Train farce

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Never mind double decker trains, double decker buses are the way forward. Dozens and dozens of them. Kick the private cars out of their prime parking location in Bennetts Field and flood the area with buses and cabs for the greater good.

 

[les dynam]

To all Watford fans reading this thread and starting to worry... don't panic. The biggest issue on Tuesday related to overcrowding - people surging and pushing onto a smaller than expected train (on this note - somebody mentioned above about standing by the door because they get off at London Road - you are part of the problem mate, get down that aisle, it's not exactly hard to get from the aisle to the door at London Road, i do this myself sometimes).

To give you some context, last midweek home game i left after the final whistle, walked down to the station... joined the moving queue, which moved straight down onto the platform and then onto a waiting train. I was at Brighton station by about 9.50, in good time for the 10.04 service (or something near this) to London.

Don't let this thread put you off. Come down early, enjoy the pubs - loads of good pubs near the station - get the train to the ground but not at the last minute, and then get the train back to Brighton for your London connection.

Should be a good game. Looking forward to it.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

To all Watford fans reading this thread and starting to worry... don't panic. The biggest issue on Tuesday related to overcrowding - people surging and pushing onto a smaller than expected train (on this note - somebody mentioned above about standing by the door because they get off at London Road - you are part of the problem mate, get down that aisle, it's not exactly hard to get from the aisle to the door at London Road, i do this myself sometimes).

Yes. Yes it can be.

 

[TheFatBallBoy]

Trains are a bloody joke, a couple of guys nearly had a fight on the carriage I was on because of the pushing and shoving !!

 

[British Bulldog]

Trains are a bloody joke, a couple of guys nearly had a fight on the carriage I was on because of the pushing and shoving !!

You cant blame that on the trains, That's down to the people using them.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Never mind double decker trains, double decker buses are the way forward. Dozens and dozens of them. Kick the private cars out of their prime parking location in Bennetts Field and flood the area with buses and cabs for the greater good.

I have to agree with part of this - disagree about the cabs, they won't help the issue IMO.

Move the 1901 Parking to the Sussex Uni car parks, and use that car park for Disabled Parking, and for loads more Busses. (Remember can't use Double Deckers for Mill Road.)

Oh, and have some Stewards who know how to load busses properly.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have to agree with part of this - disagree about the cabs, they won't help the issue IMO.

Move the 1901 Parking to the Sussex Uni car parks, and use that car park for Disabled Parking, and for loads more Busses. (Remember can't use Double Deckers for Mill Road.)

Oh, and have some Stewards who know how to load busses properly.

I went to see Hertha Berlin play Mainz the other week. Mainz's new ground is the most out-of-town ground I have been to with no rail station. But, the shuttle buses from Mainz Hauptbahnof ran perfect and cleared the 30k sell out crowd in no time. There were long bendy buses arriving every minute after the match, banks and banks of them, and the pick ups were welll sign posted and organised. I waited two minutes to get on a bus having hung around in the ground for 10 mins post match. Mainz has a dual-carriageway next to the ground. I am pretty sure a similar set up could be made on the a27 at the AMEX with buses driving to a single city-centre location and turning around and going back.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Double decker trains could, perversely, lead to less capacity not more. They require a longer dwell time at stations to allow more people on and off. On a high frequency route that could lead to fewer trains being able to run.

Maybe one of them indian trains then. They seem to be able to carry about 20,000 with only a couple of carriages.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

You cant blame that on the trains, That's down to the people using them.

Exactly, you are going to get pushed a bit on a packed train, if you dont want that, then dont get a train

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I went to see Hertha Berlin play Mainz the other week. Mainz's new ground is the most out-of-town ground I have been to with no rail station. But, the shuttle buses from Mainz Hauptbahnof ran perfect and cleared the 30k sell out crowd in no time. There were long bendy buses arriving every minute after the match, banks and banks of them, and the pick ups were welll sign posted and organised. I waited two minutes to get on a bus having hung around in the ground for 10 mins post match. Mainz has a dual-carriageway next to the ground. I am pretty sure a similar set up could be made on the a27 at the AMEX with buses driving to a single city-centre location and turning around and going back.

Exactly.

I went to see the Green Bay Packers (70,000 crowd) recently, and they cleared the Stadium in 50 minutes. Again, no rail station, just lots of busses lined up.

And this is in the States where 'Public Transport' is normally pathetic.

IMO we need at least one more P+R site, and possibly a second one for away fans only somewhere nearthe bottom of the A23.

(Southampton's one for away fans works pretty well - and they charge £5.00 per car)

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Exactly.

I went to see the Green Bay Packers (70,000 crowd) recently, and they cleared the Stadium in 50 minutes. Again, no rail station, just lots of busses lined up.

And this is in the States where 'Public Transport' is normally pathetic.

IMO we need at least one more P+R site, and possibly a second one for away fans only somewhere nearthe bottom of the A23.

(Southampton's one for away fans works pretty well - and they charge £5.00 per car)

I ran the Boston marathon last year and this starts in a very small village in the middle of nowhere 26 miles outside of Boston. Similar thing there, everyone met at Boston Common where there were literally hundreds of yellow school buses to take you to the start. 20,000 people shipped effortlessly to the start. Simple. Life can be as difficult as you want to make it.

The fact the a27 is next door would work perfectly into such a scheme.

 

[Danny-Boy]

You cant blame that on the trains, That's down to the people using them.

I disagree, less space gives more tension and potentially more reasons i.e. unwanted physical contact, problems of language, B.O., spilled drinks, etc.

There are some pretty daft arrangements at Lewes on platform 3, the platform is long enough comfortably for 8 carriages but they have put the starter signal, beyond which the driver's cab can't go, about 3 carriages down the platform under the station awning whereas it SHOULD be just before the junction at the eastern end.

When I inquired of my MP why this was so he said it was something to do with the electrical side. it could also be that being on a curve the driver wouldn't be able to see whether anyone was wedged in a door. But it makes absolutely no sense operationally.

 

[Dave the OAP]

also, as I have suggested many times, stop all traffic driving in to Village way after the kick off. One of the main issues for people getting away from the Sussex Uni car park and Virgin( and it is affecting the busses and cars trying to get out of Bennets field) is people parking on the verge (DOUBLE YELLOW LINES) so they can pick people up, then doing a U Turn and blocking the road. I was in the queue on Tuesday waiting patiently and one stupid person picking up her boyfriend ( I assume) pulled across the road and jammed herself between a bus and a van and we just stopped there for 20 minutes as no-one could go forward or back....Have the pick up point as by teh entrance to Falmer school by the small tunnel.....

Its not rocket science

 

[Danny-Boy]

I went to see Hertha Berlin play Mainz the other week. Mainz's new ground is the most out-of-town ground I have been to with no rail station. But, the shuttle buses from Mainz Hauptbahnof ran perfect and cleared the 30k sell out crowd in no time. There were long bendy buses arriving every minute after the match, banks and banks of them, and the pick ups were welll sign posted and organised. I waited two minutes to get on a bus having hung around in the ground for 10 mins post match. Mainz has a dual-carriageway next to the ground. I am pretty sure a similar set up could be made on the a27 at the AMEX with buses driving to a single city-centre location and turning around and going back.

Lot of bendy-buses going cheap in London I believe, Boris has vowed to replace them all there.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Lot of bendy-buses going cheap in London I believe, Boris has vowed to replace them all there.

I do believe we already have some down here. But yes, the club should look on eBay.

 

[jemwillett]

there was that incident when a Ryanair pilot landed at the wrong airport in/near Dublin.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

there was that incident when a Ryanair pilot landed at the wrong airport in/near Dublin.

Fair point I do remember this. I wonder, has a plane ever forgotten to stop and pick up passengers?

 

[Danny-Boy]

I usually really really like your posts but f*** me you are a moron.

You can't run EMU's (Electric trains) between Ore and Hastings - BECAUSE ITS NOT ELECTRIFIED. How can an EMU get power without the third rail or overhead cantanary (AFAIK).

It's not possible to do either of the things bpbill said unless the trains are right and network rail electirfy the Ore-Ashford stint of the Marshlink line.

Well you certainly have had your brain sexually assaulted, it's perfectly possible for a third-rail pick-up train to travel between Hastings and Ore, except when NR have a blockade that is.

Certainly though Ashford-Ore should have been electrified years ago. But Beeching blighted it by trying to close it and it was singled to save costs instead, as was the Seaford branch beyond Newhaven and also stretches of the Oxted - Uckfield line. That cost lives in 1994 when two DEMU's met head-on on a singled stretch.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

also, as I have suggested many times, stop all traffic driving in to Village way after the kick off. One of the main issues for people getting away from the Sussex Uni car park and Virgin( and it is affecting the busses and cars trying to get out of Bennets field) is people parking on the verge (DOUBLE YELLOW LINES) so they can pick people up, then doing a U Turn and blocking the road. I was in the queue on Tuesday waiting patiently and one stupid person picking up her boyfriend ( I assume) pulled across the road and jammed herself between a bus and a van and we just stopped there for 20 minutes as no-one could go forward or back....Have the pick up point as by teh entrance to Falmer school by the small tunnel.....

Its not rocket science

Another good idea.

There have been so many decent suggestions on here re both the Transport and the Catering, yet in the vast majority of cases the club, for whatever reason, decide to ignore them.

Put a suggestion on ATC and you get 'I will pass your comment on' - send them an email and you get no reply.

Shame, because we have an AMAZING stadium, but you always have to look to improve where possible.

 

[Mtoto]

Exactly, you are going to get pushed a bit on a packed train, if you dont want that, then dont get a train

Obviously. But it doesn't matter how hard you push or get pushed, it will never be possible to get enough people to fill an 8-car train onto a 3-car train, so it's a pathetically glib comparison.
It was inevitable that some people were going to be left behind for the next train 10 minutes later, and just as predictable that no-one else would be let onto the platform until those already on it were on a train. So there was no need for people to be pushing and shoving like animals with not the first thought for those, including children, who might get crushed, and all for the sake of saving 600 seconds.