Open letter regarding Bat and Ball station

To: David Statham, Managing Director, Southeastern
Roger Perkins, GTR

Dear David and Roger,

Earlier this week, we talked to students and staff at Knole Academy, who are important users of your trains and the station at Bat and Ball. They said they feel threatened at Bat and Ball – both arriving and waiting for trains to leave.

Because the station is unmanned there is no supervision. We think this is inappropriate given the number of young people who use it. Recent repairs are welcome, but the station still shows the effects of neglect, and is far from welcoming.

We have also been told by regular travellers that the ticket machines often don’t work, which means that passengers feel threatened by your enforcement staff rather than reassured.

SouthEastern run the station, and GTR run the trains – but you have a shared responsibility for the students and commuters who use the services. Can you please tell everyone – especially the school – how you will work together to make them feel safer.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Alan Bullion
Cllr Merilyn Canet
24 April 2015