Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Southeastern Railway

Thursday 2 March 2023 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Southeastern Railway's new timetable faced initial challenges but improvements were made through a joint taskforce with Network Rail.
  • The Minister committed to sending letters to hon. Members detailing improvements and additional services introduced.
  • The issue of overcrowding and safety concerns at London Bridge was acknowledged, with changes to the timetable aimed at adding resilience.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
Transport
Context

Southeastern's new timetable change on December 11, 2022, faced criticism for causing issues including overcrowding and delays.

Question

What assessment has been made of Southeastern Railway's performance since the timetable changes? The new system promised no delays but it has worsened. There were dangerous incidents due to overcrowding on London Bridge and trains being so crowded that someone fainted.

Answer from Huw Merriman

Southeastern's new timetable was designed for resilience. The operator faced initial challenges but established a joint taskforce with Network Rail to resolve issues, leading to improvements including additional services and carriages. A letter will be sent to the hon. Member this morning confirming changes such as reinstating an off-peak service to Charing Cross on the Bexleyheath line.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address overcrowding concerns or delays at London Bridge

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Q2 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
Transport
Context

Southeastern's new timetable changes have caused overcrowding issues, with trains becoming dangerously crowded.

Question

The Minister must address the issue of dangerous overcrowding due to delayed trains on Southeastern Railway since the new system was introduced. There is no slack in the system and people fainting on trains.

Answer from Huw Merriman

The hon. Member will receive another letter confirming improvements made, including reinstating an off-peak service to Charing Cross on the Bexleyheath line which will operate hourly Monday to Saturday in addition to the current timetable.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address overcrowding concerns or safety issues

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Q3 Bob Neill Con
Transport
Context

Due to timetable changes, passengers are facing issues like delays and overcrowding at London Bridge.

Question

The Minister should address the issue of unsustainable numbers of people changing trains at London Bridge due to lost direct services causing safety concerns. The station has had to be closed on occasions.

Answer from Huw Merriman

Of course, I am very sorry about that issue. There was a points failure causing crowd control issues at London Bridge. We are working with Network Rail and Transport for London to learn from their experience of overcrowded tubes. Changes were made to the timetable to add resilience and reduce cancellations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address safety concerns or overcrowding at London Bridge

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Q4 Tan Dhesi Lab Slough
Transport
Context

The Minister oversaw timetable changes on Southeastern routes without consulting passengers, despite warnings that the changes would cause chaos.

Question

The Government refused to consult on timetable changes last year as they did not want to listen. The Minister was warned about these changes but ignored them leading to the current issues with overcrowding and delays.

Answer from Huw Merriman

The case was made to change the timetable which was done. We announced changes that were first communicated to MPs. £10 million savings were made due to season tickets collapsing post-COVID.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address overcrowding or delays, focused on consultations and budgeting

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Q5 John Spellar Lab
Transport
Context

Business travel patterns have changed dramatically post-COVID, yet the Minister is not interested in examining the case for HS2.

Question

With changing business patterns, will the Minister now re-examine the case for HS2 or is he just frightened of the answer?

Answer from Huw Merriman

The Minister is not afraid and advocates for HS2, which will level up the country, interconnect great cities, reduce travel time by 54 minutes to one hour eleven minutes, deliver jobs for this country and export them across the world.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address changing business patterns or re-examine HS2 case

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