A press release has landed in my inbox:
NEWS RELEASE
15th February 2010
MISERY ALL ROUND ON LONDON OVERGROUND!
Less trains in 20th February timetable
Rail user group condemns Transport for London for prolonging chronic
overcrowding by quietly cutting trains from new timetable
PASSENGERS URGED TO CHECK THE CUTS IN NEW 20TH FEBRUARY TIMETABLE
The Barking-Gospel Oak Line User Group (BGOLUG) has criticised Transport for
London (TfL) for making a late decision to cancel extra trains from a new
timetable that would have eased the line's chronic overcrowding. BGOLUG is
angry that the worsening overcrowding which passengers have been suffering
for the last two years will now continue for the rest of this year.
When Network Rail published the December 2009-May 2010 National Timetable,
trains on the Barking-Gospel Oak Line were shown as being stepped up from
the current 20-minute frequency to every 15 minutes during the busiest times
from Monday 22nd February. But TfL Rail's recently published timetable,
effective from 20th February, make no mention of the more frequent peak
service and even reveals that some trains in the current timetable will be
axed. London Overground has yet to respond to a BGOLUG request for an
explanation.
BGOLUG Secretary Richard Pout said, "We started pressing TfL Rail and their
operator London Overground for additional trains to relieve overcrowding
over two years ago. We even produced our own timetable showing how the peak
20-minute train frequency could be stepped up to every 15 minutes during the
busiest periods. TfL Rail has done nothing but make empty 'jam tomorrow'
promises while the overcrowding has now reached chronic levels. We finally
thought our proposals had been adopted only to find them dropped by TfL Rail
at the last minute."
Some existing passengers may also find that their current trains have
disappeared as well. From 22nd February the daytime off-peak 30-minute
interval service will start earlier and finish later, especially affecting
home-going school children from Gospel Oak.
"There will be misery enough with the three month closure of the
Stratford-Gospel Oak section of the North London Line starting the same
weekend, without cutting trains between Barking and Gospel Oak", said
Richard Pout. "Trains are becoming dangerously overcrowded now, with many
would-be passengers being left behind while others are doubling back in the
opposite direction to stations where they have a chance of getting on a
train to work."
BGOLUG have been told of passengers at Leyton Midland Road travelling to
Gospel Oak in the morning being unable to board trains and having to travel
in the opposite direction to Barking to get a seat. Evening eastbound trains
are now so full passengers are being left behind at Blackhorse Road and some
are travelling back to South Tottenham in order to be able to get on a
train.
"TfL promised an all day 15-minute service from last September, when
re-signalling by Network Rail, part of a government funded £18.5m investment
to increase capacity for more trains was completed. Network Rail finished
the work late in mid November, yet trains are now being cut from the
timetable, instead of being added," said Richard Pout. "If government and
TfL could end their petty squabbling and agree to electrify the line we
could be having 3-carriage electric trains instead of the inadequate
2-carriage diesels."
PEAK SERVICE
From Barking between 06:25 and 10:40: From Gospel Oak between 06:25 and
10:00:
Current timetable: 13 trains Current timetable: 11 trains
New Timetable: 11 trains New Timetable: 10 trains
From Barking between 15:30 and 19:00: From Gospel Oak between 15:00 and
19:00:
Current timetable: 11 trains Current timetable: 12 trains
New timetable: 10 trains New timetable: 11 Trains
DAYTIME OFF-PEAK 30-MINUTE FREQUENCY SERVICE
From Barking: From Gospel Oak
Current timetable: 11:08 until 15:08 Current timetable: 10:25 until 14:55
New Timetable: 09:53* until 15:53 New Timetable: 09:42 until 15:42?
*following a 33 minute gap after 09:20 ?followed by a 33 minute gap until
16:15
- ENDS -
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT RICHARD POUT ON 07970 722991
OR E-MAIL
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. Formed as the Barking - Kentish Town Line Committee to fight Dr. Beeching's
closure proposals in the 1960s, the Barking - Gospel Oak Line User Group has
continued to represent the line's passengers and campaign for improved
services and station facilities, and also for the overdue electrification of
the only non-electrified railway in North East London.
2. See http://www.networkrail.co.uk for the December 2009 Great Britain
Timetable, Table 62.
3. See
http://www.tfl.gov.uk for TfL's London Overground timetables.
4. As part of a £326m scheme to improve services before the 2012 Olympics
funded by TfL, Network Rail and the Olympic Delivery Authority, the
Stratford to Willesden section of the North London Line will be
re-signalled, with lengthened platforms, while the Dalston to Camden Road
(exclusive) section will be rebuilt to accommodate the East London Line
extension from Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington and extra tracks for
freight trains between Highbury & Islington and Camden Road. The existing
freight tracks between Dalston Junction and Camden Road were closed for the
rebuilding work in April 2009 and the entire railway between Stratford and
Camden Road will be closed from 20th February until 31st May 2010. This
means the high number of freight trains, many hauled by electric
locomotives, using the North London Line will have to be diverted to the
Barking - Gospel Oak Line and hauled by diesels. North London Line
passengers will have to use substitute buses which will only run every 20
minutes.
5. In 2007 the Department for Transport awarded a grant of £18.5m from its
Transport Innovation Fund, match funded by Network Rail's Discretionary
Investment Fund for a £37m scheme to increase the clearances (W10 loading
gauge) between Woodgrange Park and Willesden to allow an alternative route
to the North London Line for the passage of the largest international
shipping containers from the current and planned Essex and Suffolk ports.
The scheme also funded re-signalling between Wanstead Park and Upper
Holloway which was to double the number of trains that could be run,
allowing TfL Rail to run a 15-minute interval passenger service and more
freight to be carried. The clearance work for W10 loading gauge was carried
out during autumn 2008, but the re-signalling work overran and was not
commissioned until 14th November 2009. There have been numerous 'teething
problems' with the new signalling, some causing delays to trains and
remedial work is continuing showing, BGOLUG believes, short-sighted
economies during design.
6. As part of the London Rail Concession contract let by TfL Rail to London
Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL), LOROL undertook to deliver,
8x2-car Class 172 Turbostar diesel multiple units from the former British
Rail Engineering plant at Derby, now owned by Bombardier Transportation.
Originally to be delivered in late 2009, expected delivery has now slipped
back to mid 2010.