Southeastern criticised over slimmed-down timetables following ‘dangerous’ overcrowding at London Bridge | UK News
Commuters have complained of “dangerous” overcrowding at London Bridge station after trains were cut during rush hour.
Disgruntled passengers took to social media to share concerns about “dangerous” overcrowding, with hundreds lining up to board the platform.
South East, which operates trains from the station, said passengers were delayed due to trespassers at Hither Green, south-east London, but many blamed the network’s newly shortened timetable .
Rolled out on December 11, the “simplified” schedule involved fewer trains during peak hours and service cuts, and sparked a backlash.
One passenger, Suzanne Whitlock, wrote: “100 passengers fell in love at London Bridge due to the changes you introduced – without consultation – in December.
“Not only is double commuting, it’s dangerous. Every night is like this, stuck on trains, escalators and platforms packed with people. Do something.”
Another wrote: “Remind me again how much better your new schedule is? Never experienced this under the old system where passengers were split between London Bridge and Cannon Street. “
A spokesperson for South East told Sky News: “A previous trespasser on the line at Hither Green last night caused service closures, cancellations and delays in and out of London, which has impacted services at London Bridge.
“Persons have been taken off the rails, with Network Rail having restored power to all lines and normal services resuming by 5:39 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. to our customers due to this incident.”
“A safety review was held this morning with Network Rail.”
‘Absolutely brutal’
At a board meeting on January 25, Greenwich Council deputy leader Averil Lekau said she would be writing to the company, calling the ongoing problems “absolutely bad”.
But former Greenwich Council leader Danny Thorpe has called for more urgent action, after he was one of many people trapped in “appalling” conditions at London Bridge on Wednesday night.
“Hundreds of people were herded onto the podium,” Mr. Thorpe said during the meeting. “Things got so bad that there was violence and the police were called to the station.”
He urged Ms Lekau to send an urgent letter on Thursday, raising “serious health and safety concerns”, which he said was “certainly due to a lack of ships delivered”.
‘Teeth problem’ with new timetable
Southeast and Network Rail have apologized for disrupted, overloaded and unreliable services over the past two weeks, and blamed “problems just starting” with the new timetable on May 23. first.
They added: “We still believe that the new timetable will make things better for you… but we’ve always needed performance. We’re working to improve punctuality and reliability. .”
The company has also been invited to a supervisory board.
