No substantial changes to Southeastern timetable from May

There will be no substantial changes to Southeastern timetables from May 20213 according to a letter sent to Woolwich and Greenwich MP Matt Pennycook.

This comes as little surprise given timetable changes take over a year to prepare, and the company have only just pushed through a long term goal to limit certain lines to certain terminals.

Confirmation from the rail minister – whose East Sussex services have been largely unaffected – that no "material changes" to Southeastern's failing timetable are being considered.

Passengers in South East London do not want "targeted changes", they want the timetable abandoned. pic.twitter.com/RjgNQLlHxc

— Matthew Pennycook MP (@mtpennycook) March 17, 2023

While previous suggestions to do so went alongside an increase in services to make connection easier, last December’s changes saw cuts compounding earlier service reductions.

In addition, the Treasury and Department for Transport who set fares, budgets and service levels still appear intent on cutting rail services despite passenger numbers rising.

They also seek to close almost all ticket offices. Not that on Southeastern Metro many would notice given staff shortages seem worse than ever. Their daily list of station issues shows dozens of stations lacking staffing.

As of now, the only improvement is one off-peak train per hour on the Bexleyheath line.

Meanwhile the Elizabeth line goes from strength to strength with Abbey Wood station numbers quadrupling (a post on latest numbers soon) though Southeastern appear to be doing their best to dissuade connections. Cuts in December 2022 along the Greenwich line see waits up to 24 minutes between trains to Kent from those arriving on Crossrail at Abbey Wood negating speed advantages of the new line.

As ever, build a good quality service and people use it. Something the DfT and Treasury fail to understand time and again with Southeastern.