Bellenden Residents' Group (BRG)

London Bridge station will be rebuilt between 2012 and 2019. This is a major redevelopment in our part of London which will have a big effect on the area around London Bridge affecting rail users, bus users, local Bermondsey residents and anyone travelling through or visiting that area. Next week there is a Network Rail exhibition at the station with rail people there to answer questions.

Here are links to the responses to Network Rail's consultation on their draft 20 year RUS (rail utilisation strategy) for the railways in London and SE England, which are especially relevant to our SRUG interests: 

SRUG comments on the draft London & South East RUS (Rail Utilisation Strategy) cover several major topics. Read more - click on main heading above.  Click here for the full version.

email to SRUG mailing list

Network Rail has just published a draft 20 year RUS (rail utilisation strategy) for the railways in London and SE England. The three month consultation runs until 18 March 2011. Further information is in the Press Release below, and also on Network Rail's website at: http://tinyurl.com/L-SE-RUS-draft

The Mayor's draft transport strategy does not mention at all the crucial role that Overground Rail plays in inner south London transport network system!  TfL's lack of interest and concern for this is probably why they believe it is OK to cut the South London Line from 2012 and reduce radial services into central London stations. There appears to be no joined up planning in the rail industry of these Overgound rail links as part of the local inner south London transport system. SRUG has submitted comments on the Mayor's draft strategy asking for this ommisson to be rectified. Read the comments here.

from ITV London Tonight 12 October   

click here for broadcast clip: http://www.itv.com/london/boristransportplans57650/

THIS IS FROM THE TRAM FACEBOOK PAGE:  INDOMIE Thursday 15 October 2009 2.50pm
Some of you may have seen this week’s announcement of the Mayors new Transport Strategy for London (not to mention today’s steep bus fare increases too!)

You can read the document at http://mts.tfl.gov.uk/default.aspx but I’m afraid there is very little in there about South East London and no mention of the Cross River Tram at all [or the South London Line]! There is now a vague mention of a possible extension of the Bakerloo Line sometime after 2020, but this is subject to further research. It’s an option that has been looked at in the past and ruled out on cost and technical grounds – hence the preference for the Tram. There is a real danger now that our needs will be pushed further down the list of priorities as any Bakerloo extension is unfunded and could well fall foul to a change of Mayor in the future. We seem to be going around in circles!

Southwark News 15 October 2009  John Prendergast

Another blow was dealt to transport users in Southwark this week when the Cross River Tram (CRT) and the South London Line (SLL) were omitted from the Mayor of London's transport strategy.

Boris Johnson's transport plans for the next 20 years did not make a single mention of either project, suggesting both are far from being on his radar. The CRT, which consisted of 16.5km of tramway commencing at Euston and making its way down to Waterloo, branching off towards Peckham and Brixton, now looks like it will be removed from his agenda altogether. This is despite a vociferous and well run campaign backing it. Those in favour of retaining the SLL are currently attempting to make their voices heard at TfL, amongst other bodies.

The minor crumb of comfort for transport users in Southwark, as reported by the 'News' in March, is that the extension to the Bakerloo Line extension will be more seriously explored, although any movement on the project will not take place until at least 2020.

A spokesman stated details of extended routes were not available at this stage. He added: "The Mayor is well aware that Londoners living in the south of the capital are crying out for more tube services and research has shown extending the Bakerloo Line south from Elephant & Castle could have serious benefits in terms of regeneration and access to jobs.   read more...

Here is a map showing the Underground Tube map superimposed on a Google map. This shows how poorly served South East London is in terms of the Tube. It shows why the Overground services into the central London stations are so important for SE London - as they are our substitute for the Tube.

 The public meeting on 30th September 2009 was a historic event. see copy of agenda. Over 200 rail users turned up to the Institute of Psychiatry, at 16 De Crespigny Park, near Denmark Hill, to hear rail user campaigners explain the devastating impact of the cuts in direct rail services to central London, planned by the rail industry, and to hear how TfL and Network Rail explained the reasoning behind these plans. Further reports on the meeting will be posted later.

Key information given to the meeting by SRUG was:

• a Tube map showing the way TfL sees our rail services - with Queens Road, Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill totally disconnected from central London, but the new East London Line Extension taking us to Canada Water and Clapham Junction;
• a Tube map showing the South London Line on the map and as a key part of the integrated Zones 1 & 2 south London transport infrastructure.
• a comparison of the two maps - showing them side by side
• summary of the impact of the planned cuts station by station;
• summary of key actions to take to support the campaign.

Some comments on the Mayor’s Transport Strategy – the Statement of Intent May 2009         

 
Q 1: are there any other transport challenges facing London that the MTS should address?
 
Yes. The Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) needs to include work towards removing some severe gaps in the public transport services in Inner South London. The overground rail services provide the opportunity to start this process using existing infrastructure. Inner South London, in this case, is the geographical area sandwiched between central London, and outer south London, and on the fringes of both. This is roughly a middle section of the boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth and part of Wandsworth.
 
Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s transport adviser, himself acknowledged on the recent TV programme ‘The Politics Show’ 28 June 2009, that there is a transport issue in South London, and he said “the key question is how to maximise the overground rail network in South London.” We agree that that is a key question, and suggest that it is a transport challenge that needs to be covered in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.
 
Focussed attention on this would go a small way to compensate for the lack of the Tube in inner South London, as well as being a particularly effective way to maximise the use of the existing rail system. We would be very glad to discuss with the Mayor’s policy advisers some of the ways in which this could be achieved.