London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Rail firm reduces services ‘after losing passengers to Elizabeth line’

Rail firm reduces services ‘after losing passengers to Elizabeth line’

MPs to probe decision by Southeastern Railway to axe more than 700 trains a week

MPs are to scrutinise a rail firm’s plan to axe services – including a link to the Elizabeth line – that has angered passengers.

Southeastern, which was taken under Government control last year, is imposing a series of cuts and service reductions in its new timetable from December 11 to save £10m a year.

Among the changes are the axing of the suburban “loop” from Cannon Street, which goes via Sidcup and Abbey Wood before returning to Cannon Street.

This means passengers from stations such as Bexley and Erith will lose their direct link to Abbey Wood, where they can currently board Elizabeth line trains to Canary Wharf and on to the West End and Heathrow.


Abbey Wood: Southeastern and Thameslink passengers can switch onto the Elizabeth line

Southeastern said the success of the Elizabeth line, which carries about 300,000 passengers a day on its central section between Abbey Wood and Paddington, “has reduced demand on our own train services, and we therefore need to adapt our timetables accordingly”.

Labour MP Clive Efford, who represents Eltham, will lead a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday into the changes, which are being introduced without consultation.

Other MPs who have expressed alarm about the new timetable include Sir Bob Neill, Abena Oppong-Asare, Matthew Pennycook and Ellie Reeves.

Sir Bob Neill, Tory MP for Bromley and Chislehurst, said the changes appeared to be “rushed and ill thought through” and reminiscent of previous “botched” timetable changes by other rail firms that had to be reversed.

He said pre-pandemic his constituency had the second highest number of rail commuters in England and Wales, behind only Lewisham West and Penge.


Mr Efford said the Government had used the pandemic “as an excuse” to allow peak services to be cut – and warned of trains becoming “chronically overcrowded” as more commuters returned to central London.

Steven Reilly-Hii, a Bexley resident who uses the Elizabeth Line to commute to Canary Wharf and at weekends to travel via Liverpool Street, said: “It’s farcical that Southeastern have waited until the Elizabeth Line has finally opened to then pull the direct way of reaching it for many people - plus not bother to consult the paying public about it.”

Southeastern: axing hundreds of trains to save £10m a year

The number of Southeastern trains will fall by more than 300 each weekday, from 1,988 pre-pandemic to 1,686 under the new timetable, transport minister Huw Merriman revealed in a written parliamentary answer.

Across its seven-day timetable, Southeastern will operate 3,913 services – 728 fewer, or a loss of one in six trains.

A Southeastern spokesman confirmed the Sidcup “loop” services were being axed.

But six London-bound trains an hour would call at Abbey Wood throughout the day – either Southeastern or Thameslink services – he said.

Campaigners have launched a petition to save the loop train.

The firm said it wanted to improve punctuality by reducing by two-thirds the number of trains crossing each other’s route at “notorious bottlenecks” such as Lewisham junction.

Its modelling predicts 12 per cent fewer cancellations and some 300,000 more “on time” – namely, within 59 seconds of timetable - station stops each year.

Southeastern wants to “match space on trains with demand” - its passenger numbers are down about 40 per cent on Mondays and Fridays, due to the post-pandemic collapse in five-day commuters.

It is also scrapping first class – freeing up an extra 60 seats on a 12-carriage train.

On the Sidcup line, Southeastern says passenger numbers have fallen from 23m a year to 12m a year.

Abbey Wood station was rebuilt for the opening of the Elizabeth line


On the Woolwich line, which includes Abbey Wood, all trains will be routed into Cannon Street station, rather than a third going to Charing Cross. There will be five Southeastern trains an hour in the morning peak, and four in the evening peak out of Cannon Street.

Passengers wanting to get to Charing Cross will need to change at London Bridge.

On the Sidcup line, all off-peak and weekend trains will run into Charing Cross, with no services into Cannon Street. There will be six trains an hour at peak times using both stations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Pope Francis Urges Unprecedented Dialogue Amid Escalating Ukraine-Russia Tensions
Dozens Survive Kazakhstan Passenger Jet Crash Amid Tragedy
Kazakhstan Air Disaster: Dozens Survive as Authorities Probe Fatal Plane Crash
Postal Workers Demand Government Probe Into Royal Mail 'Fake Deliveries' Scandal
Explosion Sinks Russian Cargo Ship Ursa Major in Mediterranean
Mystery Shrouds U.S. Citizen Gene Spector's 15-Year Espionage Sentence in Moscow
Zelenskyy Alleges 3,000 North Korean Casualties in Russian Conflict
North Korea's Unseen Hand: Over 1,000 Troops Suffer Casualties in Ukraine
Discovery of 50,000-Year-Old Baby Mammoth in Siberia Fascinates Scientists
Magdeburg Attack Fuels AfD's Political Momentum Amid Rising Tensions
In Magdeburg, Germany, a man is arrested by the police for declaring, "I am a Christian."
UK News Roundup: London Shooting, Travel Disruptions, and Legal Battles
UK Economy Teeters on Recession's Edge Amid Revised Growth Figures
Australian Man Captured in Ukraine Conflict; Government Seeks Answers
Zelenskyy’s Push for NATO: A High-Stakes Gamble for Eastern European Stability
Slovak Pragmatism or EU Discord: Prime Minister Fico’s Polarizing Moscow Engagement
The Ripple Effects of a Russian Victory in Ukraine: A Global Tectonic Shift
U.S. Government Shutdown Averted by Last-Minute Agreement
Tragedy in Magdeburg: Saudi Doctor's Alleged Terror Attack at German Christmas Market Ignites Global Security Debate
Tragedy Strikes at Magdeburg Christmas Market: Terror Attack Leaves Five Dead
Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger Discovered in Nursing Home Following Six Months of Inaction
Prince William to End Feudal Land Restrictions in Duchy of Cornwall, but Controversies Remain
British police appear unprepared to deal with usual suspects
Russia's Ballistic Blitz on Kyiv Sends Shockwaves Through Global Stability
Multiple Tragedies and Tensions Mark Global Events: A Closer Look
Elon Musk's AfD Endorsement Ignites Controversy from neo-Nazis who accuse the AfD of being what they themselves are
Ukraine Claims Unprecedented Russian Losses: The Truth Behind Wartime Statistics
Federal Reserve Chair Powell: "We are prohibited from owning Bitcoin and are not seeking any changes to that law."
A Democratic congresswoman with blue and black hair is having a meltdown over "President Musk."
A sizable group of unauthorized migrants is traveling through Mexico with the aim of reaching the USA before Trump assumes office.
Beatles Reunion Electrifies London: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Ignite O2 Arena with Surprise Performance
Starmer's Envoy Engages Trump Team as UK Seeks Strategic U.S. Partnership
Britain's Retail Rebound Falters as Black Friday Splurge Dissipates
Bank of Japan's Bold Reckoning: A Decade of Unconventional Policy Under Scrutiny
Republican Discord Threatens Government Shutdown Amid Holiday Season
French Retiree Dominique Pellico Convicted for Recruiting 72 Men to Assault Wife Over a Decade
Putin Defends War Strategy as Global Tensions Rise
Putin Claims Progress as Tensions Rise: Conflict in Ukraine Intensifies
Putin's Paradox: Claiming Strength Amidst Sanctions and Isolation
Water as a Weapon: The Contentious Struggle for Survival in Gaza
Syria's Future: A Fight for Democracy or Another Cycle of Oppression?
UK Considers Sending Troops to Ukraine: A Strategic Move or Intensifying The Proxy War?
Renewed ISIS Threat Puts Syria’s Cultural Heritage in Peril
Escalation in Moscow: High-Profile Assassination and International Tensions Intensify
North Korean Troops in Ukraine: A New Cold War Frontier?
Ukraine's Bold Move: High-Stakes Assassination of Russian General in Moscow
Dubai's Technological Leap: Brain Chips and AI Board Members by 2025
Tragedy Strikes Wisconsin School as Shooting Claims Lives of Teacher and Student
UK's Calculated Gamble: Balancing Defense Aid to Ukraine and Domestic Demands
UK Intensifies Stranglehold on Russian Oil, but Does It Dampen Putin’s Resolve?
×