Rail and council chiefs have been unable to agree that trains should run to and from Brighton on the busiest Saturday of the year.
With train drivers belonging to the ASLEF union currently keeping to an overtime ban, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said that there would no trains as huge crowds head to Brighton for Pride.
Brighton and Hove City Council said that talks with GTR – which runs Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services – had been called off after GTR refused to move.
Council leader Bella Sankey today expressed her extreme disappointment after the talks broke down.
The council called an emergency meeting with the company and emergency services partners on yesterday (Wednesday 2 August) to discuss a compromise solution.
The council hoped that it might be possible to ensure that some trains would run in and out of Brighton for most of the day on Pride Saturday (5 August).
A further meeting was scheduled for today (Thursday 3 August) but called off when GTR told the council, Pride and others late yesterday that they were sticking to their original decision.
With the annual Pride celebrations going ahead this weekend, Councillor Sankey said that the decision would effectively leave Brighton cut off and anger thousands of people.
She said: “This is an extremely disappointing decision from GTR that will negatively impact all those wanting to participate in the country’s foremost Pride celebrations.
“In spite of our best efforts to work with GTR to find a creative solution, they’ve instead decided to maintain their position of running no trains, effectively cutting off the city.
“This has knock-on consequences for traffic congestion and risks leaving people stranded.
“In my view, and based on the data provided by Pride organisers, a workable and safe solution could have been found by a company tasked with providing an essential public service to our city.
“GTR have failed in their most basic function as a train company and they have also mismanaged the process.
“The impact on the public of this failure to provide a service seems to come very far down the list of what is important to GTR. They must now reflect and ensure this unacceptable situation never happens again.
“Our priority now is now to work with our excellent emergency services and all those involved in facilitating Pride to support the event and seek to address the many issues and increased costs GTR’s flawed decision raises.
“Pride will go ahead this weekend and it’ll be as spectacular as ever. We hope those who can attend enjoy celebrating our LGBTQI+ community and have a wonderful weekend in our city.”
It’s a shame for all those hoping to attend Pride. Goodwood racegoers are also affected. I don’t blame the train company. Its entirely the fault of ASLEF and their greedy already overpaid drivers.
The train drivers arent to blame the company is. Drivers would work their hours but the company have told them they can’t operate on those lines. Blame management NOT the drivers
Drivers aren’t working VOLUNTARY overtime.
it’s actually costing them lost pay by their not working VOLUNTARY overtime.
It IS the train companies fault that they have over the years failed to recruit enough drivers to be able to run their promises services without relying on huge amounts of over time.
The rhetoric is often that private companies are more flexible can better meet the needs of customers. The problem is that with one set of rails, you have a monopoly, whose owners can effectively tell everyone to go and get lost should they choose to do so.
And this is exactly what has happened here. See also developments over recent years regarding the London-Brighton bike ride. At one time, under the much-maligned BR, there were special trains to store more bikes to meet the demand to take them back up to London. Now, GTR just do a massive v-sign to everyone and say no bikes at all on any of our trains that day, meaning people have to hire vans or stay over.
The trouble here is twofold. GTR tend to rely on overtime & rest day working which isn’t going to happen with the ASLEF dispute. Then you have a situation where GTR can’t run the normal amount of trains into and out of Brighton because they simply won’t have enough available drivers to run the service. Being a private company is irrelevant in this dispute because GTR are guaranteed the income from the DfT whether they run the service or not and the DfT pocket the fares revenue, which because it will be zero on the day, the taxpayer will have to foot the bill. GTR is effectively running a service on behalf of the DfT who call the shots and guarantee remuneration to GTR in exchange for the fares, irrespective of any shortfall. So our railways are already effectively nationalised but in a very clumsy and unviable manner!
Nicely and accurately put.
So GTR get paid and their shareholders get a dividend at cost to the taxpayer?
I’m sorry but it really *is* an issue that it’s a private company.
This is not a failure of BR, it’s the arrogance of Pride organizers that has created this situation. I recall other years similar problems with the train companies. All down to money and Councils not wanting to PAY for the extra services they want. It’s not a normal day, it’s an absolute offence to ones sensibility to be around. And all us normal folks are sick to the gut with Pride and LGBT issues, which are and have been for 50 years non-issues.
The rail companies are there to make money. They do that by operating train services and selling tickets. Councils have never paid for extra trains for events.
As for “non issues” is discrimination in the work place because of your sexuality a non issue?
Has a straight person ever been sacked just because they are straight?
Is being attacked and assaulted just because sexuality a non issue?
Is being denied rights straight people have just because you are gay an non issue?
“all us normal folks are sick to the gut with Pride and LGBT issues, which are and have been for 50 years non-issues”
It’s appalling that you think this way. Normal people are pleased and proud to live with LGBTQ+ people. Indeed, many normal people _are gay_ amongst other things. You are not part of a majority, you’re a bigot.
Who are ” all us normal folk ” ? People won’t want to be associated with you mate and your outdated and homophobic views.
Who are the “normal folks” you speak of? I can think of plenty of heterosexual people who are far from “normal”.
I wonder if this, combined with poor weather, might lead to Pride being postponed.
Will visitors who bought tickets for Pride that cant now come because of the train company’s decision ask for refunds and then will Pride and the charities that depend on that income take action against the rail companies for loss of income ?
People can ask for a refund but they won’t get one.
The reasoning would be “we ran the event as advertised that you couldn’t get here is not our responsibility”
tbh i dont think the trains can cope with the numbers and it’s more a health and safety issue. they should make this more an event for locals instead of this massive influx from elsewhere like they do with lewes bonfire.
the lgbtq community should get the ‘chips off their shoulders’ and stop always sighing and playing the victim… next they’ll be saying the weather’s turned really homophobic this year