East Coastway - May 2018 Timetable

JamesRowden · 4 Mar 2018

A new East Coastway timetable is starting on the 20th of May which differs from the draft by raising the off-peak Eastbourne-Hastings service level from 3tph to 4tph (and from 2tph to 3tph to Ore).

http://www.1066shrimprail.org.uk/east-coastway-may2018-what-it-means/

St Leonard’s and Hastings Rail Improvement (SHRIMP) said:
St Leonard’s and Hastings Rail Improvement (SHRIMP) and Ore Transport Group (OTG) are very pleased to highlight the changes to the Southern East Coastway (Ashford, Hastings, Eastbourne, and Brighton) timetable and service pattern which come into effect from 20th May.

This is not a series of tweaks. This is a wholesale timetable re-write. EVERYTHING CHANGES; departure times, stopping patterns, journey times, connectivity, capacity.

The changes have been designed after lengthy and extremely positive negotiations between GTR and local rail user groups from Rye, Ore, Hastings & Bexhill in conjunction with RailFuture(SouthEast). The local rail groups welcome the positive recognition from the senior management of GTR about our engagement in that process.

In the general Monday – Saturday service pattern, the major benefits to Hastings & Ore are:

A standard 4 trains per hour 0700 < > 2300 between Hastings/Ore and Eastbourne (3tph from Ore)
100% increase in passenger capacity on many journeys
A 30min even spacing of Brighton services, majority of journeys will be limited stop
Improved connectivity to other strategic services at Brighton and Ashford Int’l including
90 minutes connected journey Hastings to St Pancras
Route-specific services to reduce negative impact from disruption elsewhere on the network
Direct services between Ore & Ashford, benefitting Sussex Coast College (Ore campus)
Later services to/from Rye & Ashford
No splitting/attaching of London services at Eastbourne

The full timetable will be published soon, but is currently subject to some important last-ditch tweaks to individual services. Follow www.railplan2020.co.uk

The complete off-peak service pattern is:

2tph Brighton-Lewes (stopper)
2tph Brighton-Seaford (stopper)
2tph Victoria-Eastbourne(-Ore) (1tph continuing to Ore as a stopper)
1tph Brighton-Hastings* (stopper west of Eastbourne, express east of Eastbourne)
1tph Brighton-Ore* (semi-fast)
1tph Eastbourne-Ashford* (stopper)

*Connect at Eastbourne or Hampden Park

Sunday service pattern is:

2tph Brighton-Seaford (stopper)
1tph Brighton-Eastbourne* (stopper east of Falmer)
1tph Victoria-Ore (stopper east of Eastbourne)
1tph Eastbourne-Ashford* (express west of Hastings, stopper east of Hastings)

*Connect at Eastbourne

The resulting timetable is a hybrid of the options to split the Brighton-Ashford service at Eastbourne/Hastings which were given in the original consultation, with an additional 1tph of services between Eastbourne and Ore.

RailUK Forums

Roast Veg · 5 Mar 2018

Where is the stock coming from to operate the additional services?

RichardKing · 5 Mar 2018

Roast Veg said:
Where is the stock coming from to operate the additional services?

I've heard that we *may* be seeing a 700 diagrammed to 1F82 (07:12 EBN-LBG) and 1F83 (18:23 LBG-EBN) in the not too distant future, freeing up three 377s. I highlight 'may' as this is just rumoured, but the weekly 700 test runs to Eastbourne is quite revealing of GTR's future intentions.

Sunset route · 5 Mar 2018

RichardKing said:
I've heard that we *may* be seeing a 700 diagrammed to 1F82 (07:12 EBN-LBG) and 1F83 (18:23 LBG-EBN) in the not too distant future, freeing up three 377s. I highlight 'may' as this is just rumoured, but the weekly 700 test runs to Eastbourne is quite revealing of GTR's future intentions.

Now why on earth would you want to spoil things, going from 442s to 377s was bad enough and now a possible 700s. What has Eastbourne done to deserve that punishment.

Bishopstone · 5 Mar 2018

JamesRowden said:
The complete off-peak service pattern is:

2tph Brighton-Lewes (stopper)

4tph Brighton-Seaford (stopper).

There's a typo here as the Seafords stay at 2tph.

It looks as though the Brighton-Hastings at xx:31 skips London Road (Brighton), but is then a stopper as far as Lewes, which I suspect will cause some confusion initially.

GatwickDepress · 5 Mar 2018

Jolly good. Losing the direct service to Brighton from Ashford is a shame but, as mentioned in previous threads, overcrowding on the service has been unsustainable for quite a while now. The challenge now will be ensuring that reliable connections to and from Ashford for Brighton and St. Pancras passengers will be publicised and maintained.

JamesRowden · 5 Mar 2018

Bishopstone said:
There's a typo here as the Seafords stay at 2tph.

Corrected

RichardKing · 5 Mar 2018

Sunset route said:
Now why on earth would you want to spoil things, going from 442s to 377s was bad enough and now a possible 700s. What has Eastbourne done to deserve that punishment.

Eastbourne had to be punished sooner or later, otherwise Littlehampton would claim favouritism.

They've even lulled passengers into a false sense of content of "well, at least the 377s aren't *that* much of a downgrade." (well, when compared to the ironing boards, at least!).

RichardKing · 5 Mar 2018

GatwickDepress said:
Jolly good. Losing the direct service to Brighton from Ashford is a shame but, as mentioned in previous threads, overcrowding on the service has been unsustainable for quite a while now. The challenge now will be ensuring that reliable connections to and from Ashford for Brighton and St. Pancras passengers will be publicised and maintained.

I'll miss the luxury of the permanently declassified first class on the 171s, that's for sure. As you mention though, the overcrowding on these services at times is mental! I'm surprised GTR has got away with it for so long!

If only the ex-ScotRail 3 cars were sent to the Marshlink...the extra car would've made, at least, some difference. :rolleyes:

GatwickDepress · 6 Mar 2018

RichardKing said:
I'll miss the luxury of the permanently declassified first class on the 171s, that's for sure. As you mention though, the overcrowding on these services at times is mental! I'm surprised GTR has got away with it for so long!

If only the ex-ScotRail 3 cars were sent to the Marshlink...the extra car would've made, at least, some difference.

I used to get the 0558 when I was studying in Brighton. The declassified first class was an absolute luxury for grumpy morning me! Power sockets, quiet (except for the constant 'bing' from the cab), nice big table to do coursework on... it was one of the best commutes I've had.

Three car 171s would have been perfect for the route, but alas once again the needs of London comes before the needs of the regions.

Of course, all of this just shows much of a pain having a sole diesel island in a sea of third rail really is. If it was infilled years ago, we'd have a regular fast Electrostar service without worrying about capacity.

sarahj · 6 Mar 2018

So thats another Brighton Lewes into the sequence. Where will it fit?
Current 00.10 Sef, 00.22 Lws 00.32 Ashford 00.40 Sef 00.52 Ore The 00.22 to Lewes hoovers up the punters from LRB/MCB and FMR for the Ashford. It's return from Lws at 00.58 is the connection from the Ore-Vic for punters needed Brighton and the intermediates.
You could fit one in at 00.00 and punters could connect at Lws for a EBN train giving one more Btn-EBN service an hour, 2 direct, 1 with conx. Return, well, errrm

RichardKing · 6 Mar 2018

GatwickDepress said:
Three car 171s would have been perfect for the route, but alas once again the needs of London comes before the needs of the regions.

London would've benefitted though - the 171s currently used on the Marshlink could have strengthened the Uckfields once replaced by the ScotRail units.
I wonder if GTR would still declassify first class on 3 car units though? Mind you, the standard class seats are really, very comfortable as well!

sarahj said:
You could fit one in at 00.00 and punters could connect at Lws for a EBN train giving one more Btn-EBN service an hour, 2 direct, 1 with conx. Return, well, errrm

The 00:00 would arrive at Lewes at 00:15 (give or take a few minutes to allow clearance from the 00:52) and could return at, say, 00:23*. The 00:23 return service could pick up passengers off the stopping Victoria service, although would have to be a semi-fast/fast service so as not to hold up the 2DXX service.

*Don't they do something like this on a match day?

samogers · 6 Mar 2018

What will the stock for each service be then? I'm guessing 313s on the Lewes and Seafords, 171s obviously on Ashfords and 377s everything else?

RichardKing · 7 Mar 2018

samogers said:
What will the stock for each service be then? I'm guessing 313s on the Lewes and Seafords, 171s obviously on Ashfords and 377s everything else?

This seems to be the case, yes.

Noggin The Nog · 7 Mar 2018

For me, the biggest problem with these changes is the loss of the 07:12 Eastbourne to London Bridge service. There were only three direct trains a day, now down to two

prod_pep · 8 Mar 2018

Does anyone know if the 313s will retain their limited presence on Brighton - Ore and Eastbourne services?

Starmill · 8 Mar 2018

sarahj said:
So thats another Brighton Lewes into the sequence. Where will it fit?
Current 00.10 Sef, 00.22 Lws 00.32 Ashford 00.40 Sef 00.52 Ore The 00.22 to Lewes hoovers up the punters from LRB/MCB and FMR for the Ashford. It's return from Lws at 00.58 is the connection from the Ore-Vic for punters needed Brighton and the intermediates.
You could fit one in at 00.00 and punters could connect at Lws for a EBN train giving one more Btn-EBN service an hour, 2 direct, 1 with conx. Return, well, errrm

It looks like they have found a solution that works perfectly to me

The departures from Brighton will be:

xx01 Ore
xx11 Seaford
xx21 Lewes
xx31 Hastings (the new express, replacing the Ashford)
xx41 Seaford
xx51 Lewes (the new stopper)

The thing that surprises me more than anything else is that Falmer is going up from 4 to 6tph!

louis97 · 8 Mar 2018

prod_pep said:
Does anyone know if the 313s will retain their limited presence on Brighton - Ore and Eastbourne services?

Not from what I have seen, no.

387star · 9 Mar 2018

Noggin The Nog said:
For me, the biggest problem with these changes is the loss of the 07:12 Eastbourne to London Bridge service. There were only three direct trains a day, now down to two

That one is cancelled on Monday because of the strike think it usually is cancelled for some reason

sarahj · 9 Mar 2018

Starmill said:
It looks like they have found a solution that works perfectly to me

The departures from Brighton will be:

xx01 Ore
xx11 Seaford
xx21 Lewes
xx31 Hastings (the new express, replacing the Ashford)
xx41 Seaford
xx51 Lewes (the new stopper)

The thing that surprises me more than anything else is that Falmer is going up from 4 to 6tph!

Falmer is a busy station, it's not just football, it's the two universities!!!!. Both London Road and Mouselcoombe also have heavy Student usage. A packed train from Brighton has normally lost 60-70% of it's punters by Falmer.

East Coastway - May 2018 Timetable

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