Southeastern leaves hundreds stranded with trains cancelled
Southeastern has been condemned by commuters after leaving hundreds of passengers stranded with trains cancelled and vanishing from timetables – regardless of charging £6,500 a 12 months for a season ticket.
The rail operator taken again below Government management has confronted fury amid every week of chaos – with prospects complaining about providers disappearing from schedules.
Travellers have additionally been left annoyed by Southeastern’s cell app as they attempt to declare refunds for cancelled trains.
Regular providers reminiscent of in the present day’s 5.42am practice from Gravesend in Kent to London terminal Kings Cross St Pancras have failed to seem.
The agency, which runs 1,500 each day providers throughout London, Kent and East Sussex, has blamed a landslip in Newington, Kent, for a lot of this week’s disruption.
Rail operator Southeastern, which runs 1,500 each day providers throughout London, Kent and East Sussex, has been criticised by commuters after axeing scheduled trains
Conditions on carriages have been described as ‘over-crowded and harmful’
Southeastern gives rail providers throughout London, Kent and East Sussex
But frequent customers say the corporate is simply too usually letting them down when making an attempt to get into work and again, with many cancellations this week alone.
Rail operators reminiscent of Southeastern are supposed to alert prospects if a practice is delayed and supply an computerized refund, however many say they’re nonetheless lacking out.
A Facebook web page set as much as maintain the agency to account, known as ‘Southeastern Railway Action Group’, has attracted greater than 1,800 on-line commenters – with many sharing their frustrations each day.
Among this week’s complaints is from Neil Lees, who wrote: ‘A load of trains cancelled because of a landslip. Fair sufficient, regardless of the torrential rain no work finished to stop landslip however it’s Southeastern so what do you count on?
‘However my subsequent practice to work held at Gillingham “waiting for a member of train crew”. What? Why? The sooner Southeastern are stripped of their monopoly the higher.’
Justin Morgan posted: ‘07.17 cancelled because of lack of practice crew. 07.49 now delayed no motive given. Every week there are points with this supposed premier service.’
Becky Spragg accused Southeastern of working ‘over-crowded and harmful’ trains in addition to providing ‘no consideration for his or her prospects in anyway’.
She posted: ‘Accident ready to occur!’
Passenger watchdog Transport Focus’s newest survey, revealed earlier this month, confirmed Southeastern had an general satisfaction fee of 87 per cent.
The firm has blamed a landslip at Newington in Kent for this week’s upheavals.
A public Facebook web page known as Southeastern Railway Action Group has 1,800 followers
Train providers on Southeastern’s community have been taken over by the Government after the franchise holder did not declare greater than £25million of taxpayers’ money (file photograph)
Frustrated travellers have been taking to X, previously Twitter, demanding solutions
Southeastern mentioned in a message to travellers: ‘On Friday 23 February a landslip was discovered within the Newington space. As a results of this, trains can not run between Rainham and Sittingbourne. Disruption is predicted till 04:00 on Monday 4 March.
‘Network Rail will likely be working over the following week to restore the embankment and the road is predicted to reopen on Monday 4 March.’
The agency has additionally been responding to many offended travellers on X, previously Twitter.
Abigail Heath tweeted: ‘The 07:45 from Ashford was then cancelled at Ebbsfleet and we have been instructed to get the 6 coach to St Pancras behind which was already full.’
Southeastern replied: ‘Hi Abigail, Apologies for the disruption this morning. This is due to practice crew being delayed because of the landslip.’
And the corporate instructed one other consumer: ‘Hi, sadly traincrew points have induced disruption to providers between Ashford and St Pancras this morning. Apologies for the disruption to your journey this morning.’
One of Britain’s largest practice corporations was beforehand fined greater than £23million over the Southeastern franchise scandal.
Govia, whose rail operator LSER used to run Southeastern providers, was present in 2022 to have intentionally hid greater than £25million of historic funding owed to the British taxpayer.
The Government nationalised Southeastern after accusing Govia of a ‘significant breach of the franchise agreement’, handing management of providers of the community to the Department for Transport.
The swap, introduced in October 2021, entails the Department for Transport working trains below the Operator of Last Resort.
The transfer made Southeastern the third UK rail franchise to be positioned below Government management, alongside London North Eastern Railway since June 2018 and Northern since January 2020.
Andy Commons, from Southeastern, mentioned: ‘We are sorry a few of our prospects have confronted difficulties travelling this week – notably because of the key landslip at Newington which is the topic on ongoing repairs and is because of reopen this coming weekend.
‘While our colleagues at Network Rail are working across the clock to restore the landslip and reopen the road, we’re doing every little thing we are able to to maintain our prospects knowledgeable and assist plan their journey.
‘There is in depth info on our web site and a information to understanding when on-line journey planners will likely be up to date all through the week.
‘We fully perceive that ongoing points reminiscent of these are extraordinarily inconvenient and disruptive and we’d encourage any prospects who’re caught up within the disruption to contact us straight so we are able to focus on the compensation out there.’
