A spokesman from GoAhead, which runs the Brighton line trains, said its timetables are "doomed to fail... because of poor rail infrastructure".

This is not the whole story. The troubles are largely caused by the train companies themselves.

Since privatisation, 12-car trains have been replaced by four-car trains chasing each other down the line, leaving no margin for recovery when things go wrong.

The troubles are compounded by delays imported by Thameslink from busy routes north of London Bridge and the congestion at Brighton caused by running through trains from Coastway East and West across the entrance to the station.

This has saturated the system.

The remedy is self-evident: Run longer trains less frequently, prune the Thameslink services to terminate in the south London suburbs, separate the Coastway East and Coastway West services and run more trains via the under-used Dorking line.

Someone should also take a hard look at Gatwick Express, many of whose trains are running almost empty and taking up valuable track space.

-Henry Law, Queen's Gardens, Brighton