Yes, me too! These are the services I know best, as my family lives there. I was always disappointed as a kid that we didn't have steam trains on Southern, but you did get the occasional steam train - the daily "West of England" service to beyond Southampton was one.
@@AnnabelSmyth I was born and brought up at Clapham Junction and enjoyed seeing, and travelling on, many steam trains. Particularly, there were unelectrified routes down into East Kent where steam was used.
@@barrygower6733 We only really went to London Victoria and back when I was a kid. These days, I live nearer Clapham Junction than I do Victoria, so that's what i use!
Dylan I can actually remember a time when, as a kid growing up on the Sussex coast, Southern had a trolley service on all their coast to London services; this included Gat Ex too!
My uncle, who was once a guard on Victoria and London Bridge train services, ended his railway career operating the trolley service on the Gatwick Express!
Love travelling the U.K. via your videos. I wish the U.S. would improve it's trains - You traveled 67 miles in an hour for under £5. I'm only 25 miles from Charlotte NC and the train from my town into the city is $7, takes over half an hour, and Amtrak is our only option. For a comparison of your trip here, Greensboro NC is about 69 miles from me, takes just over an hour on Amtrak and costs $12.00/£9.64/€11.19
One ticket you'll definitely need to try out sometime is the Southern DaySave. You have to book it online 3 days in advance and collecting at a Southern station (or 5 days in advance if you need the ticket posted), but it allows you unlimited offpeak travel on any Southern train, for £23.50 (no railcard discounts either). It does mean for Saturdays and Sundays especially it's really good to get around with, and I've done plenty of journeys from East Croydon in the morning heading to Hove, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and finishing at Portsmouth then heading back. It can also sometimes be cheaper than an offpeak return if you know you're travelling on that day, so perfect for a trip to Portsmouth Harbour and the Isle of Wight. Enjoyed this one, the sunset added to the trip really well.
It's also good for the service to Milton Keynes - I rather threw the attendant there once when I had one, but he realised it was valid, and informed me that "the train is sitting on platform 2", which I thought was very clever of it, as normally they are on the tracks beside the platform!
@@AnnabelSmyth - In the early days of rail privatisation New Southern Railway wanted to use its dual-Voltage (750 V DC/25kV AC) Class 319 Electric Multiple Unites to run through services from Brighton to Birmingham. Owing to New Street Station operating at full capacity they only ever made it as far as Rugby, but that was a good first attempt! The Third Rail current collection shoes couldn't be raised when the 319's changed over from groundlevel DC to overhead AC in London and apparently the pickups on the first train struck quite a few lineside obstructions along the West Coast Main Line between the Capital and the Midlands.
Cracking ticket this, however with some caveats, main being min 3 days in advance booking, and for me, can only realistically do it via their app. That said, it's a fantastic ticket.
I enjoyed the same trip at the same price this week. Beautiful scenery and great service by staff, as I mostly find on Southern. My observations are that the travel time is slow for the distance travelled. The Electrostars do as decent job as possible at riding over some terrible quality track, though in some places the rocking and rolling makes it difficult to read and drink. If they put some decent track down I'm sure the journey times could be improved. I remember travelling the line on the old slam-doors with the wind buffeting forcefully through the wide open windows. The 'new' trains make for a much calmer experience.
😂 I miss the slam door traìns sometimes. All the doors slamming almost in sequence was a sound to behold. As for the creaking of the train in motion, the thin windows etc ...nostalgia
Apart from the massive fail of quitting the VIC - BTN route. The flagship southern region route & they want to scam you on Gat Ex, or you can suffer on Thameslink. Shameful.
3+2 seating is the best option here (although it shouldn't be endorsed more broadly). it's dense and you're crammed into small seats yes, but it allows people to have a seat. this is much better as a commuter than having to stand in a packed train :/ more trains though would be better
More trains are definitely better, but the area near Windmill Bridge Junction (approx ½ miles from East Croydon, 9 miles 69 chains from London Bridge and 10 miles 3 chains from London Victoria) is quite a mess
97% punctuality on Southern 😂 Must have caught them on a good day as whenever I have to use them i'm always delayed. Of my last 7 return trips i've been able to claim from delay repay 6 times. 3 of them for being delayed by over an hour due to cancellations.
I've seldom (if ever) travelled in a Southern Railway Class 377 Electrostar where the hot air hand drier in the toilet compartment actually works as intended!
For all the grief that Southern and South-Western Rail get, I've never had any issues with delays or cancellations on the occasions I've used those routes. Oh, and enjoy Bognor! Great little town.
Glad to hear Southern has improved. I used to live in Sussex and commuted twice a week to London Bridge. The service got so bad that in the end, I drove the 18 miles to Haslemere to go to Waterloo in preference to the 3 mile drive to Pulborough and the Southern service. Incidentally, they did a trolley service in those days but I believe it was killed by Health and Safety. One of the (few) advantages to first class - other than always getting a seat - was that you got a free cuppa! Thanks for the memory.
this was the first time I ever saw anyone using a wheelchair space. Nice. Fabulous price. I think you were wise travelling into the evening. I'm sure it would have been much busier earlier in the day. I enjoyed this one. I'd use it for sure. I also enjoy seeing around London.
Dylan, Suggestion: You and your wife might like taking a 5 day luxury train service on one of the Canadian trains from Toronto to Vancouver. You might like doing this in the winter.
The mid-Sussex line is one of the most beautiful in the country - I love it! About 65 years ago, my father used to commute from Arundel to London, and he would never pick up his paper until the train had passed Pulborough, as he loved to watch the spectacular countryside! I personally prefer the route (slightly more convenient to where my family lives) from Victoria to Littlehampton via Haywards Heath and Worthing, as I think the trains are more comfortable! Although it's some years since I last did that journey, so they may have changed them. And they are nowhere near as comfortable as the old slam-door trains, which used to have a buffet car - when I had a young child, a trip to the buffet was a great way to fill the time on the long stretch between East Croydon and Haywards Heath!
A route I know well! Used this many times to get to and from Butlins Bognor, and was surprised how cheap it was for a family of 4 (with a railcard). And I know all too well about the issues with Southern back in 2017 - going back home our train was terminated at Horsham running late, and the next one was cancelled. With the next one going to be jam packed, we jumped on the service from Horsham via Epsom to Victoria, arriving 2 minutes later than the next running service but having room to sit, relax and have lunch. The Virgin team at Euston was not so hospitable about the hour delay, as we arrived in peak hours and they would not let us on until we had to updraded our tickets, which they bedrugingly did after checking with Real Time Trains, however I got the whole journey from Bognor to Birmingham for free because of the hour plus long delay and delay repay!
I take this train every day for school at Christ's Hospital. The train is often late or cancelled. Waiting at Christs Hospital station is not pleasant in the cold harsh winter! The seats are comfy and I can do homework while travelling home although wifi never works.
To me the 'old style boards' are the 1970s 'white heat of technology' mechanical digital ones, that used to go tap tap tap tap tap all the time. I think I also remember the wooden ones in the 1960s that preceded these.
Still watching the video but had to stop to comment that Victoria Stations platforms look like heaven compared to Chicago Union Station. Your memory must be fading. 🤣 OK, I'm back. I agree with you completely. That service is awesome at that price. Very good value for the money. From my home to Chicago is a 50 mile run that costs twice the money and the cars are a mess. Well done Southern! PS. Off next week on vacation. Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight and California Zephyr. Visiting family in New Mexico an Oregon. Should be fun. 👍
New Southern Railway competes directly with South West Trains for customers on the London to Portsmouth and Southampton travel corridors. Because Southern's services are significantly slower they offer very cheap Advance Purchase travel tickets, as well as reasonably-priced Super Off-Peak Day Returns, to compete on price between the South Coast and our Capital City. "South of the River" (Thames) our electric trains are powered by 750 Volts DC supplied by a Third Rail, so it's rare for them to do more than 75mph.
The newer subclass 377/6 and 377/7 have slightly more room overall by having 5 coaches per unit, but they tend to be more concentrated on the suburban services (to places like Sutton, Epsom, Epsom Downs, Croydon, Dorking or Horsham). The earlier subclasses were built with [with the exception of 377/3] 4 coaches per unit can coupled to form a maximum 12 Coach train. A couple of route suggestions I have are for Southern's two nonelectrified routes (if you haven't done them already): London Bridge to Uckfield and the Marshlink service from Eastbourne to Ashford International via Rye. Of the two, I prefer the Marshlink line, I travelled on it when the service reached as far as Brighton, where for the first part of its journey, the tiny 2 car Class 171 ran semi-fast between Brighton and Hasting (calling at Lewes, Polegate, Eastbourne, Bexhill, St Leonard's Warrior Square and Hastings), before picking up the Marshlink route proper calling at Ore, then alternating every 2 hours Three Oaks and Winchelsea (Doleham, the station between them has just 3 trains a day calling there) before calling at all the remaining stations (Rye, Appledore, Ham Street and Ashford International).
Hard to compare with Union Station in Chicago considering most services use diesel trains. (I can only imagine the astronomical price tag on electrifying all of Amtrak!) I’d say it’s more like Penn Station in NY. Still not a bad service for under £5 considering how far it is. An equivalent distance trip here on the LIRR or Metro North might be 4 or 5 times that! (Closest in similar distance/time I could find was from Penn Station to Remsenburg-Speonk that cost $17 off-peak and almost $24 on-peak!)
Great video. I used to live on the south coast in Worthing and the trains were always delayed and cancelled. I havent been on them for the past year but after seeing this video I am pretty impressed.
Two things. 1. You could of got a south Western railway from Waterloo to Fratton or havant then southen to Bognor Regis. Number 2. The train toilet is working, unlike my LNER train. The washing mechanism didn't work
That would include 2 changes, one at Fratton and one at Barnham, so probably quite a bit more expensive. Getting the front section and changing at Barnham for the Bognor shuttle is another option
@@quintuscrinis8032 - Unless you fancy breaking your journey for an hour at Amberley, wandering down to the River Arun to enjoy the view across the water meadows, and maybe have a bite to eat and something to drink in the lovely Bridge Inn?
Really good advice regarding searing configuration in different coaches. Having lived in Bromley Kent in the 70s/80s I was very familiar with high and low density seating depending on type of unit (or open plan or compartment on intercity ….. different times !!) but not on different coaches on the same unit. Back down in Kent in a couple of weeks on a very rare visit so will check it out
Nice trip report Dylan, and on my regular commute too! Shame the later part of the journey was after dark, as there is some lovely scenery, especially brtween Pulborough and Barnham.
Agree. Once you get through the tunnel under the North Downs there is some very pretty countryside on this route. A pity that you chose to travel so late in the evening. Perhaps you were not anticipating some nice scenery.
Realistically if you wanted to get to bognor regis fast you could on the Portsmouth section and change at Barnham although this video is well detailed and shows that the slow service is well maintained and good value for money Keep it up!
These sorts of journeys are why traveling by rail is often a good idea, cheaper than driving, probably quicker, and with good all round facilities. Though I wouldn't want to be in the 3+2 portion of the train.
In the early nineties I spent two summers in Worthing. I can still vividly remember the „slam-door“ units you mentioned of what was then „Network Southeast“! And of course we also visited Arundel Castle, but back in the day the entry was definitely NOT 25 quid! 😂 From what I can tell, the Worthing service that once also left from Victoria via Clapham Jct-East Croydon-Gatwick-Haywards Heath-Brighton and then the coastline to Littlehampton (or on to Portsmouth) no longer departs from London Victoria…
Great video. Did you travel on Tue 23rd of May? I travel all around the UK and I went to Bognor then, I might have passed you, as my train got to Victoria at 19:45.
Last time I was in the UK back in 1991,I think it was British Rail I was on.,Intercity125 I purchased what was known as a britrail pass for one month.Paid for the ticket pass through my travel agent back here in New Zealand.Have been told that British Rail does not run anymore in the UK
Southern Railway's Class 377 Electrostars were first introduced in 2002 and are now showing their age. At least these outer-suburban commuter trains have now been retro-fitted with 240 Volt 3-Pin and 5 Volt USB sockets at every seat. Previously only 50% of these trains had 3-Pin power points, and then only in First Class! I used to charge my laptop computer from the 240 Volt sockets in the vestibules which were marked "Not For Public Use". Southern's male Conductors always turned a blind eye to my misdemeanours!
Slight correction, Reigate is served by Southern services from Victoria, so services depart from the right-hand concourse, not the left (I live in Reigate!).
I do so agree! And even the ones before those, with compartments - don't know their names - when I was a little girl, they were even more comfortable than the CIG/BIG coaches!
Good to see my train service feature on your channel and by the sounds of it I may even see you on the train one day as I regularly commute from Billingshurst on this service and rarely have problems or delays. The only downside is that the last train leaving London to travel beyond Horsham is at 10:35 which isn't great of you're in town seeing a show or going to an 8pm football match. Overall though its a generally very reliable service these days and links well with Thameslink at Three Bridges or East Croydon to make travelling to the City of London really easy.
It's always struck me as slightly odd that this train splits at Horsham, and then both portions follow the same route for the next 25 miles to Barnham before they part ways, but with the Soton/Pompey portion running non-stop and the Bognor portion calling at an extra 6 stations and taking ~10 minutes longer ... meaning that anyone from Billingshurst, Pulborough or Arundel wanting to travel to Chi, Soton or Pompey then has to change at Barnham and wait 15 minutes (and anyone from London/Gatwick travelling to those intermediate stations and Bognor has the 5 minute wait caused by uncoupling and waiting for the fast train to clear the line). It isn't even like it makes them particularly competitive with the SWR route, trains from Waterloo to Portsmouth are still 30 minutes quicker than the Arun Valley route, and the fast Southampton trains are over an hour quicker. Hmmm, hang on, I think I've figured it out. Short platforms. Amberley can only take 4-car trains and some of the other stations might struggle to take 8 carriages, so maybe splitting the train early is an easier solution than selective door opening. Or possibly there's more pressure on paths at Barnham so they don't want to be joining/splitting on the mainline, and Arundel isn't staffed full-time so maybe that's why it has to be Horsham?
What were the "old style departure boards" you refer to? Those with the orange LCD lettering? The new ones, with their white on black lettering, are rather like a retro throwback to the clack-clack real old style ones
We don't know if Dylan's train was routed via Redhill or if it was sent down the Quarry Line. I suspect the latter but some background information about why and when a section of the Brighton Main Line was quadrified would have been helpful.
With Southern who got rid of the Class 455 and Class 313. I probably would think that they should inherit the Class 377/5 from Southeastern to increase extra capacity or to order new trains. Overall Southern does operate some good services especially to Brighton, Gatwick Airport, Littlehampton, Horsham, Crawley and Three Bridges
I have to admit, it would never occur to me to take the Underground from Westminster to Victoria - I'd either walk or, more probably, take a bus up Victoria Street. These days one can get an 11 from Westminster Bridge.
I'm pretty sure that now with the PEPs out of service Southern IS fully 377, though some Gatwick Express 387s do seem to show up on Southern services from time to time, including Coastway services.
I just checked the southern website, and an advance ticket from London Victoria to Bognor Regis is £9.50, £6.25 with a railcard. And that's if someone manages to get an advance ticket. A normal single ticket from Victoria to Bognor is £35.60, or £23.45 with a railcard. And then that's assuming someone is going one-way, which unless they're moving like you are, is incredibly unlikely, a return is more likely, which cost £36.50 for off-peak, £37.90 for anytime, £24.05 off-peak with a railcard, or £25 anytime with a railcard. The cheapest it possibly gets is £6.25 and that's advance booking, one-way, with a railcard.
I enjoy watching rail travel videos but one mistake most TH-camrs make that bothers me is not putting the lid down on the toilet before doing the facilities review. Just a tip for the future, we know what a toilet looks like, we done need to see in it!
The seats on Southern Railway's Class 377 Electrostars are so hard that they might as well be instruments of torture. There's hardly any padding on the arm rests. The rail journey from London Victoria to Bognor Regis takes up to two hours, which is definitely not my idea of fun! That said, the countryside between Crawley and Barnham is really pretty, with some lovely views of the South Downs on the approach to Amberley, where there's a superb open-air industrial museum and a great pub called the Bridge Inn.
Dylan missed out on a few fun facts which could have enlivened the journey from the Thames Valley to the South Coast, such as the Surrey Iron Railway which linked London to Croydon as early as 1802, or the Weald Forest around Horsham being a centre for iron smelting (and armaments manufacture) up until the early 19th Century. It's always fun when a Southern train splits into two portions at Horsham as visitors whose mother tongue is not English, and who come from countries where trains do not divide en route, often end up in the wrong half!
less than £5 is a STEAL! my daily commute is £2.45 for a CHILD SINGLE to go 2 STOPS..... good ole SouthEastern :( but yeah these electrostars are pretty familiar lol
Enjoy your new home in Bognor. Looking forward to reports of journeys by train around the South Coast.
Yes, me too! These are the services I know best, as my family lives there. I was always disappointed as a kid that we didn't have steam trains on Southern, but you did get the occasional steam train - the daily "West of England" service to beyond Southampton was one.
@@AnnabelSmyth I was born and brought up at Clapham Junction and enjoyed seeing, and travelling on, many steam trains. Particularly, there were unelectrified routes down into East Kent where steam was used.
@@barrygower6733 We only really went to London Victoria and back when I was a kid. These days, I live nearer Clapham Junction than I do Victoria, so that's what i use!
whether it is Amtrak across the USA, or Victoria to Bognor on Southern, you always make the most engaging videos - thanks so much, Mate
Love the Underground bit at the beginning and the traction motor sounds. Felt like I was there again 👍😊
Dylan I can actually remember a time when, as a kid growing up on the Sussex coast, Southern had a trolley service on all their coast to London services; this included Gat Ex too!
My uncle, who was once a guard on Victoria and London Bridge train services, ended his railway career operating the trolley service on the Gatwick Express!
Love travelling the U.K. via your videos. I wish the U.S. would improve it's trains - You traveled 67 miles in an hour for under £5. I'm only 25 miles from Charlotte NC and the train from my town into the city is $7, takes over half an hour, and Amtrak is our only option. For a comparison of your trip here, Greensboro NC is about 69 miles from me, takes just over an hour on Amtrak and costs $12.00/£9.64/€11.19
One ticket you'll definitely need to try out sometime is the Southern DaySave. You have to book it online 3 days in advance and collecting at a Southern station (or 5 days in advance if you need the ticket posted), but it allows you unlimited offpeak travel on any Southern train, for £23.50 (no railcard discounts either). It does mean for Saturdays and Sundays especially it's really good to get around with, and I've done plenty of journeys from East Croydon in the morning heading to Hove, Bognor Regis, Littlehampton and finishing at Portsmouth then heading back. It can also sometimes be cheaper than an offpeak return if you know you're travelling on that day, so perfect for a trip to Portsmouth Harbour and the Isle of Wight.
Enjoyed this one, the sunset added to the trip really well.
It's also good for the service to Milton Keynes - I rather threw the attendant there once when I had one, but he realised it was valid, and informed me that "the train is sitting on platform 2", which I thought was very clever of it, as normally they are on the tracks beside the platform!
@@AnnabelSmyth shame they curtailed the service to Watford Junction and halved the frequency to an hourly service now
@@AnnabelSmyth - In the early days of rail privatisation New Southern Railway wanted to use its dual-Voltage (750 V DC/25kV AC) Class 319 Electric Multiple Unites to run through services from Brighton to Birmingham. Owing to New Street Station operating at full capacity they only ever made it as far as Rugby, but that was a good first attempt! The Third Rail current collection shoes couldn't be raised when the 319's changed over from groundlevel DC to overhead AC in London and apparently the pickups on the first train struck quite a few lineside obstructions along the West Coast Main Line between the Capital and the Midlands.
I did that a couple of years ago, absolutely fantastic and worth every penny as well.
Cracking ticket this, however with some caveats, main being min 3 days in advance booking, and for me, can only realistically do it via their app.
That said, it's a fantastic ticket.
Great video Dylan, have made that journey many times from East Croydon.
I enjoyed the same trip at the same price this week. Beautiful scenery and great service by staff, as I mostly find on Southern. My observations are that the travel time is slow for the distance travelled. The Electrostars do as decent job as possible at riding over some terrible quality track, though in some places the rocking and rolling makes it difficult to read and drink. If they put some decent track down I'm sure the journey times could be improved. I remember travelling the line on the old slam-doors with the wind buffeting forcefully through the wide open windows. The 'new' trains make for a much calmer experience.
😂 I miss the slam door traìns sometimes. All the doors slamming almost in sequence was a sound to behold. As for the creaking of the train in motion, the thin windows etc ...nostalgia
Yeah, Southern has definitely improved in recent years. Not perfect but better than it used to be.
Apart from the massive fail of quitting the VIC - BTN route. The flagship southern region route & they want to scam you on Gat Ex, or you can suffer on Thameslink. Shameful.
Moving to Sussex - that's quite a bit of news. I hope you two enjoy the sunny south.
3+2 seating is the best option here (although it shouldn't be endorsed more broadly). it's dense and you're crammed into small seats yes, but it allows people to have a seat. this is much better as a commuter than having to stand in a packed train :/ more trains though would be better
More trains are definitely better, but the area near Windmill Bridge Junction (approx ½ miles from East Croydon, 9 miles 69 chains from London Bridge and 10 miles 3 chains from London Victoria) is quite a mess
97% punctuality on Southern 😂 Must have caught them on a good day as whenever I have to use them i'm always delayed. Of my last 7 return trips i've been able to claim from delay repay 6 times. 3 of them for being delayed by over an hour due to cancellations.
I've seldom (if ever) travelled in a Southern Railway Class 377 Electrostar where the hot air hand drier in the toilet compartment actually works as intended!
For all the grief that Southern and South-Western Rail get, I've never had any issues with delays or cancellations on the occasions I've used those routes.
Oh, and enjoy Bognor!
Great little town.
I've always assumed the bad publicity is because lots of media types use them every day, rather than because they're actually bad.
Glad to hear Southern has improved. I used to live in Sussex and commuted twice a week to London Bridge. The service got so bad that in the end, I drove the 18 miles to Haslemere to go to Waterloo in preference to the 3 mile drive to Pulborough and the Southern service. Incidentally, they did a trolley service in those days but I believe it was killed by Health and Safety. One of the (few) advantages to first class - other than always getting a seat - was that you got a free cuppa! Thanks for the memory.
Brilliant, always love a good trip report
3:35 Reigate belong on the Southern brand btw!! I'm think you meant ramsgate/margate! :)
Southeastern do run peak time services to Reigate.
@@AnatolyDyatolov Not from the "Kent" side of Victoria station. I'm sure Dylan meant Ramsgate. He is a tyke after all.
@@AnatolyDyatolov they haven’t for years now
this was the first time I ever saw anyone using a wheelchair space. Nice. Fabulous price. I think you were wise travelling into the evening. I'm sure it would have been much busier earlier in the day. I enjoyed this one. I'd use it for sure. I also enjoy seeing around London.
Dylan, Suggestion: You and your wife might like taking a 5 day luxury train service on one of the Canadian trains from Toronto to Vancouver. You might like doing this in the winter.
Are you donating it to them?
@@robertfletcher3421 Do you pay my bills?
Brilliant idea Tony!
@@SimonLiddo thank you. Nice to see Canada.
I'd love to see this, but it'd be one of the most expensive rail journeys Dylan has taken.
The mid-Sussex line is one of the most beautiful in the country - I love it! About 65 years ago, my father used to commute from Arundel to London, and he would never pick up his paper until the train had passed Pulborough, as he loved to watch the spectacular countryside! I personally prefer the route (slightly more convenient to where my family lives) from Victoria to Littlehampton via Haywards Heath and Worthing, as I think the trains are more comfortable! Although it's some years since I last did that journey, so they may have changed them. And they are nowhere near as comfortable as the old slam-door trains, which used to have a buffet car - when I had a young child, a trip to the buffet was a great way to fill the time on the long stretch between East Croydon and Haywards Heath!
A route I know well! Used this many times to get to and from Butlins Bognor, and was surprised how cheap it was for a family of 4 (with a railcard). And I know all too well about the issues with Southern back in 2017 - going back home our train was terminated at Horsham running late, and the next one was cancelled. With the next one going to be jam packed, we jumped on the service from Horsham via Epsom to Victoria, arriving 2 minutes later than the next running service but having room to sit, relax and have lunch. The Virgin team at Euston was not so hospitable about the hour delay, as we arrived in peak hours and they would not let us on until we had to updraded our tickets, which they bedrugingly did after checking with Real Time Trains, however I got the whole journey from Bognor to Birmingham for free because of the hour plus long delay and delay repay!
Fantastic review! One of my local operators! also southeastern doesnt go to reigate 🤣
I think he meant to say southern😂😂
I take this train every day for school at Christ's Hospital. The train is often late or cancelled. Waiting at Christs Hospital station is not pleasant in the cold harsh winter! The seats are comfy and I can do homework while travelling home although wifi never works.
Just checked, a journey around the same time to Brighton (a similar distance) with a railcard is £22.40). Quite a difference
Brighton is available for less with a Thameslink only ticket. For some reason Thameslink tickets are around 20-25% cheaper than Southern.
@@chunkyboyjames £9.50 from London Bridge
@@Shads5 that’s because London Bridge to Brighton is using Thameslink. Southern services go from Victoria.
I feel as I have traveled the UK from watching your videos. Thank you
To me the 'old style boards' are the 1970s 'white heat of technology' mechanical digital ones, that used to go tap tap tap tap tap all the time. I think I also remember the wooden ones in the 1960s that preceded these.
Definitely remember them
Im an old Network Southeast fan.Thanks for this I love seeing the views. Great Job
The ceiling of class 377’s makes a great bottle opener
ElectroStar, TurboStar - Great bread 'n' butter trains, underrated for comfort in my opinion.
The cute dog at the end 😍 so adorable and great video 😁
lovely dog
Still watching the video but had to stop to comment that Victoria Stations platforms look like heaven compared to Chicago Union Station. Your memory must be fading. 🤣
OK, I'm back. I agree with you completely. That service is awesome at that price. Very good value for the money. From my home to Chicago is a 50 mile run that costs twice the money and the cars are a mess. Well done Southern! PS. Off next week on vacation. Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight and California Zephyr. Visiting family in New Mexico an Oregon. Should be fun. 👍
New Southern Railway competes directly with South West Trains for customers on the London to Portsmouth and Southampton travel corridors. Because Southern's services are significantly slower they offer very cheap Advance Purchase travel tickets, as well as reasonably-priced Super Off-Peak Day Returns, to compete on price between the South Coast and our Capital City. "South of the River" (Thames) our electric trains are powered by 750 Volts DC supplied by a Third Rail, so it's rare for them to do more than 75mph.
The newer subclass 377/6 and 377/7 have slightly more room overall by having 5 coaches per unit, but they tend to be more concentrated on the suburban services (to places like Sutton, Epsom, Epsom Downs, Croydon, Dorking or Horsham). The earlier subclasses were built with [with the exception of 377/3] 4 coaches per unit can coupled to form a maximum 12 Coach train.
A couple of route suggestions I have are for Southern's two nonelectrified routes (if you haven't done them already): London Bridge to Uckfield and the Marshlink service from Eastbourne to Ashford International via Rye. Of the two, I prefer the Marshlink line, I travelled on it when the service reached as far as Brighton, where for the first part of its journey, the tiny 2 car Class 171 ran semi-fast between Brighton and Hasting (calling at Lewes, Polegate, Eastbourne, Bexhill, St Leonard's Warrior Square and Hastings), before picking up the Marshlink route proper calling at Ore, then alternating every 2 hours Three Oaks and Winchelsea (Doleham, the station between them has just 3 trains a day calling there) before calling at all the remaining stations (Rye, Appledore, Ham Street and Ashford International).
Hard to compare with Union Station in Chicago considering most services use diesel trains. (I can only imagine the astronomical price tag on electrifying all of Amtrak!) I’d say it’s more like Penn Station in NY. Still not a bad service for under £5 considering how far it is. An equivalent distance trip here on the LIRR or Metro North might be 4 or 5 times that! (Closest in similar distance/time I could find was from Penn Station to Remsenburg-Speonk that cost $17 off-peak and almost $24 on-peak!)
Definitely like the new departure boards, ooh we love information. And btw, Victoria is my London Terminus. Feel right at home there
Great video. I used to live on the south coast in Worthing and the trains were always delayed and cancelled. I havent been on them for the past year but after seeing this video I am pretty impressed.
Victoria seems brighter that the platforms at Union station Chicago. I think Union can best be described as dingy
Two things.
1. You could of got a south Western railway from Waterloo to Fratton or havant then southen to Bognor Regis.
Number 2. The train toilet is working, unlike my LNER train. The washing mechanism didn't work
That would include 2 changes, one at Fratton and one at Barnham, so probably quite a bit more expensive.
Getting the front section and changing at Barnham for the Bognor shuttle is another option
@@quintuscrinis8032 - Unless you fancy breaking your journey for an hour at Amberley, wandering down to the River Arun to enjoy the view across the water meadows, and maybe have a bite to eat and something to drink in the lovely Bridge Inn?
Have you considered trying the new European Sleeper? I’ll be riding it in the summer! 😊
I think GN/Southern acquired some of the GWR Electrostars as I've seen an unmarked dark green set pass through Ely last week going towards Kings Lynn.
Really good advice regarding searing configuration in different coaches. Having lived in Bromley Kent in the 70s/80s I was very familiar with high and low density seating depending on type of unit (or open plan or compartment on intercity ….. different times !!) but not on different coaches on the same unit. Back down in Kent in a couple of weeks on a very rare visit so will check it out
Did you say your new home is Bognor at the start?
No, he said he was moving to the area: Brighton/Jove/South Coast
Really nice!
Hey Dylan, I got a video idea! Try Southern’s rip-off first class (probably just STD with headrests) to Seaford.
Ooh, Thank You for the Big Ben ring at the beginning!😊
I’m looking forward to your Trams report
Nice trip report Dylan, and on my regular commute too! Shame the later part of the journey was after dark, as there is some lovely scenery, especially brtween Pulborough and Barnham.
Agree. Once you get through the tunnel under the North Downs there is some very pretty countryside on this route. A pity that you chose to travel so late in the evening. Perhaps you were not anticipating some nice scenery.
Realistically if you wanted to get to bognor regis fast you could on the Portsmouth section and change at Barnham although this video is well detailed and shows that the slow service is well maintained and good value for money
Keep it up!
These sorts of journeys are why traveling by rail is often a good idea, cheaper than driving, probably quicker, and with good all round facilities. Though I wouldn't want to be in the 3+2 portion of the train.
In the early nineties I spent two summers in Worthing. I can still vividly remember the „slam-door“ units you mentioned of what was then „Network Southeast“! And of course we also visited Arundel Castle, but back in the day the entry was definitely NOT 25 quid! 😂 From what I can tell, the Worthing service that once also left from Victoria via Clapham Jct-East Croydon-Gatwick-Haywards Heath-Brighton and then the coastline to Littlehampton (or on to Portsmouth) no longer departs from London Victoria…
Oh, I think you'll find it does! Every 30 minutes, in fact.
@@AnnabelSmyth Good to hear! Seems I was looking on the wrong homepage… 😀 Thanks for the info, Annabel!
Bom tarde Dylan lindo trem de Londres
Great video. Did you travel on Tue 23rd of May? I travel all around the UK and I went to Bognor then, I might have passed you, as my train got to Victoria at 19:45.
1:28 great video, thanks, can’t believe the price! I wish I lived along that line & was eligible for a Railcard😅
Not sure southeastern go to Reigate. At least not from this station. Southern definitely does. Excellent video as always
Last time I was in the UK back in 1991,I think it was British Rail I was on.,Intercity125 I purchased what was known as a britrail pass for one month.Paid for the ticket pass through my travel agent back here in New Zealand.Have been told that British Rail does not run anymore in the UK
And that train looked well nice
Southern Railway's Class 377 Electrostars were first introduced in 2002 and are now showing their age. At least these outer-suburban commuter trains have now been retro-fitted with 240 Volt 3-Pin and 5 Volt USB sockets at every seat. Previously only 50% of these trains had 3-Pin power points, and then only in First Class! I used to charge my laptop computer from the 240 Volt sockets in the vestibules which were marked "Not For Public Use". Southern's male Conductors always turned a blind eye to my misdemeanours!
Slight correction, Reigate is served by Southern services from Victoria, so services depart from the right-hand concourse, not the left (I live in Reigate!).
It's not the same since they got rid of the CIGs with the lovely bouncy seats. And proper buffet cars
I do so agree! And even the ones before those, with compartments - don't know their names - when I was a little girl, they were even more comfortable than the CIG/BIG coaches!
Starts with a shot of Big Ben. Was hoping we’d get a shot later of Big Bertha but nah!
Good to see my train service feature on your channel and by the sounds of it I may even see you on the train one day as I regularly commute from Billingshurst on this service and rarely have problems or delays. The only downside is that the last train leaving London to travel beyond Horsham is at 10:35 which isn't great of you're in town seeing a show or going to an 8pm football match. Overall though its a generally very reliable service these days and links well with Thameslink at Three Bridges or East Croydon to make travelling to the City of London really easy.
It's always struck me as slightly odd that this train splits at Horsham, and then both portions follow the same route for the next 25 miles to Barnham before they part ways, but with the Soton/Pompey portion running non-stop and the Bognor portion calling at an extra 6 stations and taking ~10 minutes longer ... meaning that anyone from Billingshurst, Pulborough or Arundel wanting to travel to Chi, Soton or Pompey then has to change at Barnham and wait 15 minutes (and anyone from London/Gatwick travelling to those intermediate stations and Bognor has the 5 minute wait caused by uncoupling and waiting for the fast train to clear the line). It isn't even like it makes them particularly competitive with the SWR route, trains from Waterloo to Portsmouth are still 30 minutes quicker than the Arun Valley route, and the fast Southampton trains are over an hour quicker.
Hmmm, hang on, I think I've figured it out. Short platforms. Amberley can only take 4-car trains and some of the other stations might struggle to take 8 carriages, so maybe splitting the train early is an easier solution than selective door opening. Or possibly there's more pressure on paths at Barnham so they don't want to be joining/splitting on the mainline, and Arundel isn't staffed full-time so maybe that's why it has to be Horsham?
Great trip report Dylan
What were the "old style departure boards" you refer to? Those with the orange LCD lettering? The new ones, with their white on black lettering, are rather like a retro throwback to the clack-clack real old style ones
Great video
We don't know if Dylan's train was routed via Redhill or if it was sent down the Quarry Line. I suspect the latter but some background information about why and when a section of the Brighton Main Line was quadrified would have been helpful.
With Southern who got rid of the Class 455 and Class 313. I probably would think that they should inherit the Class 377/5 from Southeastern to increase extra capacity or to order new trains.
Overall Southern does operate some good services especially to Brighton, Gatwick Airport, Littlehampton, Horsham, Crawley and Three Bridges
That first section, did you notice the acceleration? That section of the District/Circle is now running on 750VDC.
I have to admit, it would never occur to me to take the Underground from Westminster to Victoria - I'd either walk or, more probably, take a bus up Victoria Street. These days one can get an 11 from Westminster Bridge.
It's also the gearing for the motors to axles
@@zodiotekgaming I didn't think they changed that though.
I'm pretty sure that now with the PEPs out of service Southern IS fully 377, though some Gatwick Express 387s do seem to show up on Southern services from time to time, including Coastway services.
They still have a few 171s for the Marshlink line and London Bridge - Uckfield services!
Never went to UK but I know all the stations names from Train simulator 2019 days. I still play this route on TSW3
Totally agree. The best route
I just checked the southern website, and an advance ticket from London Victoria to Bognor Regis is £9.50, £6.25 with a railcard. And that's if someone manages to get an advance ticket. A normal single ticket from Victoria to Bognor is £35.60, or £23.45 with a railcard. And then that's assuming someone is going one-way, which unless they're moving like you are, is incredibly unlikely, a return is more likely, which cost £36.50 for off-peak, £37.90 for anytime, £24.05 off-peak with a railcard, or £25 anytime with a railcard. The cheapest it possibly gets is £6.25 and that's advance booking, one-way, with a railcard.
Is "Govvia" the approved pronunciation? I've always thought of it as Go Via, since it's part-owned by Go Ahead
much better than when it was Connex South Central... they were some *terrible* trains! If they weren't cancelled they were half an hour late!
never been this early for a Dylan video ever!
Good job, you had your alarm clock ⏰️ on 😊
I live in bognor! nice video
nice
You're going to live in Bognor Dylan?
New home? Bognor? Are you and Mrs Travel Reports relocating dahn sauff? And the pooch?
Great trip. Ah yes, another 2-3 high density train seating.
I enjoy watching rail travel videos but one mistake most TH-camrs make that bothers me is not putting the lid down on the toilet before doing the facilities review. Just a tip for the future, we know what a toilet looks like, we done need to see in it!
Southeaster trains do not go to Reigate.
My thoughts on the seats:
Shame on you not walking from Westminster to Victoria and taking in the sights as you strolled up Victoria Street!
Exactly my thought
The homeless, the druggies, the thieves……
Catching that same exact service, in recent years, I would be getting Delay Repay 1 in 2 times.
Or catching the no 11 bus from Westminster Bridge, which is what I'd have done. Imagine going down the Tube when you didn't have to!
Sounds like a fun journey. I would want to do this one day.
The seats on Southern Railway's Class 377 Electrostars are so hard that they might as well be instruments of torture. There's hardly any padding on the arm rests. The rail journey from London Victoria to Bognor Regis takes up to two hours, which is definitely not my idea of fun! That said, the countryside between Crawley and Barnham is really pretty, with some lovely views of the South Downs on the approach to Amberley, where there's a superb open-air industrial museum and a great pub called the Bridge Inn.
@@KempSimon Dylan didn't mention the seats being that bad, and I don't care anyway
Pretty jealous of that head of hair
When was This Filmed
It's strike day today.
What are the yellow things at the top of the seat?
They are to help partially sighted if I'm not mistaken
Did you say your new home? Have tiu moved south?
Congratulations Dillan you are my fav TH-camr
You didn’t even spell his name right
@@maxschulman409 …
OMG, Platforms 15 - 19 approach has changed from my working days....
Southern Class 377
Yuck
Best train. Better than class 455s
@@stevehornsby7727 It certainly is better than *that* 😳 but it's miles (or rather kilometers 😂) away from being the best one.
You did not mention about how it will be £5
I'd like to hire you as a tour guide.
Dylan missed out on a few fun facts which could have enlivened the journey from the Thames Valley to the South Coast, such as the Surrey Iron Railway which linked London to Croydon as early as 1802, or the Weald Forest around Horsham being a centre for iron smelting (and armaments manufacture) up until the early 19th Century. It's always fun when a Southern train splits into two portions at Horsham as visitors whose mother tongue is not English, and who come from countries where trains do not divide en route, often end up in the wrong half!
Do channel members get as free videos?
Yeah
@@elijade99 sorry. Type. AD free I meant. If they do I should advertise that fact as I didn't think they did.. thanks for info
Train strike this weekend!
are you moving to bognor?
less than £5 is a STEAL! my daily commute is £2.45 for a CHILD SINGLE to go 2 STOPS..... good ole SouthEastern :(
but yeah these electrostars are pretty familiar lol
Victoria is so underwhelming compared to some of London’s other rail terminals
Circle Line S7 Tube Stock
Also used on district and Hammersmith and City line
Southeastern don’t serve Reigate btw
Bloody bognor
can u make a loggy on this train ?