Southeastern Services to Blackfriars

[30907]

The time honoured peak services to Blackfriars via Maidstone will disappear with the December 2022 timetable. My earliest recollection of this service was of a single up morning service and a similar down service with ECS workings back to Maidstone for stabling in the siding on the London side of the bridge over the River Medway. In the early 50s the stock was HALs with EPBs later.

The Gillingham seminars (autocarrot: semi-fasts) also go. They are presumably anticipating that folk will use the Charing X-Maidstones (and change as necessary).

BTW the Beckenhams are back, but only hourly in the evening.

 

[cle]

Is there not a Sidcup/Dartford service slated too?

 

[Horizon22]

The Gillingham seminars also go. They ate presumably anticipating that folk will use the Charing X-Maidstones.

BTW the Beckenhams are back, but only hourly in the evening.

Yes I think 3-4 in the morning. Looks like it was a long orchestrated local campaign to have them reinstated too.

 

[Mikey C]

Is there not a Sidcup/Dartford service slated too?

Yes, ONE peak service has been added to the December timetable

Timetable updates | Southeastern

www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

Peak
Between 0700-0959 there will be 18 services towards London and between 1600-1859 there will be 18 services from London. Trains will serve London Cannon Street and London Charing Cross.
A new service will also run in the morning and evening peaks between Crayford and London Blackfriars calling at all stations to Lewisham, then Nunhead, Peckham Rye, Denmark Hill, Elephant & Castle.

 

[brad465]

The Gillingham seminars also go. They ate presumably anticipating that folk will use the Charing X-Maidstones.

Were there ever any BFR-GLM peak services? I recall an hourly service only going as far as Rochester.

 

[Hawkwood Junc]

Back in the day when London Bridge was still being reconfigured - about 2016 if memory serves me right, there was a single morning peak up service Orpington - Blackfriars via Chislehurst that ran all stations to Lewisham then fast to Elephant and Castle. Used to be quite slow but always guaranteed a seat and it was a nice walk along the river to my office near Borough Market. In the evening I used to get a Rochester train from Blackfriars that ran E&C, Bromley South but also stopped at Bickley - the only one that did. My commute from December looks pretty good in the morning peak but a very substantial downgrade in capacity for the evening peak. 4x hourly from Charing Cross down to 2x hourly.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Back in the day when London Bridge was still being reconfigured - about 2016 if memory serves me right, there was a single morning peak up service Orpington - Blackfriars via Chislehurst that ran all stations to Lewisham then fast to Elephant and Castle. Used to be quite slow but always guaranteed a seat and it was a nice walk along the river to my office near Borough Market. In the evening I used to get a Rochester train from Blackfriars that ran E&C, Bromley South but also stopped at Bickley - the only one that did. My commute from December looks pretty good in the morning peak but a very substantial downgrade in capacity for the evening peak. 4x hourly from Charing Cross down to 2x hourly.

I remember that. First Capital Connect 377 era there was a through Bedford - Rochester or Ashford that had a random Bickley stop. Very popular it was.

 

[30907]

Were there ever any BFR-GLM peak services? I recall an hourly service only going as far as Rochester.

There were from 1939 (not that I remember! ), but I'd forgotten they started terminating them at Rochester a good while back.

Is there not a Sidcup/Dartford service slated too?

This is a curiosity - there hasn't been a regular service that way for donkeys' years, once the Victorias finally caught on. I'd guess they would go to Victoria if they could find a path or platform (the stock goes there empty at the height of what was once the morning peak!).

 

[brad465]

Something else that once existed but appears to be gone permanently is the 2x peak services from Victoria to Sheerness-on-Sea that followed the stopping pattern as far as Gillingham, then Rainham-Kemsley-Queenborough-Sheerness (reverse in morning peak). My instinct was it was attractive for those who wanted a direct service, but it was still slightly faster to change at Sittingbourne having got a fast service to/from VIC, so I guessed it was of more use for commuters between Sheppey and the Medway Towns.

 

[321over360]

What does the Blackfriars/Charing Cross section have? 4/6/8?

Unrealted But is the small chord from Cannon Street to Rejoin the CHX lines for ECS? Always wonder why it was built.

The line of track was used up to 2018, either to send ECS in the morning peaks off to Blackfriars or for Charing Cross services to be diverted into. However on platform directly connected to the chord was platform 6 and 7 at Cannon Street, as 1 to 5 were unable to be reached from the chord due to the track layout, however the ECS that went round the chord were booked into Platform 7 at CST as would get the E route out of CST as I remember when I worked there as a dispatcher on 6 & 7 we would send 2 ECS out the same time. One on the D to go via LBG and the other via E to go round the chord