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GTR using Gatwick Express branded 387s on Southern branded services during Brighton line closure

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GodAtum

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I quite enjoyed travelling on the Gatwick Express last week, as because of the Brighton line closures, they stopped at East Croydon and Clapham.

The best thing was the guard was proactive in checking 1st class tickets and actually stopped people from boarding that section! Is this common practice?
 
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JonathanH

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GodAtum said:
I quite enjoyed travelling on the Gatwick Express last week, as because of the Brighton line closures, they stopped at East Croydon and Clapham.

The best thing was the guard was proactive in checking 1st class tickets and actually stopped people from boarding that section! Is this common practice?
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Gatwick Express ran half hourly non-stop from Victoria to Gatwick last week. However, that doesn't use all the 387s so some were used to run Southern services to Brighton via the Arun Valley. It is those you travelled on rather than the Gatwick Express.
 
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The Gatwick Express stock was actually being used on Southern services including ones via Littlehampton to Brighton, with the normal "express" services running at a 30 minute frequency. To add confusion sometimes they would go to Gatwick as an Express but come back as a stopper, one train missed East Croydon last Wednesday because of driver error it seems as it went to Gatwick as an Express on the previous trip: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/X47571/2019/02/20/advanced
 
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Gatwick Express don't have any Guards at all. It is all DOO. It would have been an OBS (which stands for On Board Supervisor or On Board Sometimes as they should be called) who normally just hide away in the rear cab. So i am surprised that he went to the effort of stopping people from entering first class. Although it is bit ridiculous when they go to the effort of stopping standard class passengers sitting in first class considering that first class is 100% identical to standard class.
 
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user1234 said:
Gatwick Express don't have any Guards at all. It is all DOO. It would have been an OBS (which stands for On Board Supervisor or On Board Sometimes as they should be called) who normally just hide away in the rear cab. So i am surprised that he went to the effort of stopping people from entering first class. Although it is bit ridiculous when they go to the effort of stopping standard class passengers sitting in first class considering that first class is 100% identical to standard class.
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Yes I did find it quite odd. they where wearing GatEx uniform so maybe it's policy to be more proactive than Southern OBS?
 
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Southern Rail OBS always hide in the rear cab. I am guessing you don't go on Southern Rail very regularly. I have lost count of how many times they have just hidden away in the rear cab for the entire journey. They will often go in to the rear cab at the start of the journey and remain their for the entire journey. On the occasions when they are in the saloon they rarely even check tickets or walk through the train and are normally just on their phone or reading the paper between stops. The OBS role is completely pointless. They should get rid of them and bring back Guards who at least did something (ie opening and closing the doors and despatching the train).
 
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user1234 said:
Southern Rail OBS always hide in the rear cab. I am guessing you don't go on Southern Rail very regularly. I have lost count of how many times they have just hidden away in the rear cab for the entire journey. They will often go in to the rear cab at the start of the journey and remain their for the entire journey. On the occasions when they are in the saloon they rarely even check tickets or walk through the train and are normally just on their phone or reading the paper between stops. The OBS role is completely pointless. They should get rid of them and bring back Guards who at least did something (ie opening and closing the doors and despatching the train).
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I cannot say that is my experience of them and many previous posters on here. Southern OBS are almost always in the vestibule and from what I have been told are not even allowed in cabs unless they are using it as a place of safety or the train is overcrowded and they cannot perform their platform checks or cab announcements in the saloon. The odd peak train they may travel in the cab during the mainline section if its overcrowded but at least when I have travelled they have been pretty proactive and available during the journey. Where as on Guarded services quite often you see them the cabs but on the Uckfield 171s they have to be in the cab to release the doors from what I understand. 313s majority of Guards seem to operate from the cab for whatever reason perhaps there is an operational reason for doing so even though some of them use the middle carriage I believe. In any job and any line you get good ones and the not so good ones. You cannot simply say they are all a waste of space as you put it.
 
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JonathanH said:
Gatwick Express ran half hourly non-stop from Victoria to Gatwick last week. However, that doesn't use all the 387s so some were used to run Southern services to Brighton via the Arun Valley. It is those you travelled on rather than the Gatwick Express.
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I got a victoria to brighton, via horsham train from clapham to three bridges last week and the OBS announced it as "Welcome to the Southern/Gatwick Express service to brighton". It was in Gatwick Express colours.
 
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bubieyehyeh said:
I got a victoria to brighton, via horsham train from clapham to three bridges last week and the OBS announced it as "Welcome to the Southern/Gatwick Express service to brighton". It was in Gatwick Express colours.
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Southern and Gatwick Express brands are both part of GTR and run jointly similar to how Thameslink and Great Northern works. A number of Southern drivers are competent on operating 387 traction and do work Gatwick Express services and they are both maintained at Lovers Walk. During engineering work they often utilise GatEx stock on the diversionary route. Its no different to a bus company using a route branded bus on a different route which often happens.
 
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OxtedSignaller said:
Southern and Gatwick Express brands are both part of GTR and run jointly similar to how Thameslink and Great Northern works. A number of Southern drivers are competent on operating 387 traction and do work Gatwick Express services and they are both maintained at Lovers Walk. During engineering work they often utilise GatEx stock on the diversionary route. Its no different to a bus company using a route branded bus on a different route which often happens.
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Yes I well aware, but it must confuse non-regularly travellers who don't have a "gatwick express" ticket, when a Express livery train turns up.
 
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bubieyehyeh said:
Yes I well aware, but it must confuse non-regularly travellers who don't have a "gatwick express" ticket, when a Express livery train turns up.
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Especially in the weekday evenings where a few Brighton - Victoria services are Southern operated but use 387s.
 
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bubieyehyeh said:
I got a victoria to brighton, via horsham train from clapham to three bridges last week and the OBS announced it as "Welcome to the Southern/Gatwick Express service to brighton". It was in Gatwick Express colours.
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I see what he did there. :lol::lol:
OxtedSignaller said:
Southern and Gatwick Express brands are both part of GTR and run jointly similar to how Thameslink and Great Northern works. A number of Southern drivers are competent on operating 387 traction and do work Gatwick Express services and they are both maintained at Lovers Walk. During engineering work they often utilise GatEx stock on the diversionary route. Its no different to a bus company using a route branded bus on a different route which often happens.
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On Great Northern it is not unheard of for the Cambridge - London Kings Cross route to be worked using Class 700 rolling stock when a Class 387 EMU is unavailable. I've been on a Class 700 EMU on that route myself! Talking of bus companies, when konectbus (coincidentially part of Govia) used to operate the Norwich Park & Ride services, they would often use their own branded buses on the Norwich - Thickthorn Park & Ride route when a route branded bus was unavailable. I've been on one of those buses myself!
 
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