Bellenden Residents' Group (BRG)

The Government consulted in 2012 on devolving decision making from central Government (Department for Transport) to regional rail organisations. In London the regional organisation is TfL (Transport for London). TfL already is responsible for major planning and management of rail transport – underground and surface rail (DLR & London Overground) but has no powers over the longer distance rail services that are also a significant part of London transport. There are strong grounds for devolving some of these responsibilities to TfL and the London Mayor to enable more integrated planning and management. However, accountability for TfL needs to be improved. 

• Government consultation: Rail Decentralisation: Devolving decision-making on passenger rail services in England
• Consultation Responses: Rail Decentralisation: Devolving decision-making on passenger rail services in England:
•  London Assembly response to the consultation: letter from Caroline Pidgeon, Chair of Transport Committee supporting greater devolution to TfL on rail franchising.

Found in the Archives of February 2012 - this letter from London Mayor Boris Johnson supporting the SRUG claim to regain a full 7 day & evening service to Victoria. Now we have lost the full week service of two tph from London Bridge to Victoria, with the demise of the South London Line in December 2012, we need to remind him and TfL of this, and ask what they will do to make it happen. 

Email to SRUG:
This coming Saturday 8th December the South London Line (SLL) service will end. It first started in 1866 and has more or less served us and our predecessors faithfully all that time. This is an invitation to join us for all, or just part, of an extraordinary group journey on this last historic day. One of the joys of being a south Londoner is the pleasure of sailing along the roof tops of inner south London on the historic line connecting directly all our local stations - South Bermondsey, Queen's Rd Peckham, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Clapham High St, Wandsworth Rd, Battersea Park with central London stations London Bridge and Victoria - any journey to central London being 20 minutes or much less. Some of those journeys to central London in future will take two to three times as long and be long and circuitous instead of short and direct, and/or less frequent or partial. 

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