Following many months of train service delays and cancellations, a group of Conservative Councillors from the boroughs of Croydon, Reigate and Tandridge have united to write to the CEO of Govia Thameslink Railway.
As Croydon Mayoral Candidate and Councillor for South Croydon, I am very pleased to have signed this letter. We all understand that engineering works and upgrades are needed to maintain and improve the service, but sometimes it feels that residents are being left high and dry with the short notice given, and the sheer number of disruptions that there have been. We are calling on Govia Thameslink to take the impact that these service disruptions are having on our communities.
You can read the full text of the letter below.
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Patrick Verwer
Chief Executive Officer
Govia Thameslink Railway
Dear Mr Verwer,
We are writing to you to express concerns about far too regular reductions in Southern Rail services to our communities.
We are a group of councillors and candidates that straddle the southern border of London, representing wards in the Local Authority areas of Croydon, Reigate & Banstead, Tandridge and Sutton. We work together on issues that cross the border, affecting local people from our respective areas.
Many of our residents are understandably upset at the recent reduction in service in timetables. These service cuts have led to overcrowding on trains to our communities and disruption at East Croydon station with commuters often forced to run between platforms to get their desired train.
We are aware that the service is beginning to improve at the end of February, but wanted to illustrate clearly what we and our residents have been experiencing on a frequent basis.
Croydon Residents
Residents using Coulsdon South station have had the service reduced from four trains an hour to London to two an hour which is unacceptable considering that the service to nearby Coulsdon Town has also been reduced. Journey times for Coulsdon residents travelling to London Victoria have increased significantly considering a change is now required at East Croydon to get a Victoria service. This impacts thousands of residents and stations all up the line including Purley, Purley Oaks, Sanderstead, Riddlesdown and beyond.
Reigate and Banstead Residents
Residents living on the Reigate to London Victoria line have to change twice from Reigate at Redhill then East Croydon and once at East Croydon if going from Redhill or Merstham. There have been no direct trains at all going to Victoria and only two trains an hour. In addition Horley residents have been experiencing only two trains per hour in the morning and again, no direct trains to London Victoria. This is a below par service at a time when we want to facilitate as many people back into pre-pandemic life as possible.
Tandridge Residents
Residents living on the Caterham and Tattenham Corner branches have had to manage with a reduced service where if they wish to get to London Bridge faster, they have to change at East Croydon. We think that this is unacceptable as residents who work in London face a significantly longer journey to work.
Commuters on the East Grinstead branch had four trains an hour to London before the pandemic with a Thameslink service and a Southern service to Victoria. This has been reduced to two an hour to London Bridge with residents needing to get to Victoria having to change at East Croydon. There is also no train on the East Grinstead Line that arrives in London before 07:04 which is too late for many early morning commuters.
Given the added issue that the Northern Line has been closed from London Bridge to enable the upgrade of Bank station, we strongly believe that the current service frequency is not fit for purpose.
As the vast majority of covid restrictions have now been repealed by the government, we welcome the steps you have taken to improve the services to our communities - but this is an issue far more common that those recent disruptions caused by the pandemic.
Time after time, our residents feel that they are left high and dry by Southern. Service cancellations are made far too frequently, often at short notice, with seemingly no consideration of the impact this has on families up and down the line. Our residents are perpetually exacerbated by the constant chopping and changing of services and routes, and the disruption it causes to their journeys.
Going forward we all very much urge you and your organisation to be more cognisant of the often detrimental impact Southern are having to our combined communities.
Kind Regards,
Croydon Borough Council
- Cllr Jason Perry - South Croydon and candidate for Mayor of Croydon
- Cllr Mario Creatura - Coulsdon Town
- Cllr Ian Parker - Coulsdon Town
- Luke Shortland - Coulsdon Town candidate
- Cllr Margaret Bird - Old Coulsdon
- Nikhil Sherine Thampi - Old Coulsdon candidate
- Cllr Yvette Hopley - Sanderstead
- Cllr Lynne Hale - Sanderstead
- Cllr Helen Redfern - Sanderstead candidate
- Cllr Stuart Millson - Selsdon Vale and Forestdale
- Cllr Andy Stranack - Selsdon Vale and Forestdale
- Cllr Badsha Quadir - Selsdon Vale and Forestdale candidate
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
- Cllr Mark Brunt - The Leader of RBBC - Hooley, Merstham and Netherne
- Cllr Frank Kelly - Hooley, Merstham and Netherne
- Cllr Mus Tary - Hooley, Merstham and Netherne
- Cllr Tim Archer - Chipstead, Kingswood and Woodmansterne
- Cllr Caroline Neame - Chipstead, Kingswood and Woodmansterne
- Cllr Simon Parnall - Chipstead, Kingswood and Woodmansterne
- Cllr Eddy Humphreys - Banstead Village
- Cllr Nadean Moses - Banstead Village
- Cllr Jerry Hudson - Horley Central and South
- Cllr Andy Lynch - Horley Central and South
- Cllr Christian Stevens - Horley Central and South
- Cllr James Baker - Horley East and Salfords
- Cllr Andrew King - Horley East and Salfords
- Cllr Tony Schofield - Horley East and Salfords
- Cllr Richard Biggs - Horley West and Sidlow
- Cllr Giorgio Buttironi - Horley West and Sidlow
- Cllr Alex Horwood - Horley West and Sidlow
- Cllr Rod Ashford - Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton
- Cllr Zelanie Cooper - Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton
- Cllr Rachel Turner - Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton
- Cllr Natalie Bramhall - Redhill West and Wray Common
- Cllr Rich Michalowski - Redhill West and Wray Common
- Cllr Kanika Sachdeva - Redhill West and Wray Common
- Cllr Rosemary Absalom - Reigate
- Cllr Michael Blacker - Reigate
- Cllr James King - South Park and Woodhatch
- Cllr Victor Lewanski - South Park and Woodhatch
Tandridge District Council
- Cllr Gill Black - Bletchingley & Nutfield
- Cllr Robin Bloore - Warlingham West
- Cllr Beverley Connolly - Harestone
- Cllr Michael Cooper - Harestone
- Cllr Geoff Duck - Queens Park
- Cllr Tony Elias - Bletchingley & Nutfield
- Cllr Phil Flower - Chaldon
- Cllr Matthew Groves - Queens Park
- Cllr Liam Hammond - Bletchingley & Nutfield
- Cllr Carole North - Woldingham
- Cllr Taylor O’Driscoll - Westway
- Cllr Keith Prew - Warlingham West
- Cllr Mark Ridge - Lingfield & Crowhurst
- Cllr Lesley Steeds - Dormansland & Felcourt
Surrey County Council
- Cllr Becky Rush - Warlingham
- Cllr Lesley Steeds - Lingfield
- Cllr Jeremy Webster - Caterham Hill
- Cllr Frank Kelly - Merstham & Banstead South
- Cllr Luke Bennett - Banstead, Woodmansterne & Chipstead
