Well done southern

[happypig]

Got the train back to Eastbourne last night and the boy and I were in coach 7 of 8. Managed to bag a pair of seats but it was rammed.
The guard gave his customary "travel in the front five carriages only due to short platform" warning, prompting a load of people in the last couple of carriages to try and shuffle through. Train gets to Lewes, still much shuffling but then leaves with quite a few Lewes-bound passengers still on board, next stop Polegate.
Then, outside Lewes we come to a halt; some idiot has tried to force a door open.
However, the guard and his controller have played a blinder and arranged for the train to stop at Glynde and for the Lewes-bound service to also stop there so they can swap and get back quicker.
Some people are very quick to criticise the trains but I thought they handled this problem very well.
Comedy moment though when he gave the "travel in the front five carriages only due to short platform" warning again.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Was on the same train, might of helped if the platform staff at Falmer knew which train was coming, they thought it was a 3-coach to Seaford. Surprised no announcements were given about the short platform though as it would have saved the problems.

And i was in Coach 8 - plenty of seats and room in it, i had the 1st class section to myself. Must be a thing with some of our fans and train doors, only last Saturday a Brighton fan broke the door of a London bound train at Donny, infamously delaying it.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

How difficult would it be to put a big notice up at Falmer Station advising people who have never travelled to Lewes before that they need to be in the front five carriages?

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Got the train back to Eastbourne last night and the boy and I were in coach 7 of 8. Managed to bag a pair of seats but it was rammed.
The guard gave his customary "travel in the front five carriages only due to short platform" warning, prompting a load of people in the last couple of carriages to try and shuffle through. Train gets to Lewes, still much shuffling but then leaves with quite a few Lewes-bound passengers still on board, next stop Polegate.
Then, outside Lewes we come to a halt; some idiot has tried to force a door open.
However, the guard and his controller have played a blinder and arranged for the train to stop at Glynde and for the Lewes-bound service to also stop there so they can swap and get back quicker.
Some people are very quick to criticise the trains but I thought they handled this problem very well.
Comedy moment though when he gave the "travel in the front five carriages only due to short platform" warning again.

That's what happend to me. Very first match at The Amex. I had the misfortune of being on the last few carriages and ended up in Polegate lol. Is there any reason why the train could not unload the first set of carriages as normal close the doors, move forward so the end carriages are in line with the platform, and the remainder of the people can get off the train?

 

[Pinkie Brown]

How difficult would it be to put a big notice up at Falmer Station advising people who have never travelled to Lewes before that they need to be in the front five carriages?

I was on that train. Why did the guard only open the front five carriages at Lewes when I thought (?) Lewes could hold up to seven? It was so rammed, those down the back had no chance.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

I was on that train. Why did the guard only open the front five carriages at Lewes when I thought (?) Lewes could hold up to seven? It was so rammed, those down the back had no chance.

All the platforms hold different amounts. 1 and 2 can hold 12 coaches, 3 can hold 5 coaches, 4 can hold 7 coaches and 5 can hold 6 coaches. The guard did say quite a few times that Lewes is the front 5, but obviously people couldnt move down quick enough.

 

[Gazwag]

I was on that train. Why did the guard only open the front five carriages at Lewes when I thought (?) Lewes could hold up to seven? It was so rammed, those down the back had no chance.

If you get off at Lewes and look back you will see the back of the train disappearing under the bridge where there is no platform.

The station staff usually tell everybody as you go onto the platform back three for Eastbourne from 5 for Lewes, however, I believe they were an expecting the 8 carriage train at 10 o'clock only a 4 carriage, hence the problem. Bit of lack of communication by the sound of it.

 

[bluenitsuj]

I was standing next to the door in carriage 6 when the 'idiot' pulled the emergency door lever which then set the alarm off.

I understand why so many people are on the wrong carriages as they were rammed in at Falmer and sometimes the only carriages you can get on are the back ones as the front coaches are rammed also.

The problem was obviously that the train should have waitied at Lewes longer, or can it not shut the doors and pull forward to let the people on carriages 6 - 8 get off?

I thought the guard dealt with the situation very well.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

As i posted, because the doors of the 8th coach dont open, people get on the 7th coach but dont walk through, that would of stopped some of the crowding last night.

Credit to Southern for sorting a short notice solution though, fortunately this time i didnt have a connection to make that i missed because of a delay

 

[Nathan]

How difficult would it be to put a big notice up at Falmer Station advising people who have never travelled to Lewes before that they need to be in the front five carriages?

You would have thought it would be very easy. But hay ho.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I understand why so many people are on the wrong carriages as they were rammed in at Falmer and sometimes the only carriages you can get on are the back ones as the front coaches are rammed also.

It's usually the case that the front carriages on trains towards Lewes are under-occupied. If you can squeeze past the folk standing on the platform (which I've never had a problem doing), walk to the front - and all the problems have been solved AND you get a seat.

 

[8ace]

We got on an eight coach train at Brighton in coach eight, the announcement said please sit in the first six coaches for falmer so we walked as far as coach seven. When we got to Falmer the light on the door buttons came on so I pressed it and we got out - I looked to my left at the last coach and it was by the platform - not hanging out the back of the station. LIES LIES LIES

 

[felbridgeseagull]

Southern rail idiots, not letting us of at lewes...where was the fat contoller?

Was anybody else on here part of the great Southern Rail prank last night?
'OH DON'T Worry we know the platform is not long enough for the last three carriages BUT we will give you time to get off' they announced just to lure us into as false sense of security and then as we are getting off close the doors and head of towards Polegate.... morons.....is this a regular even?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Not as big as the idiots that tried opening the doors whilst it was moving, should be happy they stopped the train at Glynde at short notice to get back to Lewes.

All ultimately down to a lack of communication at Falmer where they didnt say about the short platform.

 

[8ace]

Well done southern

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Originally Posted by Seagull over Canaryland
Haven't seen a moan about the pies or the trains - yet.........

After the cock up on the 10pm train to Eastbourne where half the people who wanted to get off at Lewes were stuck on the train, its safe to say somebody will start a thread about the trains.

 

[catfish]

I hope everybody had the correct tickets.

 

[Pinkie Brown]

One for the 'railway stuff knowers' - If the usual eastbound platform at Lewes can only hold five carriages, why not cross the train over to the platform opposite the wall which I believe holds seven? Assuming there are points on the west side of Lewes to cross the train over? When everyone is offloaded (quicker) it can crossover back to the Eastbourne line?

Maybe??

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Dont think signalling allows it. at Falmer they usually only get people going to Lewes to go to the front of the platform, then Eastbourne for the rear, but Southern staff were expecting a 3-coach Seaford train to turn up, not an 8-coach Eastbourne train.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Threads now merged.