commuting to uckfield
Discussion
Luckily I stopped doing that 5 years ago. Even then, the 18:10 from London Bridge was packed and you had to be there early standing exactly where you hoped the door would be when (if) the train came in so you could be sure of getting a seat. I've heard from old colleagues that it's got a lot busier.
Getting on at Buxted, you'll be OK for a seat in the mornings; car parking is a problem unless you are in walking distance from the station.
And the service was not exactly reliable. As it is mostly a single-track line, the favorite trick when the morning rains were running late, was to turn them round at Crowborough, sacrificing passengers at Buxted and Uckfield, so that they could then be back on time for the trip back to London, bearing in mind the limited number of passing points. Otherwise the whole service would be suffering delays.
You'll notice the coaches have a parking spot for a buffet trolley. There are none, of course.
On the other hand, the seats are quite comfortable
Getting on at Buxted, you'll be OK for a seat in the mornings; car parking is a problem unless you are in walking distance from the station.
And the service was not exactly reliable. As it is mostly a single-track line, the favorite trick when the morning rains were running late, was to turn them round at Crowborough, sacrificing passengers at Buxted and Uckfield, so that they could then be back on time for the trip back to London, bearing in mind the limited number of passing points. Otherwise the whole service would be suffering delays.
You'll notice the coaches have a parking spot for a buffet trolley. There are none, of course.
On the other hand, the seats are quite comfortable
I commute from Crowborough one station up from Buxted. All peak hour trains are busy and under the new franchise additional carriages will be provided for the peak hour trains, however the platforms need etending first.
You will always get a seat from Buxted in the morning-the only exception being if something goes wrong and an up train is cancelled early enough to enable those at Crowborough and Eridge to get on it to Uckfield and come back again!
In the evening peak the 18.08 ex London Bridge is the busiest train and you need to be at the station at least 10 minutes before departure to guarantee a seat. If you dont get a seat how far you are standing will depend on the carriage you are in! Standing to Edenbridge is common. The other peak hour trains you'll usually get a seat upto 5 mins before departure or at East Croydon. If coming from Victoria is worth considering the shuttle from Oxted.
Its also worth being aware that in times of disruption down (to Uckfield) trains can be terminated at Crowborough and a bus service to Buxted and Uckfield however it doesnt happen too often.
It seems that Network Rail have a direct link to my work diary as if I am on the late 22hrs and 23 hrs) trains I invariably find engineering works means a bus replacement service from Oxted. Fairly sure its just bad luck.
General reliability is good although peak hour trains regularly arrive at their destinations a few minutes late, no idea why.
You will always get a seat from Buxted in the morning-the only exception being if something goes wrong and an up train is cancelled early enough to enable those at Crowborough and Eridge to get on it to Uckfield and come back again!
In the evening peak the 18.08 ex London Bridge is the busiest train and you need to be at the station at least 10 minutes before departure to guarantee a seat. If you dont get a seat how far you are standing will depend on the carriage you are in! Standing to Edenbridge is common. The other peak hour trains you'll usually get a seat upto 5 mins before departure or at East Croydon. If coming from Victoria is worth considering the shuttle from Oxted.
Its also worth being aware that in times of disruption down (to Uckfield) trains can be terminated at Crowborough and a bus service to Buxted and Uckfield however it doesnt happen too often.
It seems that Network Rail have a direct link to my work diary as if I am on the late 22hrs and 23 hrs) trains I invariably find engineering works means a bus replacement service from Oxted. Fairly sure its just bad luck.
General reliability is good although peak hour trains regularly arrive at their destinations a few minutes late, no idea why.
I also commute from Crowborough on occasion and the line has got much better. It does get reasonably crowded, but usually there is somewhere to sit.
The only problem is that the trains do not run very late, and seem to get more unreliable. So if I'm going out, I tend to drive to Tunbridge Wells and get the train from there.
The only problem is that the trains do not run very late, and seem to get more unreliable. So if I'm going out, I tend to drive to Tunbridge Wells and get the train from there.
andye30m3 said:
I occasionally head up from crowborough or eridge
As others said you usually get a seat on the way up, not always on the way back
The thing I always found so annoying was when the 2 carriage train turns up, crowded for no good reason
Some of usknow which trains are what length so manage to avoid the 2 coach train!As others said you usually get a seat on the way up, not always on the way back
The thing I always found so annoying was when the 2 carriage train turns up, crowded for no good reason
The problem goes back many years when the line was run down in to the ground by British Rail, the rolling stock was old, well past its sell by date and unreliable. Also the track needed significant works. BR decided it was uneconmic to maintain the twin track so single lined it. An hourly shuttle service ran from Oxted to London then there was the Cowden crash, which meant the hourly service became 2 hourly. Passengers fled to drive, or Tunbridges, Brighton mainline etc and the line appeared doomed.
When Southern got the franchise they introduced new rolling (the current trains) and they reinstated the through service to London Bridge. Demand for the service increased substantially (I believe you'll find it has one of the highest growth rates of any line over those years), and the outcome is that the train fleet is used used intensively and whilst there is a spare unit its actually a maintenace window so its only spare if not in for maintenance. The outcome is that if a train fails there is an immediate impact on the service and trains will be shortformed. However the train fleet has on awards for its reliability, which does amuse the passengers! Its made worse by the single track which means delays can roll up.
Whilst trains do terminate at Crowborough in times of disruption it is relatively rare, and Buxted to Crowborough is not a great distance and particularly in peak hours is usually because the next trin is immediately behind so the additional delays it causes are minimised and on average is actually a benefit for the passengers on the 2nd train as otherwise they would have to wait for the train in front to go to Uckfield, unload, turn around and return.
I sometimes have to get the 8.45 from Crowborough (on the one morning I do daughter drop off at nursery) which is a two carriage train. Invariably a school trip turns up and then we all end up standing all the way in...
Otherwise I'd echo what Chris has said- my normal routine is to go from Uckfield on the grounds that it's the same price, I can avail myself of a free Waitrose coffee and there's plentiful free parking (at least before 9ish). I did try Buxted to start with but parking's limited (and you have to pay). Going from Uckfield really isn't that much more in terms of time.
It's true that the 18.08 is busy but so long as you get there early enough you'll get in and probably, after a few goes, work out how to get a seat. It's also true that on very occassionally the service lets you down but show me a commuter service that isn't susceptible to the odd bout of chaos. The Uckfield line is about 1 million times better than the FGW line from Pangbourne and significantly cheaper so I'm not complaining.
Otherwise I'd echo what Chris has said- my normal routine is to go from Uckfield on the grounds that it's the same price, I can avail myself of a free Waitrose coffee and there's plentiful free parking (at least before 9ish). I did try Buxted to start with but parking's limited (and you have to pay). Going from Uckfield really isn't that much more in terms of time.
It's true that the 18.08 is busy but so long as you get there early enough you'll get in and probably, after a few goes, work out how to get a seat. It's also true that on very occassionally the service lets you down but show me a commuter service that isn't susceptible to the odd bout of chaos. The Uckfield line is about 1 million times better than the FGW line from Pangbourne and significantly cheaper so I'm not complaining.
Chrisgr31 said:
This thread has put the mockers on the train!
This morning the 7.05 or whatever it is from Uckfield started at 7.21 from Crowborough as 4 coaches instead of 8. Ah well I got a seat!
Like I said higher up, sacrificing clients (we're not passengers apparently) at Buxted and Uckfield to get the service back on time. Really glad I'm not commmuting any more. On my last day in the City the 18:08 failed to turn up so I got home at about 8:30. Mrs CanAm being convinced, not surprisingly, that I'd been down the pub.This morning the 7.05 or whatever it is from Uckfield started at 7.21 from Crowborough as 4 coaches instead of 8. Ah well I got a seat!
And what's all this about free coffee in Waitrose?
CanAm said:
Like I said higher up, sacrificing clients (we're not passengers apparently) at Buxted and Uckfield to get the service back on time. Really glad I'm not commmuting any more. On my last day in the City the 18:08 failed to turn up so I got home at about 8:30. Mrs CanAm being convinced, not surprisingly, that I'd been down the pub.
And what's all this about free coffee in Waitrose?
Sign up for a My Waitrose (ie loyalty) card and you can get one free coffee a day just by getting the nice cashier to scan the card. You'll have to bear a few marketing emails in return but it seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me. I see people stopping off at Costa each morning, or buying at the station and wonder why (unless they MUST have something other than a latte, cappuccino or tea...). The coffee's not bad and they only open at 7 (I think) but I find it a pretty agreeable start to the day. Long may it continue...And what's all this about free coffee in Waitrose?
Slightly affected by the problems this morning but still got "my" seat, left a bit late but at London Bridge about the normal time.
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