Brighton Main Line Closure (16 - 24 February)

tsr · 18 Feb 2019

For everyone’s entertainment...

Due to a train fault there has had to be some juggling around of stock tonight. The 2036 from Victoria will be one of those lovely 3-way splitting trains.

From Horsham, front 4 for Brighton via Littlehampton (perhaps a tad squished), middle 4 for Portsmouth Harbour, rear 4 for Bognor Regis.

I wonder when that exact arrangement of destinations last happened... if ever!

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RichardKing · 18 Feb 2019

tsr said:
For everyone’s entertainment...

Due to a train fault there has had to be some juggling around of stock tonight. The 2036 from Victoria will be one of those lovely 3-way splitting trains.

From Horsham, front 4 for Brighton via Littlehampton (perhaps a tad squished), middle 4 for Portsmouth Harbour, rear 4 for Bognor Regis.

I wonder when that exact arrangement of destinations last happened... if ever!

I wouldn't like to be the OBS on that one! Obviously, there'll be no PIS message available for this service, so will have to do lots of manual announcements! Cue plenty of confused passengers!

Chrisgr31 · 18 Feb 2019

Bletchleyite said:
Coaches are good for rail replacement due to the luggage space and seat comfort. While they increasingly have wheelchair lifts or a small low floor section, if they don't the requirement is that the service is accessible, not a specific vehicle. So a wheelchair-accessible taxi might instead be provided on demand.

If coaches were to be banned, given their ubiquity in private hire companies, we might as well give up doing rail replacement entirely.

My understanding is that whilst the intention was to use as many buses as possible the numbers required just do not exist. Therefore there are also a lot of coaches. Coaches are a lot more comfortable but there are issues with luggage having to go in lockers etc, whilst buses are less comfortable but have much easier access, have standing room etc.

Yes if a bus was not on the service a disabled person required then a taxi would be ordered.

Caleb2010 · 18 Feb 2019

This was done to death in a separate thread a few months ago!

Coach companies have little or no wrk during school holidays so have vehicles spare. And are cheaper to hire in than low floor all singing all dancing buses.

The majority of bus company schools services are tagged onto or run part of a normal service - which still needs to operate, therefore that vehicle & driver aren't available.

Put these two things together and it's easy to see why coaches are still being used on fail replacement.

And, yes - just like a vehicle working a normal bus service, if a vehicle couldn't carry a wheelchair or PRM - a taxi would be sought.

tsr · 18 Feb 2019

Chrisgr31 said:
Yes if a bus was not on the service a disabled person required then a taxi would be ordered.

Caleb2010 said:
And, yes - just like a vehicle working a normal bus service, if a vehicle couldn't carry a wheelchair or PRM - a taxi would be sought.

The first option during a blockade is to swap the buses or use a contingency bus so that a low-floor vehicle serves the route for which there is a wheelchair passenger. GTR have done this recently. Trying to get a wheelchair accessible taxi to take someone to a station in rural Sussex is actually quite difficult and, aside from this, getting the taxi into the right place in the blockade queuing system at the right time can also be a nightmare of its own.

londonboi198o5 · 19 Feb 2019

JB_B said:
From the reports I've heard it certainly sounds that way, yes.

RichardKing said:
Well, I'll admit, I'm now eating humble pie! Despite the confusion surrounding the direct Brighton-Three Bridges buses, it seems GTR have actually organised a good replacement bus service. If this can continue for the rest of the week, I'll take my hat off to the management team (for the first time in my life!). I'm surprised that the majority of commuters have taken the advice not to travel this week, and this has probably helped in making the first day of the operation successful.

Certainly seems you were indeed wrong JB

JB_B · 19 Feb 2019

londonboi198o5 said:
Certainly seems you were indeed wrong JB

Absolutely - it's good news.

Beebman · 19 Feb 2019

Unfortunately there appears to have been an incident at Balcombe this morning involving one of the replacement buses:

https://twitter.com/TommyRaiss/status/1097780455884115968

Another Tweeter ('Lewes Bonfire') at https://twitter.com/LewesBonfire/status/1097779110586269696 says "People in shock and tears but amazingly no serious injuries"

Islineclear3_1 · 19 Feb 2019

No tea and biscuits for the bus driver then... And obviously he didn't know the route/restrictions....

Bletchleyite · 19 Feb 2019

robert7111a said:
No tea and biscuits for the bus driver then... And obviously he didn't know the route/restrictions....

Probably using Google Nav or Waze as noted upthread.

Given that there are, for purchase, bus/coach/HGV satnavs, if a driver who has had an "accident" of this nature who has been found to be using a car satnav system of any kind should in my view be charged with careless or dangerous driving.

sarahj · 19 Feb 2019

It was a permitted route, just had some overhanging trees that it seems had been reported to the council.

Funny thing today: Folks handing out coffee vouchers on my not delayed stopping service to Brighton. Punters were more bemused, going ' but we are not delayed'. :lol:

David57 · 19 Feb 2019

But would a bus driver, driving a 'one off' route have to buy an expensive sat nav, no doubt at his own cost?

No excuses for hitting a bridge though, as a PCV/HGV driver, I know my height, and would be Very wary when driving an unfamiliar route....

sarahj · 19 Feb 2019

No Bridge bash. A overhanging tree/branch.

OwlMan · 19 Feb 2019

robert7111a said:
No tea and biscuits for the bus driver then... And obviously he didn't know the route/restrictions....

Bletchleyite said:
Probably using Google Nav or Waze as noted upthread.

Given that there are, for purchase, bus/coach/HGV satnavs, if a driver who has had an "accident" of this nature who has been found to be using a car satnav system of any kind should in my view be charged with careless or dangerous driving.

David57 said:
But would a bus driver, driving a 'one off' route have to buy an expensive sat nav, no doubt at his own cost?

No excuses for hitting a bridge though, as a PCV/HGV driver, I know my height, and would be Very wary when driving an unfamiliar route....

I love people who jump to wrong conclusions.

Islineclear3_1 · 19 Feb 2019

OwlMan said:
I love people who jump to wrong conclusions.

In what way...?

That is substantial damage and it must have been a very large overhanging branch to have caused that

Yes I don't know the route the bus took but unless it was pitch dark on a country road, is it really beyond the wit of man to not have seen this...? Was the driver asleep...?

If you have information to prove us all wrong then feel free to post here...

Surreytraveller · 19 Feb 2019

OwlMan said:
I love people who jump to wrong conclusions.

Even though the tweet says what happened. Obviously just looked at the picture!

Bletchleyite · 19 Feb 2019

I suppose it was in this case a "wrong conclusion" to assume that it was something a sat-nav would identify. But it isn't to conclude that it is the responsibility of the driver of a vehicle to ensure that they drive it such that it does not enter into collision with anything.

RichardKing · 19 Feb 2019

https://twitter.com/SussexIncidents/status/1097862090142957569

UPDATE: The bus company says the bus had to veer off the road to avoid another bus travelling in the opposite direction. Sussex Police said the crash happened in Balcombe on the B2036 close to the junctions with Newlands and Bramble Mead, at about 09:00 GMT. #BrightonMainLine

Chrisgr31 · 19 Feb 2019

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.0...4!1shkL-EG0QME77T5O7dJEXUA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Could possibly be the location although the road looks fairly wide whereas some of the tweets suggest its not a suitable route for double decker buses. Obviously its up to the driver to try and avoid overhanging trees but is there any comeback against the Council particularly when the tree has previously been reported?

ar10642 · 19 Feb 2019

Replacement buses, including double deckers, have been going along there all year. I know because I've been on one of them.

philthetube · 19 Feb 2019

Bletchleyite said:
Probably using Google Nav or Waze as noted upthread.

Given that there are, for purchase, bus/coach/HGV satnavs, if a driver who has had an "accident" of this nature who has been found to be using a car satnav system of any kind should in my view be charged with careless or dangerous driving.

Totally accept your point if he was using a company issued sat nav.

robert7111a said:
In what way...?

That is substantial damage and it must have been a very large overhanging branch to have caused that

Yes I don't know the route the bus took but unless it was pitch dark on a country road, is it really beyond the wit of man to not have seen this...? Was the driver asleep...?

If you have information to prove us all wrong then feel free to post here...

Although the same licence is held a bus driver is not a coach driver, A bus driver may have spent the last 30+ years following regular routes wint never a need to concern themselves with the height of their vehicles, not so a coach driver who will be much more used to taking a large vehicle along strange routes.

Not sure if relevant but the need for a double deck licence was dispensed with years ago.

Killingworth · 19 Feb 2019

Not been a good day for bus replacement services. Not just the tree strike but also another unrelated accident held up traffic on the A273.

Tree strike

Accident on A273

Llanigraham · 19 Feb 2019

Chrisgr31 said:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.0...4!1shkL-EG0QME77T5O7dJEXUA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Could possibly be the location although the road looks fairly wide whereas some of the tweets suggest its not a suitable route for double decker buses. Obviously its up to the driver to try and avoid overhanging trees but is there any comeback against the Council particularly when the tree has previously been reported?

That picture was taken in 2015; trees will have grown a bit since then.

Carlisle · 20 Feb 2019

philthetube said:
Although the same licence is held a bus driver is not a coach driver, A bus driver may have spent the last 30+ years following regular routes wint never a need to concern themselves with the height of their vehicles, not so a coach driver who will be much more used to taking a large vehicle along strange routes.
.

To my knowledge the major bus operators that do occasional rail replacement work rely on volunteers or perhaps temps usually organised well in advance, normal drivers aren’t as far as I’m aware forcibly taken off their regular routes unless they choose to volunteer

Tunnel Bore · 20 Feb 2019

Llanigraham said:
That picture was taken in 2015; trees will have grown a bit since then.

Not the right location, it was just to the south of the station, not north, in a series of bends with overhanging trees on the approach to the village.

philthetube · 20 Feb 2019

Carlisle said:
To my knowledge the major bus operators that do occasional rail replacement work rely on volunteers or perhaps temps usually organised well in advance, normal drivers aren’t as far as I’m aware forcibly taken off their regular routes unless they choose to volunteer

I think this is generally true, however this still leaves inexperienced, and untrained drivers operating in unfamiliar territory, probably dealing with hazards they are not even thinking about or have been advised to think about.

infobleep · 20 Feb 2019

RichardKing said:
Well, I'll admit, I'm now eating humble pie! Despite the confusion surrounding the direct Brighton-Three Bridges buses, it seems GTR have actually organised a good replacement bus service. If this can continue for the rest of the week, I'll take my hat off to the management team (for the first time in my life!). I'm surprised that the majority of commuters have taken the advice not to travel this week, and this has probably helped in making the first day of the operation successful.

I'm about to find out. Can't be worse than the previous Saturday when I had to wait 40 minutes for a bus north. Stuck in traffic in Brighton.

Perhaps they shouldn't have run any buses to and from. Brighton They aren't this Saturday but are on Sunday.

infobleep · 20 Feb 2019

Bletchleyite said:
Probably using Google Nav or Waze as noted upthread.

Given that there are, for purchase, bus/coach/HGV satnavs, if a driver who has had an "accident" of this nature who has been found to be using a car satnav system of any kind should in my view be charged with careless or dangerous driving.

The driver or the bus company?

infobleep · 20 Feb 2019

sarahj said:
It was a permitted route, just had some overhanging trees that it seems had been reported to the council.

Funny thing today: Folks handing out coffee vouchers on my not delayed stopping service to Brighton. Punters were more bemused, going ' but we are not delayed'.

I didn't see any coffee vouchers being handed out at Clapham Junction on my very slightly delayed train to Brighton. Life just isn't fair. Hahaha

Not that I even like the taste of coffee mind you!

Bletchleyite · 20 Feb 2019

infobleep said:
The driver or the bus company?

The driver, but the company should also lose their O licence if they are found to have in any way suggested that the driver did so.

Brighton Main Line Closure (16 - 24 February)

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