A total of 170 minutes delay: Southeastern 66, Thameslink 104

Delay Repay Claims: total 1 January 2016 to 31 October 2016 inclusive = £105.00

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 03 October 2016

Total lateness 53 minutes: Southeastern 8, Thameslink 45

• Monday 03 October – There are still no working lights on Bat & Ball station’s footbridge and no sign of the promised ticket machine. The 06.31 from Sevenoaks to Waterloo East was low  density class 375 units today. There were very few available seats, if any, in the front four coaches when the train arrived at Sevenoaks. Where I boarded all the Sevenoaks passengers obtained a seat but for those boarding at Orpington it was a different story. I only noticed one Orpington boarder get a seat and that was because a person detrained there. Many were standing on departure.
• Tuesday 04 October – The 06.31 from Sevenoaks to Waterloo East was low density class 375 units again today. There were very few available seats, if any, in the front four coaches when the train arrived at Sevenoaks.
• Wednesday 05 October – Thameslink were not having a very good day yet again. The 06.24 service to Sevenoaks was reported running twenty-three minutes late. Accordingly, it was cancelled between Bromley South and Bat & Ball running fast to Sevenoaks via Orpington. This is becoming a far too regular occurrence: Thameslink need to do something about the delays to this service which I understand is due staff not arriving early enough to take the train out on time. However, the 06.16 arrived at Bat & Ball station late just as I walked on to the platform. I quickly crossed the footbridge and boarded the train. It departed at 06.24 and arrived nineteen minutes late at London Blackfriars. Overall a thirty-three minute delay to my journey this morning. Another Delay Repay claim!
• Thursday 06 October – I travelled almost the whole length of the Thameslink route today from Bat & Ball to Bedford. I departed Bat & Ball on the service and changed on to a class 387 train at Blackfriars for a more comfortable ride than the Class 319 provides; I also needed to wait for a service that would depart City Thameslink after 09.30 so that my cheap day return with Gold Card discount ticket was valid. Due to congestion at Bedford Station the service arrived nine minutes late.

Week of 10 October 2016

Total lateness 34 minutes: Southeastern 1, Thameslink 33

• Monday 10 October – Not a good start to the week: the 06.24 from Bat & Ball arrived three minutes late at Sevenoaks. The 06.31 from Sevenoaks to Waterloo East was low density class 375 units again today and was already in the platform when I arrived there. A quick crossing of the footbridge to platform one and I just managed to board the train before the doors closed. I walked the length of three coaches before I found a seat. A few people were standing after the train left Sevenoaks. Unless anyone left the train at Orpington there would have been no seats for passengers joining the train there.
• Tuesday 11 October – Not a good start to the day; the 06.24 from Bat & Ball arrived five minutes late at Sevenoaks where the 06.31 from Sevenoaks to Waterloo East could be seen disappearing towards London. I travelled on the 06.41 departure.
• Wednesday 12 October – The 06.24 from Bat & Ball arrived one minute late at Sevenoaks. The 06.31 from Sevenoaks to Waterloo East arrived in London one minute early. It was low density class 375 units again today, there were very no available seats that I could see on this train and many people were standing when it arrived at Sevenoaks. On departure it was extremely full and even worse after Orpington. Possibly this ridiculous overcrowding has been caused by Southern passengers using this service from Tonbridge; not helped by Southeastern changing the stock used on this service since the last timetable change. First Class was declassified after the Orpington stop.
• Thursday 13 October – My destination is Nottingham today. I travelled on the 06.16 to St Pancras International arriving there ten minutes late. Whilst waiting for my train to Nottingham to be ready for boarding the diesel fumes drifting towards passengers were very strong this morning. I returned to Bat & Ball direct on the 17.22 departure from St Pancras,

Week of 17 October 2016

Total lateness 54 minutes: Southeastern 48, Thameslink 6

• Tuesday 18 October – The new ticket machine at Bat & Ball Station was displaying “Touch here to start” or something similar this morning therefore it may have been working! – although I did not see anybody use it. Interestingly the information screens at Bat & Ball were working but there was no mention of the 06.24 service to Sevenoaks. Accordingly; it would appear that some people assumed that it had been cancelled and walked to Sevenoaks. It did run but about one minute late arriving at Sevenoaks at 06.28. The 06.31 service from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross is becoming ridiculously overcrowded on a regular basis. This morning there were no seats available when it arrived at Sevenoaks and as the train ran in to the station I observed about six people were already standing in each coach. On departure there were about twenty people standing in the coach I was in and after Orpington it was ridiculous!
• Wednesday 19 October – I have been advised by another passenger the new ticket machine at Bat & Ball Station is working. The 06.24 service to Sevenoaks was one minute late arriving at Sevenoaks at 06.28 again today. The 06.31 service from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross was very overcrowded again today. There were no seats available when it arrived at Sevenoaks and again people were already standing in each coach. Sardine conditions on departure from Orpington. (I’ve now found out more about the causes of overcrowding on this train, and posted them here.)
• Thursday 20 October – The 06.24 service to Sevenoaks was one minute late arriving at Sevenoaks again today. The 06.31 service from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross was again overcrowded today. There were no seats available when it arrived at Sevenoaks and again four to six people were already standing in each coach. In the coach I was travelling there were about fifteen people standing when we commenced the journey to London. Even worse sardine conditions on departure from Orpington there were about thirty-five to forty people standing. Arrival at Waterloo East was eight minutes late. I made my way to Waterloo East intending to catch the 15.43 to Sevenoaks. On arrival there I noticed that the 15.33 was running late. When it arrived at Waterloo East it had been decided to run the service fast to Tonbridge. (Editor’s note: By skipping Orpington, Sevenoaks and Hildenborough the train caught up by 8 minutes and was only 3 minutes late arriving at its final destination, Tunbridge Wells, thus avoiding a performance “fail” for lateness.) The 15.43 arrived at Waterloo East nine minutes late and was ten minutes late when it arrived at Sevenoaks.
• Friday 21 October – An unusual journey today my destination was Tunbridge Wells but I needed to travel to London Bridge first. The 08.00 from Bat & Ball was three minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks. The 08.03 from Sevenoaks was running late, I travelled on this service which arrived thirteen minutes late at London Bridge. I attempted to start my journey from London Bridge to Tunbridge Wells at 09.10 but there was no train until 09.53. A member of staff at London Bridge suggested that I should travel to Waterloo East to catch an earlier train from there. This proved to be a total waste of time because the first Tunbridge Wells service was that which would form the 09.53 from London Bridge! I eventually arrived at Tunbridge Wells seven minutes late. My journey back to Bat & Ball did not go to plan. I fell asleep on the train and ended up at Cannon Street! When I finally arrived at Bat & Ball the information screens did not make very good reading. All except for two Thameslink train services were cancelled. Over the weekend I discovered that this was due to electrical supply problems between St Pancras and Elephant & Castle; a broken conductor rail I believe. This also caused many cancellations on Saturday due to trains and crew being in the wrong places.

Week of 24 October 2016

Total lateness 29 minutes: Southeastern 9, Thameslink 20

• Monday 24 October – The 06.31 service from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross was busy but there were a few seats for Sevenoaks passengers. I did not notice any unoccupied seats for Orpington passengers, and many were standing on departure from Orpington. Were seats available on this service because it is half-term for the schools this week? I travelled home on the 16.12 from Waterloo East which was two minutes early at Sevenoaks. The 17.00 to Bat & Ball was on time but departed from platform three due to a Network Rail leaf clearing train occupying platform four. However; on arrival at Bat & Ball the next two services, in both directions, were shown as cancelled on the information screens.
• Wednesday 26 October – A bad start to the day by Thameslink; when I arrived at Bat & Ball Station the information screens advised that the 06.24 to Sevenoaks was expected at 06.26 which would mean that a connection with the 06.31 to Waterloo East was doubtful. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks five minutes late at 06.32. The 06.31 had disappeared in the darkness heading for London not even its tail light was visible. I travelled to Waterloo East on the 06.41 which arrived there two minutes early but overall an eleven minute delay to my journey. There were plenty of seats available on the 06.41. I travelled home on the 16.12 from Waterloo East which was three minutes early at Sevenoaks. The 17.00 to Bat & Ball did not arrive at Sevenoaks on its inward journey until 16.59 presumably held outside of the station because a Network Rail leaf clearing train was occupying platform four.
• Thursday 27 October – My destination is Birmingham New Street today. I departed Bat & Ball on the 08.00 service to Sevenoaks which arrived there one minute late. The 08.12 to Waterloo East was too full therefore I travelled on the 08.23 which was on time arriving in London.
• Friday 28 October – Another bad start to the day by Thameslink; when I arrived at Bat & Ball Station the information screens advised that the 06.24 to Sevenoaks was expected at 06.27 which would mean that a connection with the 06.31 to Waterloo East was doubtful. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Bat & Ball at 06.29 and at Sevenoaks six minutes late at 06.33. The 06.31 to London was departing Sevenoaks as we arrived. I travelled to Waterloo East on the 06.41 which arrived there on time but overall a thirteen minute delay to my journey. There were plenty of seats available on the 06.41. I travelled home on the 16.12 from Waterloo East which was four minutes late departing but only two minutes late at Sevenoaks. The 17.00 to Bat & Ball ran to time.

How safe is it to travel on the railway?

Earlier this year I reported that whilst waiting for a train at Bat & Ball Station a large piece of many coats of paint fell from the station roof and hit me on the shoulder. On the 10 October whilst I was waiting for a train on Waterloo East for a train to Sevenoaks for no apparent reason a piece of metal fell from the canopy above the platform narrowly missing a blind lady and her guide dog. It was approximately 150/180mm square, I could not determine the thickness without picking it up, with one right angled pointed corner. If this had hit any soft flesh it would probably have penetrated it. A member of platform staff said “I always thought this place was falling to pieces!”