Why Higham Has A Ghost Train

[@CINVA]

I did actually post an old video at higham during day services, Including the Regular Highspeed service that runs via Gravesend, It is viewable here > kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5_MnH6Me9B_r7M

[@TamworthTheOfficial]

Nice video, this came up on my recommended haha. Subscribed, great content!

[@CINVA]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@glenndoig9142]

An excellent video, however… Bat & Ball, Shoreham & Eynsford are Southeastern managed stations, yet don’t have a Southeastern service and haven’t done since May 2018… Southeastern have still called at Higham in the peaks since 2018 (When TL took over the stopping services). Before 11 December 2022, 4 Southeastern services called at Higham a Day (2D12 0555 Gillingham to Charing X, 1D52 0625 Strood to Charing X, 1D54 0655 Strood to Charing X & 2N90 1802 Charing X to Gillingham). I’m not sure who told you Southeastern didn’t call there between May 2018 & December 2022, but they weren’t telling the truth I’m afraid! For anyone interested, 4 Southeastern services call there in this timetable too (3 towards London in the morning, 1 back in the evening).

[@CINVA]

Hmm, I find it odd that SE Operated in the peaks before 11th december prior to the main timetable change, However I am aware of the 2 stopping services in the morning, Not 3. According to RRT/SE Timetables No trains stopped at higham, But all this can be compared together and this comments section can be updates of the trains purpose/history Thanks for letting me know!

[@maxamongus]

When i was a kid i was thinking ghost trains were invisible 😅

[@englishcountrylife3805]

I thought they haunted the station and carried the dead, like they do in the films😂.

[@Blocky7676]

I thought they just lead you to the void

[@davidroddini1512]

No, the only thing it needs to be a ghost train is to be driven by a ghost. 😉

[@richmayes8451]

The idea of ghost trains is an exciting concept. I remember seeing a video of Geoff Marshall using this service from Victoria to Maidstone East with just one train stopping additionally at Wandsworth Road and Clapham High Street daily. Another one I can think of is since Southeastern has stopped the 2 trains per day from Sheerness-on-Sea to London Victoria in the mornings and the two services returning from Victoria in the evenings, they run a ghost train on weekday mornings from Gillingham, calling at Rainham, Kemsley, Queenborough and Sheerness-on-Sea, departing at 0505 on a weekday. It then forms the first service from Sheerness-on-Sea to Sittingbourne, running all day. Also, at the end of the day, it runs ECS from Sheerness to Gillingham non-stop before heading into the sidings at Gillingham. This is so they can keep the Western Junction to Middle Junction outside Sittingbourne open now there are no longer any industries on the Isle of Sheppey or at Ridham Docks that require using the railway, which would have used this route to come up via London and beyond.

[@CINVA]

I do too remember that video! Nice info Ill do some research and maybe make an additional video of it all

[@duncancurtis5971]

An old Eagle comic story of a lone man on a late night Ghost train that crashed killing everyone aboard...

[@chrisst8922]

The Higham station car park has recently been fitted with cameras and you have to pay to park. Even at the weekend. To pay your £136.00 an hour to park you have to learn to programme your computer, create an account, get it authorised and configured then record your blood group, create a password and keep on creating passwords until the computer is satisfied that your password is suitable. After that you can promise the hand of your youngest daughter, register, log in and out and reserve a parking space for the next millenium whilst completing satisfaction surveys and replying that 'Yes' you have a credit score. I don't want to do that so I drive to Swanscombe and park for free.

[@Bobberfy]

I Think There Should Be A Slow Service To Ramsgate From Dartford Calling At Stations Like Stone Crossing Swanscombe Northfleet Higham Newington Teynham Chesfield And Swaleclife Birchington On Sea Westgate On Sea And Dumpton Park

[@UKTransport232]

Very informative and well presented video. Never knew about this service, also I must say you've got some brilliant editing there too. You've beat Geoff Marshall to documenting this parliamentary train 🤣👍

[@CINVA]

Much appreciated!

[@ColinLaw-iz5ws]

How to waste money on meaningless things just satisfy ridiculous legeslation.

[@timothyphillips7576]

This is a fairly recent addition then. When I lived in Woolwich (until 2012) the Gillingham fast service (2 per hour) always called at Higham. I presume it stopped when the Thameslink service started after London Bridge reconstruction?

[@CINVA]

There did use to be a gillingham service via higham But thameslink overtook it,

[@brammyd]

I used the Gillingham to Waterloo East service daily until just before Thameslink took over. Then I moved to Hassocks. I used to enjoy catching the first train up, at 04:04, a class 465 / 466 which sat on platform 1 all night, and if you were lucky, they left the heaters on !

[@peggy3019]

What a load of waffle. Higham is a Southeastern station, bbut it does not require a parliamentary train to keep it operated by Se. Bat & Ball, Shoreham and Eynsford are all operated by Se but do not have any of their services call. Bat and Ball doesnt even have any Se service run through it.

[@CINVA]

Hi Neil! Things have updated since the origninal production. The stations you mentioned have longer contracts compared to Higham. Thanks!

[@REFaust]

Great video but was your intention to damage the hearing of your viewers? Whisperingly quiet narration followed by super loud music....

[@CINVA]

Sorry that I might have done so, but all videos I make are progressively adding towards my portfolio and I learn different editing techniques and skills on every video I make. Im always learning new stuff and audio-levelling is something I’m still working on. Thanks for the feedback.

[@PK345Transport]

Very nice

[@duncancurtis5971]

Say hi to Frindsbury!

[@dodgydruid]

In the 70's my uncle Ray threw himself under an EPB at the mouth of Higham tunnels, he was a class 33 driver based at nearby Hoo, I remember crying for such a long time as he was just an awesome bloke :(

[@DJSOfficialUK]

See this is interesting as always thought all mainline Southeastern trains non highspeed stopped at Higham and now only learning that they haven't been and now there is only one service a day. Shocks me tbh / to be honest. Knew like I say that Highspeed Southeastern trains ran straight through non stop, but never knew mainline ones never stopped there since 2018 was it? Would of thought there would of been more people boarding and unboarding there, but surprising obviously not. Good video with very interesting information, learnt something new and look forward to seeing new aswell future vlogs to channel. Keep up content. 😀👍 Also good to at least see Thameslink stopping a lot there.

[@noisesoff3985]

I used to commute from Higham into London in the early 80's, Back then I would not have called it a little used station. Higham had a staff of 1 person, a man by the name of Pat. He did a split shift to cover the peak times. One of his duties was to tend the fire in the station building on cold days. So This ghost train is not to keep the line open, the Gravesend to Medway Towns is in constant use, rather for South Eastern Railways to keep ownership of Higham Station. The fact that it had few passengers on the day this was filmed was probably down to the time of day rather than the train operator.

[@christown2827]

Agree if it appeared on the board at Charing Cross it would have had Sidcup line passengers and probably have a lot of people getting off at Dartford and Gravesend. I used to travel from Maidstone West to Charing Cross but would now have to change at Strood for Thameslink and again at Gravesend to get there on Southeastern.

[@glenndoig9142]

@@christown2827 Well not quite, today you'd get the direct train from Maidstone East to Charing X rather than trapsing via Dartford...

[@Matthewsbuses1997]

It’s a shame they have withdrawn the slow service from Charing Cross to Gillingham via Rochester as I assume it was quite a popular route

[@mrquickogaming]

Lovely video

[@BassandoForte]

Used to live about a mile away from Gillingham Station - Nearly brings back memories because the place has changed so much since 1988... 🤣

[@Andrewjg_89]

Now we all know what a “Ghost train” is. Very strange with less passengers or no passengers on the train at all. Especially at night.

[@allansheldrake4832]

wellit wouldent transfeer ownership as GTR owns southeastern

[@CINVA]

Not anymore! Southeastern is owned by SE trains, The same holding company that owns LNER and other companies, Southeastern left GTR a few years ago now

[@peggy3019]

Southeastern have never been owned by GTR, both are separate companies and were both operated by Go-Ahead

[@williethomson8353]

That's the most original description of the requirements for a PT so far

[@jayturl1529]

Very interesting. Never knew that Higham had a Ghost Train!

[@kevanhubbard9673]

GTR has a strange privatization logic known only to Sir John Major.Join up 4 companies but continue to run them as if they are still all separate!I could add West Midlands Railway with London North Western and West Midlands to this.

[@Bungle2010]

John Major left office in 1997…….

[@KentTrainsBusesAndMore]

lovely video