Bellenden Residents' Group (BRG)

Here are links to some of the responses to the Department for Transport's consultation on the combined Thameslink & Southern Franchise which ended in September 2012.

SRUG (Southwark Rail Users' Group)

Camberwell Society

Herne Hill Society

Kings College Hospital

Southwark Council

Valerie Shawcross, London Assembly Member for Lambeth & Southwark

London Travel Watch

Passenger Focus

Here are links to some of the responses to the Department for Transport's consultation on the South Eastern Rail Franchise which ended in September 2012.

SRUG (Southwark Rail Users Group)

Camberwell Society

Nunhead's Voice

Southwark Council

Valerie Shawcross, Assembly Member for Lambeth & Southwark

London Travel Watch

Passenger Focus

The Thameslink franchise consultation has now been joined by the South Eastern franchise consultation:

• South Eastern - http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-29: deadline 13 Sep
• Thameslink - http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-23: deadline now 14 Sep

The Government has extended its deadline to 14 September for comment on the Thameslink franchise consultation. This gives you a chance to email your comments if you use the services covered by the franchise, especially the service to St Pancras via Blackfriars from Nunhead, Peckham Rye or Denmark Hill.
 
SRUG has now submitted detailed comments on the franchise (copy here: http://goo.gl/rYnXt) and latest information about the issues are available here: http://www.bellenden.net/Thameslink
 

Here are links to the responses to Network Rail's consultation on their draft 20 year RUS (rail utilisation strategy) for the railways in London and SE England, which are especially relevant to our SRUG interests: 

SRUG comments on the draft London & South East RUS (Rail Utilisation Strategy) cover several major topics. Read more - click on main heading above.  Click here for the full version.

The Mayor's draft transport strategy does not mention at all the crucial role that Overground Rail plays in inner south London transport network system!  TfL's lack of interest and concern for this is probably why they believe it is OK to cut the South London Line from 2012 and reduce radial services into central London stations. There appears to be no joined up planning in the rail industry of these Overgound rail links as part of the local inner south London transport system. SRUG has submitted comments on the Mayor's draft strategy asking for this ommisson to be rectified. Read the comments here.

Some comments on the Mayor’s Transport Strategy – the Statement of Intent May 2009         

 
Q 1: are there any other transport challenges facing London that the MTS should address?
 
Yes. The Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) needs to include work towards removing some severe gaps in the public transport services in Inner South London. The overground rail services provide the opportunity to start this process using existing infrastructure. Inner South London, in this case, is the geographical area sandwiched between central London, and outer south London, and on the fringes of both. This is roughly a middle section of the boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth and part of Wandsworth.
 
Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s transport adviser, himself acknowledged on the recent TV programme ‘The Politics Show’ 28 June 2009, that there is a transport issue in South London, and he said “the key question is how to maximise the overground rail network in South London.” We agree that that is a key question, and suggest that it is a transport challenge that needs to be covered in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.
 
Focussed attention on this would go a small way to compensate for the lack of the Tube in inner South London, as well as being a particularly effective way to maximise the use of the existing rail system. We would be very glad to discuss with the Mayor’s policy advisers some of the ways in which this could be achieved.
 

 Comments on South Central Franchise Consultation

12 August 2008
 
Introduction
The Southwark Rail Users Group (SRUG) is concerned with the issues faced by users of the stations in mid Southwark, who use the services routed through Peckham Rye – in addition to Peckham Rye itself, this is Denmark Hill, Queens Road Peckham, South Bermondsey, East Dulwich, North Dulwich and Nunhead. In addition to the services covered by the South Central franchise, services coming from Kent to Victoria and Blackfriars also go through Peckham Rye, which is therefore a major direct connection station for 6 Tube lines. The housing developments in the areas served by these stations are changing the demographics and will continue for the foreseeable future to increase significantly the number of rail commuters in rush hour and during the day. SRUG was established by local residents in 2007 as a result of raised awareness about rail planning through the South London RUS consultation.
 
These comments on the South Central Franchise Consultation respond to the request on Page 45 for information on locations where particular issues need to be addressed. The list below indicates some of the main areas which need attention, but is not necessarily comprehensive. The franchise should require the operator to work co-operatively with local user groups.

Objection to the South London Route Utilisation Strategy

14 May, 2008
 
Introduction
The Southwark Rail Users Group represents users of the stations in mid Southwark, who use the services routed through Peckham Rye – in addition to Peckham Rye itself, this is Denmark Hill, Queens Road Peckham, South Bermondsey, East Dulwich and Nunhead. SRUG was established in 2007 as a result of raised awareness about rail planning through the South London RUS consultation.
 
The proposal that caused most concern was the closure of the direct South London Line (SLL) that loops between London Bridge and Victoria via Peckham Rye. Although there are some welcome improvements in the overall RUS plan, the closure of this service is a serious deterioration for rail users in this part of South East London to which we need to register our formal objection. We question whether adequate information and evidence has been gathered about south London rail usage in this inner part of south London to justify this decision.