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train service changes as the ELL arrives, & the SLL ends

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Tue, 20/11/2012 - 06:37 — eileen

On 9th December the new London Overground arrives, and the day before the South London Line ends. Below is the latest news on these big changes in our local rail services, and some of the implications. We understand that the rail companies will be publicising the details two weeks before the changes. TfL will email all Oyster card holders who have supplied their email addresses. In the meantime keep watch on TfL website: http://goo.gl/9roun

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LONDON OVERGROUND - Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays
(formerly known as the East London Line Extension)

  • The London Overground - http://goo.gl/9roun - arrives in Peckham and Camberwell on Sunday 9th December.
  • It brings 4 trains per hour (tph) 7 days a week service with Tube-like standards between Clapham Junction and Canada Water and beyond to Highbury & Islington via Wandsworth Rd, Clapham High St, Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye, Queens Rd Peckham. This will open up new journey opportunities to east and west London.
  • All these south London stations will appear on the new TfL Tube map. The downside to that is that it looks as if the new Tube map will show us cut off with no rail services to central London.
  • For the full story and SRUG's own map to publicise our rail connections to central London, see here: http://www.bellenden.net/SRUG-maps. You can download a copy to print out and carry with your tube map, and send the link to your visitors.

THE SOUTH LONDON LINE DISAPPEARS
The day before on 8th December we say a very sad goodbye (for the moment) to the inner South London Line (SLL) - http://goo.gl/yWQmd. This service, linking London Bridge and Victoria via Peckham Rye, first started operating in 1867. It is a vital travel link for people who live and work along the line, for the increasing numbers of visitors to Peckham town centre, and for many staff, patients and visitors to the major hospitals at Denmark Hill. Many users, organisations and representatives fought a long and hard campaign to save it. But it was not successful. See here for some of that story - http://www.bellenden.net/rail-cuts. Maybe there can be a campaign to bring it back in 2018 after London Bridge station is rebuilt.
 
REMAINING SERVICES
The changes will leave us with these services off peak:

  • Victoria from Nunhead, Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill: 2tph Mon to Sat, but none in the evenings, and none on Sunday. (3tph between 8am-9am)
  • Clapham Junction via Wandsworth Rd, Clapham High St, Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye, Queens Rd Peckham to Canada Water and beyond on the London Overground: 4tph, 7 days a week morning till night.
  • St Pancras and beyond from Nunhead, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill via Elephant Castle/Blackfriars: 2tph, up to 9pm Mon to Fri, and terminating at Blackfriars after that time and weekends. (More tph Mon-Fri between 8am-9.15am)
  • London Bridge from North Dulwich, East Dulwich, Peckham Rye, Queens Rd Peckham, Sth Bermondsey: 4tph, 7 days a week morning to night. (In the peak there will be 6tph - a 10 minute frequency.)

DISAPPEARING SERVICES
The services we are losing are:

  • the 2 tph between London Bridge and Victoria via Sth Bermondsey, Queens Rd, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Clapham High St, Wandsworth Rd, Battersea Pk, provided by the South London Line. (SLL). They are currently 7 days a week from morning till night.
  • Their loss means for the stations affected:
    • no trains to London Bridge via Battersea Pk, Wandsworth Rd, Clapham High St, Denmark Hill.
    • no trains to Victoria via Sth Bermondsey, Queens Rd, Clapham High St, Wandsworth Rd, Battersea Pk.
    • no trains to Victoria after about 7pm, and none on Sunday from Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill.
    • a reduction from 4tph to 2tph to Victoria from Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill.
    • a reduction off peak from 6tph to 4tph to London Bridge from Peckham Rye, Queens Rd Peckham, Sth Bermondsey.

 
CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE OUR VICTORIA SERVICES
In the longer term we want our South London Line service between London Bridge to Victoria, via Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill and all the current SLL stations, restored once London Bridge station is rebuilt in 2018.
 
In the meantime, the campaign continues to get the gaps filled in services to Victoria that the loss of the South London Line creates in the evenings and at weekends and to restore the service to 4tph - http://www.bellenden.net/victoria - You will see there the email addresses of all those who should know the effect of the loss of our South London Line.