TfL plan trial London Overground trains to London Bridge next month
Transport for London could run a trial London Overground train into London Bridge next month after raising the possibility of regukar services last year.
A London Overground Class 378 train is listed on the excellent RealTimeTrains on Sunday 25th February as running from Crystal Palace to London Bridge and then back again.
Back in autumn 2023 TfL stated to Lewisham Council that consideration was being made to run services on the Sydenham route into London Bridge after cuts by Southern.
Southern have reduced services by half and scrapped 46 trains without replacement after pressure for cuts from central government.
In 2023 TfL stated the option of “operating additional services during peak periods between Crystal Palace and London Bridge, replacing capacity on this routing that has been lost following the reduction to Southern services” but noted training would be required.
Transport for London stated: “We acknowledge that there is severe crowding on the Sydenham corridor during the height of the AM Peak.
“This has been exacerbated by the reduction of the Southern service to two trains per hour, which was undertaken by Southern and their contracting authority the Department for Transport”.
Trains
One key element that may allow the plan to proceed is London Overground now having trains to operate such a service. New Class 710 stock are being introduced on routes north of the Thames permitting existing Class 378 trains to be moved south.
The long-standing plan is to use them to bolster services from 16 trains per hour to 20 tph along the Sydenham to Highbury corridor.
However that requires power upgrades currently being undertaken and the 20 tph has no fixed start date, and so spare trains could potentially operate into London Bridge in advance of that service increase.
While government have sought steep cuts across the railway network new housing continues to grow along many routes.
Areas such as Canada Water are seeing multiple developments. Another planned on the Rotherhithe gasholder site was covered yesterday.
Sounds like a good idea to run a London Overground service from Clapham Junction to London Bridge. Replacing the Southern London Victoria-London Bridge via Denmark Hill service.
Also are there plans for a new London Overground station to be built at Surrey Canal Road in Bermondsey and close to Millwall FC The Den stadium.
And South Bermondsey station to be upgraded to become step-free accessible as the station is also close to Millwall FC.
But clapham to london Bridge will be done by northern line from Clapham North
Clapham Junction station is in Battersea and nowhere near Clapham High Street (location of Clapham North)
The overground connection can be made from Clapham High Street Clapham North for the the northern line
Great, more work lost at Southern
More options and better choice for customers is a more rounded response
If money can be found in TfL to replace ex-Southern services what happened to the proposal for 6 tph on the Clapham Junction branch of the Overground? Better still to send the extra 2tph into Victoria avoiding Battersea Park to restore 4 tph from Peckham Rye into Victoria, lost when the South London line closed in 2006.
So on the one hand you have a government hammering motorists and telling people they need to ditch their cars, then on the other that same government is squeezing our public transport providers and starving then of the revenue they need to run a decent public transport system, the very thing that’s a catalyst for people to not be so car dependant. The hypocrisy of this government is unbelievable…
*ministerly voice* I don’t understand can’t they get the department to send round a car?
Can tfl start running trains from Abbey wood to Clapham via Woolwich, lewisham and Peckham? A true south circular
Please help me, goverment is paying less with less Southern and now the city is paying more with added LO trains?
You are not wrong. Department for Transport (central government) is the one paying Southern and they refused to fund 4tph on the Forest Hill corridor (i.e. pick one between 2tph London Bridge – Victoria OR 2tph London Bridge – East Croydon). The Current LO service is 4tph and is absolutely rammed by New Cross Gate, which is not helpful when they are building more around Surrey Docks.
The train is not going to be snuck out at a time when most of us are in bed, so the trainspotters among us can see it arrive at London Bridge just after 10:30 am.