A total of 701 minutes delay – an awful month

Delay Repay Claims; total 1 January 2016 to 30 November 2016 inclusive = £108.60
10 Claims outstanding – Southeastern 1, Thameslink 9

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 31 October 2016

Total lateness 73 minutes: Southeastern 10, Thameslink 63

• Tuesday 1 November – A different rail journey today; I needed to travel from Bat & Ball to Waterloo East, then later in the day from Waterloo East to Petts Wood. From Petts Wood I travelled to Bromley South about an hour and a half later. Then finally after some retail therapy I returned to Bat & Ball. Thirty-seven minutes of delay clocked up. Thameslink “cancelled” the 15.44 from Bromley South to Bat & Ball. It was running late therefore it ran fast from Bromley South to Sevenoaks via Orpington. Accordingly, I travelled on the 16.14 service. Another Delay Repay Claim!
• Thursday 3 November – My destination was Merstham today. Thameslink were three minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks this morning, Southeastern were three minutes late arriving at London Bridge. My return journey on the 16.59 from London Bridge was on time at Sevenoaks. Thameslink cancelled the 17.30 to Bat & Ball. Another Delay Repay claim.

Week of 07 November 2016

Total lateness 128 minutes: Southeastern 13, Thameslink 115

• Monday 07 November – I arrived at Bat & Ball Station a few minutes earlier than usual this morning because I wanted to collect some tickets to Manchester that I had bought online last week; the ticket machine was not working for the majority of last week but I noticed yesterday when I attempted to collect these tickets that an engineer was working on it. My first successful use of the new ticket machine! The 06.24 service to Sevenoaks was two minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks today. Fortunately, the 06.31 service from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross was running late so a connection was achieved. The train was busy but there were a few seats for Sevenoaks passengers; only one or two for those boarding at Orpington.
• Tuesday 08 November – As I entered Bat & Ball station this morning I noticed that the ticket machine had been vandalised sometime overnight; the screen has been shattered making it unusable. 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. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks six minutes late at 06.33. The 06.31 had already departed therefore I travelled to Waterloo East on the 06.41: overall a fourteen minute delay to my journey.
• Wednesday 09 November – A very 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 cancelled; all services in both directions other than the 06.42 and 07.40 to Sevenoaks were also cancelled. Apparently the 06.16 to Blackfriars did run but I arrived at the station a couple of minutes too late to travel on it. The reasons for this extremely poor service were; overhead lines down in the Luton area, signalling problems again at Luton and the bad weather. It was raining which is unusual for this country! The 06.42 eventually arrived and crawled in to Sevenoaks Station at 06.51. The 06.54 to Cannon Street was due and the 07.03 to Charing Cross was running but the 07.11 to Charing Cross was cancelled. I decided to travel to Cannon Street then take the Underground to Blackfriars and walk from there to my office because I expected that the 07.03 to Waterloo East would be crowded and there were seats available on the Cannon Street train. Overall a forty-three minute delay to my journey this morning; another Delay Repay claim. I was lucky with my return journey: arriving at Sevenoaks there was a Thameslink train already at platform four. I immediately assumed that it was the 16.30 running late but this was not the case. Due to the problems in the Luton area Thameslink were only running an hourly service between Sevenoaks and Victoria. Fortunately my chosen journey from Waterloo East to Sevenoaks time had achieve a connection.
• Thursday 10 November – The ticket machine at Bat & Ball Station has been repaired. My destination is Egham today, I was intending to start this on the 08.24 from Bat & Ball but fortunately I checked online to see if a normal service was being run or if the hourly service that was operated yesterday was still in place. It was fortunate that I did check because there was only an hourly service to Sevenoaks at five minutes past the hour. I hurried up and caught the 08.05 because the 09.05 would have been too late for my purposes. However; the 08.05 departed Bat & Ball at 08.20 and arrived at Sevenoaks at 08.24. In the evening Thameslink were still not running the full service. The 16.21 and 16.30 departures were cancelled and I had to wait for the 17.00 service which was on time. Another Delay Repay claim.
• Friday 11 November – It would appear the full Thameslink service was running again from about 04.00 hours according to National Rail Enquiries. It could be said that Thameslink were back to normal; the 06.24 was three minutes late arriving at Bat & Ball and Sevenoaks. Fortunately, Southeastern’s 06.31 was also running late and I just managed to board it before it departed.

Week of 14 November 2016

Total lateness 117 minutes:Southeastern 21, Thameslink 96

• Monday 14 November – A bad start to the week by Thameslink; when I arrived at Bat & Ball Station the information screens advised that the 06.24 to Sevenoaks was expected at 06.28. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks eight minutes late at 06.35. The 06.31 had already departed therefore I travelled to Waterloo East on the 06.41 which arrived there one minute late but overall a fourteen minute delay to my journey. There were plenty of seats available on the 06.41 at Sevenoaks but full and standing on departure from Orpington.
• Tuesday 15 November – Another bad start by Thameslink: when I arrived at Bat & Ball Station the information screens advised that the 06.24 to Sevenoaks was expected at 06.26. This was optimistic and the 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks five minutes late at 06.32. The 06.31 was departing as we came alongside platform four. I travelled to Waterloo East on the 06.41 which arrived there one minute early but overall a twelve minute delay to my journey. There were plenty of seats available at Sevenoaks on the 06.41 again today but full and standing on departure from Orpington. I travelled home on the 16.12 from Waterloo East which was again three minutes early at Sevenoaks. The 17.00 to Bat & Ball arrived there on time.
• Wednesday 16 November – 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. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks four minutes late at 06.31. The 06.31 to Waterloo East was running late today and departed Sevenoaks at 06.36. This train was very full with people standing when it arrived at Sevenoaks. There were one or two seats available at Sevenoaks but due to the late arrival from Bat & Ball I was not in a position to secure one. Most Sevenoaks passengers were standing when the train departed. Due to the 06.31 running late and being overcrowded I decided to wait for the 06.41 to Waterloo East and get a seat. This train arrived in Waterloo East eight minutes late. Overall a twenty-one minute delay to my journey this morning.
• Thursday 17 November – A late start to the day because I needed to travel to a meeting at Canary Wharf today. I travelled on the 07.40 Thameslink departure from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks which was six minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks. I did not board the first London Bridge service because it was too crowded and no chance of a seat. I travelled on the 07.49 which arrived in London Bridge three minutes late. After being directed along a very circuitous route I eventually arrived at the Jubilee Line platform and let one train go due to overcrowding before boarding a Canary Wharf bound train.
• In the evening the 17.30 from Sevenoaks to Bat & Ball was shown as expected at Sevenoaks on the inward at 17.50 and a departure shortly afterwards. This became later and later and eventually became 18.05. The 18.00 departure was also shown as arriving at Sevenoaks late and a late departure was also predicted. Then as is becoming too common the 17.30 departure was advised as running fast to Bromley South and then fast to Blackfriars; obviously no use to passengers requiring Bat & Ball or other stations between there and Bickley. The 18.00 departure eventually arrived at Bat & Ball at 18.19. Another Delay Repay claim submitted. This train was calling at all stations from Sevenoaks to Bromley South via Bat & Ball then running fast to Blackfriars. I am very familiar with my usual 06.24 from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks being cancelled only because the train has been diverted via Orpington to recover late running. Talking to people waiting for a Thameslink service this evening the diversion of London bound Thameslink services via Orpington missing out stations between Sevenoaks and Bromley South via Bat & Ball is also very common. This obviously is demonstrating Thameslink’s contempt for passengers requiring to use their services at stations between Bromley South and Sevenoaks via Bat & Ball. This needs to be stopped.
• Friday 18 November – The usual start to the day by Thamelink; the 06.24 from Bat & Ball was shown as being three minutes late. It eventually arrived at Sevenoaks five minutes behind time. Fortunately, the 06.31 to Waterloo East was running slightly late and I just managed to board it before the doors were about to close. This service was four minutes late departing but only three minutes late arriving at Waterloo East. Very full again today but I managed to get a seat.

Week of 21 November 2016

Total lateness 191 minutes: Southeastern 47, Thameslink 144

• Monday 21 November – A very bad start to the week by Thameslink; when I arrived at Bat & Ball Station the information screens advised that the 06.24 to Sevenoaks was expected at 06.44. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks thirty minutes late at 06.57. The next train that I could travel on to Waterloo East was the 07.03 this arrived at Sevenoaks four minutes late and was ten minutes late at Waterloo East. Overall a forty-five minute delay to my journey. There were plenty of seats available on the 07.03 at Sevenoaks but full and standing on departure from Orpington. There were one or two middle of three seats empty but they were not really usable. I believe that Thameslink’s problems this morning were caused by signalling issues in the Shortlands area and a train failure at Blackfriars.
• Tuesday 22 November – Another very 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 06.42. The 06.24 eventually arrived at Sevenoaks thirty minutes late at 06.57. The next train that I could travel on to Waterloo East was the 07.03 this arrived at Sevenoaks one minute late and was four minutes late at Waterloo East. Overall a thirty-nine minute delay to my journey. Similar to yesterday, there were plenty of seats available on the 07.03 at Sevenoaks but full and standing on departure from Orpington. Thameslink’s poor performance today was reported as being due to the need to run at reduced speed between Blackfriars and Sevenoaks due to poor rail conditions.
• Wednesday 23 November – My destination was Rochford today. I started my journey on the 8.58 from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks; a nine minute late arrival. I returned on the 16.47 from London Bridge which was six minutes late at Sevenoaks. The 17.30 to Bat & Ball was running late and was sent via Orpington fast to Bromley South. Therefore, for me it was a cancelled service and a half hour delay waiting for the 18.00 departure which as one minute late at Bat & Ball.
• Thursday 24 November – I did not travel at my usual times today because I was not going to work but with passport in my pocket again I headed for Rochford in darkest Essex. Thameslink were twelve minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks. Southeastern were eight minutes late arriving at London Bridge. My return journey from London Bridge with Southeastern was five minutes late arriving at Sevenoaks. Thameslink were eighteen minutes late arriving at Bat & Ball.
• Saturday 26 November – My destination was Colliers Wood this morning. I started my journey on the 07.10 from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks. This service was running about seven minutes late and then was held at Bat & Ball due to a preceding service being stuck between Bat & Ball and Sevenoaks. Presumably this must have been an empty stock movement or a freight train because the previous service if a passenger train would have been the 00.45 departure!

Week of 28 November 2016

Total lateness 192 minutes: Southeastern 90, Thameslink 102

• Monday 28 November – One of the worst starts to the week that I have experienced for some time! Thameslink cancelled the 06.24 and 06.42 services from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks, the 07.10 ran seven minutes late therefore I arrived at Sevenoaks almost one hour late! The first service to Waterloo East was the 07.23 however this was crowded when it arrived at Sevenoaks and I could not get a seat or sensible place to stand on it. It must have been fun when the train arrive at Chelsfield people attempted to board. The next Waterloo East service was the 07.32 which was also very busy and crowded towards the rear of the train. I boarded this service but there was no chance of a seat. Arrival at Waterloo East was one minute late at 08.02; however, the total delay to my journey was one hour today. The first Delay Repay claim of the week. Southeastern’s services were probably more crowded than usual due to overrunning engineering works on the Hastings line. Thameslink’s problems were due to some incident in the Swanley area but I did not hear precise details of this.
• In the evening it was Southeastern’s turn to have a poor service! On arrival at Waterloo East I discovered that the 16.12 was cancelled and the 16.15 was shown as starting from London Bridge. When I arrived at London Bridge the platform staff advised me that the 16.15 was cancelled. I queried this advising them that Waterloo East were sending passengers to London Bridge to travel on this service. In response I was advised to go down to the barrier line and ask a member of Southeastern staff! This I did and was informed that the train was running, a few minutes late, but was now fast to Tonbridge. The next “fast” service to Sevenoaks was not expected until 16.51 which if attempting to board at London Bridge was likely to be impossible and there were currently no services shown as going to Waterloo East or Charing Cross that I could use to board this train earlier at one of these stations. Advance commuting skills were called for so I used my railway season ticket to travel to Southwark on the Jubilee Line then walked to Blackfriars. On arrival on platform one the 16.42 to Sevenoaks was just departing therefore I waited for the 17.10 which arrived three minutes early at Bat & Ball at 18.11. I did double check my watch to ensure that it was working because a Thameslink train being early is almost unheard of! I did look at the timetable when I arrived home to see if the train was due to wait time at Bat & Ball and I noticed that this service has a lot of recovery time built in to its journey; seven minutes is allowed to travel from Otford to Bat & Ball and a further seven minutes from there to Sevenoaks, usually only three minutes for each leg of the journey! The 17.10 from Blackfriars was extremely crowded, standing room only, and very little of that, between Blackfriars and Catford. Yet another Delay Repay claim for an hours delay submitted. The poor service this evening were due to signalling problems in the Sevenoaks and Tonbridge areas.
• Tuesday 29 November – The 06.24 from Bat & Ball was only one minute late arriving at Sevenoaks today. The first time since the 28 October that this train has achieved a connection with the 06.31 departure to Charing Cross when I have been travelling on it! The 06.31 unusually included a Class 375/9 unit in the formation which offered more seats than normal but it was very crowded throughout the train with many people already standing. I could not get a seat therefore I travelled on the 06.41 departure. This service was eight minutes late arriving at Waterloo East. Travelled home on the 16.59 from London Bridge which arrived at Sevenoaks two minutes late. Thameslink had cancelled the 17.30 to Bat & Ball therefore I had to wait for the 18.00 departure. Yet another Delay Repay claim!
• Wednesday 30 November – The 06.24 from Bat & Ball to Sevenoaks was only one minute late today. Accordingly, I hoped to travel on the 06.31 to Waterloo East. Unfortunately, this was not possible. The train arrived late in to Sevenoaks and was two low density four coach units. I did not see any vacant sets as the train ran in to the station but I did notice about ten to twelve people were already standing in each coach. It was too full therefore I waited about five minutes for the 06.41 service. This train arrived four minutes late at Waterloo East but I did get a seat. I was advised on Thursday that the reason for this train being even more crowded than usual was because the preceding service was cancelled. I travelled home on the 16.12 from Waterloo East which was three minutes early at Sevenoaks. Unfortunately, Thameslink had cancelled the 17.00 service to Bat & Ball. I needed to get to an appointment therefore I could not wait for the 17.30 service. This train was shown on the information screens as being due to arrive at Sevenoaks a few minutes late but there was no mention of the departure time, or expected departure time. Accordingly, I made my own arrangements to continue my journey. I have submitted another Delay Repay claim in respect of the cancelled service; will this be honoured because I could not wait just over forty-five minutes for the next anticipated service?
• Thursday 01 December – The 06.24 from Bat & Ball was late again today arriving at Sevenoaks at 06.30. The 06.31 to Waterloo East had already arrived on platform one but there seemed to be no hurry to dispatch the train and I just managed to board it before it departed at 06.32. This morning the rear four coach unit was a high density 375/9 one, accordingly there were a few seats available for Sevenoaks passengers. There were one or two left for those joining the service at Orpington but standing room only for most. Arrival at Waterloo East was six minutes late. I travelled home on the 15.43 from Waterloo East today hoping to be home by 16.30.  Thameslink let the side down yet again. The 16.21 service to Bat & Ball was nowhere to be seen and the information screens predicted it would depart after the 16.30 service. I travelled on the 16.30 departure which was two minutes late arriving at Bat & Ball. However, this was actually an eleven minute delay to my journey.

Other issues this month

Performance Statistics

Southeastern, Southern and Thameslink might be interested to know that one train operator in the South East has some good performance statistics to report. The Marshlander magazine reported that for the period January to August the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway ran 3,798 trains 96% of these arrived at their destination within five minutes of the scheduled arrival times. The number of trains run surprised me and I wondered if this was a misprint.

Fares Fair

In a recent edition of the Sevenoaks Chronicle our MP Sir Michael Fallon confirmed that if/when Transport for London takeover responsibility for the Metro train services from between Sevenoaks and London via Orpington and Oyster fares are introduced the cheaper Oyster fare will be valid on Southeastern services between Sevenoaks and London. This is good news but there is one thing that still needs to be clarified regarding fares from our area to London. Currently the train fares to London from Eynsford, Shoreham, Otford and Bat & Ball stations are the same as the fare from Sevenoaks Station and are valid via Sevenoaks or Swanley. Can anyone confirm that this will still the case if/when Oyster fares are introduced between Sevenoaks and London via Orpington?

Ticket Machine Update

Since the ticket machine at Bat & Ball Station was repaired it has been out of service as much as it has been working. One issue has come to mind since this machine has been installed. It only takes Debit or Credit cards, not cash, therefore if a passenger does not have a suitable card and the machine cannot issue a “Permit to Travel” voucher what is the position of a customer if challenged by staff for a ticket?

Local History Sign – Bat & Ball Station

The sign outside of Bat & Ball Station that provides information about the area and some local history that was destroyed a few weeks back has been replaced. Unfortunately, the history section still contains incorrect information about the Sevenoaks Stations!

The Elusive Number 6

The next new timetable is due to start on 11 December 2016; will Southeastern manage to supply Sevenoaks with copies of timetable number six; “London to Bromley North, Orpington and Sevenoaks via Grove Park” before the new service commences? Based on track record over the last two timetable changes I expect that this is doubtful! I was proved wrong Sevenoaks Station had copies on Friday 2 December 2016. However, they did not have copies of timetable number seven, “London to Bromley south, Orpington and Sevenoaks via Herne Hill and Catford.”

Anorak Time

Those wishing to travel on a new Class 700 train they are now rostered on some Thameslink services to Sevenoaks. On Mondays to Fridays the 15.54 from Kentish Town to Sevenoaks and the return working departing Sevenoaks at 17.00 to Bedford should be a Class 700 train. I travelled on the 17.00 service on the 2 December 2016 and the train was unit number 700003.

What commuters really want for Christmas

This week’s edition of Time Out magazine is the wrapped in a glossy advertisement for Thameslink, offering “festive deals from Thameslink”. I am sure that most regular Thameslink customers would prefer them to put more effort in to running the timetabled service to time rather than trying to attract additional custom on to a failing service that is frequently late and currently has many train cancellations. That would really be a welcome Christmas present!