Don't miss tonight's rail meeting -
7.30PM NABORHOOD CENTRE
Speakers From TfL, London Overground and Southern
RAIL MEETING AT NABORHOOD CENTRE
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norwich_girl
- Posts: 14
- Joined: 17 Sep 2009 09:34
- Location: Sydenham
Rail meeting tonight
I was really hoping to go to the meeting tonight, but can't make it. Will someone be able to summarize what the outcomes are please?
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
This meeting is likely to attract a large number of people.
Due to fire regulations etc, we will have to limit the number of people in the meeting. Full details of the meeting will be posted in the near future, but be aware of the difficulty of managing large numbers on the night.
Get there a bit early to avoid disappointment and share your views.
Due to fire regulations etc, we will have to limit the number of people in the meeting. Full details of the meeting will be posted in the near future, but be aware of the difficulty of managing large numbers on the night.
Get there a bit early to avoid disappointment and share your views.
Tonight TfL told us that passenger numbers on our line would increase by 30% with the opening of the East London Line. (TfL do not support cuts to our services see http://londonreconnections.blogspot.com ... plies.html)
Southern told us that there was no room for our late evening services to run from Charing Cross as South Eastern need all our slots (and more) for their improved services.
Southern also told us that there was no capacity at London Bridge for six peak evening services at London Bridge, despite there being room for six peak morning services.
I have set up a petition opposing these cuts to our services:
We reject the cuts to services through Forest Hill and call on Southern Railways to run the same level of service as they do in September 2009.
We call on rail authorities and local politicians to support our calls to maintain 6 trains per hour in the evening peak and direct services from Charing Cross in the late evenings.
Please sign the petition at http://nototraincuts.notlong.com
Southern told us that there was no room for our late evening services to run from Charing Cross as South Eastern need all our slots (and more) for their improved services.
Southern also told us that there was no capacity at London Bridge for six peak evening services at London Bridge, despite there being room for six peak morning services.
I have set up a petition opposing these cuts to our services:
We reject the cuts to services through Forest Hill and call on Southern Railways to run the same level of service as they do in September 2009.
We call on rail authorities and local politicians to support our calls to maintain 6 trains per hour in the evening peak and direct services from Charing Cross in the late evenings.
Please sign the petition at http://nototraincuts.notlong.com
Re: Rail meeting tonight
I have put a report here: http://sydenham.org.uk/news_railway_09_09.htmlnorwich_girl wrote:Will someone be able to summarize what the outcomes are please?
Admin
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chrisj1948
- Posts: 538
- Joined: 15 Jul 2008 15:12
- Location: Sydenham
Thank you for such a well written and speedy summary Admin. Whilst the news is not great, we're indebted to you for offering such useful information. I'd like to offer extended thanks to everyone who attended the meeting and aimed to represent the commuters' views. I couldn't make the meeting myself so I am grateful to you all for your efforts.
Owen.
Owen.
To continue the 'brown jobbing' please remember this was the culmination of a lot of hard investigatory work by a small group of SydSoc folk. Without that there would be nothing to report.
The key issue is - now we know - can we change it? Our politicians were quick to claim credit for the coming of the Overground. I'm sure we would all commend them if they can make a difference here.
Admin
The key issue is - now we know - can we change it? Our politicians were quick to claim credit for the coming of the Overground. I'm sure we would all commend them if they can make a difference here.
Admin
Admin is correct - Now is the time for our politicians to step forward and sort out this situation.
In the meantime, please sign the petition:
http://nototraincuts.notlong.com
In the meantime, please sign the petition:
http://nototraincuts.notlong.com
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Chris Best
- Posts: 439
- Joined: 6 May 2005 11:37
- Location: Sydenham
I would like to reassure everyone that there have been a number of meetings and a significant amount of correspondence about the peak period services on this line over the past few years, including local Councillors, Lewisham’s Deputy Mayor, GLA Member and local MPs. We are taking up the lack of consultation with Southern over the changes to the evening peak service on this line being reduced from 6 trains per hour to 4 and asking them to look at the timetable again.
Whilst we understand that the start and finish at London Bridge is a consequence of changes to SouthEastern services and that Southern would have wished to continue the Charing Cross trains, we are very concerned that this change has not been well consulted on and Lewisham Council has not had an opportunity to express its views, nor have local people. We are writing to the Transport Minister as well as Southern to ask them to consider the different options to keep the Charing Cross service including the termination time for Cannon Street and running a later service from Charing Cross.
As your local councillor I will do all I can to express the anger we feel at these changes and keep you informed of the response from the Minister, Southern and Network Rail.
Whilst we understand that the start and finish at London Bridge is a consequence of changes to SouthEastern services and that Southern would have wished to continue the Charing Cross trains, we are very concerned that this change has not been well consulted on and Lewisham Council has not had an opportunity to express its views, nor have local people. We are writing to the Transport Minister as well as Southern to ask them to consider the different options to keep the Charing Cross service including the termination time for Cannon Street and running a later service from Charing Cross.
As your local councillor I will do all I can to express the anger we feel at these changes and keep you informed of the response from the Minister, Southern and Network Rail.
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chrisj1948
- Posts: 538
- Joined: 15 Jul 2008 15:12
- Location: Sydenham
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norwich_girl
- Posts: 14
- Joined: 17 Sep 2009 09:34
- Location: Sydenham
I can't understand the justification behind running different amounts of trains in the morning and the evening, where do they think a third of people have gone? Are they aware of the overcrowding already on this service at peak times?
I think this will seriously effect the regeneration of the area (regardless of the ELL), if the services were like this over a year ago I doubt I would have moved to the area as the centre of town will be better serviced for commuters in other areas. I'm not interested in the travel on the ELL as I don't work in the areas it serves.
I think the point by Admin is the key one, how can we change this, can anyone name the actual people who made these decisions and can we put any pressure on those people to change them? Pretty much everyone else is going to either pass the buck or say it's already been made as a decision & there's nothing we can do. This was the attitude I got at a 'meet the managers' meeting a month or so ago, even from one who commuted from Sydenham when I asked about the direct CHX service, there's nothing that can be done.
If the 324 people who have signed the petition so far wrote a letter to who decided this, can we change this or is it a done deal?
I think this will seriously effect the regeneration of the area (regardless of the ELL), if the services were like this over a year ago I doubt I would have moved to the area as the centre of town will be better serviced for commuters in other areas. I'm not interested in the travel on the ELL as I don't work in the areas it serves.
I think the point by Admin is the key one, how can we change this, can anyone name the actual people who made these decisions and can we put any pressure on those people to change them? Pretty much everyone else is going to either pass the buck or say it's already been made as a decision & there's nothing we can do. This was the attitude I got at a 'meet the managers' meeting a month or so ago, even from one who commuted from Sydenham when I asked about the direct CHX service, there's nothing that can be done.
If the 324 people who have signed the petition so far wrote a letter to who decided this, can we change this or is it a done deal?
Hi Michael
I have just signed your petition but from the way it is worded it seems to imply that we only have four trains an hour off-peak.
From Sydenham we have far more than this. I don't know what the hourly rate is but this is a snapshot of times now, which is five in just half an hour, which is why I have said it is like a tube line service, and so attractive, when people find out about it:
Here is the link: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/pj/tt
I have just signed your petition but from the way it is worded it seems to imply that we only have four trains an hour off-peak.
From Sydenham we have far more than this. I don't know what the hourly rate is but this is a snapshot of times now, which is five in just half an hour, which is why I have said it is like a tube line service, and so attractive, when people find out about it:
Here is the link: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/en/pj/tt
Poppy,
You will see that the title of the petition has changed to:
Opposing Cuts to Southern Services via Forest Hill
rather than
Opposing Cuts to Southern Services to Forest Hill
Hopefully this fits with what people are used to seeing on indicator boards.
I take your point about peak/off-peak services and will consider a minor change to the petition wording to reflect this. What I tried to make clear is that 4 trains per hours cannot be regarded as servicing peak demand in the evening, when it requires 6 trains per hour in the morning.
It is good to see that over 450 people have already signed the petition since Friday morning! And a motion opposing these cuts is going to full council on Wednesday.
http://nototraincuts.notlong.com
You will see that the title of the petition has changed to:
Opposing Cuts to Southern Services via Forest Hill
rather than
Opposing Cuts to Southern Services to Forest Hill
Hopefully this fits with what people are used to seeing on indicator boards.
I take your point about peak/off-peak services and will consider a minor change to the petition wording to reflect this. What I tried to make clear is that 4 trains per hours cannot be regarded as servicing peak demand in the evening, when it requires 6 trains per hour in the morning.
It is good to see that over 450 people have already signed the petition since Friday morning! And a motion opposing these cuts is going to full council on Wednesday.
http://nototraincuts.notlong.com
At 9.15pm this evening a TfL staff member (Ferdinand) was busy patrolling the station - and he was patrolling not standing still or sitting inside the building. He told me that he will be there until 1am.
I was delighted to see him move on two boys who were trying to use the station as a skateboard rink.
He told me that eventually, there will be a glass-fronted kiosk on the station platform so that the staff member on duty can keep an eye on things.
So far so good. If this continues it will be a major factor in helping to make the station safer and more secure at night. Once the gates arrive (as part of Oystercard introduction) in January, things will be safer still.
I was delighted to see him move on two boys who were trying to use the station as a skateboard rink.
He told me that eventually, there will be a glass-fronted kiosk on the station platform so that the staff member on duty can keep an eye on things.
So far so good. If this continues it will be a major factor in helping to make the station safer and more secure at night. Once the gates arrive (as part of Oystercard introduction) in January, things will be safer still.