On Wednesday I met David Statham, MD of Southeastern, to find out what's been going on with Southeastern train services recently. Since Christmas Eve we've seen the service go from bad to worse, with delays and cancellations day after day.
Southeastern acknowledged the service has been exceptionally bad. Mr Statham told me only 61% of trains had run on time, with 'major events' when trains were disrupted for hours. He explained that the collapse of the sea wall at Dover, destroying the track and putting that part of the network out of action, has made it very difficult for them to keep services working when things go wrong. For instance, their reserve drivers are now needed just to provide the normal service
Repairing the line at Dover may take most of the year, so Southeastern recognise they have to find a way to improve the service in the meantime. And that hasn't been the only problem: one of the disaster days was caused by the failure of new signalling equipment, and another due to iced-up rails. The heavy rain around Christmas also caused landslips including one at Hollingbourne.
While the conditions may have been challenging, Southeastern acknowledged that between them and Network Rail, they need to be able to keep the service running better even when things go wrong. Southeastern told me they are employing more new drivers and train crew, increasing 'engineers on the road' (who travel to a broken down train to fix it), and avoiding decoupling trains to speed up services and reduce the likelihood of breakdown. They are also going to de-ice at milder temperatures to avoid a repeat of iced-up rails after a frosty night.
While they are trying, I’m frustrated that - by their own admission - we're likely to see delays all the way through to the end of 2017 when the major works at London Bridge eventually finish.
Our meeting was cut short by a vote, but on Monday, I'm meeting Southeastern again, jointly with Network Rail, and will keep up the pressure. I will also ask about compensation, given that people are paying thousands of pounds for season tickets and at that price, they deserve better.
