17 September 2021
Commenting on London TravelWatch’s response to South Western Railway’s consultation on its December 2022 timetable submitted today, Richard Freeston-Clough, Head of Advocacy, Operations and Communications at London TravelWatch said:
‘We are worried that premature cuts to suburban London rail services could put a lot of people off returning to the railway, disadvantage those who have no choice but to travel, and increase car dependency in outer London. Proposals to cut the frequency of trains at some stations from four to two trains per hour, is a worrying step that runs counter to TfL’s metroisation vision of at least four trains per hour.
It is essential that SWR closely monitor customer needs and adapt their services accordingly. One of the benefits about being more flexible about timetabling as train companies have been during the pandemic is being able to adjust future services in line with demand. What we don’t want to see are temporary changes becoming permanent regardless of whether they actually reflect passenger needs going forward.’
