New Thameslink timetables, five years of misery yields a 30% cut in services

[ianjm]

The new post-May Thameslink timetable seems to have appeared in the National Rail database.

There are some good improvements here and there, but the bad news for Dulwich is that Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye and Nunhead appear be getting 30% fewer trains towards Blackfriars between 08:00 and 09:00 on weekdays.

Currently we get a mixture of seven Thameslink and Southeastern trains:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/DMK/to/BFR/2018/05/14/0800-0900?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt

As of May's big timetable 'improvement' we will get four Thameslinks, and one Southeastern (and after that, a 20 minute gap in services until the next train at 09:06):

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/DMK/to/BFR/2018/05/21/0800-0900?stp=WVS&show=pax-calls&order=wtt

It's nice these trains run pretty much all day, but is not going to help people trying to travel in to work.

As I've long suspected, Thameslink is all about outer London improvements, and will deliver a slap in the face for those of us in Zone 2.

[Monkey]

Just like the LB work has resulted in no improvement for ED. We have a genius for wasting money.

[Earl Aelfheah]

This has always been the problem in SE London. The rest of the Capital has public transport designed around the needs of the local community. We are only served by suburban commuter trains, which are run primarily in the interests of those travelling into Central London from Surrey and Kent. We are the only part of the Capital without Boris Bikes, without a cycle superhighway and with virtually no underground system. It's also being made more and more difficult to use private transport.

[Siduhe]

rahrahrah, completely agree. On the Boris Bikes, as I understand it, the reason we don't have them is because Southwark wouldn't pay for an extension to here/docking stations. It would be great if they would look at this again.

https://www.citymetric.com/transport/why-south-east-london-doesnt-have-boris-bikes-805

[Penguin68]

The Bikes penetrate as far into Southwark as Tooley St is interested in. The old borough of Camberwell is a very poor relation in the Peoples' Republic of Southwark.

[Jim1234]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/23/thameslink-rail-completion-delayed-london-december-2019

Just found the above link. If I'm not mistaken the southeastern services will be upped in 2019. I assume this could include trains from Denmark Hill? I'm finding it all rather confusing to be honest...

[nunhead_man]

Southwark is working on this ......and Ofo providing dockless bikes responsibly I hope

see https://lcc.org.uk/pages/dockless-bike-hubs

and

https://www.ofo.com/uk/en/for-cities

[rendelharris]

Jim1234 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com

> /uk-news/2017/nov/23/thameslink-rail-completion-de

> layed-london-december-2019

>

> Just found the above link. If I'm not mistaken the

> southeastern services will be upped in 2019. I

> assume this could include trains from Denmark

> Hill? I'm finding it all rather confusing to be

> honest...

As far as I can figure from the revised timetables on journey planner sites (it's a bit off that Thameslink can release the timetable to these sites but have yet to make one available to the public) a lot of the new capacity will be trains running straight through from King's X and London Bridge without stopping, good for Kentish and Sussex travellers, and those from the north heading south, but no extra trains for us - indeed a reduction, as noted above, in the crucial 8-9AM period. It'll be interesting, and possibly frightening, to see what a 30% reduction in trains at prime commuter time does to the already severe overcrowding problems at Denmark Hill.