Anyone who has spent some time travelling on Southeastern’s packed-to-bursting commuter lines – elbows in the back and heads tucked under armpits – will no doubt today be cheering on the Transport for London commissioner Sir Peter Hendy: London’s commuter services are, as he says, ‘shit, awful’ and like ‘the wild west’.
Hendy singled out Southeastern as being the worst offender — and he’s right. I travel on it almost every day. Since the closure of much of London Bridge due to refurbishments, the trains at my home station of Orpington have become ever more crowded. People are forced to cram on to an ever dwindling number of services.
The 07:52 to Cannon Street – the claustrophobe’s worst nightmare – is a hot, sticky mess, and the late afternoon services back are worse. On countless evenings I have witnessed people unable to get on the train, having to wait on the platform for the next train, or possibly the one after.
Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if we weren’t all paying so much for such an appalling service. The price of day travelcards has increased by a whopping 38 per cent since January. We are paying more and more for a worse and worse service.
So what’s to be done? Hendy wants TfL to take over the running of the rail lines, a position backed by Chuka Umunna. But is TfL any better? TfL services suffer are slightly better, but still suffer from excessive delays, mechanical failures, and strikes. Until someone comes up with a better idea, London’s commuters will have to agree with Hendy’s verdict – or start cycling or pay the congestion charge.
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