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December 2020 Timetable Change

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infobleep

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Still running but a big gap in the middle of the day between 0830 and 1429 when the service is limited to Redhill services.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...21-02-25/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

Presumably they are limiting the North Downs service to 1tph during the day because the trains don't have many passengers.
OK. Thanks. I was only looking during the day. That being this Friday. I wouldn't want to travel in the early morning as I can't get a discount. One month off peak period returns aren't avilable before 9am anyway regardless of discounts.

Besides they ask people to travel outside peak hours. At least that's what I thought they were doing.

I see this Saturday they only have a train at 6:24, 21:22, 22:17 and 23:20

So there must be even less people travelling on Saturdays than Monday to Friday. That was the other day I might have travelled.

The wait at Redhill for the stopper is just under 30 minutes, which makes it faster for one to travel via Clapham Junction, despite the greater distance.

However from Guildford to Haywards Heath is faster via Dorking Deepdene. The problem is you must specify whether to wish to travel via Dorking Deepdene or via Clapham Junction so I don't with you can mix and match.

Thankfully I have a solution to that, which I won't be naming in case they close it down.
 
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JonathanH

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I see this Saturday they only have a train at 6:24, 21:22, 22:17 and 23:20

So are even less people travelling on Saturdays than Monday to Friday. That was the other day I might have travelled.
Only one train an hour on the route on Saturday. Under that circumstance it basically has to be the Redhill stopper to ensure all stations are served. The timings don't work to extend the Redhill stopper to Gatwick in the paths used by the cancelled service.
 

infobleep

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Only one train an hour on the route on Saturday. Under that circumstance it basically has to be the Redhill stopper to ensure all stations are served. The timings don't work to extend the Redhill stopper to Gatwick in the paths used by the cancelled service.
It wouldn't be so bad if the Thameink services better connected with the Redhill to Reading stopper but they don't. It was the same problem last summer but hopefully as they haven't entirely canned the service across the whole week, they will be able to restart it again more quickly.

My annoyance is purely selfish. I just like having a direct train from Gatwick to Guildford. I appreciate they can't path the stopper to Gatwick Airport and its only right all stations are served along the line from Redhill to Reading.

I just wasn't expecting it to be cancelled this time, once it hadn't been cancelled in January, when I'd been expecting it to be cancelled.
 
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Minstral25

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It wouldn't be so bad if the Thameink services better connected with the Redhill to Reading stopper but they don't. It was the same problem last summer but hopefully as they haven't entirely canned the service across the whole week, they will be able to restart it again more quickly.

My annoyance is purely selfish. I just like having a direct train from Gatwick to Guildford. I appreciate they can't path the stopper to Gatwick Airport and its only right all stations are served along the line from Redhill to Reading.

I just wasn't expecting it to be cancelled this time, once it hadn't been cancelled in January, when I'd been expecting it to be cancelled.

I think your services have improved this week. The Reading stopper is timed to arrive at xx:52, there is a Gatwick Thameslink at xx:55 (the run from 0 to 3 is probably just achievable but not what you really want to do) and a Horsham at xx:07 which is a 15 minute transfer.

GWR moved to a Covid timetable in Late January which reduced North Downs to hourly stoppers plus a couple of through fast trains a day. This was ahead of Thameslink which moved in late February and actually increased Redhill to Gatwick services against the first iteration. I think the xx:07 Horsham had been missing and local rail users campaigned for its reinsertion which Thameslink delivered.
 

Class 466

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I think your services have improved this week. The Reading stopper is timed to arrive at xx:52, there is a Gatwick Thameslink at xx:55 (the run from 0 to 3 is probably just achievable but not what you really want to do) and a Horsham at xx:07 which is a 15 minute transfer.

GWR moved to a Covid timetable in Late January which reduced North Downs to hourly stoppers plus a couple of through fast trains a day. This was ahead of Thameslink which moved in late February and actually increased Redhill to Gatwick services against the first iteration. I think the xx:07 Horsham had been missing and local rail users campaigned for its reinsertion which Thameslink delivered.
From January to the 21st February the service was reduced on GTR in a way that reduced diagram numbers until a more long term solution could be sorted.

The plan was always that the Horsham - Peterborough’s would go back to half hourly from 22 February regardless of any local rail user involvement. It was just a short term fix by them to ease up the pressure. (At that point in January driver sickness across the country was sky high so many operators did similar).
 

infobleep

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From January to the 21st February the service was reduced on GTR in a way that reduced diagram numbers until a more long term solution could be sorted.

The plan was always that the Horsham - Peterborough’s would go back to half hourly from 22 February regardless of any local rail user involvement. It was just a short term fix by them to ease up the pressure. (At that point in January driver sickness across the country was sky high so many operators did similar).
Interestingly South Western Railway are still running three fast trains an hour from Waterloo down the Portsmouth Direct.

This Saturday I'll be getting a train from Haywards Heath to Clapham Junction. Unofficially getting a train to Woking, it leaves just 8 minutes later and then finally a train to Guildford. This is faster than going via Redhill.

Having said that I've not checked Gatwick Airport for unofficial connections to Redhill. I will do that.

There is indeed an unofficial connection. The 9:12 gets in at 9:23. Alas as the 9:32 to Redhill is just 9 minutes later, it doesn't show up. So helpful. The connection times at Gatwick Airport is a long time issue if mine.

Not that I have time to catch the 9:12 as I have another engagement. Earliest I can do is the 9:42, which connects with nothing at Redhill to Guildford.
 
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Minstral25

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From January to the 21st February the service was reduced on GTR in a way that reduced diagram numbers until a more long term solution could be sorted.

The plan was always that the Horsham - Peterborough’s would go back to half hourly from 22 February regardless of any local rail user involvement. It was just a short term fix by them to ease up the pressure. (At that point in January driver sickness across the country was sky high so many operators did similar).

Fair enough - just aware it was on a list of asks and if it suited Thameslink anyway its a win for all.
 

infobleep

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As a postscript to my earlier posts, I see they are running rail replacement buses between Reigate and Gatwick Airport this Sunday. Would I be right in assuing the contracts were previously let and they would have been charged regardless of whether the buses ran or not.

I'll be travelling on Sunday. Just need to decide whether to go via Clapham Junction or use one of these rail replacement buses..
 

Nicholas Lewis

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As a postscript to my earlier posts, I see they are running rail replacement buses between Reigate and Gatwick Airport this Sunday. Would I be right in assuing the contracts were previously let and they would have been charged regardless of whether the buses ran or not.

I'll be travelling on Sunday. Just need to decide whether to go via Clapham Junction or use one of these rail replacement buses..
I'd go via C.Jcn the whole of Redhill is shut and it looks like the bus service is running via Redhill rather than going straight down A217 so takes 30mins
 

infobleep

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I'd go via C.Jcn the whole of Redhill is shut and it looks like the bus service is running via Redhill rather than going straight down A217 so takes 30mins
Last year I got a train to Horley and then a bus to Redhill and one to Reigate, which wasn't any slower than a bus to Reigate at the time.

However that was before I knew of another ticket that meant I could travel via Clapham Junction if I wished.
 
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