Agenda item

Public Transport Liaison Committee Meeting- QUESTIONS

13 June 2023

Hybrid Questions

TfL, Network Rail + Southeastern

1.    Recently we re-launched the Lewisham Station User’s Group (LSUG). Can you commit to attending all future LSUG meetings (quarterly) to ensure that residents views at taken into consideration whenever considering changes to scheduling or services at Lewisham? (Councillor Huynh)

 

Network Rail

I can commit to making my best endeavours to attend (or, if that is not possible, to sending a deputy to attend) future LSUG meetings.

 

I cannot commit to ensuring Network Rail attendance at every quarterly session. You will appreciate that across the Southern Region (Wessex, Sussex and Kent routes) there are a substantial number of Rail User Groups and other representative groups of various kinds meeting at a variety of intervals. It is not practical to attend every event held by every group given the resource available in the team, particularly when meetings are held in the evenings.

 

Nevertheless, I can commit to attend future LSUG meetings, and I would welcome a conversation with you and the group about your objectives and terms of reference so that we can find an appropriate and sustainable level of engagement to make sure that your voices are heard.

 

Southeastern

Yes, where we have the capacity to do so.

 

We engage regularly with many stakeholders across our network including councils, MPs, rail user groups and CRPs. In addition, since last October, we have run Meet the Manager sessions at 19 key stations on our network, including Lewisham, at which we talked to customers in person about the timetable changes, both to share our thinking and hear any feedback or concerns from customers directly.

 

Network Rail, Southern

2.    Can the train operators responsible and Network Rail give information on the performance and any plans in relation direct services to London Bridge from New Cross Gate, Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill & Sydenham? (Councillor Hall)

 

 

Network Rail

The train operating company is best-placed to discuss service patterns on this line.

On performance, one specific way that we’re focusing on performance and reliability on the Sussex route is through our ‘Golden Corridors’ plan. We developed the Golden Corridors plan to identify critical locations where we have a higher frequency service and therefore a huge impact when things go wrong.

The London Bridge to Anerley (via Sydenham) corridor is one of the five Golden Corridors that we have identified. Together, these account for up to 22% of delay minutes, while only covering 10% of the network, making these areas twice as problematic as the network average. That means we need to work twice as hard here. We’ve created new rules, things we know will impact passenger journeys, to make sure we go above and beyond in these areas, whether that’s increased maintenance, targeting flooding hotspots or installing cameras to warn us of potential hazards before they occur.

Some of these rules include having no trespass and fatality incidents, cleaning up the railway, reducing wet beds and gaining appropriate access for work to take place.

The exciting thing about this project is that by really honing in on the Golden Corridors, we are reducing delay minutes and improving performance issues across the network – not just on the corridors themselves.

We’re pleased that in Period 1 (01 – 28 April) we exceeded all of our performance targets for the Sussex Route, with 75.2% of trains arriving at station stops within 59 seconds of timetable. Our work in close collaboration with our partners at GTR and the other Train Operating Companies continues; for example, we have commenced a workshop to collectively prioritise critical switch & crossing points (the parts of the railway that move trains from one track to another) on the Sydenham corridor to better-manage our response to incidents so that we can continue to safely provide a high-performing railway on the crucial rail link along the Sydenham corridor into London Bridge.

 

Southern

Train performance for period 2 (30 April -27 May) was 85.6% (<1 minute late), 94.6% (<5 mins late), cancellations 0.7%. We have no current plans to change the existing service pattern, but services are constantly under review in line with changing patterns of demand. 

 

Network Rail, South Eastern, Southern

3.    Are there any consultations to timetable changes planned for rail services affecting Lewisham borough? (Councillor Hall)

 

Network Rail

Network Rail does not undertake consultations on timetable changes, which are a matter for the train operating companies.

 

Southeastern

There are no major changes planned for December 2023 that affect Lewisham.

 

Looking forward, for minor changes to services (such as those introduced in May) we will continue to engage customers, MPs, and other stakeholders to inform these changes.

 

In the event of major service revisions, we would expect consultation to apply unless the situation was an emergency one (such as the pandemic).

 

Southern

Our Stakeholder team regularly hold webinars to discuss timetable changes prior to these taking place. Please let us know if you wish to be notified of these events and we will add you to our mailing list. 

 

All networks

4.    How are you working to improve the quality and amenities of stations across the borough and ensure they are adequate for an inner London Borough. Can you share with us future station improvement roadmaps? (Councillor Walsh)

 

Network Rail

We do not hold future station improvement roadmaps, as future improvements will be dependent on the level of funding made available as part of our financial settlement. Our next five-year spending period commences in April 2024 and will run until April 2029. Total investment levels including for stations are being determined as part of the regulatory process and will be confirmed in due course.

We do have work at a number of stations in Lewisham to improve the quality of the stations and customer experience of using them. For example, we have funding for a canopy refurbishment at Lewisham and at Blackheath stations. We also have funding for a project to improve capacity at Lewisham station by relocating the DLR gateline.

 

Southeastern

We work in partnership with Network Rail (as landlord) to improve the stations on our network. A list of current work in the Lewisham area is set out below.

 

-       Lewisham Short Term Interventions

We have recently installed an additional waiting shelter on Platform 4.

 

Shortly, we will be renewing and revising the wayfinding signage throughout the premises to aid improved passenger movement around the station.

 

We are working with the DLR to move the gate line on Platform 1 into the concourse area next to the main entrance to improve passenger flow and reduce crowding around the current gates on Platform 1.

 

-       National Railway Recovery Fund

 

We are submitting a bid under the forthcoming National Rail Recovery Fund to relocate staff offices and accommodation to create new space for enhanced passenger facilities, including new toilets, climate-controlled waiting rooms, and retail facilities whilst improving passenger flows in and around Platforms 2 and 3 and the subway leading to Platforms 1 and 4.

 

We expect to the know outcome of the bid later this year.

 

-       Station Feasibility Designs

 

We are currently undertaking a range of station feasibility design studies aimed at improving 18 stations across our estate, including Catford Bridge

 

The design for this station focuses on improving the transport interchange between the two Catford stations. These are feasibility designs only, but the output will be submitted as costed bids for funding under the National Railway Recovery Fund.     

 

Any major redevelopment of stations in the borough would be a project undertaken by Network Rail.

 

-       Access for All – Hither Green

Hither Green recently received outline planning approval to make the station fully accessible via a new footbridge and lifts to all platforms. Project commencement expected in summer 2023, completion expected in winter 2024. This is a complicated scheme at a challenging site, hence the 19-month programme.

 

On an additional note, Southeastern will shortly commence works to build an Accessible Toilet at this station.

 

-       Access for All – Catford

Network Rail has advised that the work is now complete as of the late May Bank Holiday, bar any snagging items, and the scheme is expected to open in a couple of weeks.

 

Other councils we work with direct section 106 or CIL funding towards station improvement works. We would like to explore a similar approach with Lewisham Borough Council, not least as the substantial amount of building and development around Lewisham station has contributed significantly to the increased footfall. As a publicly funded train operator that relies on taxpayer subsidy to run our services, it would be beneficial for both Southeastern and the council to work more in partnership. We can achieve more by working together and combining funding for station improvements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Network Rail + TfL

5.    Transport for the South East (TfSE) has recently published its aspirations to deliver ‘Direct passenger rail services from London to Brighton via Tunbridge Wells and Uckfield’. Can you share with us (if any) any conversation with TfSE from yourselves, and the thinking for the portion of the line that runs from London Bridge to the South East, and whether there is scope for LB of Lewisham interchanges on this route. (Councillor Walsh)

 

Network Rail

We have worked with Transport for the South East on their Strategic Investment Plan and we meet with them regularly. The proposals to reopen closed lines would need a strong business case to attract the large amount of necessary funding to progress. To date, there has been limited consideration of potential services and stopping patterns (there are existing services that terminate at Tunbridge Wells) and nothing specifically on connections in LB Lewisham. 

 

6.    Southeastern has recently reintroduced its peak-hours one-way system at Lewisham station, first introduced in 2018 but suspended during covid. Passenger numbers are building back towards the 10m+ entries and exits a year and 2.5m+ interchanges a year reported for each of the two years before covid, which triggered the need for the one-way system and made it even more clear that the station was no longer fit for purpose. Two costly feasibility studies have been undertaken (in 2017 and 2022) on user trends and options for a major upgrade of Lewisham station, but neither has been made public or acted on. Nearly 1,000 new homes and much new town centre retail/leisure space is due for completion close to the station in 2023 (Gateway Phase 2 and Tesco Conington Road). Hundreds more homes are also under construction in Kidbrooke, just two stops down the Bexleyheath line. (Public question)

 

Network Rail

Lewisham has seen significant population growth which has increased footfall within the station, creating overcrowding and congestion during both the morning and evening peak periods.

 

The existing infrastructure at the station is not suitable to cater for the number of passengers currently using the station. This has led to increased train dwell times for services calling at the station, impacting the overall performance of the route, as well as raising potential safety concerns.

 

Our works at Lewisham station will address safety and operational concerns due to congestion and crowding on platforms and improving passenger experience at the station. As a short-term intervention, we have secured funding to relocate the gateline on the DLR concourse that will help to mitigate against overcrowding. This project will also improve the passenger experience by installing digital wayfinding at the station and installing an additional waiting shelter on platform 4.

 

We do not currently have funding for other enhancements to Lewisham station.

 

 

Southeastern + Network Rail + Lewisham Council

7.    What is Southeastern doing, in concert with Network Rail and Lewisham Council, to urgently improve capacity, safety and comfort for existing and new rail users starting or interchanging on their journeys at Lewisham station? Who are the official leads at Southeastern (and at Network Rail and Lewisham Council) driving forward much needed upgrades to the station, rolling stock and services to meet user needs and legitimate demands? What are their names, roles, and contact details? Will they undertake to work together to push forward much needed improvements and to make regular public reports on initiatives and actual progress to improve the rail infrastructure and services for Lewisham rail users? (LSUG + Blackheath society)

 

Network Rail

Lewisham has seen significant population growth which has increased footfall within the station, creating overcrowding and congestion during both the morning and evening peak periods.

 

The existing infrastructure at the station is not considered suitable to cater for the number of passengers currently using the station, leading to concerns over safety. This has also led to increased train dwell times for services calling at the station, impacting the overall performance of the route.

 

The works at Lewisham station will address safety and operational concerns due to congestion and crowding on platforms and improving passenger experience at the station.

 

As a short-term intervention, we have secured funding to relocate the gateline on the DLR concourse that will help to mitigate against overcrowding. This project will also improve the passenger experience by installing digital wayfinding at the station and installing an additional waiting shelter on platform 4.

 

We have also been engaged in significant work in the Lewisham area (but outside the station itself) to deliver more reliable journeys. Most of the current track and signalling systems in the Lewisham area were originally designed and installed in the 1960s and 1970s, which means this infrastructure is more prone to faults because of its age as well as obsolete designs.

Over half of Southeastern’s daily train services pass through the Lewisham area on their way into London – so we’re committed to improving the infrastructure in this area:

•     2020: replaced 2.5km of track in the St Johns area

•     2021: replaced key junctions at St Johns and Parks Bridge

•     2022: Christmas closure to fully rebuild the very complex junction north of the platforms at Lewisham Station (£10m strategic investment)

•     2023: 1300m rail renewal and crossing replacement between New Cross and Lewisham, and a further 2100m in 2024.

In total, between 2019-2024 we are investing £250 million in upgrading the track and signalling of the Lewisham area.

We will continue to work closely with our partners at Southeastern to deliver safe and punctual passenger journeys.

 

Southeastern

 

Accessibility

We are doing a lot of work to help people with disabilities and mobility requirements. Since April 2022, we have a 2-hour booking window for all assistance needs that operates 24/7. We have employed more mobile assistance staff including at Waterloo East, London Bridge and (from 27 May) Stratford International. We have seen assists on Southeastern grow faster than on any other major train operators.

 

 

 

 

 

We have achieved high levels of customer satisfaction, as measured by ORR - 97% of customers were satisfied with helpfulness of staff, and 92% were satisfied with the overall process.

 

 

 

Security and Safety

Through Operation Barbican we are making the railway safer for customers and colleagues, with extra security staff at 19 stations (including Lewisham) 7 days a week, which has achieved an 80% reduction in reports of workplace violence and reduced incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour. We have also more than doubled the number of incidents being defused by the presence of our teams and denied access to the railway to many more people with poor behaviour.

 

Furthermore, we have signed a Tripartite Agreement with the British Transport Police and Network Rail which commits us all to addressing anti-social behaviour, crime and safeguarding on our network.

 

Enhanced customer information

Customers can also now use ‘Seatfinder’ to check how busy their train will be and later this year we will be launching ‘Track and Share’ so passengers can be met at their destination on time by friends and family, who can track where the train is. We also have a live map on our website that shows how our service is performing.

 

Consultation on rolling stock procurement

We are interested in stakeholder views on rolling stock that we are seeking to procure for Metro lines to London terminals, including lines that run through Lewisham.

 

We are asking stakeholders to fill in a brief online questionnaire.  We will be holding an informal ‘drop-in’ event on 13 June between 13.00-16.30 at the Science Gallery, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9GU, a few minutes’ walk from London Bridge Station.

 

Station upgrade

We don’t undertake major station upgrade work; this is Network Rail, but we will support them in any way we can.

 

Southeastern will attend LSUG meetings, where we have capacity, to provide periodic updates.

 

 

TfL + Thameslink

8.    At a previous meeting, the written response of South Rail to our question on the re-establishment of a service to East Croydon was that did not have any plans to restore the service and sought to justify that by providing journeys into Crystal Palace, Clapham Junction and Victoria. There is no demand for trains to Crystal as this is served by the TfL service. For the northern section (including New Cross Gate and Brockley) there are faster services to Clapham Junction and Victoria either via central London or via TfL. There is no direct route any longer to East Croydon as neither Southern nor TfL services call there. Can we have statistics showing (a) how many passengers now have to change at Norwood Junction compared with those who would, if the previous service was re-introduced, need to change at Crystal Palace for Clapham Junction and Victoria? (Telegraph Hill)

 

Thameslink

In  September 2022, we replaced the East Croydon to London Bridge stopping service with the London Victoria to London Bridge via Sydenham stopping service. The reason we made this change was that it allowed us to double capacity for customers in the Sydenham to London Bridge section with eight and ten carriage trains, replacing the five carriage service into London Bridge which used to operate.

We fully recognise that passengers would prefer to have both services in operation to provide the additional journey options of a service to London Victoria and to East Croydon, but unfortunately with the pressure the network continues to face on funding and revenue, we have needed to make difficult decisions on how we best use the resources available to us.

We have looked into all the available options and believe the current London Victoria to London Bridge via Sydenham service provides the most benefit to customers of the options available in the round of considering all Southern customers in the London Bridge / London Victoria areas.

Direct services between London Bridge and East Croydon are also available from East Dulwich station and the line through Tulse Hill, which does offer an alternative option. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Individual Transport Questions

 

 

Southeastern:

9.    What plans are there to reopen the access on platform 4 (rampway) at Lewisham Station and what are the timescales? (Councillor Huynh)

 

There are no plans currently to re-open this entrance. The station is fully gated and the footpath leading up to Platform 4 has no physical space within railway owned land to build and host a gate line. Hence it is closed off to public use.

 

If there was a technical solution, such as building a platform area halfway up the embankment, the costs would be prohibitive. It is also doubtful that planning permission would be achievable given the private properties at the foot of the path.

 

10.Will South Eastern Railway provide an update on their performance this year to date? (Councillor Hall)

 

Current performance

 

In terms of reliability, Southeastern was the third best operator nationally in period 1 (1-29 April) at 1.1% compared to the industry average of 3.1%. This is our lowest level of cancellations in six years (excluding the early months of the Covid pandemic). Cancellations in period 2 (30 April to 27 May) were also good (1.6%) which was the third best in the country for the second period running.

 

In terms of punctuality, in April, almost three quarters of our trains (73.2%) arrived within 59 seconds of their advertised time, and almost 9 in 10 trains (89.7%) within three minutes and over 99% within 15 minutes. This is our best ‘on time’ performance since April 2022.  Last period (30 April – 27 May) we achieved similar levels of good performance with 72.6% of trains arriving within 59 seconds of their advertised time, which remains above the industry average.

 

Year to date Performance

 

Our year-to-date On-Time performance across our whole network is hitting our target and is 1.2% better than the industry average.

 

Our year-to-date Metro area On-Time performance (which is more focused on the Lewisham area services) is even better, surpassing all our targets and the rest of the industry by a greater margin.

 

On incident-free days (e.g., without signalling, track, train, trespass events), our train service now performs well. It is also better able to recover from disruption when incidents do occur. We have more to do, but it’s an encouraging sign that customers are seeing the performance benefits of the new timetable.

 

This year to date (1 April - 27 May) performance (expressed as a % of trains meeting measure)

 

 

Customer Satisfaction has increased to 87% (our best result since period 7 September 2022).

  

We remain focused on further improvement, and we are working with Network             Rail to ensure more incident-free days to deliver the service our customers expect.

 

Cancellations

Statistically, Southeastern is a low cancellation railway. Year-to-date we are more than meeting our targets and are performing better than the industry, who on average have more than double the number of cancellations as Southeastern.

 

Southeastern was the third best train operator nationally for cancellations during periods 1 and 2 (April and May 2023), with cancellations at only 1.1% and 1-6% respectively. April saw our lowest level of cancellations in six years (excluding the early months of the Covid pandemic, when usage dropped to less than 10%).

 

However, we continue to double down on the causes of cancellation which is most often caused by: points, track circuits and signals remain largest cause of cancellations followed by fleet.

 

In terms of punctuality, in April, almost three quarters of our trains (73.2%) arrived within 59 seconds of their advertised time, almost 9 in 10 trains (89.7%) within three minutes and over 99% within 15 minutes. This is our best ‘on time’ performance since April 2022.  Last period (30 April – 27 May) we achieved similar levels of good performance with 72.6% of trains arriving within 59 seconds of their advertised time, which remains above the industry average.

 

 

11.SouthEastern are aware from Petitions and hundreds of individual letters and emails of the anger at the withdrawal of off peak and weekend services to Charing Cross.  SouthEastern’s Managing Director has conceded many times, on the record, that passenger demand is for services to Charing Cross, not to Cannon Street (for which there is almost no demand).

 

While SouthEastern have in their May timetable added an hourly service to Charing Cross this is a token response to passengers’ anger as it fails to meet the needs of Metro passengers.

 

SouthEastern have stated that there is capacity at the Lewisham Junction Cross Over for an additional service to and from Blackheath (and services up the line) but that an additional service needs to be cost justified.

 

Why can a Charing Cross service not be introduced immediately by transferring off peak and weekend services from Cannon Street to Charing Cross.  Such a change would be at no extra cost? Future consultation on timetables has been  promised by the Rail Minister in Parliamentary Debate and in Meetings.  Before the next December timetable review will SouthEastern carry out a public consultation, for which there is ample time,  on passengers’ needs on the Bexleyheath line, as was done in 2017? (Public question)

 

We are continually reviewing passenger numbers on all our services using equipment on trains that weighs customers at each station. This is supported by manual counting of passengers on and off trains that takes place by an external company twice a year, the most recent of which took place between March and June where the results will be available in August. This takes time to process and often involves several visits to stations if there is disruption on the day that would impact results.

 

The image below demonstrates the inputs that lead to proposals that require funding. 

 

 

This approach has led to additional services being introduced in January, February and May 2023 and we are currently reviewing options for December this year. Passenger demand has not yet stabilised, and these interventions are possible due to the simplicity of the current timetable which also provides space for some additional services (based on funding being available, either because passenger income increases, or because a funder such as the DfT agrees to increase funding to provide these services).

 

Looking forward for minor changes to services (such as those introduced to date) we will continue to engage customers, MPs, and other stakeholders to inform these changes. In the event of major service revisions, we would expect consultation to apply unless the situation was an emergency one (such as the pandemic).

 

To amend the underlying structure of the timetable (required if amending the operation of services around Lewisham) we would expect consultation to be needed. The December 2022 timetable change needed to deliver a balance of affordability, capacity to meet demand, scalability as well as being reliable and punctual across the entire Southeastern network.  It also returned services between Beckenham Junction and Blackfriars (that had not operated for 2 years). We apologised publicly for not consulting on the major timetable change and committed that any further significant change would be consulted. 

 

As mentioned above we continue to monitor passenger numbers, costs to the taxpayer, demand, revenue, reliability, punctuality as well as passenger satisfaction and customer feedback.

 

Whilst demand is currently not sufficient to cover the cost of further off-peak direct services into Charing Cross on the Bexleyheath line, we are committed to

keeping our timetable under review, further enhancing our services, and continuing to improve customer experience. We have already made several changes to the timetable in response to such changes either by adding extra services or adding carriages to busy trains.

 

The timeframe for minor changes to the December 2023 timetable completes in July 2023 and in October 2023 for May/June 2024 timetable.

 

12.Can Southeastern please report on how delays and punctuality have been affected by the December timetable change to the Bexleyheath line including in relation to historical benchmarks, and identify what processes are underway to consider whether or not to redistribute trains between the Cannon Street and Charing Cross lines? (Councillor Warner)

In May 2023 we reinstated hourly off-peak Charing Cross services on the Bexleyheath Line, which is now running Charing Cross, Cannon St, and Victoria services in both the peaks and off-peaks.

 

Performance on the Bexleyheath Line has improved since the beginning of the year and the percentage of cancellations year-to-date is half the industry average, which is excellent.

 

Our On Time performance (within 59s) is below the industry average, while our T-3 and T-15 performance (within 3m and 15m respectively) is above industry average, indicating that while there is work to do to make the line more punctual to the minute, the impact of delays has been lessened, with less severe disruption that causes delays of 3 minutes or longer.

 

13.At a previous meeting (where Southeastern were not present) we asked the following question:

Given the current poor service from Southern Rail into Charing Cross, residents using New Cross Gate station would sometimes walk to New Cross station (6 to 10 minutes) in order to make their journey or, on the reverse journey take a train from Charing Cross to New Cross and walk. However all New Cross services now run to Cannon Street. All Charing Cross services now seem to run fast to Deptford or Lewisham creating significant inconvenience to those living in the New Cross/New Cross Gate area. Is there a possibility that Southeastern services through to Charing Cross, stopping at New Cross, will be restored?

The question was not answered. The written reply simply stated the current position. Can we have an answer please?

 

Southern have not served Charing Cross since 2009 when the Caterham / Tattenham Corner services were terminated at London Bridge as part of the SLC2 December 2019 timetable change which saw the introduction of Highspeed services.

 

Southeastern have not had scheduled direct Charing Cross services from St John’s or New Cross since 2015 because of the Thameslink works at London Bridge. The crossovers at Spa Road Junction were removed and whilst it is theoretically possible to run from New Cross to Charing Cross it would be against the flow of GTR services and other Southeastern services which, unfortunately, makes it impractical to do so.

 

Deptford has not had a Charing Cross service since 2015 (nor has Greenwich, Maze Hill or Westcombe Park) because of the Thameslink works.

 

14.Can SouthEastern please explain why, given the number of employees in their management teams, nobody was available to be briefed and to represent SouthEastern at the last meeting of this committee? (Telegraph Hill)

 

We have responded to the committee on this question several times. It is not a constructive use of our, or the committee’s time, to repeatedly ask and answer the same question. As we have advised previously when this has been queried:

 

We were not able to attend the November 2022 meeting of the Lewisham Public Transport Liaison Committee, as we were already committed to attend a council meeting in another area that evening. We did, however provide a series of detailed answers to a set of questions asked by the Committee ahead of the meeting. We also offered to meet on a separate occasion, but unfortunately alternative dates were not acceptable to the Committee.

 

On 14 November 2022, Cllrs Royston, Krupski and Warner, along with Janet Daby MP, Matthew Pennycook MP, Clive Efford MP, and Louie French MP, either joined, or were invited to, a briefing with Southeastern. During this, we committed to briefing Lewisham’s Public Transport Liaison committee in early December. The council subsequently cancelled this meeting and unfortunately changed the date of the meeting we were planning to attend in January as well.

 

We briefed the committee on 15 March 2023 and Cllrs Royston, Krupski and Huynh were in attendance as were the Mayor of Lewisham, Damian Egan, and representatives from the offices of Ellie Reeves MP and Janet Daby MP. We let the council know on the 24 February that we would not be attending the session on 9 March because we had already agreed to brief them on 15 March.

 

We held a Meet the Manager session at Lewisham Station on 28 March 2023 to which the public, including Councillors, were invited to attend and meet with our senior leadership team.

 

On 4 April 2023, Southeastern attended a public meeting of Lewisham rail users that was chaired by Vicky Foxcroft MP – Lewisham councillors were invited to the meeting.

 

Since then, we’ve met with Vicky Foxcroft MP (along with the LSUG) and Janet Daby MP again.

 

We regularly get asked by councils and rail user groups across our network for evening meetings, often close together. We want to send the appropriate representatives to brief stakeholders, however, as a small team with finite capacity, it is not always possible to meet every request. Our approach is therefore to accept requests for meetings as fairly and evenly as possible across the SE network, and, in the rare instances where two councils ask to meet us on the same date, we give priority to the first request we receive.

 

Southeastern's hard-working public employees, who show up every day to serve our customers, can feel discouraged when you criticise the perceived size of our management team. I'm sure this wasn't your intent. Southeastern is a publicly owned rail company. We are striving to deliver a better, more sustainable, and reliable railway while balancing customer demand and the need to spend taxpayers' money wisely.

 

 

Network Rail:

15.Are there any plans to use the railways tunnels near Lewisham Station as commercial units (similar to Deptford Railway Station) e.g. mini coffee shops? If not, would there be openness to develop these sites? (Councillor Huynh)

 

I am assuming that this relates to the railway archies under the platform at Rennell Street, to the south of the station, that are currently used as pubic realm? We do not have plans to utilise this space for commercial units at present, but we are always open to dialogue with potential promoters and funders of schemes to improve the use of railway assets where appropriate.

 

16.Can you give us a specific date as to when we can expect the lifts at Catford Station to be operational? (Councillor Walsh)

 

The new lifts at Catford station came into public use on 29 May 2023. This has been a £3.7 million investment in the station, to improve accessibility by providing for lift access to and between all platforms.

 

We intend to hold an ‘official’ opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony towards the end of summer once snagging work has been completed, and local stakeholders including Lewisham Borough Council will be invited to participate in that event to officially inaugurate the new lifts. You can expect to receive an invitation shortly.

 

17.At a previous meeting (where Network Rail were not present) we asked the following question:

Are there any plans to install lifts at Nunhead Station? (Nunhead Station is just in the Borough of Southwark but used by a significant number of residents in Telegraph Hill and Brockley in Lewisham.)

The question was not answered. Can we have an answer please? (Telegraph Hill)

 

We do not have plans currently to install lifts at Nunhead station.

In our spending period that runs between 2019-2024 approximately £350 million was allocated for the current round of the Access for All scheme, which delivers step-free access to and between stations through (in almost all cases) the provision of lifts.

We expect there will be another round of Access for All to run from 2024 – 2029, but whether this will occur and if so how much will be invested is a decision for the Department for Transport.

I can confirm that Nunhead station has been nominated for inclusion in a potential Access for All programme round that would run from 2024 – 2029. Whether the scheme receives funding will be determined by the Department for Transport, who undertake an exercise to rank and prioritise nominated schemes against the objectives of the fund and according to set criteria, in order to maximise the impact of the fund across the network. We are expecting an announcement on this in due course.

If Nunhead were to be selected to receive funding under this scheme, Network Rail would then be responsible for the design and delivery of the project.

 

18.Can Network Rail please explain why, given the number of employees in their management teams, nobody was available to be briefed and to represent Network Rail at the last meeting of this committee? (Telegraph Hill)

 

Network Rail was represented by the Senior Public Affairs Manager for the Southern Region at the last meeting of this committee, that took place on 09 March 2023.

 

 

 

 

TfL

19.There is a 7.5 tonne weight restriction on Kidbrooke Park Road. It no longer needs to be in place as the bridge has now been repaired. When will Kidbrooke Park Road be reopened? (Councillor Royston)

 

20.Does TfL have any update on the schedule to build a station at Surrey Canal Road? What is the funding available for this? (Councillor Hall)

 

21.Are there any plans to consult on bus frequencies and timetabling across Lewisham? (Councillor Hall)

 

22.Residents regularly raise concerns regarding the use of Sangley Road by buses. Many on the doorstep raise speeding and a suspicion of wing mirror clipping. There are often I’m told stand offs between road users along this stretch. What more can you do to monitor and ameliorate these issues and give confidence to residents that TfL is doing it's fair part? (Councillor Walsh)

 

23.Speeding buses are causing severe vibration of houses along Sandhurst Road; many complaints have recently ben submitted to Councillor Burgess. An FOI has shown that Lewisham Council and TfL have never communicated about this problem; but TfL's head of operations Rosie Trew recently promised to open an investigation. Can Lewisham Council be raise the matter with TfL in an attempt to solve the issue? (Public question)

 

24.Are all buses in the area now ULEZ compliant? (Forest Hill)

 

25.Are there any plans for the 63 bus route to be extended as far as Honor Oak Park station in order to support public travel to the station from the Peckham Rye Park area to reduce car usage and local parking (in support of the Sustainable Streets Initiative)? (Forest Hill Society)

 

26.This morning (11th May 2023) I had to cycle across that junction and was very nearly knocked down by a white van which had gone straight through the red light travelling west-east on New Cross road. My light (travelling south from Avonley Road) had turned green and if I'd been quicker off the mark he would have hit me.

 

I know you said that the enforcement team have been made aware that drivers jump reds at this junction but it needs more action. I've thought of some immediate and longer term goals for this junction:

 

Immediate asks:

1)Visible enforcement at the traffic lights, either through patrols or through cameras and more signage about cameras

2)Add 3 seconds to the "green man" crossing phase to support pedestrians

3)Adjust the lights to include the "green man" pedestrian phase in every cycle, rather than only if the button is pressed (this would save a lot of people on foot a lot of waiting time on a polluted roadside)

 

Medium term asks

1)    additional pedestrian light and painted crossing from outside Hong Kong City restaurant to Kender Street - ie a crossing on the 4th side of the junction. Hundreds of people already cross here daily so we should make it safer for them.

 

Long term asks

1) new pedestrian friendly junction redesign that enables diagonal crossing and cycle priority

2) protected 2-way cycle lane on New Cross Road (A2) like the one on Jamaica Road and Blackfriars Bridge Road (Councillor Shrivastava on behalf of resident)

 

27.At the last meeting we sought to explain our concerns over the inadequate passenger information at Whitechapel and certain other stations. The TfL represent said he would put in a request for TfL to contact the Society directly in order to discuss the issue.

As we said, we would be happy to meet at Whitechapel with a member of TfL staff to explain those concerns (contact via our website at www.telegraphhillsociety.co.uk or direct at ths@baccma.co.uk) but, as yet, have heard nothing. Can this be followed up please?

 

Thameslink

28.Catford Station was recently voted worst in SE London. Apart from the DfT/Network Rail Access for all funded lift investment and the monies you were fined as a rail operator that were to be invested in station upgrades, could you detail what investment you have optionally made as a business in the last five years and what you plan to make in the next 3? (Councillor Walsh)

At Catford, Network Rail has invested in two new lifts, a link bridge between platforms, and CCTV.  These improvements are now complete.  

 

29.2 trains an hour from London Bridge to Forest Hill is not enough, particularly in the evening. 30 minute service gaps (and cancellations / fast running) make this too risky an option to use for passengers, leading to overcrowding on the Overground Service. Can this service be extended back to 4 trains, ideally including services that connect to East Croydon directly (as we had before cancellation) as this also has many other benefits for Lewisham residents. (Forest Hill Society)

 

We recognise that services can be very busy, particularly in the peak periods. Unfortunately, we are unable to increase frequencies at the present time as we do not have the level of funding available that we would need to make the change. In terms of cancellations, reliability has improved considerably. In period 2, only 0.7 per cent of services were cancelled.  

 

30.There are massive gaps (15 mins) in the Thameslink timetable between London Bridge and Farringdon including morning peaks. Thameslink from London Bridge should be running every 4 minutes at peak times to encourage more use of trains and avoid Overground overcrowding. (Forest Hill Society)

 

Our timetable has been amended during periods of industrial action to provide greater certainty to customers about train times and frequencies, with the aim of avoiding last minute cancellations due to the overtime ban.

 

At peak times, there are 12 trains per hour in the timetable through the core from London Bridge to Farringdon. Clearly there may be times when this is not achieved – eg. when there is unplanned disruption to the service. 

 

31.Will train operators consider running services earlier and later to East Croydon from Brockley, Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill & Sydenham stations to provide a convenient public transport link to London Gatwick Airport? (Councillor Hall)

 

Please see response to Q29

 

32.The previous meeting queried the response of Southern Rail (who were not at the meeting) and who stated that the full services from West Croydon/Crystal Palace into London Bridge would not be restored at present as the loading was low. It was pointed out that the loading was low because of the infrequent service and that travellers were being forced to take the more frequent TfL services instead which was leading to overcrowding of those services and at Canada Water station where travellers were having to change to the Jubilee line to continue their journey.

 

TfL stated: “The reduction in service frequencies on Southern during peak periods has caused an increase in crowding levels on this route on Overground services, specifically East London services running via Forest Hill Trains are currently very crowded by the time they reach New Cross Gate at the height of the morning peak period.

“We have spoken informally to Southern about this through our operator (Arriva Rail London) to see if they can reinstate some services to alleviate the situation, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to do so. Our view is that National Rail services should be maintained broadly at pre-Pandemic levels to support the ongoing recovery from the Pandemic and encourage the use of the public transport network; that is what we have done on the Overground network.” In the light of this can Southern Rail please reconsider their response. The TfL representative (who was at the meeting) said that they would continue to seek talks with Southern Rail. Can Southern Rail please indicate how far those talks have got and, if they have not progressed, why not. (Telegraph Hill)

 

33.At the last meeting, the written response of South Rail to our question on the re-establishment of a service to East Croydon was that did not have any plans to restore the service and sought to justify that by providing journeys into Crystal Palace, Clapham Junction and Victoria. There is no demand for trains to Crystal as this is served by the TfL service. For the northern section (including New Cross Gate and Brockley) there are faster services to Clapham Junction and Victoria either via central London or via TfL. There is no direct route any longer to East Croydon as neither Southern nor TfL services call there. Can we have statistics showing (a) how many passengers now have to change at Norwood Junction compared with those who would, if the previous service was re-introduced, need to change at Crystal Palace for Clapham Junction and Victoria? (Telegraph Hill)

 

34.If Southern is determined to keep the current services, when the additional missing trains are re-introduced (see q above) could those be routed to go to East Croydon, thereby satisfying both objectives? (Telegraph Hill)

 

35.The question asked at the last meeting about running trains off-peak through to Charing Cross was not answered. We were told in the written reply that there were no (current) plans do so. However the question asked was whether, when the franchises came up for renewal, they would consider doing so. If not, why not? This was not explained. We were only told that we had to live with the inconvenience and extended travel time without giving any explanation as to why we would have to.

(Incidentally we were also told that the station upgrade at London Bridge has made it easier to change at London Bridge. For disabled passengers, this is true. For all other passengers, the removal of the bridge between lines has meant that the time required to change platforms is now considerably more than it used to be. Furthermore, even if it were easier, that is not a reason for doubling journey times to the West End.) (Telegraph Hill)

 

The current National Rail Contract awarded to Govia Thameslink Railway does not include the provision of train services into Charing Cross station. Should the DfT wish to include this route into a future contract, we would be happy to consider providing a service.   

 

36.Can Southern Rail please explain why, given the number of employees in their management teams, nobody was available to be briefed and to represent Southern Rail at the last meeting of this committee? (Telegraph Hill)

 

A representative attended from GTR (Govia Thameslink Railway), of which Southern is a brand within the company, along with Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express. 

 

Stagecoach

37.There is a no smoking sign at Grove Park bus Station, yet bus drivers ignore this, why should public obey this notice? (Public question)

 

There is signage for no smoking at the entrances to the male and female toilets and the entrance to the driver's mess room. The restrictions only apply to the indoor facilities. However, any of our staff not complying will be seen through the company process.

 

38.When Drivers pull out, on number occasions they pull out, without picking up passengers at the official bus stop. (Public question)

 

We are surprised to hear this occurs. The only time a bus would not serve that stop is if it is driving back to the depot, or it could be a bus from a different service making an unscheduled stop at this bus stand. Any staff reported to us for not picking up our customers on Routes 136 and 181 will be investigated in accordance with the company’s policies.

 

Lewisham Council

39.There are proposals for hundreds of new (car free) apartments in Bell Green. What upgrades has Lewisham requested to the bus services between Bell Green and Forest Hill / Catford / Sydenham to meet demand, or are existing services sufficient? (Forest Hill)

 

The Livesey Hall development and the Bell Green development are undergoing pre-app discussions with the Council regarding their development and the transport implications of the developments. While assessments are being undertaken independently by the developers, considerations will be taken where transport related proposals impact both sites and where the best solution will need to be taken for the benefits of the future occupiers and in accordance with local policies.  Therefore we are awaiting the Traffic impact Assessment (TA) studies from the developer along with proposals for improvements to bus services alongside improvements to connections routes.