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[Albion] Was there a better site than Falmer











Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,733
Faversham
have the club offered to make improvement to the station, or are we expecting that to come from elsewhere? anyway real issue there is the frequency of trains, limited by signaling, available carriages, and engineering works. what club could do is pay for upgrading the line, put on football specials and hold back all works in the county on match days.

or they could have built coach and car parking suitable for capacity.
On Bennet's field perhaps.

Oh....
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,733
Faversham
It's nothing a decent sized car park with direct access to the A27 wouldn't solve.
Is it just me, or isn't there a prime bit of land that could be turned into a car park here. And on google maps it has thoughtfully not been shaded green.

1698659351633.png
 
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Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull
May 22, 2012
16,300
That's like people who get a job 50 miles from home and then moan about the commute! I jest of course, just a shame that is so far out of the city centre....
Yes, but my point is that if there was a more effective transport network/strategy in place, then it would be fine. When things run smoothly, no-one complains and all of a sudden the location isn't an issue.
 


B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,768
Shoreham Beaaaach
That's like people who get a job 50 miles from home and then moan about the commute! I jest of course, just a shame that is so far out of the city centre....

Far from it. It's like a person who gets a job 50 miles from home with no car parking facilities nearby, after a little while realises that the hourly train commute is rammed with other commuters so they often have to wait at the station for 2-3 trains, the train company doesn't care and so doesn't lay on extra carriages and there's no coverage if it rains.

His other alternative is to get the bus, which is also over subscribed and suddenly the bus company stops sending double length bendy buses and only sends single buses, keeping to the commitment of providing xx number of buses (even though they're half sized).
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
63,063
The Fatherland
Brighton needs a tram system. So many Northern cities have it, why not Brighton? That would certainly help.

Failing that one of those things that Disney use at the car parks. Either please.
Brighton is perfect for trams. Been saying this for years.
 




Uter

Well-known member
Aug 5, 2008
1,509
The land of chocolate
Using the Thameslink class 700 trains which can cram in a whole load more people than the Southern class 377s
This is not the worst suggestion in the world. One 12 car Thameslink train can accommodate 1800 people, which is about double an 8 car 377. Just scheduling one of these to arrive maybe 10-15 minutes on the Brighton bound line after the final whistle would have a big impact. And it could be back on the eastbound platform 30 minutes later to help with congestion on that side.

The Thameslink fleet was procured when a 24 train per hour service was envisioned in the Thameslink central core, but it's unlikely to ever quite achieve this. Therefore spare unit availability isn't quite the problem it might have been.

Lengthening the platforms at Falmer to 250m should be reasonably straightforward, but ideally you'd want to extend the westbound platform at the western end, rather than the eastern end to ensure people use the full length of the train. This would mean moving a signal.

The problem is where do you turn them on the Eastern side. They are too long to turn at Lewes. I am almost certain a power upgrade would be needed to run them to Seaford and this would cost millions. You could turn them at Eastbourne, but then a round trip would take much longer, so you'd be getting less benefit. There may be a turnback just to the East of Lewes station, but I am not 100% sure.

The club would need to bear the bulk of cost of any infrastructure updates and driver training needed to use 700s as there's no real wider benefit to running them on the East Coastway, and that would probably be the sticking point.
 


CheeseRolls

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jan 27, 2009
6,250
Shoreham Beach
Perseus was definetly talking about the training ground location. The cement works was one of the options under consideration and rightly discounted.

Was there a better location? What became the New England Quarter, would have been an interesting one. I don't think the land was ever available at an affordable price and the timing was all wrong. Other than that every other location was a bigger compromise than Falmer.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,733
Faversham
It's a sad endictment of the state of the transport links that people are now actually starting to question the wisdom of building the stadium at Falmer. How on earth did it ever come to this? ☹️
Well, transport and its curation has reached an event horizon, with cut price road building arrangements (here, getting from the M23 to car park C involves driving nearly to Lewes then coming back on the other side of the 27 because of no proper connections, and the rest of the country has thousands of examples of such shitness) and Victorian train lines that have never been improved (owing to lack of foresight coupled with Thatcher's disdain for railways especially nationalized ones) culminating in Major flogging it all off to shysters without any meaningful guaranteed delivery of service clauses. And if improvements to the train link to Brighton were proposed, they would be quashed on 'environmental' grounds.

And before anyone says 'whatabout water hall' (hi, Mustafa) the same issues would apply anywhere. It is what we do. Mediocre, intrinsically flawed, compromised, unfit for purpose.

However, with everyone 'having a say' in everything, this is the price we pay for not having a society like China, where if you don't like having your community demolished for a hi-tech football stadium with luxury transport, in the name of progress, then you can f*** off or be shot.

This would have been nice. With integrated road and rail transport and a fair bit on major engineering, only the Chinese could do this.

1698660789632.png
 
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CheeseRolls

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jan 27, 2009
6,250
Shoreham Beach
Well, transport and its curation has reached an event horizon, with cut price road building arrangements (here, getting from the M23 to car park C involves driving nearly to Lewes then coming back on the other side of the 27 because of no proper connections, and the rest of the country has thousands of examples of such shitness) and Victorian train lines that have never been improved (owing to lack of foresight coupled with Thatcher's disdain for railways especially nationalized ones) culminating in Major flogging it all off to shysters without any meaningful guaranteed delivery of service clauses. And if improvements to the train link to Brighton were proposed, they would be quashed on 'environmental' grounds.

And begore anyone says 'whatabout water hall' (hi, Mustafa) the same issues would apply anywhere. It is what we do. Mediocre, intrinsically flawed, compromised, unfit for purpose.

However, with everyone 'having a say' in everything, this is the price we pay for not having a society like China, where if you don't like having your community demolished for a hi-tech football stadium with luxury transport, in the name of progress, then you can f*** off or be shot.

This would have been nice. With integrated road and rail transport and a fair bit on major engineering, only the Chinese could do this.

View attachment 168910
If you have drawn the male organ on the A27 from memory, I suggest you seek urgent medical attention. The angle of entry into Waterhall is also somewhat ambituious for a man of your advancing years.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,733
Faversham
If you have drawn the male organ on the A27 from memory, I suggest you seek urgent medical attention. The angle of entry into Waterhall is also somewhat ambituious for a man of your advancing years.
Ahem. Those were my preliminary sketches.
 


um bongo molongo

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2004
3,074
Battersea
I was talking to a bloke (who is in “transport”, and not down the pub!). Basically, there is nothing more the club can do apart from influence those providing the transport service. The crux of it is the whole rail system needs huge upgrading - more staff, more updated rolling stock, more investment etc. The crude terminology would be you can’t polish a turd. He also stated that the number of buses being in service cannot be increased due to to severe lack of drivers. So, unfortunately, us suffering fans just have to suck it up.

Admirable intentions by the club when we started at the Amex back in 2011. Then, of course, the capacity was 22,000+. I would imagine that no one expected us to consistently fill the stadium for every game or that we would be in a situation of having regular attendances of close to 32,000 and playing in Europe.

The club have moved onwards and upwards, it’s a shame that the transport providers have failed to match it.
This feels like a sad indictment of the state of our country. 1.5m unemployed people and not enough bus drivers…
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,733
Faversham
Brighton is perfect for trams. Been saying this for years.
Are you old enough to remember the trolleybuses? I was only 3 but I did go for a ride on one.


Presumably far to young to remember the actual trams.


I am certain however you are familiar with this wonderful item in Wuppertal.


Now, we could surely erect a bit of kit like this over the Falmer road?

1698661904236.png
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
36,065
Well, transport and its curation has reached an event horizon, with cut price road building arrangements (here, getting from the M23 to car park C involves driving nearly to Lewes then coming back on the other side of the 27 because of no proper connections, and the rest of the country has thousands of examples of such shitness) and Victorian train lines that have never been improved (owing to lack of foresight coupled with Thatcher's disdain for railways especially nationalized ones) culminating in Major flogging it all off to shysters without any meaningful guaranteed delivery of service clauses. And if improvements to the train link to Brighton were proposed, they would be quashed on 'environmental' grounds.

And begore anyone says 'whatabout water hall' (hi, Mustafa) the same issues would apply anywhere. It is what we do. Mediocre, intrinsically flawed, compromised, unfit for purpose.

However, with everyone 'having a say' in everything, this is the price we pay for not having a society like China, where if you don't like having your community demolished for a hi-tech football stadium with luxury transport, in the name of progress, then you can f*** off or be shot.

This would have been nice. With integrated road and rail transport and a fair bit on major engineering, only the Chinese could do this.
why do we keep blaming infrastructure? a stadium can be in town where fans arrive disperse into the surrounding area, but its more expensive and size constrained. or canbe edge/out of town where near 100% have to travel. its inherent compromise and there is no infrastructure solution to solve this for 20 odd games as season. we chose out of town as there were no in town options.

obviously Chinese would have selected the most cental location, like an industrial park near Hove Park, ploughed it up to make way for a stadium.
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
56,733
Faversham
why do we keep blaming infrastructure? a stadium can be in town where fans arrive disperse into the surrounding area, but its more expensive and size constrained. or canbe edge/out of town where near 100% have to travel. its inherent compromise and there is no infrastructure solution to solve this for 20 odd games as season. we chose out of town as there were no in town options.

obviously Chinese would have selected the most cental location, like an industrial park near Hove Park, ploughed it up to make way for a stadium.
Transport infrastructure. I am blaming the poor curation of it for it being so shit. That's all.

Yep, Hove park, with a return train line shunted off Hove station. Or better still, this (We could call it the Goldstone Stadium):

1698662560413.png
 


Uter

Well-known member
Aug 5, 2008
1,509
The land of chocolate
I was talking to a bloke (who is in “transport”, and not down the pub!). Basically, there is nothing more the club can do apart from influence those providing the transport service. The crux of it is the whole rail system needs huge upgrading - more staff, more updated rolling stock, more investment etc. The crude terminology would be you can’t polish a turd. He also stated that the number of buses being in service cannot be increased due to to severe lack of drivers. So, unfortunately, us suffering fans just have to suck it up.

Admirable intentions by the club when we started at the Amex back in 2011. Then, of course, the capacity was 22,000+. I would imagine that no one expected us to consistently fill the stadium for every game or that we would be in a situation of having regular attendances of close to 32,000 and playing in Europe.

The club have moved onwards and upwards, it’s a shame that the transport providers have failed to match it.
I think the question here is, are Southern using all available spare rolling stock to strengthen services on matchdays, or are they using as little as they think they can reasonably get away with?*

If the latter, then what can be done to persuade Southern to up their provision? Presumably, only throwing more money their way would work. If the club is selling out every match despite excessive train queues then what is their incentive to pay Southern more to improve their service?

*Of course, the answer might be different depending on when the match is. There's bound to be fewer spare units available for midweek matches compared to Sundays. Southern have recently retired the ancient 313 fleet, but on the other hand they are still running a less intensive timetable than pre-Covid.
 




Paulie Gualtieri

Bada Bing
NSC Patron
May 8, 2018
10,840
What was the car capacity of Bennett’s Field? Just wondering how much of an impact this would have if a settlement could be reached?
 


Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,548
Back in Sussex
What was the car capacity of Bennett’s Field? Just wondering how much of an impact this would have if a settlement could be reached?
Planning Application for Temporary change of use of land for car parking (up to 650 spaces) for outdoor events at the American Express Community Stadium (to be used no more than 50 times per year)

 


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