For the last year the Forest Hill Society and the Sydenham Society have been campaigning to keep the same level of services on our line going to London Bridge and Victoria. Recently Network Rail published their Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) with proposals to reduce services on this line when we get extra trains on the East London Line. We have detailed our concerns and we believe we have a strong case for the continuation of existing services on this overcrowded line, but we now need to show that we are not just a few individuals but an entire community.

We already have over 1100 signatures on our online petition at http://fhpetition.notlong.com but we want Network Rail to understand the strength of feeling in the local community. If you agree with our campaign please take the time to cut and paste the text below and send it to Network Rail. Please feel free change the text to reflect your specific concerns or add any personal experiences to the text (but keep it polite). And don't forget to add your name, address, and local station to the bottom of the email.

Emails should be sent to: southlondon.rus@networkrail.co.uk

Many thanks for supporting us in this campaign and helping to keep the train services that we deserve.


Michael Abrahams
Chair, Forest Hill Society

Pat Trembath
Chair, Sydenham Society




Sample text for email to southlondon.rus@networkrail.co.uk:
Subject: South London RUS - Sydenham Line

Dear Sir/Madam,

South London Route Utilisation Strategy ? Sydenham Line

I am a regular user of the Sydenham Line, which runs into London Bridge via Sydenham, Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park.

I want to express my strong objection to proposals in the draft RUS that relate to the Sydenham Line.

If adopted, the draft RUS would result in a 25% cut in existing Sydenham Line peak period services to and from London Bridge, and an even greater cut in off-peak services.

It would also result in loss of the London Bridge loop-line service to Clapham Junction and Victoria via Forest Hill and Sydenham, and also the withdrawal of the Sydenham Line service that presently runs directly into and out of Charing Cross at evenings and weekends.

These proposals represent a major reduction in the present level of services available to Sydenham Line users. The forthcoming East London Line extension will not provide an adequate substitute. The ELL destination is wrong for most Sydenham Line commuters who want to travel to central London via London Bridge. Moreover the ELL will use only 4 car trains.

Whilst I do not ask for an increase in existing Sydenham Line services I do want:

- No cuts in existing services (especially peak) to London Bridge. The RUS acknowledges a high level of suppressed demand for the Sydenham Line service

- The earliest possible introduction of 10-car or even 12-car trains on the Sydenham Line to provide for that suppressed demand and to ease present overcrowding

- Retention of the loop-line service to Victoria. This is a very popular service at both peak and off-peak periods

- Retention of the current evening service from Charing Cross to Forest Hill and Sydenham. The draft RUS (page 176) refers to this as a "very well-utilised" service.

I urge you to reconsider the Sydenham Line recommendations in the draft RUS in the light of my comments.

Yours sincerely,

Name
Address
Station Used