Southeastern given permission to bypass consultation on timetable changes by DfT

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Commuters are furious after train operator Southeastern was given permission not to ask them about controversial December timetable changes.

The Department for Transport (DfT) last week gave Southeastern permission to bypass a consultation on the new timetable changes, including limiting trains going into Charing Cross railway station during off-peak hours on the Bexleyheath and Woolwich lines.

Councillor Stefano Borella, of Bexley council, said the exemption was a “slap in the face” to residents, and that Southeastern “clearly does not have Bexley rail passengers’ interests as a priority”.

News of the exemption came last week from a question to the DfT by Abena Oppong-Asare, Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead.

The DfT also said that Southeastern was the only rail operator to request an exemption from public consultation between 2020 and 2022.

Speaking about the exemption, Ms Oppong-Asare said there had been a lack of “consultation, cooperation and engagement” from Southeastern.

The company was taken over by the DfT in September 2021.

She said: “The Government now owns Southeastern, so many questions remain to be answered about its involvement in Southeastern’s operations.

“I have been dissatisfied with the communication of these timetable changes, with little notice given to those who rely on these services.

“To learn that these plans were in place from August is concerning.”

A Southeastern Railway spokesman confirmed that permission was given by the DfT to not formally consult on the December timetable.

At a meeting with Greenwich council on October 20, Scott Brightwell, operations and safety director for Southeastern, said the changes were not announced sooner due to the appointment of Liz Truss as Prime Minister and the mourning period for the Queen.

The Southeastern spokesman said that the company was responding to the criticism raised at meetings with councils.

This includes manually checking passenger numbers at stations to confirm the data that timetable changes are based on, which said demand for the Bexleyheath, Woolwich and Sidcup lines had decreased by 40 per cent in the year leading up to September 2022.

Pictured top: A Southeastern train shown at Victoria railway station (Picture: Joe Coughlan)