Thameslink’s new interim timetable now means NO weekend trains – and no warning given

Thameslink introduced an interim timetable of an interim timetable last week. Despite being another attempt at cobbling together a service and bringing large reductions in service levels it could well be here for the long haul.

And for the Woolwich line it officially reduced services to just one an hour for much of the day.

The interim timetables showed the same reduced service on a Saturday of one an hour. Except yesterday no trains were running whatsoever.

Thameslink seemed flummoxed on Twitter. Their own timetables still show a Saturday service albeit reduced from two an hour to one. Yet none in reality are running anytime soon.



So that’s two out of six trains an hour gone for stations from Westcombe Park to Deptford including the very busy Greenwich stop.

Nothing here does a thing to rectify the widespread view that the entire Thameslink operation is a shambles.

Not a franchise

One more thing; people keep calling for Thameslink’s “franchise” to be stripped. It’s not a franchise but a direct management contract let by the Department for Transport who are on the hook for all revenue loss. Well, the taxpayer is. This must be costing them big. The impact on future franchise awards i.e. Southeastern will be interesting.

Thameslink’s parent does have to pay compensation to the DfT if it fails to meet certain targets, yet the DfT have let Thameslink pay a very modest sum this year in advance for failures meaning there’s little incentive to improve.

This is the same department managed by Chris Grayling who denied TfL operating Southeastern Metro as he thought the DfT could do a better job.




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I've lived in south east London most of my life growing up in Greenwich borough and working in the area for many years. The site has contributors on occasion and we cover many different topics. Living and working in the area offers an insight into what is happening locally.

3 thoughts on “Thameslink’s new interim timetable now means NO weekend trains – and no warning given

  • Do we have to wait for an election to get rid of Failing Grayling?

    Reply
  • which is the most interesting is that this is a game being played – over the back of you and me, but with a simple target. TfL has been made very clear they want to run all inner M25 rail routes because, and the London Overground is a great success story, they want it all under one supervision.

    A while ago it was either (finally) agreed, or collapsed again (bare me) to run all the routes to Dartford via the Overground brand, which was a concern (to Dartford) that main trains going deeper into Kent (Gillingham etc) would ‘be hampered’. Now the main interesting part (not most, I think this is the actual case): they are now forcing the Kent councils to accept both the TfL Overground and as well the Crossrail to be extended to their stations “or, no trains at all – you may have the high speed via Stratford”. The only way to ‘succeed’ is to ‘deny access into M25’.

    Which I wrote a wee while ago: Thamesmead is a very high need to be lifted up and stop its rot. When the Barking line gets to be extended, it needs to be go straight to Abbey Wood with TWO stations at Thamesmead: one direct at the river Thames to develop its town centre and one on the west during the loop towards Abbey Wood to develop houses and living quality.

    I think this all is summing up the current rail and regeneration target points. You can’t invest billions of pounds at the Thameslink to then say “not working”, it does – it has a higher stake then just a train journey

    Reply
  • Really, what is the point of running a Thameslink service via Greenwich, especially if there is only one per hour and no weekend service?

    Reply

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