No trains to LGW for a week.

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    openfly
    Participant

    For those that haven’t heard, there are no trains to Gatwick, from any destination, until at least the 7th Jan, according to Southernrailway.com. This is due to a land slip on the fast line from London and “planned engineering works” on the slow line. Instead of discontinuing the planned works and opening the slow line, Network Rail have decided to inconvenience all the passengers travelling to the worlds busiest single runway airport!

    The alternative rail routes are from Victoria/Waterloo to East Grinstead and Dorking with bus connections to Gatwick (and everywhere in Sussex). The train journey time from Victoria is approx one hour and the connecting bus service about another hour.

    Needless to say there is no information on BA.Com to inform and warn LGW passengers of this extended travel time. Brilliant customer service….! Information costs nothing.

    It seems that, until Gatwick gets itself sorted, it is a case of avoid at all costs.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    Thanks for sharing that, openfly and as I will be coming to Gatwick on 19/1, hopefully will be sorted by then.

    I guess the National Express coach to Victoria is probably the most convenient alternative?


    flier74
    Participant

    I did ot know thst either, but why should ba.com give info about trains?
    Where do you draw the line, would you expect BA and indeed all airlines to include info about buses, car park transfers, ground transport delays for all stations to publish on their website?
    Is there any info on EZY or any other airline about this problem? , thats why the Airports or train companies have their own websites to keep the traveller informed. Train websites do not provide information about flights either I guess. Just a thought but the Airlines’ websites would be cluttered with all kind of useless information for most if that was to happen.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    flier74

    I respectfully disagree.

    When there is a situation that adds 90 minutes to the airport journey, I believe it is in the interests of the airlines and passengers for this to be promulgated on airline websites and by email to customers.

    This info is on the easyJet website

    http://support.easyjet.com/faq/en/request.do?view%28%29=c%5Bcase-3970]

    However, I hope easyJet is mailing it’s customers to inform them of the delays.


    flier74
    Participant

    That ia fair emough FormerlyDoS but I do think Airlines in general are not responsible for updates on Ground Transport Services and as I said, whete do you draw the line on what information you provide.
    When I plan my travels, I use the approriate websites rather thean relying on having everything I need available on one website. I find them far more accurate and up to date.

    Hi openfly – we can only find details of disruption up until January 2 – do you have a link to where Southern states there will be no trains until January 7?

    http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/100083/gatwick-suffers-festive-rail-disruption


    TominScotland
    Participant

    FormerlyDoS – As a family member is flying EZY to Gatwick in the next couple of days, do you have an up-dated Easyjet website because your link is showing:

    Well, that’s embarrassing!
    Either the page you’re trying to reach no longer exists, or we are having some difficulties at the moment.

    Please try to access our systems again via http://www.easyjet.com.

    If that doesn’t immediately work, please try again in five minutes.

    We do actively monitor our site and will be working to resolve the issue, so there’s no need to call.

    Http error code: 400


    flier74
    Participant

    Hi Tom,
    I am not FormerlyDos, but if you go on easyjet.com and then Travel information, something about trains comes up


    TominScotland
    Participant

    Thanks, flier74


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Ok – always best to deal in the facts.

    “No services to Gatwick, from any destination” – is incorrect – trains to Gatwick have been running from the South Coast for most of the period. Including yesterday when we used the service.

    “Landslip on the fast line from London” – is incorrect. The fast and slow lines from London are both closed to allow renewal of Stoats Nest Junction between Purley and Redhill (commuters will know where this is). It was the intention to run services on a diversionary route from London via Dorking but that is where the landslip is.

    “Instead of discontinuing the planned works” – you mean after the track/junction at Stoats Nest has been removed?? How would that work then?

    “Until at least 7th January” – is incorrect, services are due to resume on 2nd January as both Southern and FCC state on their websites.

    “The train journey time from Victoria is approx an hour and the bus service about another hour” – is incorrect, the bus is 25 mins and the train 45 mins. Alternatively 30 mins bus to Coulsdon and 35 mins to London Bridge.

    Not exactly the finest OP I have seen on here in 2013.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    Tom

    The new link is

    http://support.easyjet.com/faq/en/request.do?view%28%29=c%5Bcase-3970]

    This worked 2 mins ago.

    In case it changes again, I recommend going to

    http://support.easyjet.com/faq/en/request.do

    And then selecting ‘Latest Travel Info’ , under the ‘Live Information ‘ category, on the upper RHS of the screen.


    TimFitzgeraldTC
    Participant

    As Simon S1 says – the OP has several factors wrong and Simon has correctly advised the current situation. Trains should resume as normal on 2nd Jan and this closure was always planned. The diversionary route has made things slightly worse – though not much was going that way anyway.


    openfly
    Participant

    Hi BT…..I got that date from the ticket office at Three Bridges this morning, face to face. Three Bridges is the next station down the lines from LGW. They suggest that things are quite grim and when the trains do start operating there will be severe restrictions for some time. The land slip on the “fast line” is apparently quite bad. So all trains will only have the “slow line” via Redhill
    A statement from Network Rail/rail companies would be welcome. Then at least passengers and airlines could be prepared.

    SimonS1 Radio 2 traffic news is also giving the same information.

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