Sorry if this has already been posted, but my brother just sent me a
link to this petition. I think it may be slightly over the top, as it is only one idea in
this consultation paper.However since the Transport Minister is Chris Grayling, the opportunities for idiotic decisions here are limitless.
Comments
Cannon Street already feels like it's running at full capacity.
Would be a shame for commuters.
You’re receiving this email because you signed this petition: “Immediately stop plans to cut Southeastern services to Charing Cross & Victoria”.
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Dear Gary Saunders,
The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Immediately stop plans to cut Southeastern services to Charing Cross & Victoria”.
Government responded:
We are seeking passengers’ views on the principle of reducing the choice of London termini to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service. We are not proposing to cut specific services.
The Department for Transport has launched a public consultation to seek passengers’ views on their priorities for the train service on the South Eastern network. These will be used by the Department of Transport to specify the service required from the next train operator, which is planned to start in December 2018.
The public consultation seeks views on all aspects of the train service, including the provision of more space for passengers, improvements to customer service, simplifying fares and ticketing, improving access and facilities at stations, priorities for speeding up journeys, and providing additional services.
Question 17 seeks views about whether passengers would support the principle of reducing the choice of London termini served from individual stations to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service. We are not proposing to reduce or change specific services. An example is provided to explain how the concept could potentially operate in practice if passengers supported it.
This question is being asked because passengers have indicated that reducing delays is a priority. Paragraph 4.6 of the consultation document explains that one of the causes of delays is the need for trains to cross complex junctions at key points such as London Bridge and Lewisham, which are operating at close to maximum capability. Reducing the need for trains to cross these junctions, by reducing the number of London termini served from individual stations, would help to reduce delays.
Journeys could also be quicker. It is currently necessary to add in waiting times at stations to timetable moves across these junctions and these could be reduced or eliminated if services ran to a single London termini.
In the peak periods, the majority of passengers change at London Bridge, although a significant number do continue through to Cannon Street, Waterloo East, and Charing Cross. We know that these passengers value a choice of London stations.
We are therefore seeking passengers’ views on the principle of reducing the choice of London termini to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service.
In answering this question, it is important to consider the many new journey choices for passengers that will result from the completion of the Thameslink programme and the opening of the Elizabeth line. For example, by 2019, passengers from many South Eastern stations will be able to travel via Abbey Wood or Woolwich for fast and regular onward connections to Canary Wharf and central London. Many more passengers will change at London Bridge to join Thameslink trains that run every five minutes between London Bridge-Blackfriars-City Thameslink-Farringdon-St. Pancras.
On the Bexleyheath line the number of passengers from intermediate stations between Dartford and Lewisham and who travel beyond Lewisham towards Victoria is relatively small when compared with those travelling on much faster trains to London Bridge. In the future some passenger from the outer stations on this route will travel via Abbey Wood and the Elizabeth line, or change at London Bridge for Thameslink onward connections. Overall all passengers will benefit from more reliable journeys and many will benefit from faster journey times.
The public consultation will end on 23 May 2017, after which the Department for Transport will carefully analyse each response. The conclusions will be published in the Autumn in a Stakeholder Response document.
It is important to note that there would need to be a separate public consultation by the next train operator before any significant timetable changes were introduced, and this would include reducing the choice of London termini served from stations on the South Eastern network.
Department for Transport
However, I don't trust these people, and they've proven over and over again that they're completely incompetent. They should pledge to increase compensation for delays, so that passengers get something back if we give them the go ahead and they then fail to deliver on what they've promised.
The Victoria Trains are actually busy but bearable in terms of passenger numbers. But of course we aren't allowed to travel like that, so this service must be abolished to cram us all on a London Bridge train and head us off merrily towards the points failures.
In any case, its crap how the Charing X trains are currently full leaving Bexleyheath - just how they want us to travel!!
30 years of commuting has left me a broken man :-)
Kinda makes me glad that I cycle mostly.
Well, after 46 years of waiting, Crossrail is coming, to make life better. Well sort of. Travel direct from Heathrow to SE London on my Oyster. But then what? Why oh why didn't Crossrail end at Dartford, or even Slade Green, so I could then jump on a BX train back to Eltham? I suppose in principal they could run frequent trains from Abbey Wood via Slade Green back down the Eltham line. In principal. In practice, as @MrLargo says you can't trust these people. Not the operators, not the Dept of Transport who created this mess of a railway, and certainly not Chris Grayling, who is a ****.
"The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Immediately stop plans to cut Southeastern services to Charing Cross & Victoria”.
Government responded:
We are seeking passengers’ views on the principle of reducing the choice of London termini to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service. We are not proposing to cut specific services.
The Department for Transport has launched a public consultation to seek passengers’ views on their priorities for the train service on the South Eastern network. These will be used by the Department of Transport to specify the service required from the next train operator, which is planned to start in December 2018.
The public consultation seeks views on all aspects of the train service, including the provision of more space for passengers, improvements to customer service, simplifying fares and ticketing, improving access and facilities at stations, priorities for speeding up journeys, and providing additional services.
Question 17 seeks views about whether passengers would support the principle of reducing the choice of London termini served from individual stations to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service. We are not proposing to reduce or change specific services. An example is provided to explain how the concept could potentially operate in practice if passengers supported it.
This question is being asked because passengers have indicated that reducing delays is a priority. Paragraph 4.6 of the consultation document explains that one of the causes of delays is the need for trains to cross complex junctions at key points such as London Bridge and Lewisham, which are operating at close to maximum capability. Reducing the need for trains to cross these junctions, by reducing the number of London termini served from individual stations, would help to reduce delays.
Journeys could also be quicker. It is currently necessary to add in waiting times at stations to timetable moves across these junctions and these could be reduced or eliminated if services ran to a single London termini.
In the peak periods, the majority of passengers change at London Bridge, although a significant number do continue through to Cannon Street, Waterloo East, and Charing Cross. We know that these passengers value a choice of London stations.
We are therefore seeking passengers’ views on the principle of reducing the choice of London termini to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service.
In answering this question, it is important to consider the many new journey choices for passengers that will result from the completion of the Thameslink programme and the opening of the Elizabeth line. For example, by 2019, passengers from many South Eastern stations will be able to travel via Abbey Wood or Woolwich for fast and regular onward connections to Canary Wharf and central London. Many more passengers will change at London Bridge to join Thameslink trains that run every five minutes between London Bridge-Blackfriars-City Thameslink-Farringdon-St. Pancras.
On the Bexleyheath line the number of passengers from intermediate stations between Dartford and Lewisham and who travel beyond Lewisham towards Victoria is relatively small when compared with those travelling on much faster trains to London Bridge. In the future some passenger from the outer stations on this route will travel via Abbey Wood and the Elizabeth line, or change at London Bridge for Thameslink onward connections. Overall all passengers will benefit from more reliable journeys and many will benefit from faster journey times.
The public consultation will end on 23 May 2017, after which the Department for Transport will carefully analyse each response. The conclusions will be published in the Autumn in a Stakeholder Response document.
It is important to note that there would need to be a separate public consultation by the next train operator before any significant timetable changes were introduced, and this would include reducing the choice of London termini served from stations on the South Eastern network.
Department for Transport
The Petitions Committee will take a look at this petition and its response. They can press the government for action and gather evidence. If this petition reaches 100,000 signatures, the Committee will consider it for a debate.
The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: https://petition.parliament.uk/help#petitions-committee
Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament"
Make of this what you will