Plans to cut the frequency of Thameslink services every Friday have been scrapped, the state-run train company has said after the proposals were made public by a freedom of information request.
Off-peak Thameslink trains through Greenwich are already being cut to hourly during the summer school holidays, which begin next week.
The summer cuts to Rainham-Luton trains will leave Deptford, Greenwich, Maze Hill and Westcombe Park stations with just a half-hourly Southeastern Metro service for much of the day and and all day Saturdays at the height of the tourist season.
Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) has said the cuts could be repeated in October and other holiday periods after that, but it would be studying demand and passenger feedback before making a final decision.
GTR also considered cutting trains on Fridays in response to weaker demand, according to heavily-redacted plans published this week following a request from a member of the public.
The dossier details the measures GTR is carrying out to follow instructions from the Department for Transport to save money by “optimising” services against passenger demand.
“Looking forward, we are also working on bespoke Friday timetables due to [redacted]… This is likely to start from May 2027 but further consideration needed in this area such as school and college services,” the document says.
A separate document shows that ministers had approved the proposal for “reduced service levels on Fridays due to low passenger demand”.
However, GTR told The Greenwich Wire that the plan to cut Friday trains had been scrapped. “This proposal is off the table and is not being considered,” a spokesperson said.
It was not clear where the Friday cuts would have fallen on a network which also includes Southern trains from London Bridge and Victoria and Great Northern routes from King’s Cross and Moorgate – but Greenwich trains would be a likely candidate as they have been singled out for a reduced service during the summer, and potentially in school holiday periods after that.
Public transport operators have wrestled with the issue of how to deal with lower demand on Fridays since the pandemic. Last year Transport for London experimented with scrapping peak-time fares on Fridays, but found it made little difference to demand.
The documents also include the approval from government ministers, who include Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, who as TfL commissioner in 2015 apologised for calling SE London’s train services “shit” and “awful”.
They also include an assessment of passenger numbers between Rainham and London Bridge which suggests the root cause of the problem: weak demand for the train through the Medway Towns to Gravesend, where most stations are served by high-speed services to St Pancras.
Passenger numbers then pick up before many leave at Abbey Wood to take the Elizabeth Line, then numbers build again through Woolwich and Greenwich. The busiest train is the 0821 from Deptford to West Hampstead, which leaves with almost two passengers for every seat. This service is not being cut during the summer.
They also show a large number of afternoon school-time journeys from north Kent towards Abbey Wood and Woolwich Arsenal, which may have been why Friday cuts were abandoned.
But even on Saturdays – when services will be cut this summer – the assessment shows lunchtime departures from Deptford are approaching standing-room only. This summer, some of those passengers will have to wait for the half-hourly Southeastern train or find another route to central London.
Both Greenwich and Bexley councils have protested against the summer cuts, as has Greenwich & Woolwich’s Labour MP Matt Pennycook and Jim Dickson, the MP for Dartford. GTR was nationalised last month as part of plans to create Great British Railways.
Some of the savings from this summer’s cuts appear to be helping fund a trial of running overnight trains on the premium-fare Gatwick Express from Victoria, the dossier indicates.
There will be some respite for Greenwich line customers in December, with extra Southeastern trains being introduced, replacing those cut by the previous Conservative government, as revealed by The Greenwich Wire in February. However, holiday cuts on Thameslink will still cause problems for anyone trying to reach destinations beyond Dartford, where the company provides the only direct link.
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