East Dulwich to London Bridge trains - reduced service from 26 July

[ctovey]

Southern trains services between East Dulwich and London Bridge are reduced from tomorrow (26th July) from 4 an hour to 2 an hour. This is explained away on the National Rail website as 'in response to the effects of coronavirus'.

[Spartacus]

Just as we're being encouraged to go back into the office.... left hand / right hand 😱

[DulwichFox]

Coronavirus being blamed for most things.

Fewer Trains means more crowded trains..

Does that sound like a good thing. ??

Call me Old Fashioned...

Foxy

[theron2]

Recently North/ East Dulwich to London Bridge and return trains have been very poor. My return trains late 11pm+ have been cancelled but they don't show to be on the southern website or on the departures board, so I end up waiting 20 minutes for a train that never gets a platform number and then just disappears of the the board. Very annoying!

[fishbiscuits]

Presumably this is due to shortage of drivers/staff, due to this "pingdemic". I think it is temporary, as soon self-isolation will be replaced by workplace testing for key workers.

[Monkey]

Ditch useless Southern and cycle if you can. I live on the ED/Forest Hill border and cycle to London Bridge in 20mns. I?m kicking myself, having worked in London Bridge for many years and wasted so many hours waiting for trains. I known it?s not for everyone but if you can, do!

[geh]

fits well with LTN rhetoric, halving the frequency of a public transport service!

[ctovey]

According to the Southern Rail website, the new timetable is in place until further notice and will be reviewed weekly and there may be further changes. I have been getting the early trains (between 7am - 8am) for a couple of weeks, accompanying my husband for daily treatment at Guys. We have noticed the trains are getting busier and this new timetable will make them more so. but people are still a bit 'precious' about having someone sat next to them and are reserving the adjacent seat with their bags. As a couple of 70+ year olds and my husband suffering from cancer, if we need a seat we are more than happy to sit next to another passenger as we are both double vaxxed.

[Abe_froeman]

As a couple of 70+ year olds, people should be standing up and offering you their seats, not getting huffy about you sitting next to them.

People have no manners at all these days.

[Earl Aelfheah]

At one point they ran 6 an hour. Then it went to 4. Now 2. Pretty rubbish.

[exdulwicher]

Presumably this is due to shortage of drivers/staff, due to this "pingdemic". I think it is temporary, as soon self-isolation will be replaced by workplace testing for key workers.

This ^^

Train companies nationwide are reducing services due to staff isolating. Ultimately you can either say you'll run 4 trains an hour and then cancel half of them (which is incredibly frustrating for all concerned) or you reduce the service intentionally which keeps reliability much higher. There may only be 2 trains an hour but at least they'll be there.

[ctovey]

That might possibly be acceptable if they kept one train from each route, but they have cancelled an entire route. OK if you're only travelling from, say East Dulwich, you would still have 2 trains an hour. But if you're travelling from a station further out, you will have to find a completely new route into London.

[Huggers]

So,just when council is trying to reduce car use through all its road closures, a major public transport route into town has been cut in half ? This isn?t just East Dulwich but the main Peckham Rye route. Our route to Victoriamwas sliced a couple of years back too. What do our councillors have to say about this?

[ianr]

A reminder that the weekend services are unaffected. Confirmed by the departures boards, at both the station and https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/ldbboard/dep/EDW, and by https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.asp and https://www.southernrailway.com/coronavirus-information/revised-timetable#timetable.

[Earl Aelfheah]

exdulwicher Wrote:

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

> Presumably this is due to shortage of

> drivers/staff, due to this "pingdemic". I think it

> is temporary, as soon self-isolation will be

> replaced by workplace testing for key workers.

>

> This ^^

> Train companies nationwide are reducing services

> due to staff isolating. Ultimately you can either

> say you'll run 4 trains an hour and then cancel

> half of them (which is incredibly frustrating for

> all concerned) or you reduce the service

> intentionally which keeps reliability much higher.

> There may only be 2 trains an hour but at least

> they'll be there.

I really hope this does turn out to be a temporary/ emergency change. Once bought in, these things tend to quietly become permanent. Suggest everyone writes to Helen Hayes to express their concern and make sure pressure is kept up on the rail company.

[ctovey]

Got the 8.23am train from East Dulwich this morning. It was pretty crowded with several standing, as it seems that some people are reluctant to sit right next to someone else. We did manage to get seats. Good to see that most passengers were wearing masks.

[ianr]

From https://www.southernrailway.com/coronavirus-information/revised-timetable#timetableK:

There will be additional changes from Monday 23 August until 5 September

In off-peak hours, an hourly train service will operate between Redhill and Gatwick Airport calling at Earlswood, Salfords and Horley. Southern peak services will still run.

The Beckenham Junction to London Bridge route will have 10 trains during peak hours, these will be

07:01, 08:01, 16:01, 17:01 and 18:01 London Bridge to Beckenham Junction

07:45, 08:45, 16:45, 17:45 and 18:45 Beckenham Junction to London Bridge

Services on Saturdays and Sundays have not been altered, but are subject to engineering work. Please check our engineering work page for more information.

.....

From Monday 6 September 2021, we will be changing the times of trains across our network to support the return of schools and colleges.

Those additional Mon-Fri departure times from EDW are:

To Beckenham Jn: 07:14, 08:14 ; 16:14, 17:14, 18:14

To London Bridge: 08:08, 09:08 ; 17:08, 18:08, 19:08

EDW real time departures board: https://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/ldbboard/dep/EDW

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Huggers Wrote:

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

> What do our councillors have to say about this?

Southwark doesn't run the trains. What exactly do you expect a Southwark councillor to do about a shortage of train drivers aggravated by COVID?

[ctovey]

This is good. I have noticed when travelling to Guy's hospital daily with my husband that the trains are getting more crowded. This is usually between 7.30am - 9am. Also, there are many passengers who still feel 'entitled' to use the adjacent seat for their bags, which leads to more people standing around the doors when seats are actually available. I have had to ask almost daily for someone to move their bag so that I can sit down. This is usually met with a 'look' before the bag is grudgingly moved. I would add though, that most passengers are wearing masks on the trains, whereas on buses, quite a few passengers don't. Just an observation as I don't know the personal circumstances of fellow passengers.

[Spartacus]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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

> Huggers Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> ----

> > What do our councillors have to say about this?

>

> Southwark doesn't run the trains. What exactly do

> you expect a Southwark councillor to do about a

> shortage of train drivers aggravated by COVID?

Physically to replace staff sickness, nothing, however to put pressure on the train operators to balance out which trains are kept and which are cut to balance the network, then the council and our MPs should be involved.

Equally to understand the squeezes on public transport and adjust the local policies including road closures, then I would fully expect the local councillors to be in the loop and make informed decisions rather than sticking their fingers in their ears saying "la la la can't hear you"

So in answer to your point, the local authority need to be on top of things like this and be proactive about keeping things moving and ensure that East Dulwich and surrounding areas are accessible for all and not just the fully mobile or able to cycle residents.

[Abe_froeman]

They could ask TFL to run rail replacement buses.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

> the local authority need to be on top of things like this

How? How would Southwark councillors get Southern to train more drivers and stop them having to isolate because of COVID?

I think you're really overestimating the powers the council and individual councillors have. Have a look into how railways are run and regulated in this country, for a start.

It's odd how on this forum there is a Southwark Derangement Syndrome (led by a few "usual suspects") where everything under the sun is somehow the fault of the council. England didn't win the World Cup? Bloody Southwark! Rained on my morning walk? Stupid councillors! Train drivers getting COVID? Lazy bleeding Southwark again!

[Spartacus]

Dogkennelhillbilly Wrote:

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

> > the local authority need to be on top of things

> like this

>

> How? How would Southwark councillors get Southern

> to train more drivers and stop them having to

> isolate because of COVID?

>

> I think you're really overestimating the powers

> the council and individual councillors have. Have

> a look into how railways are run and regulated in

> this country, for a start.

>

> It's odd how on this forum there is a Southwark

> Derangement Syndrome (led by a few "usual

> suspects") where everything under the sun is

> somehow the fault of the council. England didn't

> win the World Cup? Bloody Southwark! Rained on my

> morning walk? Stupid councillors! Train drivers

> getting COVID? Lazy bleeding Southwark again!

Amazing, you are so blinkered that you take a quote and twist it

But to put it in hill billy talk for you

The local authority need to be on top of all transport issues (be it reduced train services, bus issues ...) and , for example, adjust their policies around road networks to ensure people and goods keep moving.

Equally they need to be able to put pressure on other transport providers to ensure an area that already has a low PTAL score isn't impacted. Yet as we've seen when the no 40 was diverted from London bridge, despite local outcry the council did nothing to support their residents and the change occurs.

It's not about training drivers, but by representing the area, some changes may not occur when they are proposed.

[ctovey]

Great start to the new timetable. At least 2 of the 'extra' trains were cancelled along with some others this morning. Others delayed.

[Penguin68]

It's odd how on this forum there is a Southwark Derangement Syndrome (led by a few "usual suspects") where everything under the sun is somehow the fault of the council.

The council is making significant alterations to the facility of one type of travel (by private car) without (apparently) noting or taking any account of other types of travel (train/ bus) which also impact their constituents. In the north of the borough there are substantial alternatives to almost any single travel type (including the tube) - this is not true of the south (the old Borough of Camberwell) where alternatives are few and far between. Of course they don't control those alternatives but (1) they could be making more noise when these are withdrawn or disrupted and (2) they should not be planning to pull the levers they have without reference, or care, to the levers in others' hands. If inner city transport is not planned for in a joined-up manner (it isn't) then we have chaos and unfairness. As we have seen.