This month’s delays: Total 233: Southeastern 81, Thameslink 152

Delay Repay Claims; total 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015 inclusive = £70.95 one claim outstanding

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.

A change of route!

The start of a new commuting route for me. My office has been relocated to Stamford Street in SE1. Stamford Street for the benefit of those who are not familiar with this part of London runs in an Easterly direction from the Waterloo roundabout (where the BFI Imex cinema is located) towards the South entrance of Blackfriars Station. My new office is located about a five minute walk from Blackfriars Station but the journey time from Bat & Ball to Blackfriars is longer than travelling via Sevenoaks to Waterloo East and exiting the station through Southwark Underground Station then walking to the office.

After reviewing the timetables and the options available to me if the 06.42 was cancelled or running late enough to miss the connection to London I decided to travel on the 06.24 departure from Bat & Ball changing on to the 06.30 departure from Sevenoaks to Waterloo East. This offers better backup alternative services if late running is experienced.

My return journey options were the 16.43, 16.46 and 17.00 departures from Waterloo East which should all connect with the 17.30 departure from Sevenoaks to Bat & Ball. Based on previous experiences when I travelled to and from Charing Cross the 16.57 departure from Charing Cross which forms the 17.00 service from Waterloo East due into Sevenoaks at 17.28 cannot be relied on to connect with the 17.30 departure to Bat & Ball (even when the 17.30 was due to depart at 17.32 the connection was often missed). The 16.57 train is usually delayed by a preceding slow service to Sevenoaks and the long station dwell time at Chelsfield. Chelsfield commuters always appear to be very slow preparing to detrain therefore the scheduled departure time is frequently missed. Accordingly I opted for the 16.43 with the 16.46 as a backup service.

Week of 30 November 2015

Total lateness 63 minutes: Southeastern 30, Thameslink 33

• Monday 30 November – My first journey was departing Bat & Ball at 06.42 due into Sevenoaks at 06.45 changing on to the 06.50 departure from Sevenoaks due to arrive at Waterloo East at 07.21. The trains ran to time this morning and there was no problem finding a seat on the departure from Sevenoaks. Four minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks but the connection was easily achieved.
• Tuesday 1 December – Due to late running by Thameslink the connection would have been tight this morning but Southeastern were also running late and an easy connection was achieved and arrival was five minutes late at Waterloo East. Again no problem getting a seat on the train to London at Sevenoaks. I returned home on the 20.33 departure from Cannon Street this evening, two minutes late at Sevenoaks on time at Bat & Ball.
• Wednesday 2 December – I decided to continue using the 06.24 service and today the connection at Sevenoaks was only achieved by both train operating companies services running late. Only one minute late at Waterloo East this morning. The 16.43 departure this evening was six minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks but the connection was easily achieved.
• Thursday 3 December – Slight delays arriving/departing Sevenoaks again this morning; on time at Waterloo East. The 16.43 was two minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks at 17.13 where I found that the 17.00 departure to Bat & Ball was still in platform four. This train did not depart until 17.24 this evening.

Week of 7 December 2015

Total lateness 81 minutes: Southeastern 30, Thameslink 51

• Monday 7 December – Slight delays arriving/departing Sevenoaks again this morning; one minute early at Waterloo East. The return journey was two minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks but the service to Bat & Ball was on time at 17.30.
• Tuesday 8 December – There were many problems this morning! The service from Bat & Ball due in to Sevenoaks at 06.27 was seventeen minutes late arriving there at 06.44. Services to London were being disrupted “due to problems with the signalling equipment in the London Bridge area”. Trains were being diverted to Victoria and subject to cancellation. When I arrived on platform one the train indicator screen was showing that the next service was for Victoria calling at Waterloo East and Charing Cross. Possible with a reverse at Charing Cross and Herne Hill (at least! – Ed) but unlikely! A station announcement advised passengers that the train would be going to Charing Cross calling at Waterloo East. I travelled on this arriving in London about half an hour late. The return journey was uneventful; two minutes late in to Sevenoaks on time at Bat & Ball.
• Wednesday 9 December – The 06.24 was late today arriving at Sevenoaks at 06.32; after the 06.30 had departed. I travelled to Waterloo East on the 06.44 departure which arrived in London one minute late. Only one minute late arriving at Sevenoaks this evening, right time at Bat & Ball
• Thursday 10 December – The 06.24 service from Bat & Ball and the connection at Sevenoaks with the 06.30 departure was only achieved by both train operating companies services running late. But a one minute early arrival at Waterloo East this morning. The 16.43 departure this evening was one minute early arriving at Sevenoaks but the 17.30 departure to Bat & Ball was delayed by seven minutes due to a late arrival of the train at Sevenoaks.
• Friday 11 December – Slight delays arriving/departing Sevenoaks again this morning. There were electrical problems at Waterloo East this morning and the station was closed. I travelled to Charing Cross, walked to Embankment and travelled on the Underground to Blackfriars then walked over Blackfriars Bridge to my office. The return journey was uneventful; four minutes late in to Sevenoaks on time at Bat & Ball.

Week of 14 December 2015

Total lateness 39 minutes: Southeastern 13, Thameslink 26

• Monday 14 December – Problems this morning; for reasons unknown Thameslink cancelled the 06.24 from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks and the 06.42 did not arrive at Sevenoaks until 06.48. Fortunately the 06.49 departure from Sevenoaks was running five minutes late and was six minutes behind schedule arriving at Waterloo East. The return journey was two minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks but the service to Bat & Ball was on time arriving at 17.33.
• Tuesday 15 December – Slight delays arriving/departing Sevenoaks again this morning. The 06.30 departure from Sevenoaks was on time at Waterloo East. I came home on the 12.13 departure from Waterloo East today, a minute late departing London on time at Sevenoaks.
• Wednesday 16 December – This morning the 06.24 from Bat & Ball and the 06.30 from Sevenoaks were both on time. This is the first time I have been on a Thameslink train arriving on time at Sevenoaks for a very long time! Two minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks this evening, on time at Bat & Ball.
• Thursday 17 December – This morning the 06.24 from Bat & Ball departed twelve seconds early and arrived at Sevenoaks thirty seconds early. I did check that my radio controlled watch was correct! -it was. The 06.30 from Sevenoaks was one minute early at Waterloo East this morning. Not so good in the evening, the 16.43 from Waterloo East was a minute late arriving at Sevenoaks and the 17.30 departure to Bat & Ball did not arrive at Sevenoaks until 17.29. It departed at 17.35 and arrived at Bat & Ball at 17.39, six minutes late. This was a bonus for those passengers on the 16.57 from Charing Cross, due Sevenoaks at 17.28 that wanted to catch the 17.30 to Bat & Ball and Otford. Their train arrived late at 17.34 and they still caught the 17.30!

Week of 21 December 2015

Total lateness 50 minutes: Southeastern 8, Thameslink 42.

• Monday 21 December – Slight delays arriving/departing Sevenoaks again this morning; one minute late arriving at Waterloo East. There were problems with the lights at Bat & Ball Station this morning, two platform lights were out and one was flickering on and off. For reasons unknown there were delays to services from London this evening the 16.43 from Waterloo East departed at 16.45 and was two minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks. We were routed in to platform four this evening because two GB Rail Freight Class 73/9 locomotives, (73965 & 73962 “Dick Mabbutt”), were occupying platform three. Based on the ends that the white and red lights were displayed on the locomotives it would appear that they had arrived from the London direction and whilst I was on the station waiting for a train to Bat & Ball the driver reversed the lights and the locomotives then departed towards London. While platform three was occupied by these locomotives the information screen on platform four was not displaying the details of what was actually happening. There was no mention of the 17.30 to Bedford for Bat & Ball passengers and long after the train had departed it was still showing the next service to be the delayed 17.16 departure for Hastings. Of course being Sevenoaks there were no announcements over the PA system to update passengers as to what was happening. The 17.30 to Bat & Ball did not arrive at Sevenoaks until 17.29 and departed at 17.40. This evening one of the lights on Bat & Ball’s footbridge was out in addition to those on the platform mentioned earlier. I advised Southeastern of these problems via their Website this evening.
• Tuesday 22 December – Three out of the four lights on Bat & Ball’s footbridge and three platform lights were out this morning. I told a member of staff at Sevenoaks Station about this problem when I arrived there. An on time arrival from Bat & Ball but two minutes late departure from Sevenoaks with a three minute late arrival at Waterloo East. Two minutes late arrival at Sevenoaks this evening but the 17.30 departure to Bat & Ball was on time.
• Wednesday 23 December – This morning the failed light count at Bat & Ball Station is three of the four lights on the footbridge plus four platform lights. I had a long time to count them this morning because the 06.24 to Sevenoaks was six minutes late arriving at both Bat & Ball and Sevenoaks. Accordingly I missed the 06.30 departure to Waterloo East; thank you Thameslink! The 06.44 departure from Sevenoaks arrived at Waterloo East one minute early. My return journey was earlier than usual, uneventful and on time.
• Thursday 24 December – My Thameslink train from Bat & Ball was four minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks therefore I missed the connecting service to Waterloo East delaying my journey by sixteen minutes overall. Plenty of empty seats today even after departing Orpington. I had in mind a time to leave work this afternoon but I decided to leave about half an hour earlier because National Rail Enquiries was slightly vague about the service I was intending to catch; this proved to be a good move. On arrival at Waterloo East the 14.17 departure for Ramsgate was shown as due at 14.54. This suddenly changed to cancelled. Attention shifted to the 14.26 departure to Tunbridge Wells, hoping that it would connect with the 15.00 departure to Bat & Ball. There was then announcement over the P.A. system that the 14.17 was not cancelled and would depart from Charing Cross shortly. It would appear that Dover is now twinned with Dawlish. A member of Southeastern’s staff on the platform at Waterloo East advised passengers that the problem was due to the track being washed away between Dover and Folkestone. The local radio travel news when I arrived home advised listeners that train services were being replaced by buses between Dover and Folkestone due to flooding. Watching the local South East Television News programmes reveal that about two hundred and fifty metres of sea wall and track have been damaged; repairs may take until March to be completed. Sharp eyed viewers may have noticed that the television pictures shown of the replacement bus service notice at Dover Priory reads “Replacment”! Christmas Eve was not good day for Southeastern; a body on the line, areas of flooding and signal failure in the Gillingham area. It was quiet at work today so I took the opportunity to take a few Photostat copies of my new season ticket whilst it was still readable to submit with next year’s delay replay claims!

Week of 28 December 2015

I did not travel between Christmas and the New Year.

Other issues

Due to the revised location of the first class accommodation on the refurbished Class 375 Electrostar trains it did occur to me that first class ticket holders will now not be able to stand in a regular position on the platforms where they usually board the trains they use because now first class accommodation is located at one end of the middle two carriages there is no guarantee where this part of the train will stop in a platform. Will there be complaints to Southeastern that some of their first class ticket holders have had to rush along the platform as their train arrived to secure a seat?! For those who do not have First Class tickets the really good news is that there are eight more standard class seats available on these refurbished trains.

I was aware that the Class 375 Electrostar trains that Southeastern operate were being refurbished, as commented on above, but I noticed this month that a Class 465 Networker train had been refreshed. This was 465909 which I understand is the first of the fleet to be subjected to a new round of refurbishment. Apart from being repainted the only major change that I noticed was that the toilet has been replaced with a much larger facility that is now wheelchair user accessible and that the adjacent area in the carriage has more seating designated to the mobility impaired. The new toilet unit appears to be identical to some of the more recent ones that have been installed in a few Class 319 Thameslink trains.

There currently appears to be a shortage of copies of Southeastern’s timetable number six; London to Catford Bridge, Elmers End and Hayes, plus London to Bromley North, Orpington and Sevenoaks via Grove Park. This is the one that most commuters from Sevenoaks require but there does not appear to be any copies at Sevenoaks Station or London Terminals.