Tunbridge Wells on 24 August
Credit: Southeastern

This month’s total delays: 157 minutes. It’s not been a good month again!

Delay Repay Claims; total 1 January to 31 August inclusive = £43.28 (Thameslink = £16.69, Southeastern = £26.59).

Keith is a SRTA member and a regular commuter from Bat & Ball to London via Sevenoaks. Each month he gives his personal experiences and views.

Week of 3 August 2015

Total lateness 51 minutes: Southeastern 12, Thameslink 39

• Monday 3 August – The 07.23 was crowded but I got a seat on the 07.28. On departure people were standing even though there were middle of three seats available. Nothing to report for the homeward journey today.
• Tuesday 4 August – A repeat of Monday.
• Wednesday 5 August – Another repeat of Monday; except that the 07.28 departed two minutes late but arrived in Cannon Street one minute early!
• Thursday 6 August – Slight panic as I approached Bat & Ball Station and a train was already in platform two; I thought for a minute I was late! A closer look revealed that it was a Class 377 but not in service waiting at a red signal. Possibly a crew training exercise. This delayed the 07.10 to Sevenoaks which arrived seven minutes late. Both the 07.23 and 07.28 where not too busy today, possibly due to the school holidays. I opted for the 07.28 and a seat; the train departed at 07.27 today. The train I intended travelling on from Sevenoaks to Bat & Ball was cancelled this evening; another Delay Repay claim submitted!
• Friday 7 August – I travelled to Egham today leaving slightly later than my normal journey to work. At Sevenoaks the train I caught to London was only four coaches; very crowded no seats for Sevenoaks passengers, first class was declassified.

Week of 10 August 2015

Total lateness 35 minutes, Southeastern 13, Thameslink 22

Credit: Campaign for Real Ale

I am on leave this week but still travelling to London on a different route; between Bat & Ball and Victoria on route to Olympia where I am doing voluntary work working behind a bar at the Great British Beer Festival. The timetables on this route seem to be very generous for the distance travelled but most days arrivals in to Victoria were a few minutes late; only on time arrival in London was on Thursday. The only on-time arrival at Bat & Ball on the return journey was on Saturday. The worst delay was coming home on Thursday; I should have travelled on the 22.14 from Bromley South to Bat & Ball due 22.40. However I boarded the 21.44 at 22.18 arriving at Bat & Ball at 22.45. For me only a five minute delay but the train was actually thirty-five minutes late!

Week of 17 August 2015

Total lateness 35 minutes, Southeastern 12, Thameslink 23

• Monday 17 August – The 07.23 to Cannon Street was shown on the departure board at Sevenoaks as only being four coaches this morning. It was also cancelled! The 07.28 service was very crowded, no empty seats on arrival at Sevenoaks. However it did arrive two minutes early in to Cannon Street; possibly because it was not following the 07.23 in to Cannon Street. The 17.24 included one unit of low density stock therefore seats were in short supply at London Bridge. The train was delayed between Chislehurst and Orpington due to signal problems. It only just made a connection with the 18.00 departure to Bat & Ball.
• Tuesday 18 August – I travelled in late today therefore I went to Blackfriars because at the time of day I was travelling there is only one minute between trains arriving at Sevenoaks from Bat & Ball and departures to Cannon Street. I travelled home from Cannon Street on the 17.24. Non-eventful day: no delays or incidents.
• Wednesday 19 August – The 07.28 to Cannon Street was cancelled this morning; I travelled on the 07.23. Fortunately there was a very slim girl sitting at one end of a “three seat bench” therefore I was able to fit in to the middle seat! The train was very crowded but probably less than it would have been if it was not a school holiday today.
• Thursday 20 August – Six minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks from Bat & Ball this morning close to the departure of the 07.23 which was full so I caught the 07.28 and got a seat. I travelled home late this evening on the 20.30 from Cannon Street. The 21.30 departure to Bat & Ball was delayed on its inward journey eventually departing 8 minutes late.
• Friday 21 August – The 07.28 to Cannon Street was cancelled again this morning; I travelled on the 07.23 and just managed to get a seat. The 17.24 was busy this evening possibly due to having one low density unit in the formation.

Week of 24 August 2015

Total lateness 36 minutes, Southeastern 17, Thameslink 19

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  Credit: Southeastern

  Monday 24 August – I travelled to Waterloo East on the 07.32 this morning to check out the location of the office building that I will soon be moving to in relation to Waterloo East and Blackfriars Stations. There were a lot of empty seats on departure from Sevenoaks. This journey reinforced my long-standing opinion that Waterloo East needs better exit and entrance routes from ground level to the platforms; walking out via the main Waterloo Station or down many steps via Southwark Underground Station is not convenient. The 17.24 departure from Cannon Street was delayed this evening due to signal problems in the London Bridge area; only just made the connection with the 18.00 departure to Bat & Ball. Later services were disrupted due to flooding.

• Tuesday 25 August – Fresh paint is being applied to Bat & Ball Station. Back to normal this morning the 07.23 was crowded so I travelled on the 07.28 to get a seat. The 17.24 was busy tonight and the first class was declassified; strangely only as far as Tonbridge.
• Wednesday 26 August – My destination was Peterborough today so I travelled from Bat & Ball to London St Pancras and then walked to Kings Cross. A few minutes late in both directions.
• Thursday 27 August – A usual morning; 07.23 crowded I travelled on the 07.28 and got a seat. The 17.24 was delayed this evening due to an earlier train failure between London Bridge and Cannon Street and only just made the connection with the 18.00 departure to Bat & Ball.
• Friday 28 August – The 07.23 was as usual crowded his morning therefore I travelled on the 07.28 which had many empty seats on departure from Sevenoaks. Possibly due to it being the Friday before a Bank Holiday weekend.

Additional observations this month

• Delay Repay – Why does Southeastern pay £2.95 for a half hour delay but Thameslink pays £3.09?
• Whilst I was waiting for a Thameslink train to depart from Sevenoaks for Bat & Ball on Friday 28 August there was an announcement over the station public address system that the next train at platform three would not be stopping at Sevenoaks. There were no timetabled services due to pass non-stop through Sevenoaks at that time of day so I looked up from my book to see what was passing through. It was a steam locomotive hauling two coaches. The locomotive was either an un-rebuilt West Country class or Battle of Britain class. I could not determine which because I was wearing my reading spectacles and I could not read either the number or nameplate. Some people on the station appeared to be interested in this change from the usual traffic through Sevenoaks. However the sound and smell of the steam locomotive seemed to excite a dog on platform one who decided that barking very loudly was the right thing to do; possibly the first steam locomotive he had seen!
• On Sunday 30 August the travel news on BBC Radio Kent was rather weird; very early in the day they did mention that Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street stations were closed over the Bank Holiday Weekend due to the engineering work in the London Bridge area. However for the majority of the day the only railway travel news given out was that there were problems on Great Western services due to industrial action! However on Bank Holiday Monday Radio Kent were announcing details of the closure of Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street stations.