Train services are so chaotic that commuting to work can be like stepping into the Wild West, a top transport boss claimed yesterday.
Sir Peter Hendy – who runs the Tube and buses as commissioner of Transport for London – also attacked suburban rail operators for clobbering passengers with fines.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by News Pictures/REX Shutterstock (2336451i) Sir Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London (TfL) London Fire Brigade demonstration, Covent Garden, London, Britain - 14 May 2013
Sir Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London (Picture: Rex / Shutterstock)
Singling out one of the busiest franchises, he said: ‘On Southeastern, the trains are like the Wild West.
‘They are s***, awful. And then every now and then some people who look like the Gestapo get on and fine everyone they can. It doesn’t improve your day, does it?’
Sir Peter’s comments came after latest figures showed just 79 per cent of UK rail travellers are satisfied. Only 43 per cent are happy with the service on Thameslink & Great Northern and First Capital Connect trains, according to separate research by Which?
The TfL boss added: ‘People hate the suburban rail service, they hate it. If you make a mistake on your Oyster card on the Tube, we’ll refund it. On South West Trains, they’ll fine you. That’s a big philosophical difference.’
Read more:
http://report24.co.uk/article/166440/london-commuter-trains-are-s-admits-transport-for-london-boss-sir-peter-hendy
I use Southeastern Rail trains about 6 times a week, and usually have to pass through London Bridge. To say it's shit is like saying the edge of the universe is a bit of a walk.
The problem is load. Over 7 million people per DAY use the suburban lines to get in and out of London (driving is pretty much a non starter, since there is no where to park) and the infrastructure simply can't handle it any more. Most of the suburban lines were built prior to 1900 - the line I use was opened in 1870 and still follows the same route, on the same twin tracks, using the same stations. For the entire journey, houses or apartment blocks back onto the line for all but about a quarter mile (that quarter mile is a tunnel under Greenwich Park), so there is physically no room to add extra tracks to ease the strain.
