Godfried Gyechie

South eastern Trains have confirmed the reduction in Services from Blackheath

The new timetable which starts on 13th December cuts out three Cannon Street services and one Charing Cross service during the morning rush hour. 

Commuters are rightly very angry at the withdrawal of services from this already busy line. The Consultation was a sham, Southeastern Trains placed an announcement on their website in May with views requested by early August. Despite articles in our Focus and from the residents’ associations many rail users were not aware of the cuts. Southeastern Trains made no effort to inform commuters that this consultation was taking place.

Southeastern Trains say it was decided as long ago as 2004 that capacity on this line would be reduced to provide extra stops by trains on other lines at Lewisham to link with the DLR.  Any responses to the Consultation were told these cuts were going ahead in line with decision taken when Southeastern were awarded the franchise - emphasising the consultation was a sham.

This line is already overcrowded - very few Blackheath passengers get a seat during the rush hour - a reduction of 50% to the Cannon St. services will make this even worse.

Many people who have contact Southeastern Trains have received the response ” Timetables are not set in stone, and beginning in the New Year we will be carefully monitoring passenger numbers from Blackheath, ….if we believe there is a case to change elements of the specification we will discuss with the DfT who will make the decision.”

There are a couple of ways in which we can keep up pressure and encourage Southeastern Trains and DfT to re-instate the cut services at the earliest opportunity.

Southeastern Trains advertise on their website Meet the Manager sessions for passengers to talk to them about issues directly affecting them.

www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/index.php/cms/pages/view/133/163

We could organise a mass lobby at the next Meet the Manager session on 12th November at Cannon Street.  If a large number of passenger were to meet on a threatened service from Blackheath and explain our concerns “face to face” it would highlight our concerns. It might attract local press coverage and make more people aware of the cuts.

All the people that emailed Southeastern Trains this week should also contact the Government Minister responsible demanding they address the issue of extra capacity for commuters using our line.

The relevant Minister of State is Sadiq Khan MP - email:  sadiq.khan@dft.gsi.gov.uk.  He appears to be on twitter on:  twitter.com/sadiqkhan