Southeastern to cut trains to Charing Cross

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Commuters in Greenwich and Bexley may be forced to change their journeys as Southeastern Railway has revealed plans to cut trains to Charing Cross.

From December, all trains on the Woolwich line will no longer go to Charing Cross, instead terminating at London Cannon Street. Commuters have been told to change at London Bridge.

Under the current timetable, one-third of trains on the Woolwich line terminate in Charing Cross.

Trains on the Bexleyheath line will only go to Charing Cross at peak times, with off-peak and weekend trains only going to London Cannon Street.

According to Southeastern, the changes were made to reduce “congestion at busy junctions to give better punctuality and fewer cancellations overall”.

The changes have been made to draw footfall from junctions such as Lewisham and direct commuters to transfers at London Bridge.

A Southeastern Railway spokesperson said that the central station was “re-designed specifically for this purpose, with accessible lifts to every platform”.

Many train stations on the Bexleyheath and Woolwich lines currently have limited disability access. This includes the busy Lewisham station, which lacks step-free access and restricts wheelchair users from using the stations.

Off-peak and weekend services for the Bexleyheath line have also increased from two to four trains per hour, serving both London Victoria and London Cannon Street.

The spokesperson from Southeastern Railways said: “Broadly, the new timetable reflects the change in peak-time demand following the pandemic and the new preference for travel, but still maintains peak-time space on trains to match demand from those who need these services.”

Trasport councillor for Greenwich, Averil Lekau, said: “The changes put forward by Southeastern, without consultation, will rightfully concern many residents in Royal Greenwich.

“This is not the time to be reducing services and potentially creating even worse overcrowding and making life harder for our residents wanting to travel to Charing Cross and other areas of London.

“We have invited Southeastern to an upcoming scrutiny panel at the Town Hall and we expect a full explanation of how and why this programme is being pushed forward.”

Pictured top: Southeastern train at Cannon Street (Picture: Hammersfan/Wikimedia Commons)