FEB

2012

Just missed the train between Lewes and London?

Is it worth getting a train via Brighton or is it better to wait for the next direct train?  Except for advance tickets valid on specific trains, your ticket is valid on either route.

On Mondays to Saturdays, if you have just missed the train from Lewes at 50 minutes past nip over to the Brighton platform for the train at 58 minutes past the hour. This will get you into Victoria 72 minutes later (instead of the usual 68), with a 5 minute connection at Brighton.  You can also get the 7 minutes past to Brighton, but this gets you into Victoria only 4 minutes before you arrive on the next direct train.

Miss the 20 past and you could get the 29 minutes past train to Brighton, arriving in Victoria 72 minutes later, but there is only a 4 minute connection at Brighton and half an hour to wait if you miss it.  Better to have a cup of tea in the Runaway perhaps.

On the way back, If you miss the 47 minutes past the hour direct train then you may as well wait for the next one, but if you miss the 17 minutes past then the 36 minutes past the hour Brighton train will get you into Lewes in just 67 minutes, quicker than a direct train.  There is a rather alarming 4 minute connection at Brighton, but the train is on the next platform and if you miss it there is another train in 8 minutes.

These timings may not work in the rush hours.

On Sundays the only direct trains from Lewes to Victoria go at 16 minutes past the hour.  The 44 minutes past the hour could get you into Victoria 80 minutes later, but there is only a 2 minute connection at Brighton, which I wouldn’t chance, and a half hour wait if you miss it.

Coming back on Sundays the direct trains from Victoria are at 47 minutes past the hour.  You can also get the 2 minutes past service to Brighton which will get you to Lewes in 82 minutes, with a five minute connection at Brighton.

Sunday trains are disrupted by frequent engineering works.

For urgent attention: Consultation

One of the bus companies running subsidised bus services on behalf of the council, Renown Coaches, has pulled out of its contract with the council, citing higher than expected fuel costs.  Quite why a company that has tendered and got the job can suddenly renege on its contract is something that we are not told.

But, as an emergency East Sussex County Council is going to re-tender the contract and proposes to take the opportunity to make cuts in services.

You can find details of what they propose here.  A summary of the changes and proposed timetables are at the bottom of the  web page.

So far as I can see the main changes are:

• Changes to the services to buses on the Neville Estate
• There would be fewer 123 buses on the Malling estate but more 128s. The last bus down Spences Lane would now be 14.03.
• Some passengers on on the 123 to and from Newhaven would find themselves possibly sharing buses with Priory students.
• The late afternoon journey on the 143 bus to and from Hailsham is withdrawn. This also serves some of the back streets of Ringmer.

Send your comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 3^rd February.  I suggest that you also copy your comments to your county councillor.  For Bridge and Ringmer this is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it For the rest of Lewes this is Ruth O’Keeffe This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Here are the new train fares (selected old fares in brackets)

Weekly £116.10, monthly £445.90, annual, £4644

Weekly £100.50, monthly £386, annual £4020 (£3832)

Weekly £92.70 (88.30), monthly £356, annual £3708 (£3532)

Weekly £28.90, (£27.30) Monthly £111, Annual £1156 (£1056)

The weekly and monthly tickets can be reduced by half if you have a smart card, but these are not yet generally available.

Weekly, £51.30, Monthly £197, Annual £2052

London Victoria

Any time £44.40 (£41.20) off peak £25.10 super off peak £14.25 (internet price)

London travelcard

Off peak £25.55 (internet price) super off peak £17.70 (internet price)

Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut about the fact that you could buy an any time return ticket to Godalming, which would get you to Clapham junction, for far less than the any time return to London. Southern have stopped it, but Nick Tucker has found out that you can still get an any time return to Aldershot, via Clapham, for £23. You will need to buy another ticket to get you from Clapham to wherever you want to go, but this is still cheaper than paying out £44.40.

ADVANCE SINGLES

Minimum internet advance fare to or from Victoria is now £4.50 without a railcard (£3.50). Tickets to Shepherds Bush and onwards to Milton Keynes start at £6.75 (£5.50) It is not clear whether these tickets will be more or less available than in 2011

DAYSAVE TICKETS

Unchanged at

Daily off peak £12 individual and £24 for 2-4.

Daily daysave peak £30 (cheaper than an any time return)

Daysave weekly £80 (cheaper than a weekly season ticket to London)

Daysave flexi £100 ( a bit like a carnet, but you have to specify your dates in advance)

DOWNLANDER TICKETS

All network £12.50 (still the often the best bet for coming back from London in the rush hour)

South coast still £10.

UNDERGROUND

From September 18^th Brighton buses 28 and 29 going to Brighton will call at the bus station and buses to Tunbridge Wells and Ringmer will stop outside Waitrose. This is the exact opposite of what happens now. Confusion will reign until people get used to it.

This is because the bus company are running more buses between Brighton and Lewes. Good for them! There is now a bus every ten minutes in the day. But the extra buses terminate at Lewes and have been clogging up the bus stop outside Waitrose.

Aug

2011

BRIGHTON BUS SAVER TICKETS VIA THE WEBSITE

You can buy daily saver tickets via the Brighton buses website for £3, which is much the cheapest way of buying them, although Cathy Scott points out that they have recently increased the postal charge to 45p. You can buy a load and scratch off the date when you need to use them.

Rather rudely, the bus company say that if you do not pay out for registered post they will not be responsible if the tickets get lost. This is illegal and you need only opt for ordinary postage. I have never had tickets lost, but if they are the bus company is responsible for replacing them.

As I’ve pointed out before, saver tickets are valid on all services out of Brighton except the Landport buses and the Saturdays only 25 to Alfriston. So your three quid destinations could include Brighton, Steyning, Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, the Bluebell Railway (Saturdays only) Ditchling, Chailey Common or Haywards Heath.

POSH TRAINS TO BRUM

Regular readers will know that travelman doesn’t think much of Virgin trains’ wretched Pendelino trains, that are cramped, often expensive and offer window seats with no windows. He is also rather keen on Chiltern trains, who are owned by the German railway company.

Both these companies run trains from London to Birmingham. Currently Virgin takes 90 minutes and Chiltern takes two hours, although they are undertaking works to speed up the service.

But Chiltern trains are far more comfortable (although without a buffet) and, instead of going from horrible Euston to even more ugly Birmingham New Street, Chiltern run between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street, surely two of the most lovely urban stations on the network.

Chiltern’s fares start at £5 each way from London to Birmingham, although to get these fares you will have to book the London to Birmingham separately from Lewes to London.

Plus - on some trains during the week Chiltern run their super deluxe trains that used to be owned by the Wrexham and Shropshire Railway. These are older, refurbished carriages, which means that they have really good leg room, seats that are aligned with the windows and a good level of comfort. Even better, if you get there early you can grab a seat in the former first class carriage, which has really posh seats and free wi-fi.

Currently the posh trains run on Monday to Friday on the 8.20, 13.20, 16.30, 18.06 and 18.30 services out of London and the 05.43, 06.14, 10.55 and 15.55 services out of Birmingham. You can phone 01295 759930 to confirm these times.

But don’t try this in the middle two weeks in August. Chiltern are closing their line to upgrade it.

June

2011

PLUSBUS COMES TO LEWES

You have read it here before, but it seems a good time to remind you that you can now buy add on tickets which enable you to use the bus as well as the train.

You buy your tickets and ask for a Lewes plusbus ticket. Day tickets cost: Adult: £2, Child: £1, Railcard holder: £1.30.

If you are buying at the ticket office just ask for Lewes plusbus. But if you want to use the ticket to get to the ticket office you can book on line 7 days in advance and have the tickets posted to you. Type in Lewes plusbus as your starting point or look for the plusbus add on later in the booking procedure.

You can use Lewes plus bus on any bus except the 25. The boundaries are:,

South Chailey, Lewes Road A275, Markstakes Lane

• A26, Barcombe Mills Road

• Broyle, Broyle Close

• Selmeston Lewes Road A27, Common Lane

• Rodmell

• A27 Newmarket Inn

Kingston, Barcombe, Firle, Beddingham and Ringmer are all included.

SOUTHERN RAIL TICKETS AT 10% OF USUAL PRICES

Southern is doing a lot of short term offers which tend to come and go before Travel Log deadlines. It is probably a good idea to sign up for email alerts at http://www.southernrailway.com/