SouthEastern announce planned strike (21, 23 and 25 June) day service

[Starmill]

For whom? Not for people like me where HS1 is of no use....

Lots of people making urgent trips will be able to park or take a taxi to Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International, plus others who will be able to park at Dartford or Orpington - so I'd argue on that basis that it is useful. Obviously it may not fit your circumstances but as you've not told us what they are nobody could suggest anything more useful.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Um, not for people like me who cannot possibly work from home....

No service whatsoever on my line, wouldn't have minded if SE managed at minimum, a 2-hourly service or a peak hour only service. HS1 and St Pancras is of no use to me


I'm so glad that I am not one of the "many"...


For whom? Not for people like me where HS1 is of no use....

Its not up to Southeastern.

Each Network Rail route has something called a Key Route Strategy which specifies what services Southeastern can run and what lines are open during a Network Rail strike, and Southeastern have just followed that.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Its not up to Southeastern.

Each Network Rail route has something called a Key Route Strategy which specifies what services Southeastern can run and what lines are open during a Network Rail strike, and Southeastern have just followed that.

Yes I get that now. Shame SE couldn't have had some say...

Lots of people making urgent trips will be able to park or take a taxi to Ashford International or Ebbsfleet International, plus others who will be able to park at Dartford or Orpington - so I'd argue on that basis that it is useful. Obviously it may not fit your circumstances but as you've not told us what they are nobody could suggest anything more useful.

I live on the Maidstone East line and work on the NHS front line...

 

[Blindtraveler]

Is there anything running as far as the Medway towns on strike days? Trying desperately to avoid it but I fear a trip South is inevitable during this period and whilst I will fly from Scotland I will require to get around when in the southeast.

 

[Peregrine 4903]

Is there anything running as far as the Medway towns on strike days? Trying desperately to avoid it but I fear a trip South is inevitable during this period and whilst I will fly from Scotland I will require to get around when in the southeast.

No, closest you will be able to get to is Ebbsfleet International.

 

[87015]

Ah I see. Yes that could be explained a bit better, but there's still unknowns.

What GTR (Southern) are actually advertising for those days are: "services will also be severely disrupted and we will run an amended Sunday service, no trains will start running before 0715" (my bold). So I think a fair bit different from Sunday once crew and stock diagrams are in place and the fallout from the previous days goes over. They also haven't published their strike day timetables (and GTR are of course not on strike - they are "action short of") which will have some bearing on what is achievable.

Speak for yourself and GTR (as ever) - the overriding message for Wed/Fri elsewhere is full service asap after wheels move at 0700/0730 depending on route rules. Will certainly show whos interested and who isn't...

 

[CFRAIL]

Is there anything running as far as the Medway towns on strike days? Trying desperately to avoid it but I fear a trip South is inevitable during this period and whilst I will fly from Scotland I will require to get around when in the southeast.

No, Ebbsfleet/Dartford will be closest

 

[Islineclear3_1]

No, closest you will be able to get to is Ebbsfleet International.

I'm guessing then that Thameslink won't be running or won't be running to Rainham?

 

[CFRAIL]

I'm guessing then that Thameslink won't be running or won't be running to Rainham?

I've not seen anything regarding Thameslink, presumably being essentially DOO they're not likely to be in dispute currently but will be affected by NR signalling etc...

 

[43066]

I've not seen anything regarding Thameslink, presumably being essentially DOO they're not likely to be in dispute currently but will be affected by NR signalling etc...

Based on the Southeastern metro timetable (who are also DOO) I’d expect it to be *very* limited.

 

[Starmill]

I live on the Maidstone East line and work on the NHS front line...

In which case I would say that if you're unable to organise road transport to a station or to work your only option is to speak to your employer about emergency accommodation? Or failing to that emergency leave. Either way the service will be useful to some people needing to travel urgently, such as to work in clinical healthcare, in London.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Based on the Southeastern metro timetable (who are also DOO) I’d expect it to be *very* limited.

Indeed and probably concentrated on their more core routes

In which case I would say that if you're unable to organise road transport to a station or to work your only option is to speak to your employer about emergency accommodation? Or failing to that emergency leave. Either way the service will be useful to some people needing to travel urgently, such as to work in clinical healthcare, in London.

I don't doubt the service would be useful for some people. But a service on at least 1 core classic route would have been useful; e.g. I could get to Headcorn and get a train to London Bridge and then a taxi to my place of work.

Emergency leave is out of the question unless it's compassionate leave and I'm not the sort of person to pull a sickie....

It's okay, like many people, I'll make other arrangements. Even if I'm late, it's better than not turning up and cancelling a day's clinic

 

[Class 317]

No, Ebbsfleet/Dartford will be closest

National Express have just started 6 coaches a day Canterbury, Maidstone, Chatham, Dartford, Stratford, Stansted which may help.

 

[Starmill]

Is there anything running as far as the Medway towns on strike days? Trying desperately to avoid it but I fear a trip South is inevitable during this period and whilst I will fly from Scotland I will require to get around when in the southeast.

There are the Bluewater or Gravesend to Chatam bus routes, I'm afraid you'll likely have to use one of those. Either a taxi ride from Dartford or Ebbsfleet International to Bluewater or change of bus.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

National Express have just started 6 coaches a day Canterbury, Maidstone, Chatham, Dartford, Stratford, Stansted which may help.

Good to know. Not so long ago, the Kings Ferry would have run additional coaches had they still been operating today

 

[Class 466]

Indeed and probably concentrated on their more core routes


I don't doubt the service would be useful for some people. But a service on at least 1 core classic route would have been useful; e.g. I could get to Headcorn and get a train to London Bridge and then a taxi to my place of work.

Emergency leave is out of the question unless it's compassionate leave and I'm not the sort of person to pull a sickie....

It's okay, like many people, I'll make other arrangements. Even if I'm late, it's better than not turning up and cancelling a day's clinic

Ashford to London Bridge would require a number of people to be trained up as conductors as well as a number of staff to actually open some of the bigger stations. Better to focus efforts on a minimal number of services and stations - and not those that rely on Conductors.

It’s essentially another operational complexity at a time when they’re really not needed.

 

[Class 317]

Good to know. Not so long ago, the Kings Ferry would have run additional coaches had they still been operating today

Funny enough bits Kings ferry operating this for national express!

 

[Islineclear3_1]

But do we know if all SE conductors are striking? We may never know as all the services have been pulled

 

[Class 466]

But do we know if all SE conductors are striking? We may never know as all the services have been pulled

Better to assume they are rather than not and see a raft of cancellations on the day.

 

[43066]

I don't doubt the service would be useful for some people. But a service on at least 1 core classic route would have been useful; e.g. I could get to Headcorn and get a train to London Bridge and then a taxi to my place of work.

At a pinch, drive to Ashford then HS1? As noted above likely to be busy.

 

[JonathanH]

Funny enough bits Kings ferry operating this for national express!

Kings Ferry is National Express. It has been since 2007 - its last years seem to have been an outlet for second use Levantes.

 

[ComUtoR]

plus others who will be able to park at Dartford

This would be a terrible idea. The car park is tiny.

or Orpington

Not much bigger either.

The best advice is not to travel.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

At a pinch, drive to Ashford then HS1? As noted above likely to be busy.

Thanks, but as mentioned upthread, HS1 is no good to me...

Kings Ferry is National Express. It has been since 2007 - its last years seem to have been an outlet for second use Levantes.

Really? Well every day's a school day...

 

[Starmill]

This would be a terrible idea. The car park is tiny.



Not much bigger either.

The best advice is not to travel.

There are 200 spaces in the railway station car park and more than 400 in the shopping centre 2 minutes walk away. If you really need to park and you can pay for it, you will be able to. Same as in most towns.

But do we know if all SE conductors are striking? We may never know as all the services have been pulled

If it is the case that there are more conductors available for work than expected, as sometimes happens, then on the future strike days additional services can be run, although only where the route is actually available. This has happened in other disputes.

 

[ComUtoR]

There are 200 spaces in the railway station car park and more than 400 in the shopping centre 2 minutes walk away. If you really need to park and you can pay for it, you will be able to. Same as in most towns.

186 at Dartford according to the website. However, the town centre is notorious for traffic problems. Pushing more people to use their car into a station where there is a strike and where the TOC has suggested not to travel, isn't sensible advice. Dartford's station car park will probably be full by 0630. It's been pretty much full by 0730 on a weekday.

Ebbsfleet has a huge car park but the A2 is again, notoriously bad. If there is a sudden influx of people trying to park locally, and cram themselves down the A2, then those making that decision need to compensate for the potential traffic hell.

 

[Starmill]

186 at Dartford according to the website. However, the town centre is notorious form traffic problems. Pushing more people to use their car into a station where there is a strike and where the TOC has suggested not to travel, isn't sensible advice. Dartford's station car park will probably be full by 0630. It's been pretty much full by 0730 on a weekday.

Ebbsfleet has a huge car park but the A2 is again, notoriously bad. If there is a sudden influx or people trying to park locally, and cram themselves down the A2, then those making that decision need to compensate for the potential traffic hell.

Of course this is all very possible. However some people will still travel.

 

[MrB]

SE not running anything before 7:30am on the non-strike days.

 

[Class 466]

SE not running anything before 7:30am on the non-strike days.

Also reporting some kind of upload issue as to why the Timetable for Wednesday & Friday are still missing. Should be fixed tonight though.

 

[theageofthetra]

SE not running anything before 7:30am on the non-strike days.

This is apparently due to NR making checks to the power supply system. What on earth is that all about?

 

[Tangent]

Just travelled from Lewisham to London Bridge. southeastern were obviously anticipating crush loading, and had planned things accordingly, ensuring they could limit numbers into the station. But it was nothing like as bad as I was expecting. The train was almost as quiet as in the first months of lockdown.