From 12th January 2015-August 2016 trains to Charing Cross will not be stopping at London Bridge. Southeastern services from New Cross, Deptford and St Johns to Charing Cross will be diverted permanently to Cannon Street and some services from Lewisham and other stations will also be diverted.

From August 2016-early 2018 the situation will be reversed and Cannon Street services will not stop at London Bridge.

There are also various temporary changes taking place around Christmas.

Clearly these changes will have a major impact on people's journeys, so I am advising any constituents who need to travel on one of these routes to check the Thameslink Programme website at www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk. You can enter the name of the station from which you are travelling and the site will tell you how your journey is going to be affected.

The Mayor states that analysis to date shows a positive case for the extension of the Bakerloo line to south east London and he is therefore keen for TfL to explore the options further. The London Borough of Lewisham is supportive of the plans and meets regularly with TfL, along with the London Boroughs of Bromley and Southwark.

Funding is the key challenge. The estimated cost of the extension is between £2billion and £3billion and there would need to be significant third-party funding contributions.

As most of you will know, TfL is investigating a number of possible routes for the proposed extension. One option would connect Elephant and Castle via a new tunnel to New Cross Gate and Lewisham, where it could connect with existing rail services towards Bromley and south east London.This would have the potential to serve the Old Kent Road area, recently designated an Opportunity Area for jobs and homes in the Further Alterations to the London Plan. An alternative option is to run services, again via a new tunnel, from Elephant & Castle via Camberwell and Peckham Rye, New Cross Gate and Lewisham before heading to Hayes. A third option would be to take the Old Kent Road option described above and add a link from Beckenham Junction to Bromley town centre.

Discussions are ongoing and, as I mentioned in my news item on 2nd October, interested parties are invited to give their views as part of the current consultation (due to close on 7th December).

In his letter the Mayor also notes our concerns regarding overcrowding in the Lewisham area. He says:

"The fleet being introduced as part of the upgrade to Thameslink will enable Southeastern to lengthen its local trains from a maximum of 10 cars to 12 cars by 2019. I continue to press that TfL should become the contracting authority for the local Southeastern rail services operating out of Victoria, Charing Cross and Cannon Street, and there is an opportunity for this to be considered when the franchise is re-tendered in June 2018. Such devolution would lead to an improved customer experience in general and mean that TfL would have a more direct role in planning increases in train capacity and frequency across south London." 

It is now beginning to remove trees and other vegetation from locations believed to pose the highest risk to the safety of passengers and/or the punctuality of trains. The aim is to establish a clear five metre wide corridor on either side of the track (possibly further in areas where trains commonly accelerate and brake).

With these aims in mind Network Rail is currently seeking to finalise an agreement with the Tree Council which would ensure the work is carried out in the most sensitive way possible and to develop a replanting strategy.

Should you have any concerns you can contact Network Rail 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the helpline (08457 11 41 41) or via the Contact Us section of the website.

I have long supported these plans and I know that this extension would be extremely welcome. Although the Overground has helped at the stations it serves, the addition of the underground in South East London would greatly assist with reducing the overcrowding my constituents face on Southern and South Eastern trains.

The current consultation focuses on determining the level of public support for extending the line and provides an opportunity for people to comment on potential routes for the extension. 

So far, TfL has identified two options for alignments and stations between Elephant & Castle and Lewisham: one service Old Kent Road and the other vis Camberwell and Peckham. Beyond this, the extension could connect with the existing rail line to Hayes. Further options could involving extending the line to Beckenham Junction or Bromley town centre.

Details of the proposals and further information are available at www.tfl.gov.uk/bakerloo-extension, where you can also leave your feedback.

The consultation will run until 7th December 2014. 


 

• Allowing TfL to refuse payments from unauthorised third party websites, many of which overcharge Congestion Charge customers.
  
• Removing the option to pay the Congestion Charge by text message and introducing a new app for smartphones and smart devices which will enable faster payments and access to account information.
  

For more information and to respond to the consultation, please visit tfl.gov.uk/ccyourviews.

The consultation closes on 12th September 2014.

Lewisham bus station will be closing on Saturday 1st March for approximately two years. This is due to redevelopment work which is part of the Lewisham Gateway regeneration scheme.

During this time, the following buses will be affected:

• Routes 75, 89, 181, 185, 208, 284, 484 and P4 will start at Loampit Vale and buses towards Lewisham will terminate at Lewisham High Street.

• Routes 108, 178 and 261 towards Lewisham will terminate at Molesworth Street.

• Route 108 towards Stratford, route 178 towards Woolwich and route 261 towards Locksbottom will start at Lewisham High Street.

Further information, including a map, is available on the TfL website.

The London Assembly is seeking your views on bus services across the capital.

With passenger numbers rising, Assembly Members have launched an in-depth investigation to try to prove to Transport for London that more investment is needed.  

Local Assembly Member Len Duvall (Greenwich and Lewisham) is asking people to share their experiences.  To fill in the questionnaire, visit the London Assembly website.

Labour has launched a campaign against Government plans to hit local commuters with a 40% Super Peak fares hike.

After David Cameron's broken promise to hard pressed commuters to cap this year's rail fare rises, the misery for passengers is set to continue with the Government's plans to introduce new Super Peak tickets,

At a time when transport costs are rising and people across the country are facing a real squeeze, commuters paying thousands for a season ticket should not be forced off peak-time trains.  If they get away with introducing these new Super Peak tickets, the Government's plans suggest peak time prices could go up by a staggering 40% on top of planned fare rises over just five years.

This out of touch Government seems intent on pricing many commuters off the services they rely on to get to work.  That is why the Labour Party is campaigning against these plans and is calling on the Government to think again.

London Overground has recently announced plans to reconfigure the New Cross Gate train depot.  Most London Overground trains are to be extended from four to five carriages to enable them to carry more passengers, so changes to the existing depot are also necessary.

To allow for longer trains they need to make a number of changes to the site, including:

• Extending the train maintenance shed by 20m north
• Extending the wheel lathe/heavy cleaning shed by 20m north

There will also  be minor changes to reconfigure the bays used to maintain the trains and revise the interior layout of the shed to accommodate the larger trains.

Nearly all of these changes could be made within the existing depot site, but in order to extend the maintenance shed London Overground would need to move the existing retaining wall by 20m north (i.e. further towards Surrey Canal Road).

London Overground will be seeking planning permission from the London Borough of Lewisham and as part of the process would like to hear your views.  You can either email your comments to consultations@tfl.gov.uk or submit them online at www.tfl.gov.uk/newcrossgate.

They will also be holding the following community information sessions:

Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College (Dining Hall)
Jerningham Road, London SE14 5NY at the following times:
Saturday 23 March 10.00-13.00
Thursday 28 March 17.00-20.00

The Lions Centre, Millwall Community Scheme, The Den, Zampa
Road, London SE16 3LN at the following times:
Tuesday 26 March 16.00-19.30
Wednesday 27 March 16.00-19.30

As you may already be aware, work is about to begin on the redevelopment of London Bridge Station.  

The station is being rebuilt in different phases and each phase will have a different impact on train services.  Network Rail, First Capital Connect, Southern and Southeastern are currently running information roadshows at busy stations to publicise the timeline for these works and their impact on rail services.

Further information is also available at www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk.