Passengers using Southern services along the Sussex coast can look forward to more choice, convenience and comfort on many routes when the rail company introduces its summer timetable, along with modern trains to replace the UK’s oldest electric mainline fleet, from Sunday 21 May.
With local changes on other Sussex and South London routes [detailed in Editors’ notes], Southern is advising all customers to check the new times on the company’s website or an online journey planner.
Southern has collaborated with local stakeholders including rail user groups, Hastings Borough Council and Sussex Rail Community Partnership, which has enabled a re-write of the local timetable to better meet customer needs.
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Southern, said: “We’re making coastal train journeys better for our customers, and attracting new passengers to rail. I want to thank the local groups who were actively involved in helping us shape a timetable that improves connections and provides a better frequency of services by spacing trains out more regularly.
“Across the network, we’re making changes on several routes, so we’re advising all our customers to check for new train times, via our website or National Rail Enquiries, well in advance.”
Yolanda Laybourne, Chair of Bexhill Rail Action Group, said: “Southern’s planning team have sought not only to overcome the challenges by thinking differently and, in our view very innovatively, but have set our railway up for a return to growth by taking a fresh look at the timetable, adjusting it for passenger benefit, and, with the support of local stakeholders, user groups, councils and local businesses, to achieve a better overall output.”
Route 1: East Coastway between Brighton and Hastings
Analysing detailed passenger counts and working with local rail user groups and councils, Southern has redesigned services on the East Coastway for commuters, day-trippers and students between Brighton and Ashford International across the whole week.
Southern has also responded to changing commuter habits post-pandemic, by shortening some Monday and Friday trains when more people are working from home, to enhance other services.
Improvements include a new off-peak Brighton to Eastbourne service, which with other changes, doubles the number of journey options between the two resorts. There will also be two journeys hour between Hastings and Brighton all day and not just in the peak.
To make the timetable simpler, departure times have been moved to a ‘clock-face’ pattern, so trains run at the same time each hour without big gaps in service. Some journeys will be up to five minutes faster.
Route 2: Marshlink
On the Marshlink line between Hastings and Ashford International, the same service level will operate seven days a week, introducing hourly services at Three Oaks and Winchelsea. The Sunday operation also means additional stops at Pevensey & Westham, Cooden Beach and Collington. More evenly spaced departures will mean much-reduced maximum waiting times, and thereby more reliable connections at Ashford International.
Route 3: West Coastway
Peak-time services between Brighton and West Worthing increase from two to four per hour. This uplift is expected to make longer-distance services on the West Coastway less busy.
An additional morning service from Chichester to Brighton will replace the Great Western Railway service withdrawn last year.
New trains
At the same time as the new schedules come into operation, Southern will replace the country’s oldest mainline electric trains with more modern, reliable and comfortable 21st-century rolling stock, transforming passenger comfort and service reliability along the coast between Portsmouth, Brighton and Lewes.
Image credit: GTR
