Southern '˜encouraged' by revised timetable
The operator noted 82 per cent of Southern services are running to time against the temporary timetable, which has seen 341 daily services cut.
But Southern encountered difficulties at East Croydon, with a track power supply issue blocking one of the London-bound fast lines.
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Hide AdA spokesman said: “Some 82% of Southern services are running to time against the temporary weekday revised timetable introduced today to reduce the impact on passengers and staff of unpredictable and late notice cancellations.
“The changes we made today have, so far, delivered an encouraging start to what we wanted to give our passengers: a more robust timetable with more trains running to schedule at times when people need them the most.
“But while we cautiously welcome this news, it is early days and we also realise that what our passengers really want is for us to get back to our normal timetable as quickly as possible.”
Despite the operator’s hopes for reduced cancellations as a result of the new timetable, months of delays have angered many commuters.
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Hide AdCarrie Knapp, 41, will quit her job on Friday after a year of troubles on the railway.
Carrie, who was 40 minutes’ late for work today (Monday, July 11), said: “I spend a lot of time getting dinner from Whistle Stop at Victoria and I can’t keep on doing it. Enough is enough.”
In Seaford, the reduced timetable has affected an estimated 81 per cent of services.
Demonstrators will gather outside Seaford Station tomorrow evening.
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Hide AdAnne Marr, 71, of Hurdis Road, Seaford, uses the trains to get to Brighton and Lewes for shopping and to attend courses.
She said the revised timetable would effectively isolate people like here and restrict their ability to travel.
Replacement buses will be laid on to mitigate the impact – but Mrs Marr believed the service would be slower and add to congestion on the roads.
She criticised Southern and parent company Govia Thameslink Railway, joining this newspaper’s call for the operator to be stripped of its franchise.
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Hide AdShe said: “We are being used as pawns in this game and it is not right to blame the unions.
“They have deeply let us down by letting it get to this point. There is a great deal of anger in the community about it.”
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