Caught short at Shoreham?
Why are there announcements made on Thameslink class 700 trains as they approach Shoreham, when heading towards London, advising passengers to move forward from the last coach if they wish to detrain at Shoreham because there is a short platform? The doors of the last coach do not open at Shoreham, but the coach is alongside the platform, and the rear set of doors are not close to the ramp down to ground level!
The onboard announcement says that you have to be in the front seven coaches but that’s not very helpful when, unlike on Southeastern’s 375s, it doesn’t tell you the number of the coach you are in. Fearing it was a 12-coach train, that necessitated a quick sprint through five coaches !
It’s equally crazy when boarding from rear of the southbound platform where the shelter is. You press the button but the doors refuse to open, so it’s a sprint along the platform to the next set of doors – which also refuse to open.
It’s all a bit Thameslink…