All aboard for Better Trains - Calling At: More Weekend Trains, Return Victoria Services, Posters, W
New Timetable Plans
The Cinderella Line knows how to party
The Cinderella Line team always like to rub shoulders with the big wigs in places like Cannes, Milan and New York and this week was no exception as we attended the excitingly-named Thameslink Stakeholder Event at Kings Cross. Despite the less than thrilling title and no free champagne, being there gave us key information on the next steps for the new timetable plans, coming in May 2018 and the chance to raise some of your key issues.
Something For the Weekend?
Four services an hour every day - even on a Sunday.
How we all long for four trains an hour for Crofton Park and we're getting there, but the battle is not over. Next week, there's more consulting to be done. This bit is where everyone lays down what services they would like at the weekend.
We really believe that we shouldn't have less at the weekend than we do in the week so we want four trains an hour, with at least two of them going further than Blackfriars.
We'll be back in touch about this over the coming weeks because if we're going to get Thameslink to take us there, once again, we're going to need your invaluable support.
Victoria: Long May She Train
Getting more Southeastern services
You'll know by now that we've already successfully campaigned for morning peak-time services to take us to Victoria but Southeastern seem very reluctant to bring us back again in the evening (do they not like us?). Top campaign supporter MP Vicky Foxcroft is going to come with us to meet the Southeastern team to see if we can get some more of that Victoria love.
We've Been Framed!
Thameslink have put us in the picture
It weren't us, your Honour, it was Thameslink who dunnit. Actually, they've been very kind and given us a big poster frame to promote our campaign. The evidence can be viewed on Platform 1 at the bottom of the stairs, where we can now regularly update our doings for all to see.
Winter Draws On
The waiting room isn't open all hours
With the onset of winter, we hope you're finding the welcome shelter of the shiny new waiting rooms is keeping some of the draughts at bay.
But the weather doesn't keep regular hours and so we're pushing to extend the opening times. A waiting room is great - a waiting room you can't access when you need it is not so hot.
We've also asked them to look at our ticket machine as we have had a few ongoing issues where the machine has been out of action and there's only the one for us all to use.
Our Humps, Our Lovely Platform Bumps
Making the station accessible for all
This may be the first time every anyone's actually asked our service providers to give us the hump ...and found they're reluctant!
Although our station has step – free access, we know that many passengers struggle with the gap between the trains and the platform. This isn’t made any easier as our platform is on a curve which makes the gap even bigger in places.
A potential solution would be installing humps on the platforms to boost you up towards the train's welcoming doors but this is an incredibly costly process.
Thameslink and Network Rail are working together to install humps at stations along the core route (Between Blackfriars and St Pancras) for the high volume of passengers that use these stations.
The smaller stations along the route, like ours, will need to lobby hard to show we deserve a boost but we're happy to brave the ups and downs of hump negotiation, working towards Crofton Park and other stations being accessible for all.
Banging In 2018
Keeping the good work going
We've achieved some great things this year but lets see out 2017 the same way we began it: determined to get better transport services for all. Crofton Park has proved itself bigger and more determined than anyone could have expected so yay for us and more of the same for 2018. Still no free champagne though. Sorry.
