Brighton - worse stats?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I've been noticing an awful lot of lines to / from Brighton on our little diagram at the top of the page again recently - quite out of proportion to the two round trips a day that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) runs there.  Today, the morning train from Brighton only got to Worthing, and the evening train isn't starting from Brighton, it's starting from Barnham ... In terms of journey delay, perhaps not too much of an issue on the South Coast as there are other trains around, but this morning's train's absence from Wiltshire will have left a gap at DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains), I think?

[Louis94]

but this morning's train's absence from Wiltshire will have left a gap at DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains), I think?

The morning 0900 Brighton to Great Malvern does not call at Dilton Marsh.

[grahame]

but this morning's train's absence from Wiltshire will have left a gap at DMH^» (Dilton Marsh - next trains), I think?

The morning 0900 Brighton to Great Malvern does not call at Dilton Marsh.

Oops ...

[Brucey]

There were severe delays this morning due to a signalling problem at Fareham.  SWT^▸ (South West Trains) ran a bus service between Fareham and St Denys.

[Southern Stag]

The unit on the 0900 Brighton-Great Malvern failed at Worthing so didn't get far enough to be affected by the signalling problems. The 1050 Great Malvern-Brighton was delayed at Bristol Temple Meads while one of the carriages was detached so it could strengthen a service to Weymouth, it wouldn't have been allowed past Southampton anyway as 153s aren't cleared that way. Presumably it then lost it's path and the delay just accumulated on the way down to Brighton. It seems possible that the crew on service are booked to have a break at Brighton as it does have a 45 minute turnaround time but a much shorter delay than 45 minutes will still cause it to be terminated early, usually at Barnham, which is also quite possibly the last place before Brighton with facilities for train crew to have a break.

[JayMac]

Another disruption to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Brighton service this evening. The 1635 Cardiff Central to Brighton is terminating at Havant due to 'a person hit by train'. The return working, 2146 Brighton to Portsmouth Harbour will, of necessity be starting from Havant at 2247.

The 'person hit by train' was at Fishbourne Level Crossing involving a Southern Southampton to Brighton service.

[bobm]

Looks like in the meantime the unit is going to form an additional service from Havant to Portsmouth Harbour at 20:30 and then I assume run back empty Havant to pick up its original working.

[JayMac]

Later FGW^▸ (First Great Western) working from Havant was eventually cancelled throughout.

From The News (Portsmouth):

Man hit by train is airlifted to hospital

A MAN has been hit by a train at Fishbourne, near Chichester.

The man in his 20s was airlifted to hospital after being struck by the train at a level crossing in Salthill Road, Fishbourne, at 7.25pm today.

He has been taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton by the Sussex Police helicopter, which had a paramedic on board.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: ^BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) officers were called to Fishbourne level crossing, Salthill Road, following a report of a man being struck by a train.

^BTP and Sussex Police officers attended the incident, which was reported at 7.25pm.

^Paramedics from South East Coast Ambulance Service also attended and the man, believed to be in his 20s, was airlifted to hospital.^

The BTP say the man is conscious and breathing, but the full extent of his injuries is unknown.

The train involved was the 6.29pm First Great Western Southampton to Brighton service.

Although the line has been reopened, the incident means the First Great Western Brighton to Portsmouth Harbour service, which was due to arrive at 9.26pm will now start from Havant at 10.47pm and will not get in until 11.04pm.

The train will no longer call at Brighton, Hove, Shoreham-By-Sea, Worthing, Barnham and Chichester.

The incident is not being treated as suspicious.

To correct the details in that article about the service involved; it was 1N92 1829 Southern service from Southampton to Brighton. The FGW service, Cardiff - Brighton was following.

[grahame]

16:59 Brighton to Bristol Temple Meads due 20:30 This train will be started from Hove at 17:03.
This train will no longer call at Brighton.
This is due to earlier signalling problems.

[JayMac]

Not sure it's just the signalling problems earlier in the journey on this occasion. There are capacity issues at Brighton this evening as two platforms (6 and 7) are out of action. A water bowser fell on to the tracks.

The incoming from Malvern could've made it's turnaround at Brighton as it was only 19 late at Hove at 1627. It has 45 minutes at Brighton to turn round normally for its 1659 departure. If Brighton wasn't two platforms down I suspect it would've completed its full journey as there was time enough to do so and turn round to form the 1659 Brighton-Bristol TM^‡(resolve).

I think it possible that the signallers didn't want the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service to tie up a platform for 30 odd minutes at Brighton.
 
Platform 6 at Brighton has since been brought back into use, but 7 remains closed.

[phile]

Don't forget about sufficient time for Traincrew break also.

[JayMac]

That's a good point phile and one I hadn't considered.

I wonder how the 'Brightons' are diagrammed staff wise by FGW^▸ (First Great Western). Westbury seems like the most logical point for a crew change on the 1659 ex Brighton.

[Brucey]

Last time I travelled on one of these (about two years ago), the train crew changed at Westbury.  I believe they sign all the way to Brighton.

Do FGW^▸ (First Great Western) still have any crew based at Fratton or Southampton?

[phile]

Fratton, but I am not sure if they ever had any based at Southampton.

[JayMac]

From The Argus (Brighton):

Rail worker injured in fall onto electric track at Brighton Station



 A rail worker has been injured after falling onto the tracks at Brighton Station.

The man is believed to have been working on a maintenance cart when he fell onto the track landing on the electric rail.

It is not yet known how badly he has been hurt.

Train services to Lewes and Eastbourne were suspended while the man was helped from the track.

Southern and First Capital Connect are both reporting delays on services out of Brighton.

A spokesman for Southern said: "An incident with a water bowser and its operator has occurred at Brighton Station. We believe the operator is employed by a contractor working for First Capital Connect.

"We have closed platforms six and seven in order to facilitate recovery of the bowser. This has meant that at the moment, although we are running all services into and out of Brighton, some minor delays of up to five minutes are currently being experienced. We are hoping to have platform seven open a little later this afternoon."