Advice from London Bridge commuters

[JimHIFH]

Hello members of the East Dulwich forum! First time poster here!

My partner is a primary school teacher in the area and so we are looking into potentially moving to East Dulwich or Peckham Rye soon.

For me, this would mean needing to commute into London Bridge in the mornings, via the Southern Rail services (likely the 07.53 from East Dulwich / 07.56 from Peckham Rye).

So I was wondering how busy these services tend to be in normal (non-pandemic) times. I don?t mind a busy commute, but am keen to avoid a route where I mightn?t be able to get on the train & am left on the platform!

Does anybody on this forum have experience of this specific service (or those at a very similar time), and how busy it tends to get?

Many thanks in advance for your help! Hopefully we will be fully-fledged members of your community in the not-to-distant future!

Jim

[bonaome]

In normal times, I would daily take the 07:50(ish) from ED to LBG and would not only expect to get on the train, but would expect to be able to get a seat, and mostly without someone in the seat next to me. This, however was due to an extremely cunning strategy I developed, which almost no one else seems to have alighted upon (excuse the pun) of boarding at the back of the train - the last couple of carriages rather than the first couple of carriages!

You'll be fine.

[dontbesilly]

Some of the London Bridge trains that run through East Dulwich are peculiarly non busy, even at peak time mornings (say 8:30ish). Its a real advantage and i am not sure why a train going into a main London terminus time still has seats available at that time so far up the line, its incredibly unusual. The overground which runs through Peckham Rye is normally much busier.

[Abe_froeman]

It might get a bit busier in a couple of years with 220 new homes being built right by the station!

[Monkey]

I?ve been commuting to London Bridge for years complaining about trains being late, overcrowded etc... Then, during lockdown, I realised how completely, ridiculously super easy it is to cycle to London Bridge (I?m not fit and hadn?t cycled for years). You?re basically on a quiet way from Peckham rye all the way to London Bridge. Try it - you won?t regret it.

[EDguy89]

bonaome Wrote:

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

> In normal times, I would daily take the 07:50(ish)

> from ED to LBG and would not only expect to get on

> the train, but would expect to be able to get a

> seat, and mostly without someone in the seat next

> to me. This, however was due to an extremely

> cunning strategy I developed, which almost no one

> else seems to have alighted upon (excuse the pun)

> of boarding at the back of the train - the last

> couple of carriages rather than the first couple

> of carriages!

>

> You'll be fine.

Exactly this.

I would go to the end of the platform. Not many people wander down that way and the train was pretty light on people on that ed.

[KidKruger]

We're in pandemic now so the current 'normal' is less busy trains (though slowly getting busier), but one thing worth noting - though probably pretty obvious - is that not everyone wears masks. At ED station I've seen 50% wearing them, though it may vary up / down slightly from that estimate. I think some passengers (at every station) remove their masks once they've boarded until end of journey.

Because of this, a rear-end carriage may be safer if less populated.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Getting to LB is pretty easy on the train or by bike.

[fishbiscuits]

They are crowded - but you should always be able to get on. Unless there's a backlog due to cancellations.

Speaking of which... it is not a particularly reliable route. Particularly the return journeys in the evening, where cancellations are very common. Peckham Rye is much better as you also have trains to Blackfriars/Victoria, and the overground which goes to some semi-useful places too.

[Abe_froeman]

Those Blackfriars / Victoria trains were horrendous in the morning though. I witnessed all sorts of lamentable behaviour in the fight to get on them, including seeing a man in a suit pushing a pregnant woman out of his way