Yesterday, 7th September, Southeastern introduced more services to their post Covid-19 timetable. As I knew I was going to spend the week checking Mum's house hadn't fallen down (originally had a visit to see her booked but a positive test at her home put pay to that) and it being my old conducting ground I looked at what had changed. Quite a bit, as it happens, but my eye was attracted to something strange on the Chatham Main Line.
20 years ago it was simple - 2 fast trains from London Victoria to Faversham calling at Bromley South, the Medway Towns and Sittingbourne which split, the front half continuing to Ramsgate, the rear to Dover Priory, one semi fast an hour, one stopper. Running with them was a half hourly stopping service from Victoria to Faversham. It was a simple to follow system. Then, in 2010 HS1 opened to domestic trains and Southeastern were told in no uncertain terms to make sure passengers switched to it, paying the enhanced fares, as the line had to be paid for. That meant slowing down the fast trains on the Chatham and Tonbridge lines. The fast trains via Chatham now stopped at Newington or Teynham, and at Meopham and Longfield. The Faversham stoppers to London were reduced to one an hour and started and terminated at Gillingham. On the Tonbridge Line fast services between Ashford and Tonbridge were scrapped with all trains becoming stoppers. The message was obvious - if you want to get to London quick use HS1 but it will cost you.
However, if travelling from Victoria to Dover, if you caught the faster train it still wasn't bad - just over 90 mins for less in a more comfortable train. That has now been well and truly demolished, with both the "fast" and "stopping" services taking the same time to get from Victoria to Dover ie !h58m for the what used to be fast service, and 1h57m for what used to be the stopping service. The fastest HS1 journey from St Pancras to Dover takes !h02m. To achieve this Southeastern have introduced a what can only be described as a bizarre stopping pattern, especially between Rochester and Bromley South. Let's take a closer look.
During peak hours its very much as you were - semi fast trains stopping at Meopham, Longfield, Bromley S and Victoria. However, after 0930 something strange happens. The semi fast trains continue as normal but the stopping services OMIT Meopham and Longfield.
So that begged the question if you want to travel from Sole St, Farningham Rd, Swanley or St Mary Cray to Meopham and Longfield, and vice versa how do you do it? As Sole St is the nearest station on the Chatham Line to Mum's place I went out this morning to find out.
There's a lovely park near Sole St station which holds many happy memories for me, but it must be said the station wasn't at it's most lovely today. Lots of signs telling you to pay for your parking but no machine to pay at, the ticket machine was stuck on the final screen for the previous customer and the shelter strewn with rubbish. The timetable on display was also woefully out of date - indeed advertised trains stopping at Longfield that no longer did...
As you can see I had plenty of time to wait for the 1101 so decided to go the other way to Rochester, and double back to Longfield from there. Remember this should be a 7 minute journey! I caught the 1031 from Sole St to Rochester, which was a 6 car Class 465. At Rochester I was finally able to buy my ticket, and ask for a few clarifications.
Take a note of the cost of the ticket - it becomes relevant later. I was pleasantly surprised that the ticket clerk was aware of the new stopping patterns and could answer my questions without doubting my sanity or honesty. I had 25 mins to wait at Rochester before the train to Longfield arrived. I still think the Southeastern Electrostars are the most comfortable on the network.
So I had arrived at Longfield. Immediately a train hurtled through - next stop Sole St, which was rather ironic. My outbound journey had taken 51 minutes instead of 7.
To be fair there isn't too much to catch the eye at Longfield, a parade of shops with a newsagent, cafe, fish & chip shop, hairdressers but also a Waitrose, which would be reason enough for those without a car in the likes of Sole St to want to go there. Buses go past the station, such as this rather smart Go-Coach Mercedes minibus, but there are no timetables - indeed the sign on the post directs you to the new Arriva app, which has come in for a great panning this week, not least from Roger French, busandtrainuser, who absolutely slated it!
No sign of a Go-coach timetable at all. So that was Longfield, now to get back but I had a cunning plan. I caught the 1150 from Longfield to Bromley South, which gave me a rather tight 3 minutes to get the train back to Sole St. It was 4 minutes late. Normally that would have made me rather cross, but I had already decided to lunch in Bromley, having checked with the ticket clerk I could legally leave the station. He confirmed as I had no choice but to be there indeed I could. so I did, returning an hour later to catch the 1305 back to Sole St. If you make the connection the return journey via Bromley takes 41 minutes. If not it's 1hr41m, which is a lot for a journey that should take 7 minutes! If you return via Rochester it will take a minimum of 52 mins as the train from Longfield conveniently gets into Rochester a minute after the train to Sole St has left. Get the wrong train from Longfield and you have an hour there. Rochester station in bad weather is not a hospitable place. It also means if you travel from Sole St you can legitimately travel via Bromley, do your shopping, have lunch and do it for £4.20 instead of £8.90.
Yes, the machine was working again when I got back but the rubbish was still there.
To conclude, here is the off peak stopping pattern from London to the Kent coast via Faversham. It clearly favours the High Speed services.
When we are trying to encourage people back onto the railway surely slowing services down, forcing people to pay more, leaving out of date misleading timetables on display and turning 7 minute journeys into 90 min marathons is not the way to do it. I suggest a rethink is needed. Incidentally on Saturdays and Sundays all stopping services call at Meopham and Longfield, just to confuse everyone even more!
Interestingly, National Rail website insists you buy 2 tickets for that journey (charging up to £16.60 for a single via Bromley) so looks as though officially there is no easement for doubling back via Bromley or Rochester.
ReplyDeleteWhich will be perfectly accurate peak or weekends. But weekday off peak, when you have no choice but to travel via those routes the cheaper fare must apply.
DeleteSouth Wales Train Derailment Report
ReplyDeleteThe derailment which caused a major fire happened after some of its wheels were damaged after a break fault
At some point on the journey the breaks on the third wagon become applied, This lead to a flat spot developing on the wheels and lead to the derailment
It tens to show the common poor practices on the railways in my view. Break are a safety critical system with trains and as such should have sensor installed to detect such failures
I assume it uses air breaks and the air pressure holds the breaks off. This is intended as a safety measure as if the air supply fails the breaks are applied
This measure though overlooks a failure of the type that caused this derailment, The wagons ought to have a sensor that monitors the air pressure to each wagon. If any failure occurs it brings up a red light in the cab and sounds an alarm
Cardiff Bus
ReplyDeleteCardiff bus have entered into a 60 day consultation over large scale redundancies
They are looking to make a 130 of their 700 staff redundant. In their last set of accounts Cardiff bus had declared a profit
One has to wonder if similar cuts will take place in Newport. They have declared a loss for 3 or 4 years now so seem to be in a weaker financial position that Cardiff bus are
Bus Franchising
ReplyDeleteBus franchising is something that tends to atract very polarised views. My view is we should move to bus franchising . A problem is who could over sea the franchising . Councils in general have little understanding of bus services and generally make a bad job of contracting routes. There is also the issue of lck of funding and high fares and low standards and pretty much no marketing and a very run down and scruffy presentation of buses
The railway franchising model failed but that was not at least in my view a true frnchising model. It was rally seprate rail companies no realy integrated with other rail services and different branding
If the rail model did not work it is easy to sdee why the total free for all that we have wih buses is not working
Traveline
ReplyDeleteWithout any advance warning most Traveline sites have shut down. No alternative is being offered you are just referred to operators web sites
Another retrograde step fort bus service but not a great surprise as there is no real commitment to bus services. Most local councils as well are ken to shut down bus stations
Bernard Mathews Buses
ReplyDeleteFollowing outbreaks of Covid at their plant they have made the decision to scrap fares on its buses. They suspect the outbreak may have been down to car sharing
Beestons
ReplyDeleteThe business seems to be ever shrinking. AS far as I know it only has one very limited Public Bus service which is the 91. It also has a small number of school routes. It has operated No coach trips since March and is not planning to do so this year. Furlough ceases at the end of this month. Do they have the cash flow to keep going until next year ?
As an aside Galloway are now formally out of public bus services. They have in effect been so for several months s the few routes they had left were sub contracted to Stephensons. THey have now formally taken over the contracts
Cardiff Bus Redundancies
ReplyDeleteThe 50 day Consultation is still ongoing I think it is due to finish at the end of November
They are planning to cut a 130 jobs which is a very significant number. The redundancy notices usually go out at the end of the consultation period
No indication as to what routes will be axed and what timetables will be reduced. If they have lots of drivers that have little service they could have problems maintaining the existing services
Big Green Bus Company
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if they are pulling out of bus work with the routes taken over by Star Cabs. with most if not all the routes being taken over by Star Cabs
Suffolk Norse are also giving up a couple of routes the 310 and 311 it looks as if they dont have much bus work left