Latest news with #SoutheasternRailway
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Southeastern trains cancelled this last weekend of May
Several Southeastern trains will be cancelled, diverted, or replaced by buses this last weekend of May. The changes are due to engineering work and will affect trains on Saturday and Sunday (May 31 to June 1). We have outlined and simplified the details so you can plan your journey this weekend. Saturday and Sunday (May 31 to June 1): Engineering work is taking place in the London Victoria area, closing all lines used by Southeastern services. Sole Street Line: Trains between London Victoria and Ramsgate or Dover Priory via Chatham will run from London Cannon Street instead. These trains will run non-stop between London Bridge and St Mary Cray (Saturday only) or between London Bridge and Rochester / Bromley South (Sunday). Stopping services between London Victoria and Gillingham will not run on Saturday. Maidstone East Line: Trains between London Victoria and Ashford International via Maidstone East will run from: London Charing Cross on Saturday, running non-stop between London Bridge and St Mary Cray. London Cannon Street on Sunday, also running non-stop between London Bridge and St Mary Cray. Bromley South Line: Trains between London Victoria and Orpington will run from London Blackfriars, calling additionally at Elephant & Castle on both days. Bexleyheath Line: Trains between London Victoria and Gravesend or Dartford via Bexleyheath will not run. Additional services will run between London Charing Cross and Dartford via Bexleyheath on Saturday. Additional Services: Trains will run between London Blackfriars and Orpington via Denmark Hill, Lewisham, and Bromley South. Brixton Station: Closed all weekend. Use London Underground for travel to/from Brixton.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Southeastern apologies for daylight-blocking coverings on train station bridge
Southeastern railway has been accused of 'daylight robbery' after it papered over the windows of a busy passenger footbridge connecting two London stations. Tens of thousands of travellers moving between Waterloo and Waterloo East stations cross the high level footbridge each day which, until Monday evening, had covered its windows with vinyl wrappers. 'How to make your customers depressed. Lesson one by Southeastern. Block out all the light in the overground footbridge from Waterloo to Waterloo East,' wrote one frustrated commuter on X. 'Why rob the customers of free sunlight? Staff do not like it.' According to a report in The Times, station staff claimed the coverings had been introduced because it was 'too expensive to have them cleaned'. 'It's so depressing,' said one. '[We] came into work one day and they had taken away all the daylight. The only explanation we've had from the bosses is that people were complaining that the windows were dirty but they felt it was too expensive to actually clean them, so they just papered over them. No one is happy about it.' Another said: 'It's just awful. Passengers keep asking us why we've blocked out the sunshine.' Southeastern – one of the UK's busiest rail operators – connects London with Kent and East Sussex. It was taken over by the UK government in October 2021 following a serious breach of franchise. An investigation into the firm found that the operator did not declare more than £25 million of historical taxpayer funding. The company recently concluded a £2 million station improvement programme which involved 'deep cleans' at 116 stations, alongside repair and improvement works at 20 stations. It claimed the investments formed part of 'the wider goal of building a better, more reliable and sustainable railway'. A spokesperson for Southeastern told The Independent that the claims around cost-cutting or cleaning were 'completely untrue'. They added that the covering was 'simply an incorrect installation by our suppliers in the middle of last week which was swiftly taken down on Monday night'. David Wornham, passenger services director at Southeastern, told The Independent: 'We want our stations to be accessible, safe and welcoming places for our customers. We have spent £2million in the last six months to deep clean over 100 stations, as well as repaint and repair a further 20. 'At Waterloo East, we have invested £150,000 to repaint all platform areas, replace all the wayfinding and signage and added new customer information screens so customers can quickly and easily identify the next trains to Charing Cross and London Bridge. 'The final phase of this programme was intended to install new artwork vinyls to brighten the walkway – but it was never our intention to cover the windows. This error has now been fixed and the artwork has been removed. We are really sorry for the mix up.'
Times
20-05-2025
- Times
Daylight robbery: how a train company tried to block out the sun
As austerity measures go, this might just be the gloomiest of all time: a rail company has been accused of cutting daylight to save money. Southeastern Railway papered over the windows on a footbridge between Waterloo and Waterloo East stations because, according to station staff, it was too expensive to have them cleaned. The effect of masking the windows has been to transform an already uninspiring leg of the commute into a morose trudge through a pall of murky, yellow light. On Monday night, after a phone call from The Times and accusations of 'daylight robbery' from commuters, the coverings were abruptly removed. Stuart Collings, one of the tens of thousands of commuters who use the route every day, had written on X: 'How to
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New lost and found system sees more items returned
Trumpets, church keys and an insulin pen were among the almost 5,000 lost items successfully returned to their owners as part of a train company's new lost and found scheme. More than 19,000 belongings were retrieved by Southeastern from trains and stations within the year and nearly 25% were reunited with owners - up from 10% last year. The most "forgetful" areas include London (5,762 items), Tonbridge/Hastings (3,672 items) and Ramsgate (2,231 items), according to the train service. Using unique QR codes to tag and track lost items, Southeastern's lost property lead Aaron Cox said the system is "quicker, more secure and easier to use". The most commonly mislaid items were backpacks (2,056), mobile phones (1,745) and earphones (1,136), according to Southeastern data. Other returned items have included an antique glass owl, tents and a snooker cue. The digital lost and found scheme launched in April 2024, replacing a paper system that was previously in place. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Loose hamster among railway lost property Going digital nearly doubles lost property success Heritage railway launches gaming carriage Southeastern Railway
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
London Victoria Station trains disrupted during Bank Holiday weekend
Trains running to and from Victoria station will be disrupted over the early May bank holiday weekend, Network Rail has confirmed. The weekend will see no Southeastern Railway services using the station between Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4. The disruption comes as a result of works at Battersea including track renewals, re-signalling, maintenance, and structures work. Platforms 1-8 at Victoria station will be closed as a result. Services that typically run through Victoria will instead be diverted via London Bridge or London Cannon Street. Gatwick Express services will also operate on a reduced timetable, along with reduced Southern services to Brighton. READ MORE: All the London Underground stations and lines that will be closed in May 2025 READ MORE: The creepy abandoned plane graveyard just outside London that's actually pretty eerie Network Rail said it typically carries out engineering works on bank holiday weekends as it causes the least amount of disruption for travellers. It acknowledged that there was never a convenient time to close parts of the railway but fewer passengers used trains on bank holidays than on normal weekdays. Engineering works are reportedly planned by Network Rail up to five years in advance. Timetable changes are also planned alongside freight companies. The infrastructure manager added that it needs to obtain access to work sites from land owners. It said it needed to ensure the right equipment and materials were in place for such works. Passengers are advised to plan their travel across the bank holiday weekend beforehand. Individuals can use the Network Rail Journey Planner to do so, with important information and useful travel advice relating to journeys showing with warning symbols. Have a story you want to share? Email Looking for more from MyLondon? Subscribe to our daily newsletters here for the latest and greatest updates from across London.
