Hundreds of thousands of rail commuters in the south-east have been advised to check train times and expect disruption as the biggest-ever change to timetables comes into effect on Sunday.
Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Britain’s largest rail franchise, covering a quarter of all journeys, has rescheduled every train as it brings in more than 400 extra services a day.
Unions have claimed the infrastructure will struggle to cope, while passenger groups have expressed dismay that many services used by regular commuters will be withdrawn.
GTR, which operates Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern trains, said the new timetable would ensure a more efficient and reliable service, and overall capacity would be dramatically increased – with space for an extra 50,000 passengers into London in the morning peak, and 80 more destinations served directly from stations in the capital such as Farringdon and Blackfriars by next year.
The bulk of a £7bn Thameslink upgrade programme has been completed, allowing for more of the new, longer trains to cross the capital at higher frequencies. Many journeys will now be routed through London Bridge station, which was officially reopened last week.
GTR admitted some passengers and stations across its network faced altered and reduced services as it tries to maximise its capacity. Passengers in some locations have complained that they will now be left with fewer or slower trains, including in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Kent, East Sussex and Surrey, where many commuters pay thousands of pounds a year for annual season tickets.
Emily Ketchin, the founder of the campaign group Harpenden Thameslink Commuters, accused GTR of cutting key Harpenden services by a third without consultation. “This is going to have a real impact on people’s ability to get to work, especially working parents who already struggle with juggling childcare and work commitments,” she said.
A GTR spokesman said the new timetable had been developed with careful analysis over many years, and had been under consultation for 18 months with 28,000 responses. He said a doubling of passenger numbers meant the old timetable no longer accounted for the time needed at busier stations, contributing to delays on every service and causing disruption.
Q&A Timetable shakeup - what will the changes mean?
Why is this rail timetable change significant?
New timetables are published every year but normally with minor tweaks. This year Govia Thameslink Railway, which carries about 500,000 passengers daily, has redrawn its schedules from scratch.
Why has it done that?
The rebuilding of London Bridge and surrounding track infrastructure, new trains, and new infrastructure allowing partial automation means more services can run through the capital, carrying more passengers. Some can be rerouted to cut journey times, while others will stop at new stations offering more direct services.
So is it a good thing?
Overall, it should be: GTR believes it will use its capacity more efficiently. About 400 more trains will run, with space for 50,000 more people to travel into London in the morning peak.
What’s the problem?
While the new timetable should benefit a greater number, many people have built their work and family routines around a particular train. Removing or rescheduling services could make some existing commutes untenable without flexible work starts or childcare, passenger groups say, or force some into taking more expensive peak trains. For a month-long transitional period, services will be reduced at some stations. And engineering work means some commuter towns have fewer trains until 2020.
Where are the changes coming?
Every train on the GTR service will run at a new time: that includes Thameslink trains between Bedford and Brighton; Great Northern trains from London into Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire; Southern services from Sussex and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire to the capital.
How do I know if I’m affected?
Passengers should check their train times at www.nationalrail.co.uk
GTR said Harpenden services were being reduced temporarily due to upgrade works of the neighbouring Midland mainline, but more trains would be restored in 2020. Some other destinations should see more trains by December 2019 as the company gradually builds up the frequency of trains running through central London.
Some disruption is expected while trains and crews are redeployed over the coming weeks.
Anthony Smith, the chief executive of the passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said: “Many passengers will have a greater choice of services; however, there will also be some who lose out. Those who haven’t seen the warnings will get a surprise when they go for their usual train on Monday morning.”
The RMT union, which remains in dispute with GTR over the role and responsibilities of onboard train crew, said the new timetable would place massive strain on the infrastructure and staff. The unions’s general secretary, Mick Cash, said the company was “winging it with potentially disastrous consequences”.