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I have reviewed the new timetable for Blackheath and yes there are 4 less trains in the peak. However there is still a very reasonable 22 trains to London between 0700 and 0930. This is still a very frequent service. It shouldn't affect the length of journey times to London. Trains will not be over crowded due to new High Speed services running between Faversham, Medway, Gravesend and London St Pancras. Many commuters outside London will use these services thus reducing passenger numbers on Metro routes between Dartford and London. Blackheath residents should also note that the off peak service has been strengthened from 6 trains and hour to 8 trains an hour between Blackheath and London. Overall the new timetable is and advantage to Blackheath residents.

- Matthew Smith, Dartford, Kent

For the record, these cuts affect not only passengers who live in Blackheath but all commuters whose trains goes through this station. The cuts also affect trains before 8 am. I live at Greenhithe, which serves Bluewater and is now home to thousands of new properties being built as part of the Thames Gateway scheme. My current train to work in the morning is being cut altogether. I now have no other direct option which gets me to work on time. I currently have two options for getting home. Both of these have been cut. I now have only one direct train home which I doubt I will be able to get on as it will be packed. The decision to make these cuts is an outrage. South Eastern Trains have recently spent thousands of pounds on a new station at Greenhithe and Cannon Street is also being refurbished. Now my train services are being cut by 50% and no doubt South Eastern will have some of the biggest fare increases in January. People's decisions on where they live and work are based on their ability to get to work. South Eastern's decision will leave a lot of people very angry and they should be force to reverse their decision.

- Lyn And Paul Appleton, Greenhithe

@ Jon B, London

A failed socialist policy is a failed socialist policy. I did not see Labour clambering to re-nationalise the rail system. Added to which they have failed to implement a system that is fair and works well for commuters. We have the worse and most expensive public transport system in Europe. The Tories haven't been in power for nearly 13 years now by the way.

So I assume the mantra from you socialists at the election will be ~ Blame the Tories? Pathetic.

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

After my mortgage rail travel is the second most expensive outgoing, the money I pay does not reflect the service currently offered, the trains are never on time, dirty, full of rude grumpy people and don't get me started on the revenue collectors, I wish there was an alternative, there are no other options that doesnt increase time (and more money) on an already long journey, If anybody in the Plumstead area fancies a car pool I am happy to pay someone to drive me to and from work every day, I am sick of handing over my hard earned cash to these fools any longer.

- Helen F, Plumstead, London

Our society is FUBAR thanks to Labour and their failed socialist policies. - Frank, Home Counties, England.

...and there was me thinking that it was the Tories that privatised the nationally owned (and probably socialist) British Rail.

The SE rail company is owned by the government. – James, City of London

No it isn't. It was stupidly reprivatised in January 2006...

- Jon B, London

I am astounded that SE trains are citing consultation from 6 years ago and in all of their communications try to dilute the impact by quoting the number of cancellation between 7am-10am - classic spin. You only need to stand on the platform in the morning to realise that this will be a disaster and I will probably need to start catching a bus instead. What pains me is that I don't think SE Trains will feel the pain of this as I will still need a travel card and therefore to them lack of service does not equate to loss of revenue. I'm tempted to drive just so that they don't get a penny of mine.

- Adam, Blackheath, London

It is already standing room only usually on these services from Blackheath in the morning and now it is going to get worse due to some outdated plan that wasn't updated or consulted on with the fare-paying passengers. I for one will seriously look at moving rather than have a bad start to every day with commuting hell..

- Ade, Blackheath

Did anyone actually do any analysis on whether the rail passengers wanted to interlink with the DLR?

After another morning where my train was delayed, along with other peak hour trains and also where services were cancelled (the 8.41 from Blackheath to Victoria was cancelled and they announced the next train to Victoria would not be until 9.47!), I am really not looking forward to the timetable changes! I also love the fact that the 'new' trains they use seem to have half the amount if seats - re-enforcing the cattle truck feeling.

- Alex N, Blackheath, London

Can somebody tell me how cutting a service to Charing Cross encourages travel on DLR, I am confused.

Is there a parallel world where DLR serves the West End ie West and not East London ie Docklands Doh!

There are only 4 DLR stations in SE London so its a bit unlucky if you are not on that particular route. Why isn't the East London Rail services being cut to encourage people on the vast DLR network on that side of the river Doh! -again

- Julie, London

When the rail unions warned of this kind of transport policy and tory cuts the public called them dinosaurs, pvt railways and transport are a disaster for the traveling public.

- Brian, Wiltshire

"Oh, and SE London "still" doesn't have Oyster on the rail network. Pathetic."

2nd January that's coming in, with some reservations about details.

- Tom, London, UK

Since Boris got in, we've had cuts to buses, cuts to tubes and cuts to trains.

I don't think anyone is laughing anymore.

- Liam, London

So lets get this right. SE trains are going against other rail companies and are increase in fairs to pay for the re-routed channel tunnel route.

The channel tunnel route, wherever it is, has no effect on Zone 1-6 commuters.

The SE rail company is owned by the government.

The Government took over the network from Connex because the services were appalling, especially so because of cuts in timetables and cancelled trains, leading to unsafe overcrowding

DLR does not extend to Blackheath and furthermore Blackheath has no direct transport link too and from the Dome and makes this venue unusable to Blackheath people ,making them travel home via central London.

The Victoria connection will be cancelled in 2012 so there is more capacity for rail services

DLR will be adding extra carriages to the existing services to cope with current demand in the near future.

Once upon a time Blackheath used to have a 3rd class service to London in open carrages.


Just a thought – why is this really being done ?

- James, City of London

Rail companies are axing peak time services because they cannot raise those fares above inflation rates. Given that inflation is bugger all at the moment, they will just cut these services and raise off peak fares by a staggering amount.

Our society is FUBAR thanks to Labour and their failed socialist policies.

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

I'm a Greenwich resident and have taken all of the different time trains in the morning to London Bridge. Although the trains are sometimes overcrowded, they really aren't that bad and we don't really need more trains. To divert them away from Blackheath is lunacy. This is just another example of corporate idiots with no idea what they're doing making cost cutting decisions that benefit their shareholders but penalise the very people they should be protecting - i.e. their customers.

- James S, Greenwich, London

Join the club. I live north of Sevenoaks and I too am being cut off from my job in Canary Wharf by ill conceived timetable changes. So from mid December I will be using my car for the first time in 15 years for at least part of my commute. I've found South Eastern under their new owners to be arrogant and contemptuous of travellers. Oh and I will save at least £1000 on my train fare by driving ...

- Angry Commuter, UK

Let's see now .. cancel peak-hour trains so that we have to travel off-peak, then raise the price of off-peak travel? I wonder which muppet thought of that one?!

- Mhmedia, Guildford, UK

Before somebody else says it ... Boris is innocent ok. Blame it on privatisation. Poor service timetables and pricing. The sooner we renationalise the better.

- Dhan Raj, Basildon

Apart from the total lunacy of this decision, the knock on effect will result in thousands of commuters experiencing even more delays to their journey than they do already. Diverting trains via Lewisham is going to result in the trains currently stopping at this station being delayed. My journey has been delayed into Cannon Street every single day for the last few weeks without any explanation. Which complete moron thought this was ever likely to be a good idea. Are Southeastern going to pay my wages when I get the sack for continually getting held up on my journey to the point of being late for work!

- Geraldine, Thoroughly hacked off Southeastern commuter

Oh, and SE London "still" doesn't have Oyster on the rail network. Pathetic.

- Jonathan Scott, London

When are you all going to wake up? The millionaire owners of the private rail companies are being handed hundreds of millions of pounds of YOUR Money to provide you with a rail service. And what do they do with that money? give it to their shareholders, herd you onto cattle trucks and charge you the highest rail fares in Europe for the privilege. They are taking you for a ride but just not in the way you wanted.

- Stephen, Greenock

They are also cutting many of the trains from Strood. Forcing many people to either have to get a much earlier/later train or pay for the High speed service which is approximately £400 a month! They are stating that they asked people what they wanted. Obviously they probably did ask - do you want a quicker journey. Leaving out the fact that yes you can but will pay nearly double and have your normal services axed.

The peak services from London Charing Cross are an hour apart!

- Jk, Kent

As a Blackheath resident this is laughable. You are lucky to get on some of the peak time trains they are so overcrowded, let alone get a seat. What do they do? Reduce the number of trains. Just brilliant.

Not only that, South Eastern fares are going up to pay for the high-speed trains from Ashford in Kent to North London. Why should we pay for trains that are nowhere near us?

- Craig, London

Oh, and don't forget that the South London Loop between Victoria and Londo Bridge is due to be axed in 2012 ...

Why does South East London have to suffer? We don't have any tube lines, and traffic is awful, so trains are a lifeline!

It beggars belief ...

- Flo, London, UK

Andy Woodhead, London, ENGLAND:
"...Renationalise the railways NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I agree. Bring back British Rail and fund it properly...Not like before when it was deliberately underfunded...and run trains for the passengers and not the profiteers.
This half wit government has had ample opportunity to to it over the years...something to do with PFI and cooking the books no doubt...and I don't expect a Tory government to re-nationlise their flag-ship privatisation project from the previous Tory era...So that's it really. We are stuck with railways run by private companies who are only interested in their shareholders, and trying to milk subsidies from the tax payer, and not their fare paying passengers.
Something for commuters and non commuters alike to look forward to over the coming years

- Rodders, Feltham SWTLand

D[a]ft sticking their oar in again. Passengers can't blame the Train Operating Company for this one.

- Mark H, London England

Isn't it abut time that these arrogant halfwits realised that "Public Transport" means exactly that. It's transport for the public, and shouldn't be interfered with by stupid ill edecucated fools who are mostly conveyed in publicly financed limos.

- Pee'D Off Pensioner, London/UK

The same is happening elsewhere in SE London. After Southern assured everyone less than a year ago, in writing, that it would NOT be cutting trains along the new Overground route (New Cross, Brockley out to Forest Hill, Crystal Palace etc), they have done just that.

From Dec 09 there will be no off peak trains to Charing Cross and a reduction of a third in the number of off peak trains to London Bridge along this route. They have also decided to scrap the Bellingham to Victoria service which was due to be introduced soon.

It seems that TfL extends the DLR out in Woolwich or somewhere and introduces a line to Hackney and suddenly it's OK to butcher SE London services to central London across the board

- Train User, London

More lies from another inefficient, profiteering private company ! Renationalise the railways NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Andy Woodhead, London, ENGLAND

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