With only two weeks to go to new timetable I would like to explain what effect it going to have on Rye commuters.
It all depends on your start time at work. If you have to be into work in London before 8am you now have to catch 06.08 which now get you in office at about 7.30am.
Most people work minimum of 7 hours so unless leave work at exactly at 4 pm it will be really difficult to get to St Pancras for the 16.37 train. So you might as well hang around for another half hour and try for 17.07 which will hopefully get the connection to the Rye shuttle which will get you home at 18.17 or if Rye shuttle is canceled at 18.47.
If you have to start work before 9am you now have to catch 07.08 and will get to Rye earliest 19.17 or 19.47 if the Rye shuttle is cancelled
The new timetable has added hour on each Rye commuter’s day, as previously we could have caught the 06.38 and 07.38 in the morning and arriving back to Rye at 17.54 and 18.54.
Lots of Ham Street commuters are talking of driving to Ashford. This is not really viable for Rye commuters. Commuters living on the outskirts of Rye may have the option of going to Robertsbridge and using the Hastings line, but early mornings are not great from there either.
Also there were a lot of commuters who have recently moved to Rye in the last few years and they said the current peak timetable was one of the factors on this decision. It is also making it harder for younger people of Rye who maybe considering becoming future commuters and they may now think it is not worthwhile.
Finally there is also the Ashford to Brighton service and the fact you now have run across a bridge at Hampton Park in 4 mins to get a connecting train, which I know from experience at Ashford that Southern will not hold if the Rye-Hampton Park train is delayed.
For these reasons Rye commuter group and @marshlinktrains will continue to fight for reinstatement of the longer Brighton to Ashford service as a 4 car battery or diesel hybrid service.
I call on members of MLAG, Shrimp, Railfuture and BAAG rail user groups to reject the new May timetable and join with Rye commuters and back our stand.
I ask Rye and Hastings passengers to email amber.rudd.mp@parliament.uk. Saying enough is enough we deserve better and it is time Department of Transport spent some of money promised back in 2014 on Rye and Hastings transport infrastructure.
A minor point, but the station near to Eastbourne where Mr Barker is suggesting a change of trains is Hampden Park, not Hampton if you are trying to find this station in a timetable. Personally I would be hesitant in using this station to try “to catch the train in front”, as it involves the crossing of a footbridge with no direct alternative for those with problems of movement, buggies, wheelchairs etc, who will need to use the road level crossing. This is lengthy (and as it was once known as the busiest level crossing in Europe, is likely to delay you further). Better, I would suggest in most cases, to allow time for changing trains in Eastbourne. Yes it will be slower, but far less fraught.
As far as other services are concerned it seems to be the old adage of being able to please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, but none of the people all of the time. Going back some years there were only a couple of trains from Rye that extended beyond Hastings, and journey times – via either Hastings or Ashford – to and from London were far extended to that available today. Personally I welcome what should result in a more robust service (time will tell), with much shorter connection times at Ashford onto High Speed services on the majority of services during the day. There are more improvements to be sought, and adjustments to be made, but this is surely a positive start?
yes you are correct it is Hampton Park unfortunately most of my comments are quick written either waiting for or on train so sometimes a few typos occur.
In regard to good old days since HS1 open there are now lot more commuters using marshlink and commuters have moved to Rye in last ten years for this reason. Unfortunately no major investment has been on Brighton to Ashford line. The train still travels 20 mph past wincheslsa even through a new crossing was put in over 2 years ago.
Need more focus on Brighton to Ashford line not just on Brighton main line.
Finally since @marshlink has been highlighting issues on Brighton to Ashford services have improved. It just shame other rail groups seemed have take on themselves to agree to such drastic changes without considering consequences for current passengers.
Hampden Park, Paul.
And as far as changes are concerned, you don’t mention the reason for the changes, which I presume that you were aware of, or the alternatives that were on the table.
You should remember that the nature of the contract between Southern and DfT to run the Marshlnk service is just that – a contract. And as the Department for Transport ultimately specifies the parameters (including cost and resources), perhaps your comments would be more usefully directed in the general direction of Horseferry Road?
Speaking as someone not affected by the timetable changes as I hardly ever use the train, the perception is that the commuters, who have to catch the train regardless, are at the receiving end of all the negative alterations in order to make things better for day trippers and occasional train users. This seems shortsighted as surely commuters are the “bread and butter” for the train operator and once they have found other means of transport are unlikely to return to using the train.
It clearly doesn’t matter one iota what various pressure groups supposedly acting for Rye’s commuters claim to achieve, and how they puff themselves up. I’ve lived here nearly six years, the Ashford/Rye shuttle has never been reliable, and the pressure groups fail to get it addressed year on year. Now here we have the new timetable, better connections supposedly, but tonight half the trains from Ashford to Rye are cancelled. Again.