Train company defends service changes

The train company has defended a major restructuring of its services which was revealed in the Herald by rail user Simon Shreeve.

Simon took a critical look at the new system, which will coincide with the withdrawal of the hourly through South West Trains from Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing to Havant, Winchester and Basingstoke/Reading.

This is the full statement given by Southern Rail, and below that is the original article written by Simon Shreeve.

"The first thing here is to establish that South West Trains (SWT) is withdrawing its services as part of its franchise agreement with the Department for Transport.

It was reported in the Worthing Herald article thus: "Having seen off South West Trains by December, Southern will have.'¦" This is completely untrue. Southern is not seeing anyone off. When SWT withdraw its services, if nothing is done, the provision of services between Brighton, Worthing, and Chichester will be all the poorer with large gaps.

Southern is under no obligation to provide any additional services to compensate for the loss of SWT services. However, this is something Southern has chosen to do for the benefit of those passengers who would be losing out otherwise.

The changes reported by the Worthing Herald are going through a process of consultation. Rail Watchdog Passenger focus, local Rail User Groups and local authorities have all been consulted on the plans.

Our train service development manager Nigel Searle was passionate about not letting the people of West Sussex suffer a worse train service with severe crowding especially at Chichester. The withdrawn trains take 10 coaches off the West Coastway train service. Southern has no spare coaches and therefore the train service has to be re-designed.

The train service is built around providing the greatest benefit for the greatest number of passengers.

The journeys are listed largest number of passengers first

The journeys passengers would make if the train service were better are listed together with listening to passengers, rail user groups and other stakeholders.

One way of getting more efficient use out of trains is to run them faster.

Therefore some of the trains on the Arun Valley that are eight coaches are going to divide into two separate trains at Horsham. This will enable four coaches to run fast to Chichester and Portsmouth or Southampton. On their return these coaches will operate an earlier train. The other coaches will run to Bognor Regis maintaining the current level of train service at Arun Valley stations and doubling the frequency of London trains at Bognor Regis off peak

As the London to Southampton train is now going via Horsham, both of the London trains via Worthing can go to Littlehampton, doubling the frequency of London trains at Littlehampton.

The current passenger journeys at Littlehampton does not match the train service. Most Littlehampton passengers travel to Chichester, followed by Worthing, and London, with many less passengers traveling to Bognor Regis or Brighton. Our research and listening to passengers has established that many of the people of Littlehampton who travel to London drive to stations with a more frequent train service, and would use Littlehampton station if the train service was half hourly.

Therefore the new train service will give Littlehampton a regular hourly through train to Chichester and then on to Portsmouth, and a half hourly train to Worthing and London Victoria. The London train will have an immediate connection at Hove for Brighton giving a faster travel time than the current through train.

Revising the train service in this way has saved enough coaches to enable an hourly Brighton to Southampton train to be provided.

Key features of the new timetable

*Chichester '“ Victoria more faster peak trains

*Chichester '“ Victoria regular hourly faster off peak

*Bognor Regis '“ Victoria off peak double frequency

*Littlehampton '“ Victoria off peak double frequency

*Chichester '“ Southampton double frequency

*Chichester '“ Portsmouth 50% more frequency

*Brighton to West Coastway approximately every 10 minutes

*Two per hour to Hove change for stations to Worthing and Littlehampton

*Two per hour all stations to West Worthing

*Two per hour semi-fast to Worthing and Chichester

*Alternately to Portsmouth

*Alternately to Southampton

*Littlehampton - Brighton need to change at Hove but faster

*Littlehampton - Chichester-Portsmouth new regular through train

*But need to change at Barnham for Bognor

Over all despite having 10 less coaches on the West Coastway,

85 per cent journeys are to/from stations with a better train service, and is a remarkable achievement with less resources

11 per cen journeys to/from stations with a worse train service, is a price worth paying for the benefit of the greater number of passengers

Four per cent journeys to/from stations neither better nor worse

Individual passengers can make their views known by getting in touch with their local Rail User Group and/or can get in touch with our customer services department through our website or by calling them on 08451 272920 (Minicom/Textphone 08451 27 29 40).

I hope you will agree that Southern is acting in the best interest of as many people as possible in the West Sussex area."

*What do you think of the changes? Leave your comment in the section at the end of this article.

Rail user Simon Shreeve explains why it's going to be all change on the trains (printed on May 3).

DECEMBER will see a major restructuring of Southern train services affecting stations from Brighton to Southampton, coinciding with the withdrawal of the hourly through South West trains from Brighton, Shoreham and Worthing to Havant, Winchester and Basingstoke/Reading.

The Department for Transport consultation for a new franchise for South West Trains began in November, 2005. Specified was the withdrawal of the Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading trains as it was alleged that they were used only for local trips and not for journeys end to end.

Withdrawal was to be "offset" with a new service structure operating on the Brighton - Southampton corridor.

Were rail passengers using Shoreham and Worthing aware that this withdrawal was planned? Did the local authorities complain about it? If there were any complaints, they were ignored and the trains will be withdrawn in December.

What Southern now plans for December is a complete change of pattern of through and connecting services. It would be pointless to describe the weekend services since they are so frequently disrupted by engineering works, but the day-time services on Mondays to Fridays will be significantly changed.

WORTHING and SHOREHAM, besides losing the Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading through trains, will gain little. The two trains an hour from London will both go on to Littlehampton but there will be one through train an hour to Southampton starting from Brighton instead of London as at present.

The train service from London will not be increased or accelerated since changes to the Brighton main line are not part of the restructuring. The net effect will be that there will be only one instead of two through trains an hour to Fareham and beyond.

EAST WORTHING, FISHERSGATE and ALDRINGTON will lose a third of their trains with only two an hour in each direction instead of three.

LITTLEHAMPTON will no longer have through trains to Bognor Regis or Brighton but there will be two an hour to London via Hove and a service once an hour to Portsmouth.

BARNHAM and CHICHESTER fare much better with two direct trains an hour to Southampton instead of one. Although they will have only two instead of three trains from London an hour, both will divide at Horsham with one portion running fast to Barnham, thus giving shorter journey times.

Only when the new service starts running in December will it be seen if the pattern and frequency are sustainable and the much-heralded "connections" actually work.

What is certain is that there will be no replacement for the loss of the South West through service. A change at Fareham rather than Southampton and another at Basingstoke will be needed to reach Reading, inevitably greatly extending journey times.

The Department for Transport and the train operating companies do not seem to appreciate the convenience of through trains.

"Connections", that is, changes of train, are in practice inconvenient for all and troublesome for the elderly, the disabled and any with heavy luggage.

Looking at through services from Worthing and Shoreham and other services which could once be accessed by a single change of train, lost over the last few years have been the London Victoria to Bournemouth trains (cut back to Southampton), regular services from Littlehampton to Lewes and Seaford (now all change at Brighton), Basingstoke to Norwich (withdrawn completely) and Brighton to Northampton and Rugby (cut back to Watford Junction).

Imminent are the withdrawal not only of the South West trains from Brighton to Basingstoke/Reading but also all cross-country trains from Brighton and Gatwick Airport.

Having seen off South West Trains by December, Southern will have a virtual monopoly over services from Brighton to Havant.

Only the little two-coach First Great Western trains will intrude twice a day - but for how much longer?

Familiar with changing trains? You will be by the end of the year.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Were you aware of these changes? Have you a view? Leave your comments below.