Southeastern's new timetable criticised by council, MP and watchdog

A "standard hour" timetable will see trains leaving at broadly the same time each hour

There is growing opposition to a planned new timetable on Southeastern, which is to lose some services.

The operator, which was taken over by the government in 2021, said the changes were a response to the fall in commuting since the pandemic.

From 11 December there will be fewer morning services on the Sidcup and Bexleyheath lines and many commuters will have to change trains.

Greenwich Council has urged Southeastern to reconsider.

In a letter to Southeastern, the Labour council leader Anthony Okereke said passengers faced "the removal of entire services and the reduction in trains per hour", forcing passengers to wait longer for trains and adding pressure to parts of the network which were already "at capacity".

He also said he was concerned that people using the Woolwich line would no longer be able to travel directly to Charing Cross, but would have to change trains and platforms at London Bridge.

"This will be a particular issue for people with mobility issues, luggage and caring responsibilities," he said.

"The new timetable will have a negative effect across our whole borough".

Under the changes, trains will leave stations at roughly the same time each hour, with additional services at peak times.

People on the Hayes line will no longer be able to travel directly to Cannon Street, but some new services will be introduced.

First Class seating on trains between London, Kent and Sussex will also be removed to provide more capacity for general customers.

The operator said the timetable "reflects the way people now travel and includes changes that will improve overall punctuality across this part of the network.

"The simpler structure also means Southeastern has the flexibility to alter train services as demand changes."

Directs links from some locations to Charing Cross and Cannon Street will be cut

Southeastern added that between February and July 2022, weekday peak demand was only 56% of pre-pandemic levels, due to the growing trend towards home working.

Transport watchdog London TravelWatch, described the planned changes as "bad news" for passengers and said it believed it would further deter people from using trains.

Matthew Pennycook, the Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, has also written to Southeastern's managing director Steve White, expressing concern about the "significant detrimental impact" he believes the changes will have on his constituents.

The Greenwich Conservatives have also raised fears about the new timetable and more than 10,000 people have signed a petition against it.

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]