Train services to London Bridge

[Muddy Waters]

Browsing se23.com there are a number of comments/complaints about short/cancelled/overcrowded trains to London Bridge. This may or may not have something to do with the closure of the East London Line just before Christmas.

Is this local to Forest Hill, as there has been nothing posted on this Forum? Seems very strange to me

[poppy]

I have got the 8.19 train a few times (always seems to arrive a few mins late) but can rarely get a seat. At Brockley or New Cross Gate the other day someone was begging for people to move down because she couldn't get on the previous two. When we lived in Honor Oak my husband regulary had to wait for two or more trains before he could get on. Also a while ago I overheard some people getting off talking about someone who had fainted that morning because of overcrowding and how it had happened to someone else a few days before! That is why reducing the service would be absolute madness!

[Nicholas]

An unpopular bit of advice for people at Brockly and New Cross Gate: Get a trian going south to Forest Hill or Sydenham and then go back or get a fast train from East Croydon.

[Jules]

Good advice Nicholas. I'm surprised more people don't do that. I would, beats being squashed in.

[The Eagle]

Surely Bad Advice!
Your ticket is from Brockley to London; if an inspector got on and you was travelling in the opposite direction you would be liable for a fine etc.

[Jules]

Ha Ha Eagle.
You must be joking??
In my 20 years of commuting into London Bridge. Not once has a ticket inspector been on a train between 7-9am.
If I lived in Brockley I'd get a train back to at least Forest Hill, at least they're more likely to get on the train, which they're not at Brockley.

[leenewham]

Or do what I am doing...move to Sydenham from Brockley!

[Jules]

wise move I say.
I don't know people in Brockley cope with their daily train journeys. I never get stressed out about rail travel, It's not worth getting uptight over, but then my boss doesn't throw a hissy fit if I'm late.
But if I travelled from Brockley every day, I think I'd go mad. They put up with the most awful train service.

[nasaroc]

Like Muddy Waters, I too am amazed that rail commuters travelling to London Bridge from Sydenham are not having an extremely difficult time currently.

Look at the postings on SE23.com and you will see that a near insurrection is brewing around Forest Hill about the state of these services. We can't all be escaping it because we live one stop further down the line surely.

Can anyone who commutes daily on this line enlighten us?

[Peak Hillbilly]

I commute into London Bridge from Sydenham every day now that the East London line has closed. It has seemed quite a lot busier in the mornings - used to be able to get a window seat and that hardly ever happens. Most Sydenham commuters seem to get seats, but by Honor Oak a lot of people are standing. I travel in before 8.00am so don't know if it's worse later on.

[mummycat]

This appeared in todays South London Press, quoting SE23.com and STF.

http://icsouthlondon.icnetwork.co.uk/01 ... _page.html

[roundasapound]

Hi

I travel from Sydenham to London Bridge each morning. I'm usually able to get a seat if I travel in coach 7-8 but no chance at the front coaches.

By the time the train gets to Honor Oak Park, people are standing, and people who board at Brockley and New Cross Gate have not got a chance in hell of ever getting a seat. They look completely miserable and I don't blame them.

The worse train for me is the 07:57 train that arrives at Sydenham, it's packed no matter what carriage you get in.

I decided to get on an earlier train at 06:58 and was surprised to see that the train was quite busy but most people could get a seat. It's tragic but if commuters from Honor Oak onwards want to guarantee themselves a seat, travel at the crack of dawn if you can