Southeastern is reminding customers to check their train times as its enhanced timetable starts from Sunday 15th December.
There will be some changes to current timings to accommodate the additional services, which have been added to meet growing passenger demand, including a post-pandemic record of 431,000 journeys through their London terminals on Thursday 5th December.
In total there will be an extra 44 services each week day, adding up to 220 per week.
More of the convenient Cannon Street ‘rounder’ services are being provided each week day on the Woolwich and Sidcup lines.
Two more of the evening Charing Cross to Maidstone East services will run on to Ashford International.
The number of trains between Victoria and Orpington via Herne Hill in the off-peak is also being increased to four trains per hour to deliver an all-day turn up and go 'Metro' service on weekdays.
The extra services at Victoria station follow on from the investment to expand and improve the ticket barriers as part of a major congestion relief scheme delivered in partnership with Network Rail.
To help passengers move through the station better at busy times the number of gatelines has increased from 88 to 121, including five more of the accessible wider gates plus new overhead display indicators that show if the gates are entry or exit. New customer information screens have also been added.
Full details of all the December changes are available in online journey planners and the timetables can be viewed on the Southeastern website.
Watch a short video about the new timetable here:
Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s Operations and Safety Director, said:
“We are pleased to be seeing a near 10% yearly growth now and we are steadily increasing our service to keep pace with demand.
“We’re constantly looking at our service, taking into account customer and stakeholder feedback, to see how we can meet the needs of the communities we serve. It’s always a balancing act to deliver a timetable to meet the broadest possible number of customers.
“From 15th December we’ll be adding an extra 220 services a day, which will mean more frequent services on some of our inner-London routes. This will offer an enhanced “Metro” style turn up and go frequency that customers have asked for.
“There have been some timing changes, and we don’t anyone to get caught out, so we are asking our customers to check before they travel in journey planners, on our app, or in the timetables published on our website.”
David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent Route Director, said:
“We are pleased to be able to support the Southeastern timetable change, which in turn supports the economy of south east London and Kent. Our role in our alliance with Southeastern is in making sure that trains run as punctually and reliably as possible, something that’s particularly important for the more frequent service on Metro routes that Southeastern customers need and want.”
