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A link between Tat Cnr and Epsom Downs would be challenging as the former is higher than the latter as I recall.

I have just dug out, “Passenger Timetable. Great Britain - Holiday alterations, Christmas and New Year holidays, 21 December 1978 to 2 January 1979". By coincidence, Christmas Day was on a Monday. At risk of oversimplifying, the position was: December 24: Some services finished early; some...

The (mostly high-tech) ones at East Croydon have always delivered, but one at Haywards Heath diddled me out of £2 (if I recall) a while ago. But I did manage to get a refund! Apologies for blank message above; couldn't work out how to post without replying

I don't know where the data come from, but I use an App, "Live trains", which tells me the lengths of most trains - on GTR, anyway

I have noticed this - does anyone know about the unused spans?

I couldn't agree more! You have to dodge around all over the screen and "confirm" before you have finished your transaction. And why can't you buy two tickets at the same time? I am reasonably familiar with the procedures now, but there was a lady in front of me a day or so ago who obviously...

Coming in a bit late but the answer to your qn is yes. Btw all 3 volumes of THE definitive work were on sale at Sheffield Park garden (not railway) a while back. Forget price, probably around £15.

To answer the original question: All Southern staff I have dealt with have been helpful and knowledgeable although I was once given a super off peak ticket when I wanted an "ordinary" off-peak But NR at Gatwick sold me an off peak return to Didcot, unaware (?) they cannot be used outbound in...

Norwood Junction, I agree, is infuriating. You can arrive on the up fast to find your overground train waiting. But because the doors only open on one side, you have to trudge down and then up stairs, as you say. Does anyone know why Southern trains stopped running from Norwood Jc to East...

Absolutely not. Indeed, I show that employee costs per journey have come down significantly since 1978. Average cost per employee has indeed gone up, but the discussion earlier suggests that this is probably due to the shift between types of worker. I also pointed out that passenger income per...

The choice of 1978 was quite simply because I had a copy of the BR annual report and accounts. I was simply curious to find out how things have changed. I wasn't trying to prove anything. You have indicated one reason why employee costs rose ahead of inflation, although it has been suggested...

I will create pdfs of relevant Orr pages but won’t be able to do so b4 thur pm. Sorry!

1978. Data from BR annual report, yes. Some 2018/19 data from network rail annual report, rest from ORR. Latter especially, table 2.13, “franchised train, operator and network rail, income and expenditure in 2018-19”. There is also a summary (I think) “rail industry finance“, not to hand at the...

Your first point is a fair one, but my revenue and employee data for 1978 are for the passenger business only, so Freightliner is not included (your second point). The 1978 railways account includes a £50M "Provision for replacement of passenger assets" which partially answers your third point...

I am not quite sure what you mean by cultural changes. One of the key changes in the stats is the rise in passenger numbers, which started around 1980. Was this a reaction to increasing road congestion?

Railway productivity and finance crops up during discussions re the current disputes. I wondered if any useful background information could be gleaned by exploring how finances have changed over the last 40 years. Armed with the 1978 Annual report of the BRB and ORR data for 2018/19 (before...

Brighton-Eastbourne is 1 tph during the week and 2 tph on Saturday.

I fully agree with this. The answer to the question, "will it make any difference" must be, "yes". If there is a risk of having to wait for your bus in the freezing cold and/or rain will deter people from going into the town. They will either drive (more CO2) or go elsewhere (lost trade to the...

......but does anyone know what the trains are supposed to be doing (strikes apart). NRT seems to think there is a Saturday service south of the Thames on boxing day. As I was a bit suspicious, I asked it about Christmas Day and it returned with a normal Sunday service. Now I am very suspicious.