More changes for our trains next week as more people have returned to work this week.
London Overground will operate six trains per hour between Highbury & Islington and Sydenham. Of these, 4tph will operate to Crystal Palace and 2tph as now to West Croydon.
Southern will reduce their services to London Bridge to an every 30 minute service between London Bridge and Coulsdon Town via East Croydon only.
Last trains are at weekday times.
Does this mean the London Bridge service won’t be stopping at Forest Hill?
I have to return to work in the next week and I was planning FH-London bridge to avoid Canada water bottleneck to transfer to the Jubilee line.
If so this is a nightmare.
Canada water interchange and platforms are horrendous at the best of times and I always strive to avoid it.
Can someone clarify this is the case ? 
London Bridge trains will operate from Forest Hill and HOP, but with a reduced service. the first train to London Bridge on Monday start at 0643 then 0713, 0743, 0813 and 0843.
If you have to use Canada Water and the escalator down to the Jubilee is back to normal levels, use the escalator up to the ticket hall and use the other escalators down which have more space for social distancing.
Bizarrely on Sundays, Southern will continue to operate the normal timetable, which sees 4 trains per hour to London Bridge. The reduced service will operate Monday to Saturday.
There’s going to be less trains to London Bridge?!?! What the hell??
I do that when I miss a london bridge train but this is a joke…I wonder if theres somewhere we can complain to-Social distancing on a 5 Carriage train is much harder than on a 10 carriage one-what on earth are they thinking of?
Where’s the rationale?
It should be an 8 car train on Monday.
Yup-I think we need to complain to Southern about this-Its ridiculous.
our trains will be more overcrowded.
Corona train changes…yup trying to pack us in like sardines that’ll sort the problem out won’t it
That’s crazy! Definitely southern needs to explain why they aren’t running the Victoria to London Bridge Service on weekdays.
11 posts were split to a new topic: TfL & Southern Rail, funding and responsibilities
I’ve just emailed CEO of Southern, London Metro our local councillors and customer services at southern.
I suggest others do the same.
this cut in services is dangerous at the present time and will lead to even more overcrowding on the overground and Canada water interchange which in itself is a danger
due to overcrowding on escalators and platforms.
Govia Thameslink operates Southern Rail and it receives it’s franchise from the Department for Transport. You might wish to add Grant Schapps to your list for complaints.
Do you know the frequency of trains per hour during normal operating times?
My recollection is that there were 8 Overground trains per hour. 4 for West Croydon & 4 for Crystal Palace.
I’ve done that.
And Sadiq Khan.
@Sherwood You’re correct - the original pre Corona timetables are still on the TFL website.
Looking further afield, the Thameslink service from Catford via St Pancras is even more alarmingly reduced: from 2 trains per hour down to 2 per day! Two northbound in the morning peak and two southbound in the afternoon peak. At all other times the trains will terminate at Blackfriars.
After looking at the timetables I find their website statement highly misleading:
From Sunday 17 May we will introduce more train services … Train services will be increased …
The new timetable restores train services with earlier start and later finish times, adds more cross-London Thameslink services and increases frequencies across the network to create more space for customers on-board.
What they actually mean is they will be running a highly reduced service, albeit slightly less reduced than during lockdown.
From my nephew who works for an orange company:
"ARL are still trying to sort out an agreement between union and company in regards to frequency. It’s still up in the air. Union are against an increase as currently we’ve adjusted jobs to minimise amount of drivers in messrooms at any one time to maintain government advised social distancing. We currently have breaks at Dalston Junction, Surrey Quays, New Cross Gate station and NXG Depot. We share break facilities at Dalston with traincare who work at Dalston and Highbury. Current levels are working perfectly. An increase of service levels will mean less ability to be able to maintain social distancing in break rooms and that is what is causing an issue. Company is doing amazing in terms of frequency of cleaning driving cabs at end of the line and during day and issuing PPE/cleaning products to drivers, but it’s the social distancing of drivers on breaks that will cause problems.
If the service level is increased, it’s going to be hard to maintain max amount of drivers in a messroom at one time, so far we’ve been doing half-jobs where appropriate (ie instead of going on break, a driver will go home and another driver will take over next part of job at the pickup point, negating need to sit in a messroom). By increasing the service now, that won’t be possible and will put more drivers at risk. We’re in a Goldilocks spot right now, just right! We already had max occupancy for messrooms before this, and now it’s tighter, so if service is increased, can expect more cancellations and delays as drivers take their mandated and completely legal breaks in accordance with the rules and T&C. (Ie before this, we could only have 4 drivers in messroom at Surrey Quays at one time, now it’s 1. if there were more than that, you could tell ops you’re going to New Cross Gate to have your break and if that puts you out of time, then your next job needs to be covered). That isn’t happening now because the balance is perfect, so come Monday expect delays and pandemonium if it goes ahead."
Can accommodation not be made for temporary mess rooms. I understand drivers need to be protected but at what cost to passengers?
No. There’s only specific places drivers are allowed to change according to timetabling and other rules. Network Rail won’t allow Platform 5 (up) to be used as a changeover point as it might disturb Southern, but they’re allowed to changeover on Platform 1 as it’s ARL only. It’s really specific and mad the the rules they have. There’s literally no other places than those listed above that drivers have a comfortable place to have a break on the route.
Well said-potentially hundreds of lives are being put at risk here.
I’d like to see anyone try to maintain social distancing on a London Overground train at peak times never mind the Canada water/Jubilee line escalators and platforms.
at the best of times both are seriously overcrowded and now we have reduced services and the threat of a killer airborne disease.
I dispair!
For those of you who use the Hayes line from either Lower Sydenham, Catford Bridge or Ladywell, there are extra trains, of which the Cannon Street services are reinstated during the morning and evening peaks, which should mean a train every 15 mins during those periods.
At other times, the 2 trains per hour service continues to operate to Charing Cross, additionally calling at Lewisham, but excluding St. Johns and New Cross.
Surely in these extraordinary times comprising from both sides would be a good idea??