News Update - May, 2008

The Big Issue
No doubt about what that is - to misquote a former Prime Minister: "Overcrowding, overcrowding, overcrowding". It was perhaps understandable that when Transport for London (TfL) took over our line along with the rest of Silverlink Metro in November, they wanted to make a big splash about it - it was their first shot at running a former chunk of British Rail, and as such it was a real milestone for them. Trouble was, nobody at TfL appeared to have anticipated that a blaze of publicity, putting the line on the Tube map and making Oyster Pay As You Go valid would attract significant numbers of extra passengers - particularly in peak hours, when the trains were already struggling to cope. The result has been horrendous and worsening rush-hour overcrowding, as more and more people struggle to cram onto our wholly-inadequate two-car trains. TfL's strategy for dealing with this seems to consist of a certain amount of hand-wringing while promising that things will get better when we get new trains….in nineteen months time. And even then, they'll still only be two coaches long (OK, each coach will accommodate more people than the present ones, but that won't provide much relief for long). In the meantime, the best they can offer is to take out the end seats of the three-seat rows to give more standing room - very sensible (we suggested it to Silverlink two or three years ago) , but it will offer only marginal relief. And even that small modification is apparently now being delayed for "health and safety" reasons (what about the risk to health and safety of cramming more and more people onto the trains as they are??). Before Christmas, we proposed a modestly-enhanced rush-hour timetable giving four trains an hour during the busiest times, which we believe is feasible within existing resources and line capacity (and yes, we do know a bit about the practicalities of these things). Regrettably, however, this was not taken up.

This isn't good enough - and it risks doing real damage to TfL's image and reputation, which won't help their ambitions to take over more London suburban lines. Passengers cannot wait nineteen months for a significant improvement in travelling conditions which are not only intolerable but arguably downright dangerous. TfL have encouraged more people to use the line - they deserve better than conditions which would be illegal for transporting cattle. A recent letter from TfL indicated that they might at last be proposing some kind of timetable improvement shortly; we shall await further details. We also hear rumours of a rush-hour bike ban, though apparently this has not yet gone out to consultation (we are told that the poster which appeared at Blackhorse Road saying it had already begun was premature).

"Due to Engineering Works….."
Four words which cause the rail passenger's heart to sink, but engineering works are an essential means of getting improvements made to often long-neglected infrastructure (ours being a prime example). Our line will be closed for the whole of September, and the North London Line will experience even longer disruption until mid November. At least it looks as though we shall get replacement buses (apparently the North London Line probably won't), and we have been consulted on the level of bus provision that we want to see. We have replied that a replacement bus service covering the whole route is a basic essential, so that people don't have to mess about changing buses in parts of London they may never have visited before - and possibly being charged twice or more on their Oyster card in the process. Additional short-hop bus links may also be provided. We have stressed that the full details need to be publicised as soon as possible: schools and colleges break up in the next month or two, and before then they will need to tell existing and new students how to get there at the start of the new term. And commuters and others don't want to get back from holiday to find suddenly that they have no trains. Meanwhile, we were surprised to find the line was being closed for engineering works on Sundays between South Tottenham and Gospel Oak from May 11th to June 1st inclusive. Where was the advance notice of that then?

People may have gathered, from recent press coverage and elsewhere, that relations and communications between TfL, train operators LOROL and ourselves haven't been all they should be recently. Obviously these things take time to settle, and any new relationship has its ups and downs - but what is essential is a full, frank and meaningful dialogue with proper and timely flows of information and consultation, and this hasn't always been the case of late. We are keen and ready to play our part in mending the fences and moving forward together to achieve what we all want to see: the modern urban railway that this part of London deserves and needs.

Blackhorse Blackspot
One area in which the new regime has definitely made improvements is at our stations. Reintroducing station staffing from first train till last from Day One was a massive and challenging step change, and a very welcome one which deserves full credit. Other improvements have been made, including repainting and thorough cleaning, and most of our stations are now significantly better than they were. The exception is Blackhorse Road, where the management of the whole station including our platforms now comes under London Underground. Either nobody has told London Underground what this entails, or they have but London Underground resent being asked to do it, because our platforms there are now about the tattiest and most neglected on the route. Litter goes uncollected and unswept, posters and maps are not kept up to date, faulty information screens and Help Points go unreported, and a damaged double-spread poster board in one of the shelters has been awaiting repair for months. Even the rather attractive hanging baskets have disappeared. Regular complaints have produced little or no action. On this dismal showing, it would be better if London Overground took control of our platforms back again. As for the long-standing and disgusting build-up of rubbish behind the platforms, that's the responsibility of Network Rail - and getting them to do anything is like getting a three-toed sloth to tapdance.

Fares Fair?
At a recent meeting of London TravelWatch, it was stated that the new Mayor would not be doing anything about raising fares until he had examined the TfL books. Not so on our line and the North London, where some fares were summarily hiked up by as much as 100% with no advance warning from May 18th. So much for that promise!

Date of Next Meeting
Tuesday June 3rd, 7 15 pm at Barking Town Hall, with the operators and TfL in attendance to update us and take questions. All welcome!

Barking-Gospel Oak Line User Group, 35 Carr Road, London E17 5ER

Thank you!