Although this Charing Cross facility via Forest Hill is a concern to some people it doesnt affect me. I virtually always go to London Bridge & if on a rare occaision I am going to Charing Cross I havent got a problem crossing to platform 6.

Thanks to all who demonstrated today on our behalf. La lutte continue?

Good to see how much "Southern" care for their passengers and how the change was so poorly publicised by Southern trains. Also have noticed how all Sothern's branding ha[/align]s been removed from stations up to East Croydon.

I managed to miss today's BBC local news and couldn't find anything on the BBC London website about today's protest.

I heard a low volume message on the tannoy system at FH on Friday morning about the abolition of through services to CX, excuses given were high speed trains and changes to the Southeastern timetable.

dbboy, the stations from West Croydon to New Cross Gate had Southern branding removed in September as they're under the management of London Overground.

TV Report is available at http://blip.tv/file/2965644

junegapi wrote:

Well, if nobody can answer that, at least can we be told what a Higher Level meeting is please (sounds like something to do with Scientology!) and where we can find the reports to which junegapi refers?

Andrewr:

Ok, so that is Labour's John Muldoon (Rushey Green) on the blacklist.

Which other councillors supposedly representing us decided to drop their opposition to the cuts? Was it unanimous? I won't be forgetting these councillors nor their parties come election day...

John Muldoon chaired the meeting of the Trainspoort Liaison Committee (not the Sydenham High Level meeting) but it was a council officer who apparently stated that Lewisham were satisfied with Southern Railway's response to concerns expressed. Muldoon is not the culpit.

Steve Bullock was contacted about this situation by Richard Hibbert and responded:

For the record the publicly stated position from the full council meeting on 23rd September, supported by all parties, is as follows:

My bolding in both statements.

Thanks for replying, Michael. However, I do not see any evidence that our elected councillors, mayor nor MPs have done anything to help stop cuts to our services - apart from the open letter (that omitted the Charing Cross cuts) which seems to have been brushed aside and meekly accepted by 'Lewisham' with Bullock passing the buck.

As such, in my opinion each and every elected representative is complicit in allowing the decision to cut services unless they blinking well stand up and fight for us. They've certainly not shown they are doing enough yet. Perhaps, they will up their game before the next tranche of cuts are due - just in time for the elections...

Took the 23:45 last night from CX back to HOP. They actually made an announcement that this would be "the last ever Southern Train out of Charing Cross". Hope dies last...

Gaz
I assume these cuts refer to trains to Charing Cross from Forest Hill. I am 62 and if I go to Charing Cross I only need go to platform 6 when I get to London Bridge. This doesnt require much effort. I am wondering if this forum has a lot of disabled people in it.

For those who were inable to make it, there is a video of the protest available on
Sydenham TV

I was hoping that with the demise of the through evening trains from Charing Cross, at least some attempt would be made to provide more even spacing in the service from London Bridge, but alas not. Departures remain at 15,24,45 and 54 minutes past each hour, which means that if you miss the 24 or 54 you have a 21-minute wait. Perhaps a more sensible interval will be provided when the timetable is recast next May.

The proposed timings for May's timetable are on Southern's website, or can be found here at post 602 of this thread

More evenly spread with 12-17 minute waits but 30% fewer carriages and worse overcrowding.

I did the evening trip back home from LB last Monday, I was surprised how busy the 2054 was despite the earlier service from CX leaving 10 mins earlier, which I know is always packed. After May when I have to travel in to London and return late, I'll probably end up staying on the Jubilee Line and changing at Canada Water for a more regular service home.

Thanks Southern for turning my 21min journey on the train to 45min. So my total evening commute is now gone from 50min to 1h15. Great.

Also I tried to get my annual goldcard bought from Southern upgraded to a Zone 1 to 3 ticket as it only only cover me for travel between HOP and Main London terminals. Honor Oak Park station guy told me that can only be done at a main London terminal while the guy at Charing Cross said it could only be done at Honor Oak. I suppose that since I bought it direct from Southern online it can only get them to change it. Then once I can travel to any destination in zone 3, I will try Ladywell station. The train I got on at Charing Cross to go and change at London Bridge was actually a train direct to Ladywell after London Bridge so if I had carried a ticket allowing me to travel anywhere in zone three I would have just stayed on instead of changing at London Bridge. All in all rather inconvenient...

Hawkesrah:

Hawkesrah, I think you are in the extreme minority if you are happy to accept a loss of trains on the already c**p service that Southern provide.

You admit that you rarely go to Charing Cross and that you do not have a problem getting to Platform 6 - perhaps you should spare a thought for those with prams, those not able bodied, those with heavy suitcases etc who will find it a struggle, let alone those now facing extra time commuting rather than being with their families.

I would also suggest a fair amount of the concern about losing this service is for those on the way home from Charing Cross late in the evening.

I'm also not shedding too many tears for the end of the bleak wait on platform 5. Better to wait on a train, or at least not on a wind tunnel platform with a bunch of drunken oafs from Scumhole-on-Sea, and have a better chance of a seat.

Of course it's a shame that we don't have direct services to CX any more. But there are worse things. Like having actual capacity axed.

Point to point seasons within London should have been abolished years ago.

Gaz, people with prams have to go to platform 6 for most of the day anyway - so that's not the issue. People with prams are much more likely to want to go to Charing Cross during the day (when they'd have to navigate the steps) than at night time. If services ran from Charing Cross all day every day I'd agree, but they don't.

I agree entirely.

I don't think people are quite realising what the Charing Cross cuts mean. One cut means more cuts and if you don't stem the tide now, the services will just keep on being cut. It also illustrates how Southern just can't be bothered.