Streatham Station to be made Accessible for All

Finally....after years of campaigning, we have a date from Network Rail to make Streatham Station accessible for all. Here's a little clip just after I had received the good news. https://youtu.be/eDoo2t10q0c

The Senior Community Engagement Manager for the South East confirmed that the refurbishment work will commence in January, 2022, subject to the approval of the train operator, GTR and other planning stages. They have also confirmed that there will be lifts from street level to each platform.

This is something the Green Party in Streatham have been campaigning on since 2012. There have been many promises made in the past, with the buck being passed between different levels of government but, our persistence has paid off with patience and careful negotiations with Network Rail and the community.

The Access for All scheme at Streatham station will be aligned with the same delivery timescale at Tooting station.

This is great news for the people of Streatham and means that we will now have a station fit for everyone.

Please share this good news far and wide.

Many thanks.

New data on train delays shows true nightmare of travelling from Streatham stations

The high level of train cancellations and delays at all three Streatham stations is revealed in its full horror in latest statistics supplied in response to a Freedom of Information request we have made on behalf of Streatham Action Transport.

Give your experience of travelling by train from Streatham in this survey.

The rail indsutry target is that less than 10% of trains should be more than 5 mins late and 2% cancelled or severely late. Instead Streatham stations suffered up to 40% of trains delayed and up to 35% cancelled following the introduction of new (reduced service) timetables on 27th May 2018.


According to data supplied by Network Rail, the levels of service at all three Streatham stations were clearly terrible between 22 June 2017 and 25 July 2018:

Greens accuse TfL of favouring out-of-town commuters over Londoners

Greens campaign for Crossrail 2 at Streatham

Transport for London’s ruling out of Streatham as a stop on a proposed Crossrail 2 is based on flawed data and analysis – and favours the needs of out-of-town commuters over congested & disadvantaged Londoners, says the Green Party

In answer to a question to the London Mayor by Green London Assembly Member Caroline Russell, Transport for London rules out a Crossrail 2 route via Streatham on the grounds that it would add 4.5 minutes to the route into central London by travellers coming from the southwestern outer suburbs: Kingston, Hampton, Chessington, Epsom. 

It appears to be giving more weight to the needs of these commuters than the rapidly rising numbers of commuters from Streatham, who currently suffer much longer journey times than areas better served by public transport.

The TfL report claims Streatham is currently “well-served by rail”, a statement dismissed by Streatham Greens as a fantasy.

Step-free access at Streatham station delayed again

Streatham's Green Team disappointed again

Plans to make Streatham Station accessible to wheelchairs, buggies, bikes and people with reduced mobility will not take place until 2020 at the earliest, Streatham Greens have learnt.

In response to a parliamentary question from Green Party peer Jenny Jones, transport minister Lord Ahmad wrote: “…it has become necessary to defer construction of the Access for All project at Streatham station until after 2019.”

This contradicts Network Rail area director Ellie Burrows, who in November told Streatham’s public Transport Question Time that work would take place in 2017/18.

Lord Ahmad said Network Rail would continue its development and design work at Streatham – in the hope that funding would become available in future.

Green MP calls for 'emergency summit' over rail chaos

Caroline Lucas has called for an 'Emergency Summit' between key stakeholders including Government, Southern Rail/ Govia Thameslink and Network Rail.

It follows another day of rail chaos effecting Streatham stations.

The Green Party MP is demanding an 'emergency response' to the train crises gripping Streatham and covering much of Southern England.

Yesterday there was serious overcrowding and people were stuck on trains for long periods in the baking heat.  

The MP wants the Government to step in and call an urgent summit immediately. 

Caroline Lucas MP said: “This is an emergency situation which requires an urgent response. I'm seriously worried that someone could be injured or worse. The Government must immediately call an emergency summit between all key stakeholders including Network Rail, the train company and Ministers”

“I’ve heard reports of passengers fainting and being stuck on sweltering trains on an extremely hot day. The failures yesterday were caused by a combination of problems with Network Rail, some of which were unavoidable, plus the usual delays on the service. 

“I’m doing all I can to meet with the Minister responsible for trains later today to demand action to repair this failing service. Passengers have suffered for many months now and, with a new Government in place, it’s time for real action to address the multiple problems with this service. As a start the Minister should signal his intent by taking the service into public hands so Government can truly get a grip on it.”

You can sign the petition to strip Southern Rail of its franchise here

Oppose ticket office closures at Streatham Stations

Hot on the heels of their proposals to remove guards/conductors from Southern services, Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd (GTR) are now proposing even more passenger misery through Station ticket office closures and reduced opening hours and services at others with the resultant loss of more jobs (see here for more on the consultation proposals)

Streatham Hill, Streatham, and Streatham Common stations (also Tulse Hill and West Norwood) will lose their ticket offices in the summer, under the current plans.

These damaging cuts on the Southern and Great Northern Thameslink services fly in the face of the fact that there is still a clear need for staffed ticket offices at stations. Indeed, research shows that many passengers prefer to buy from the ticket office rather than from a ticket machine. Replacing staffed ticket offices with ticket machines, or mobile staff expected to sell tickets on platforms, will undoubtedly limit the quality and range of services available to passengers.

Consultation on these changes is being rushed through and there is only limited time until midnight on the 13th March to register your objection with London Travel Watch.

We are joining RMT in urging everyone to let the watchdog know you oppose these changes and are concerned that passengers:

· would not be able to access all the tickets and services needed from a ticket machine;

· would find it harder to obtain advice on tickets and fares without a staffed office;

· would be concerned that there were insufficient numbers of ticket machines (due to them being in high demand or faulty);

· would experience more delays and concourse congestion;

· believe that vulnerable or less technically minded passengers, perhaps including the disabled, elderly or visitors may be less confident using a ticket machine and could end up overspending or being deterred from travel; and

· believe that a ticket office closure will adversely impact on security at the station and believe that a staffed ticket office is a valuable deterrent against crime.

These proposals are unacceptable at a time of rising fares and rail passenger numbers. There is no genuine economic case for reducing the services at many of these high growth stations and this is really about cutting costs and sweating the assets to make even bigger profits for shareholders.

Email: enquiries@londontravelwatch.org.uk with 'GTR ticket office changes' in the subject line to make your voice heard.

Campaign postcards can be provided on request to RMT head office,
http://www.rmt.org.uk/campaigns/rail/keep-ticket-offices-open-govia/

Petition to bring Streatham railway services back into public hands

Commuters from Streatham's railway stations are understandably sick and tired of the poor service they receive.

We have launched a petition today, calling for:

1. The Management of London Bridge Station to come back under TfL

2. Southern, Southeastern and Thameslink franchises to come back into public ownership

The Green Party is the only party calling for the railways to come back into public hands, with Labour still supporting the right of private companies to bid for rail franchises.

You can sign the petition here.

Green Party action at Streatham stations for fairer fares

Greens were bright and early this morning (a little bleary eyed!) at Streatham's three railway stations - Streatham, Streatham Common and Streatham Hill (as well as Brixton) letting people know about Green Party proposals for lowering fairs and getting much needed investment in our railways.  You can read more about the proposals here.

This was part of a London-wide day of action  calling for the railways to be brought back into public hands.   Green MP Caroline Lucas will be presenting a bill in the House of Commons this week in support of this,

Major changes to Streatham's train services from this Saturday

We have just received this notice from Network Rail about changes to train services through Streatham:

Starting this Saturday, 20 December, there are major changes to train services as Network Rail continues to rebuild London Bridge station.

We have been working closely with train operators and Transport for London to communicate these changes to passengers. We would appreciate it if you could encourage your residents to check before they travel by making this information available on your website, in emails and on social media.

From January, longer-term changes mean that some passengers may have to have their train tickets reissued in order to use alternative routes. More details can be found on our Travel Advice webpage.

As a reminder here is a summary of the service changes. 
We have been working closely with train operators and Transport for London to communicate these changes to passengers. We would appreciate it if you could encourage your residents to check before they travel by making this information available on your website, in emails and on social media.
From January, longer-term changes mean that some passengers may have to have their train tickets reissued in order to use alternative routes. More details can be found on our Travel Advice webpage.
As a reminder here is a summary of the service changes. 
Changes from 20 December to 4 January 2015

• From 20 December to 4 January there will be no Southern or Thameslink services to or from London Bridge.

• Between Monday 22 and Wednesday 24 December, trains to Charing Cross will not stop at London Bridge from 07:54 to 09:01.

• Some London Overground services will not run during this time.

• There will be changes to services across the rail network throughout the festive period, please checkNational Rail Enquiries to plan your journey.

• Full details of all the changes taking place can be found on our December 2014 and January 2015 webpage.

Changes from 5 January 2015

• From 5 January 2015 to January 2018 there will be no Bedford to Brighton cross-London Thameslink trains to or from London Bridge. A reduced off-peak service will run between Brighton and London Bridge and a very limited service will run in the peak.

• From 12 January 2015 to August 2016 Southeastern services to and from Charing Cross will not stop at London Bridge.

• Some services that currently operate to Charing Cross or Cannon Street may be diverted to an alternative London terminal, such as Blackfriars and may leave at different times. Please check the new timetable.

• The way you move around the station will change. View our updated station map to see how the station will look from 12 January 2015. 

Valid National Rail tickets will be accepted on certain routes during these changes for more information visit our December and January webpage. 
More informationWe will regularly update the information available, please keep checking for updates atThameslinkProgramme.co.uk or follow us @TLProgramme.

Accessibility at Streatham Station confirmed

Further to our report a few weeks ago, Green member of the House of Lords Jenny Jones very kindly tabled a question in Parliament so we could get confirmation that the funding to make Streatham Station accessible was secure, and where the matched funding would be coming from.

It seems that the £50,000 Section 106 money from the hub development for Streatham Station will be used after all (as we pushed for) as matched funding funding.

This is the response in full (also online here):

Streatham Station

Question

Asked by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make funding available under the Access for All programme to make Streatham overground station accessible; whether matched funding has been promised; and if so, by whom.[HL2395]

The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): Access for All funding will be made available to provide Streatham station with an accessible route to each platform by April 2018. There is £50,000 in match funding available from Lambeth Borough Council.

Streatham Station may be accessible by June 2017

We have now received an update on the proposals to make Streatham Station accessible. (This is something we have been working on for several years - see the history here)

There was £50,000 set aside for Streatham Station as Section 106 money from the Streatham Hub development, but this was not used to follow the proposals that we made with regard to accessibility, so the next option looked to be Access for All funding, which we pursued. Earlier this year it was announced that the Station would indeed get Access for All funding.

Plans have moved on, and it seems that the proposal is to install two lifts (rather than pursue a potentially cheaper option of using the level access that exists from either side of the platforms) and that the scheme could be delivered by June 2017.

However, there seems to be a question mark over whether the funds will be available from the Department for Transport, so we will be pressing the Government to reaffirm its commitment that the Access for All funding is available to make Streatham Station accessible.

This is what Network Rail have told us:

We have launched the project now and have approval from the DfT to complete an option selection report which we are hoping to complete by the end of March 2015. Once this is completed the DfT will review the report and decide whether further funding will be released. This will be down to whether there is a viable option at an affordable cost.

We have been out with Southern Railway and their Access for All Manager to look at the works required. Its likely two lifts will be installed to give step free access to the platforms. Due to the station layout and platform widths this will not be a simple or cheap scheme to deliver. We will be holding a Value Management 1 exercise in the next few weeks to look at the possible options. We will carry out stakeholder consultation in the new year and we are proposing to put up some indicative drawings in the station lobby for people to review. We will also keep the local MP and council up to date with progress.

If a viable option is found and I believe we will have one it then comes down to cost and that’s a decision for the DfT. If we complete the Option Selection Report by the end of March 2015 then we would expect a decision by the DfT by June 2015. If funds are available I would then suggest we are likely to be able to deliver the scheme by June 2017 but that needs to be firmed up and completely depends on the solution agreed on.

Thameslink Service from Streatham Station Saved

Great news today, that the Thameslink service from Streatham Station has been saved.

It's been great to see people from different political parties and none coming together to protect the service. Last year we wrote several thousand personal letters to local people urging them to respond to the Network Rail/ Government consultation. It emerged today that 2,200 positive responses had been received which is fantastic.

The announcement was made today by the Government via a press release that the Thameslink service would not be cut.

The proposal had been made that train services from Streatham Station should terminate at Blackfriars. As well as causing longer journey times and inconvenience, it would also have made travelling much harder for many including older people, and those with buggies and prams who may have to change and negotiate additional stairways between platforms. There would also have been a detrimental impact on the local economy.

There is still lots to be done however, with regard to Streatham's rail services including modernising Streatham Station and making it fully accessible so everyone can use it.

Moves toward better access at Streatham Station

It seems that there are now some potential plans to try and improve Streatham Station's accessibility a little in the short-term.

In recent years, both Streatham Hill and Streatham Common station have been made more accessible for those with mobility impairments and difficulties, most notably with the introduction of lifts. However Streatham Station has yet to have the necessary investment or even a shorter-term solution solution which might enable everyone in Streatham to use it.

This is particularly disappointing as visitors to the station will have noticed that there is what looks like the potential for level access on both sides of the station, from the Hideaway and Streatham Business Centre car park on one side, and from a walkway on the other.

The history is as follows: In 2005 the Government allocated additional investment of £370 million to be spent specifically on improving access to many UK stations. This investment is known as the Access for All funding and is in addition to expenditure determined through new franchises. This funding was phased over 10 years to 2015.

To establish how the Access for All funding should best be spent, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) consulted in 2005 and under the Railways Act 2005 responsibility for taking this forward was transferred to the DfT. The results of this were used to inform the development of the Railways for All Strategy as published on the DfT’s website. In the Streatham area both Streatham Common and Streatham Hill benefitted from step free access with lifts under this scheme, but not Streatham Station.

I made some enquiries through Green Assembly member Darren Johnson, to the Department for Transport and also to Southern who operate the rail network, to see what the future plans were. It it turns out that whilst the necessary investment still seems a long way off, they are exploring some shorter-term solutions.

This is the response I received from Southern:

"We do have some possible options to look at with regard to Streatham but they are subject to working with adjacent land owners and the local council to provide a step free route. We are in liaison with Lambeth Council about the stations access and have a meeting with them in the near future to discuss the options."

There is potentially some small funding available to help this to happen:

"Southern currently invests in access improvements via the Minor Works Programme, an annual ring fenced Southern budget solely used to improve access at stations for schemes like ramps, automatic doors, adjustable height ticket office windows, side gates, improved contrasting stair nosings and handrails etc. We also work with local stakeholders (for example councils) to find ways of working together to get maximum investment in the schemes. We have also been awarded an annual budget this year for Access for All Small Scheme improvements by the Department of Transport (DfT) which includes similar schemes. Lift schemes are outside the scope of these budgets and are covered by the DfTs Access for All Major schemes traditionally delivered by Network Rail.

"Streatham was not one of the stations selected nationally for investment under the Access for All funding on the current programme. Therefore there are no plans within the current financial rail period to provide lifts under the Access for All scheme at Streatham and the Department for Transport are yet to announce their ongoing plans for station accessibility to include lift schemes from 2015 onwards. The options we will look at in the near future will therefore not include installing lifts at the station."

So whilst there are, as yet, no plans for lift access, it may be that access can be improved through negotiations between the council, and those owning land around the station, using the Minor Works Programme budget. These negotiations are ongoing. We'll keep you updated when we hear of any progress or developments.

Don't forget - the deadline to respond to the Thameslink consultation is 5.00pm this Friday 14th September

The deadline to respond to the consultation on the proposed cut to the Thameslink service from Streatham Station is this Friday (14th September) so if you haven't done so, do make your feelings known in the next few days. The deadline was originally in August, but was subsequently extended after campaigning by local people.

The Department for Transport is consulting on the new seven year Thameslink franchise, with recommendations trains on the Wimbledon loop should terminate early. This would mean Streatham Station would have no direct link to the City, St Pancras International and Luton Airport.

Hundreds of people have backed a number of petitions against the plans to terminate South London's Thameslink trains at Blackfriars Station.

You can sign the petition on the Government's website here.

You can sign the petition on the Lambeth council website here.

What has marked the campaign so far, has been the cross-party support, which hopefully will last as the consultation ends and the campaign moves into the next phase.

You can read the consultation documents here.

You can respond to the consultation (before 5.00pm this Friday) by email thameslink@dft.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:

The Combined Franchise Replacement Sponsor
Department for Transport
Zone 3/15
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR

Save the Thameslink Service from Streatham Station

You may have have received one of several thousand personal letters that we have sent to Streatham Residents, about the new proposals for Streatham Station's Thameslink service.

We are urging people to act now to Save Streatham Station’s Thameslink Service.

If you want to see Thameslink services from Streatham Station continue to run beyond Blackfriars to the City, St Pancras and Luton Airport then please take action.

Network Rail is proposing that the service is cut, so that all trains from Streatham will terminate at Blackfriars. As well as causing longer journey times and inconvenience, it will also make travelling much harder for many including older people, and those with buggies and prams who may have to change and negotiate additional stairways between platforms.

The Government has launched a consultation. The deadline for responses is Thursday 23rd August 2012.

Whilst transport is usually considered a Green issue, we feel that this should be above party politics and a cross-party campaign.

You can email your views to: thameslink@dft.gsi.gov.uk or you can write to:
Combined Franchise Replacement, Department for Transport, Zone 3/15, Great Minster House, 33 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 4DR

You can find out more information at: www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2012-23

The local service is called the ‘Wimbledon Loop’. All you need to say is that you want Thameslink services to be retained between Streatham and the City of London, King’s Cross and Luton Airport.