16 September - Crossrail may mean fewer trains serve Bexley borough
To which title should perhaps be added a reminder that Crossrail services terminate in
the borough of Greenwich.
The proposal to run
a train through Abbey Wood to Luton seems to have come as a
surprise to many, even some Southeastern staff I frequently speak to hadn’t
heard of it but a web search reveals that there have been a few recent references.
The proposal is that the Luton service will replace the half hourly Gillingham to Charing Cross
train which doesn’t stop in Bexley borough so the fact that the Luton train will
not stop at Erith or Belvedere does not represent a loss to those stations.
However the sting is in the small print which says "these stations will be served up to four times an
hour by Southeastern trains to and from Cannon Street". A big disappointment
if true. Erith and Belvedere get six trains an hour at present.
I thought that under the new track layout at London Bridge Greenwich line trains
could only go to Cannon Street, but as you know, I am far from being a train expert.
Another web reference says this…
The two trains per hour between Rainham and Luton is the interesting service, as it goes
via the Medway towns, Dartford and Greenwich.
It gives the Medway towns an additional route and more capacity to London.
It connects to Greenhithe for Bluewater.
It connects to Crossrail at Abbey Wood.
Could this route release capacity in Victoria?
One thing that surprises me, is that it duplicates the proposed Crossrail
extension to Gravesend. Perhaps it is just a better idea.
So that’s another suggestion that Teresa O’Neill’s technically incompetent idea of running Crossrail
through to Ebbsfleet is not a practical way forward. But the Luton service really does
need to stop at Erith and Belvedere. Bexley Council might be better off planning for that.