Parents launch campaign to get axed rail service to school reinstated

[whole diary]

[grahame]

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/11723045._/?

Parents have launched a campaign to get an axed rail service that transported their children to school reinstated.

Pupils of Whitgift School in South Croydon arrived at stations across Wandsworth to return to school following the Christmas break, but found Southern had scrapped their usual train without warning.


More than 60 boys previously caught the train from Clapham Junction, Wandsworth Common and Balham direct to South Croydon before making a short to walk to their school.

But the company's decision to terminate the train, which leaves London Victoria at 7.20am, at East Croydon means there is no direct train which will get them to school on time.

There's a train with a change at East Croydon (07:52 to 08:04) and I would thing that the train they change off would be the one that used to run through.  Another (direct) train arrives at South Croydon just 9 minutes after the 08:04 from East Croydon (08:15 v 08:06) - goodness how early does school start?  The previous one, though is 07:24.

Posting here for two reasons - (1) it brings back memories of my commute in South London / North West Kent to school, by train, against the flow and the somewhat don't care attitude of the rail operators if the train was cancelled / replatformed at the last minute - (2) I recall being on the 17:53 from Chippenham to Westbury on Friday 8th December 2006 and watching the fury of passngers when they learned that the train wouldn't be running from the following Monday and they would have to wait until 19:01. Put together - an ongoing need to be vigilant and not taken by surprise by changes that will negatively effect you (even if they are going to be of benefit to others)

[TaplowGreen]

Sounds like a whinge to me if they can simply change trains and get there a few minutes later.......I occasionally get a slightly later train in the morning which is used by schoolchildren and they are a collective pain in the backside, sprawling across all the seats, making a racket and refusing to give up seats to those less able to stand.

Let them catch the bus or walk/cycle to school as I used to, they take up far too much space on busy trains!

(Yours sincerely, Victor Meldrew) 

[Western Pathfinder]

I Don't Believe It!!!.

[old original]

"Southern had scrapped their usual train without warning."

in other words, parents / pupils didn't check the new timetable!

[stuving]

There's a train with a change at East Croydon (07:52 to 08:04) and I would thing that the train they change off would be the one that used to run through.  Another (direct) train arrives at South Croydon just 9 minutes after the 08:04 from East Croydon (08:15 v 08:06) - goodness how early does school start?  The previous one, though is 07:24.

It's all down to coping with London Bridge having the builders in. Southern announced a whole raft of changes from 5th January, among which:

07:20 London Victoria to Tattenham Corner
Terminate at East Croydon
ALTERNATIVE SERVICE at East Croydon
0804 to Tattenham Corner

The fact there would be service reductions may have been publicised well in advance, but the notice was only issued on 30th December.

[Steve Bray]

I've just looked at Southern's website and this service (0720 from Victoria) will be extended to South Croydon from next Monday.