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NETWORK RAIL PLANNING TO DITCH SOUTH LONDON LINE

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29 August 2008

By David Yuill 
dyuill@southwarknews.org

NETWORK RAIL is planning to ditch a vital rail route which connects South Bermondsey, Dog Kennel Hill and Peckham to London Bridge and Victoria, claiming the route is not busy enough to keep.

Frequent users will be left standing on the platform as part of the upheaval to services in the changes that are scheduled for 2011.

The route - described by Network Rail's South London Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) as "not sustainable" - is set to be scrapped and replaced with an extension of the Blackfriars Thameslink servicing Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill and parts of the new East London Line extension.

The changes will see a loss of all direct trains from South Bermondsey and Queen’s Road Peckham to Victoria and from Wandsworth Road and Denmark Hill to London Bridge.

Network Rail plans to replace the direct loop service between London Bridge and Victoria with an increase in the frequency of parrallel services that will require a train change.

Concerned East Dulwich councillor James Barber feels the changes are targeted at improving the services for those to the south east of London, rather than the local people that rely on it. He said: ""The South London Line provides a crucial service for people in Camberwell, Peckham and East Dulwich: the proposed cut to this service is a real slap in the face for them. The fact is that Network Rail is putting the interests of wealthy commuters from Kent before those of some of south London's most deprived communities. This is simply unacceptable."

Barber, who was alerted to the proposed changes having stumbled upon a set of the plans this week, is determined to fight Network Rail as he claims they 'misled' the original planning committee back in 2000. He added: ""If - as it appears - Network Rail misled the planning committee by failing to tell them that their original application would result in this service cut for local people that is very serious indeed.

“I plan to meet with Cllr Paul Noblet, the Executive member for Planning, in the next few days to discuss the implications of this and what can be done about it."

Network Rail accept that the RUS proposals contain 'significant passenger disbenefits' but Andrew Munden, Kent Route Director for Network Rail, said: "Population and employment figures in London are both increasing and while we welcome the rising demand on the railway that this brings, the challenge comes in finding ways to accommodate both passenger and freight growth.

"The changes ahead will improve capacity on the rail network in this region and provide greater opportunities for passengers to travel by train."

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