I just missed the 19:13 to Caterham and had to wait for the 19:40 fast to Brighton (Thameslink) so I moseyed over to platform 5 where at 19:30 they announced that the 19:40 to Brighton was re-routed away from London Bridge as were all Thameslink trains because of a signal problem at Blackfriers. That's OK I thought - I will just wait 3 minutes more and get the 19:43 to Caterham.
The announcer then recommended that passengers for East Croydon get the 19:43 Caterham train. The 19:43 comes from Charring Cross and is the first Caterham train of the evening that does not start at London Bridge and as it stops at all the intermediate stations on the way, Brockley, Sydenham and Forest Hill etc, it is usually fairly full before it gets to London Bridge. This was not looking good.
At 19:35 the announcer announced (as indeed announcers do) that the Caterham train would consist of only 4 coaches – normally eight. Absolute bl**dy classic.
So I decided to go and get the 19:53 Reigate train from platform 10 which was fast to Norwood Junction then East Croydon.
With 12 minutes before it was due to leave it was already packed – once again a 4 coach train though I’m not sure how many it is normally. All the corridor space was already crowded so I got into the guard’s van and over the next 5 minutes that got packed out as well. There must have been about 40 people crammed in the cage, with the bicycles. Cattle are treated better than this when they are exported. This train was 5 minutes late getting into East Croydon.
I got off at East Croydon and changed platforms to get the Caterham train to take me to South Croydon and I am sure it was the 19:43 that turned up, late of course, as it had only 4 carriages which were all empty… I got to South Croydon at 20:14. Unamused.