Southeastern is axing hundreds of trains to save £10m a year
(Picture: Duncan Phillips )Southeastern is eliminating 302 week-day trains and 426 weekend trains in an effort to reduce costs and better match its offerings to customer demand.
Shortly after the train firm makes the changes, strike action is due to take place by the RMT union on December 13, 14, 16, and 17.
Check your journey on Southeastern’s online journey planner before committing to travel after this weekend.
Which Southeastern services are being scrapped?
Some direct routes to Charing Cross that have been in operation since the Victorian era are being discontinued, and passengers will now be diverted via Cannon Street, which is a “ghost area” on the weekends.
Both Bexleyheath and the Sidcup lines will be impacted, losing its off-peak and weekend services to Charing Cross.
A “loop line” connecting Elizabeth line at Abbey Wood to Charlton Athletic Football Club is also being axed.
There will also be no direct line from Blackheath to Charing Cross.
Sir David Evenett, Tory MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford, said: “The new timetable has met with huge dismay across our borough of Bexley, and indeed throughout other parts of south-east London. My constituents and I are bitterly disappointed by, and rather angry about, the lack of consultation.”
Why are certain Southeastern services being scrapped?
Southeastern has said the revised schedule is important to account for post-pandemic changes in travel and commute habits, and to guarantee a more dependable service.
According to Huw Merriman, Minister of State at the Department for Transport (DfT), the new timetable will mean a reduction in services compared to pre-pandemic levels:
“Southeastern operated 1988 services on a typical weekday in September 2019, with 1,722 on a typical Saturday and 931 on a typical Sunday. Following the upcoming timetable change on December 11, 2022, on a typical weekday, Southeastern will operate 1,686 services, with 1,392 on a typical Saturday and 835 on a typical Sunday.”
What else is being changed?
Trains will avoid crossing at busy junctions such as Lewisham and Tonbridge in order to reduce delays.
First class will be removed in order to make space for all who travel on mainline trains.
New services are being added from Crayford, Maidstone East to Charing Cross, and the reinstatement of Beckenham Junction to London Blackfriars trains.
An increase from two to four trains per hour on the Bexleyheath line on a Sunday and a more consistent timetable through the day, where trains leave the station at around the same time each hour.
When are the changes being implemented?
The new timetable will begin operating on Sunday, December 11.
