Thursday 21 January 2016

TFL to take over Southeastern services from 2018

The Mayor of London announced today that TFL will be taking over operation of Southeastern train services from 2018, the first part of a phased takeover of all of the capital's commuter rail services.

Much as I abhor the floppy-haired one, I will mark this historic announcement by publishing a photo of him on my blog. Mainly so that I can mock the typo.

I am sure that the devil will be in the detail of this arrangement, and it sure as hell is not going to be simple, but I can't help feeling a glimmer of optimism. It's quite a few years - decades maybe - since I felt any glimmer of optimism as far as train services from Deptford are concerned. The full details of the proposals are here, they are not set in stone as yet, they are 'open for consultation'.

So while we only have a reduction in services to look forward to in the future, there's a chance they might at least run more promptly and maybe TFL will even have the freedom to order some new, longer trains, a problem which Southeastern has been battling with for years?

5 comments:

The Grim Reaper said...

On the subject of typos "announced today that TLF will be".

Deptford Dame said...

Dang, that was bound to happen wasn't it?

The Grim Reaper said...

Yes.

Anonymous said...

No one could do a worse job than Southeastern. There will still be be no direct trains to Charing Cross for the forseeable future and the overcrowding and delays will just continue to get worse.

The Grim Reaper said...

"Anonymous said...

No one could do a worse job than Southeastern."

Unfortunately experience proves otherwise. A few years ago an utterly useless Head of Highways left LB Lewisham. Everybody thought no one could do a worse job, but LBL found somebody worse (albeit nobody would admit to having had any part in appointing him), but the icing on the cake was when the original idiot got a job with TfL liaising with LBL.

TfL has done a good job with the 'Overground' lines, but if Goldsmith gets elected Mayor then Andrew Gilligan will have even more control over TfL and railways will get probably get closed down to make way for cycle 'superhighways'.