We need some of those like the RER in Paris:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hydroidz/Cha...1444394002

The response to Michael is decent. They must be starting to worry if they're giving such specific answers - it's not as if they're obliged.

Don't even get me starte don Network Rail!!!

Part of the reason why trains (and busus) suffer poor service in the New Year is the rush for staff to use up remaining holiday before April and also because there are higher staff sickness rates during Jan/Feb.

While I'm here - does this forum have a voice? I.e. is there a secretariat who could write on our behalf to the local MPs and Councillors with the backing of a poll on this website?

The 23.04 from Charing Cross last night was only 4 carriages and was absolutely packed.

It seems that the word is spreading

(nice photo Michael!)

Well done, let's hope that the bad press will make them listen.

See this link:

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgre...romise.php

Our next regular ?Meet the Manager? session is at London Bridge on Thursday 28 February between 0730 and 0930

I just wanted to keep this in everyone's mind. Stock up on those sardines!

I took the train this morning and it was as busy as ever. I do feel sorry for the folks that have to get on at New Cross Gate. Wasnt all that sorry for the lady who started to rant that she couldnt get on the train and that we should all "move the **** down the train". I was already closer to the lady I was standing to than I was to my wife on valentines day Get up earlier luv

8.24 and 8.31 from HOP were bang on time today and it was completely stress-free and I was able to get a seat. Goes to show if stick to 8 carriages and keep things on schedule it can be ok. If only they would!

[quote=Jon Lloyd]
The 8.24 and 8.31 from HOP were bang on time today and it was completely stress-free and I was able to get a seat. Goes to show if stick to 8 carriages and keep things on schedule it can be ok. If only they would!

On the same subject I just got an email from Southern.

Thank you for your email. We are aware of the need for more carriages on a number of services, not just those between Crystal Palace and London Bridge, which affects you at Honor Oak Park. We therefore welcome the Secretary of State?s announcement that the Government is to order some 1000 new carriages for the rail network. We understsand that something like 106 new trains will be deployed to Southern and hopefully some to relieve the crowding that occurs in the South London Metro area. Nevertheless, I will ensure your comments are passed to the appropriate Manager for their attention. Regards
David Cotterell
Southern Customer Services

Lets hope the 106 trains are deployed soon!!

I think that should read 106 carriages. Otherwise Southern would be getting between 60-100% of the total number of carriages. Still the government announcement is welcome and should help ease overcrowding, in 2014!

[quote=michael]
I think that should read 106 carriages. Otherwise Southern would be getting between 60-100% of the total number of carriages. Still the government announcement is welcome and should help ease overcrowding, in 2014!

Sorry - I did indeed mean carriages Michael! However I think most people will get the drift!! Well at least something is going to be done, but shame it is not sooner rather than later.

Southern is acquiring additional trains, but my understanding is they are for the Brighton main line and there is no intention to provide extra capacity on the South London Metro services.

The railway companies have a habit of throwing out these sort of red herrings in the hope that they will placate you.

They recently assured me that London Bridge station was to be reconfigured and that this would ease congestion. This was mentioned much in the same breezy way that they might let you know that the lamp posts on the Forest Hill platforms would indeed be getting a lick of paint, rather than being an enormous construction project still without any start date which has been on the drawing board for well over a decade.

A comment in the same message about pigeon fouling produced a bizarre response about pigeon rights having to be taken into account, too.

This thread is taking on a fishy twist with herring now joining the sardines!

It is just a pity that the 'sardines' seem to have less rights than the pigeons. Then again the pigeons rarely catch the 8.24...they have way too much sense.

The final version of the South London Route Utililsation Strategy was published last week and includes some generally good news for Forest Hill and Honor Oak Park.

You can read the 160 page document at http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browseDirec...Strategies
I have taken a brief look through and here are a few points I picked up on:

2010 Services

• 5.3.7 - Continue running 18 trains during the morning peak from FH to London Bridge. These will all stop at HOP, increasing services at this station.
• 5.3.7 - 10 trains per hour (tph) on the East London Line (ELL), up from 8 originally planned in the draft version
• 5.3.7 - all peak services to LB will have 8 carriages. At present 2 tph are only 6 carriages
• 6.3.2 - introduction of 2 tph during peak times going directly to Victoria (via Clapham Junction)
• 20.5 (p145) - further consideration to keeping off-peak services from Charing Cross
  

2015 services

• 7.2.5 - increase length of trains to LB to 12 carriages (possibly as early as 2012)
• 9.4.3 (and figure 9.2 p114) - 4 out of the 6 tph to LB will be switched to the Thameslink franchise allowing for direct connections to Kings Cross
• 8.3.3 Is a little worrying. I am not clear what the problem is, do we get a reduced service into LB, or do some of the Thameslink services not stop at Forest Hill?
  

I may be wrong in my reading of the document and I would welcome other opinions on what it actually says.

I believe this is a significantly more positive document for the future of train services from FH and HOP than in the draft document, and I believe this is the result of a good campaign by the Forest Hill Society and the Sydenham Society over the last year on this issue. But I think there is still more to do to get the right train services in the future.

Good news.

I was going to print the document to read it in the train tonight but the link does not work.

Ghis: try this link

If that doesn't work follow Michael's link to 'Page not found', click "RUS (Route Utilisation Strategies)" in left-hand menu, then scroll down and click on "South London". Scroll to the bottom of that page to find the document.

I knew there was a catch, which can be found on page 105:

I think I have worked out from further reading that this means that at some point between 2010 and 2015 we will have a reduced peak service to London Bridge, but longer trains. Assuming the plan may be to reduce the services from 6tph to 4tph in the peak but increase from 8 to 12 carriages, we get the same capacity but must wait longer for a train (hence 'unpopular').

This is still only an option for consideration and would require work to be carried out to extend all the platforms on the route before 2012 or whenever the construction work would take place. But if there is no loss in capacity it may be a reasonable sacrifice to get longer trains and a direct connection to Kings Cross at the earliest opportunity.