to score (bad fan) - trains then still pretty busy - got off at Brighton to dash across and catch the Chichester 930pm train - thank god i didnt stay till the end

 

[el punal]

I arrived at Brighton station this evening at around 17.45, and joined a not very large queue ("excellent", I thought). I was adjacent to those toilets at the coffee shop, so quite near those doors before you get onto the platform. And then we waited, and waited...

It took until 18.20 till I was on a train. And then, the train didn't leave the station till 18.40. So I spent nearly an hour from entering the station, to departing it. Christ knows what the queues were like behind me. I'm sure there's a very good reason for this clusterf*ck of a "service", but whats the point. Its just par for the course.

By FAR the highlight of my day was having a little read in the pub before mincing up to BTN station. Left home at 4.15, got home at 10.15. Everything from 6pm onwards was basically SHIT

The same happened to me! Parked up at Hove station and waited for the first train to Brighton which happened to be the Littlehampton Boogaloo Intercontinental Sardine Can of three carriages - already rammed of course.
The train arrived at Brighton station (platform 2) at around 6.00. The platform was dangerously overcrowded with hundreds trying to get off the train to confront hundreds trying to get on - well done Brighton station staff for your admirable expertise in cock-uppery.

Like you we (there were five of us) joined the queue for Falmer, and waited, and waited, and waited. The train pulled in - goody! We got held back and waited (x3). Eventually we were allowed on the train and waited (x5) to leave. Eventually the train departed and we got to Falmer an hour after we arrived at Brighton station.

Southern - your management and staff need shooting. The absolute shambles that you offer as a service is appalling. If you have problems, well you do, how about actually informing us poor passengers as to the situation rather than leaving us in the dark. Your ineptitude is breathtaking - maybe you should produce a manual on how not to run a railway.

 

[keaton]

I heard there were trespassers on the line on the Lewes side somewhere (Polegate ?). If so, not a lot Southern can do

There was one at around 1pm. I get that might lead to a back up but four/five hours later it still causing issues seems excessive

 

[rippleman]

Let's face it; the matchday train services have always been crap even moreso for evening games. Southern knows that they are going to get all the lovely travel tax money in any event whether the service is good or bad so there is absolutely no motivation for them to provide a decent service. There really should be a Service Level Agreement bewteen the club and Southern with financial penalties if Southern doesn't deliver on frequency and capacity on matchdays.

I have twice had to assist wheelchairs off of the train after evening matches because the onboard supervisor is hiding away and the station staff (at Shoreham and at Worthing) have all buggered off home.

Southern is an utter shambles but only the club has the clout to force improvements to the matchday services. Time for Barber to earn his substantial wedge.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Cancellations, chaos, punch up at Brighton Station. Thanks Southern fail.

Maybe they knew something that we didn't and were simply encouraging us not to travel. If only we had taken the hint and gone home, we might have had a far more enjoyable evening.

 

[el punal]

Maybe they knew something that we didn't and were simply encouraging us not to travel. If only we had taken the hint and gone home, we might have had a far more enjoyable evening.

You’re right! Last night, apart from the Falmer train fiasco, I drove back to Southampton and encountered more cones than Mr.Whippy’s ice cream vans have sold over the last fifty years. Road works? Pah!

 

[SAC]

What is the agreement between the club and Southern Rail? If they aren't contractually obliged to put on more trains then it's not really their fault. When you have an out of town stadium with a railway station next to the ground, there needs to be a binding contract ensuring a minimum number trains, or carriages, per hour.

 

[Lower West Stander]

As a London commuter for many years pre Covid, none of this surprises me. It happened on a regular basis both to and from work. There is no communication to platform staff who only see what we do.

I do wonder if all the parking problems this season have made it worse. It seems to me that the whole effort of getting to a game is becoming harder and harder - its the main reason I cancelled my ST.

Regardless of how we are currently playing, I just can't enjoy the whole match day experience any more.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

The people on the line excuse is just that. There were no problems with timing on southern yesterday evening from Eastbourne and Polegate. The problems were at Lewes. They are simply useless and try to hide their failings by publicizing something that is fake news.

 

[Gazwag]

Going east the first train to arrive after full time was an 8 car to Ore which was a few minutes late at 940. We got onto the platform after that, only going to Lewes as drive there for night games. from Bexhill. Next due at 951 was the Seaford, okay usually an 8 car so a lot of the queue could get to Lewes if they bother getting on. What turns up a ****ing 3 car train. We managed to get on so okay.

Next train due 1004 to Ore - cancelled followed by an Eastbourne which is crap for Bexhill/Hastings travellers. No connections at Lewes as no London trains.

 

[amexer]

We need one of those survey thingys. That’d sort it.

Agree but trouble is questions never include asking for opinions on Transport, Sharing scheme,Ticket prices etc. Just want to know if we liked the pie and if stewards were nice etc

 

[A1X]

Saturday saw single 3/4 car trains running between Brighton and Lewes, yesterday as this chaos (fortunately I wasn't able to go by the sounds of it). Clearly something is going very wrong at the moment with what Southern are producing for the service. Two games in a row where it's been piss-poor.

 

[dazzer6666]

They always trot this excuse out.

I commuted to London for 25 years....doubt there's an excuse I haven't heard [emoji23]

 

[jackalbion]

Saturday saw single 3/4 car trains running between Brighton and Lewes, yesterday as this chaos (fortunately I wasn't able to go by the sounds of it). Clearly something is going very wrong at the moment with what Southern are producing for the service. Two games in a row where it's been piss-poor.

Genuine question here though, where do Southern get the carriages from? And how do they fit them on a platform that only has room for 8?

I don't think Southern can get anymore trains on tbh, Network Rail need to upgrade the infrastructure.

 

[Gwylan]

Agree but trouble is questions never include asking for opinions on Transport, Sharing scheme,Ticket prices etc. Just want to know if we liked the pie and if stewards were nice etc

Because they have no control over trains - they do have some control whether pies are nice or stewards are hot ... or something like that

 

[Vicar!]

There have never been extra trains mid-week since the Amex opened

They cut the services during Covid and not bought full services back. So (from Worthing) two trains an hour of three carriages. You can go to Hove on the London, but connecting service no longer runs.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Now that the weather is better I just cycle, the trains totally kill the matchday experience for me. Just such a massive hassle

I must admit, the utter cluster**** that are the trains are my biggest barrier to attending more often. (Match day ticket ticket prices? Well, yes but I can kind of hold my nose a few times a season and justify it to myself as the cost of PL football - plus the kids love the sense of occasion that surrounds top flight football).

But the trains? Urrgghh. Every time I think to myself, about time I took the kids back to a game at the Amex, the post-match purgatory of waiting for a train fills my mind and invariably I don't bother as it is a thoroughly miserable way to end what should be a fun day out.

 

[jackalbion]

They cut the services during Covid and not bought full services back. So (from Worthing) two trains an hour of three carriages. You can go to Hove on the London, but connecting service no longer runs.

Yes that is absolutely ridiculous, I think there is a connection at Preston Park, but most people don't think to do it.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Well I had a lovely evening,



At home

Sent from my SM-A326B using Tapatalk

 

[Uter]

Genuine question here though, where do Southern get the carriages from? And how do they fit them on a platform that only has room for 8?

I don't think Southern can get anymore trains on tbh, Network Rail need to upgrade the infrastructure.

Pre-pandemic there were 6 trains per hour between Brighton and Lewes all day Monday to Saturday and the infrastructure could cope fine with that. They have cut 50% of services, so we are down to 3 trains an hour, which is effectively a Sunday service even though passenger numbers are up to approx 70% of immediate pre-Covid levels.

It's a similarly dismal story on the West Coastway.

I saw a 6 car train in the siding at Hove yesterday on my way to the ground, and lots of unused Gatwick Express stock in the sidings at Brighton (which are cleared to operate on the Coastway routes). They have the stock to lengthen all services on the East Coastway, but are not doing so. Presumably this to avoid incurring higher track access charges and/or they don't have the staff available to get them into position. The policy seems to be do the absolute minimum they can get away with in order to keep costs down, even if it means extreme overcrowding and long waits.

I got the 17:16 from Hove to Brighton last night. Much earlier than I wanted to go. But the next train was not until 17:47 and I knew this would be so packed I might not be able to board. As it was the 17:16 was rammed too (4 car), but I manage to squeeze on. On arrival at Brighton it took ages to clear the platform due to so many leaving the train mixed with perhaps 200 already waiting to board the train we arrived in. Southern really need to consider reinstating more services.

I could be wrong, but I think all service increases now have to be cleared by the treasury who are desperate to keep a lid on the huge costs of supporting the industry through the pandemic. So don't expect any services to be reinstated soon. We could be looking at a feeble Coastway timetable for some time even if passenger numbers recover more.