Is The New South London Line What Passengers Want?
I ask this question after the report of the demonstration last night and this piece on the South London Line’s opening today. Both reports give the impression, that most South Londoners think the routing is wrong.
I’m not from South London and therefore I have no idea what is best for Peckham and Clapham. But I do know that opening the East London Line to Crystal Palace prompted me to visit, as exploring the electric trains south of the Great Sewer, is something that North Londoners are genetically programmed not to be able to do. They always feel happy on anything that is on Harry Beck‘s iconic Underground map.
The opposition to the routing of the South London Line seems also to be led by a group of anti-Boris politicians, who tend to believe that anything Boris backs is thoroughly bad and driven by his ego, rather than common sense.
What seems to have been forgotten here, is that the new South London Line routing was proposed before Boris became Mayor and that something had to be done for a few years to create extra paths into London Bridge station, whilst it is being rebuilt. Just as I complain about buses being disrupted by Crossrail, in part the South London Line problems are a victim of the London Bridge improvements. I think it is true to say, that Transport for London has an extensive database of journeys by public transport in London, because of the Oyster Card and Freedom Pass information. So they probably know a lot more about where customers actually go, than the customers themselves.
Incidentally, I travelled part of the way this morning to Clapham Junction station with a doctor, who was going on shift at Kings College Hospital by Denmark Hill station from his home in Hoxton. It was certainly an easier journey for him than before the new line opened. So although, there will be some losers because of the changes, there will also be winners. How many other people have moved house or changed job in the last couple of years, in anticipation of the changes? We don’t know, but Transport for London will in a few months, when they analyse the journeys.
The Anonymous Widower 
As a south Londoner who lives on one of the ELL extensions, it’s been such a contrast with May 2010 where it was universally welcomed.
This time round, you have the very pro-active Southwark Rail Users Group who protested along the line yesterday, those who frequent local internet forums with a mixed view, although there are clearly activists from the anti ELL group on those forums and the rest who’ll just get on with it.
There are clearly some issues which should have been sorted out, such as replacing the 2 trains per hour lost to Victoria with a Southeastern service, but with increased capacity and frequency and with many more connections than ever before, locals should embrace the new line.
Passengers who live on the West Croydon and Crystal Palace branches adjusted their journey patterns with the reduced service to London Bridge and SLL passengers who don’t frequent forums or are part of transport groups will adjust.
Comment by Overground Commuter | December 9, 2012 |
I think the only people who will know the answer are TfL, when they look at how patterns of travel change in the next month or so. You have the problem, that if TfL’s figures prove they were right to do what they have done, the antis will of course say they have fiddled them. But then TfL’s figures say they need more capacity on the Overground and they are planning to go from three to five cars. Most passengers would probably welcome the capacity increase.
There are also two short term imponderables.
How many people have anticipated the changes have moved or changed their jobs? Some inward commuting to say Kings College Hospital may well be better?
TfL can also adjust bus routes where necessary. This luxury is not available to rail companies.
But as you say people will adjust and change their plans to what is best for them! I am lucky and do this on a journey-by-journey basis, often choosing my route by the first bus that turns up, But then I’m lucky in having seven bus routes within a hundred metres. As I don’t drive, it was one of the reasons I bought the house.
Comment by AnonW | December 9, 2012 |