Southeastern trains miss hundreds of stops a month

Raku Fired Clay

Hundreds of rail journeys in Kent are being disrupted every month because of Southeastern trains missing stops.

On average ten in every 1,000 services missed at least one station between April 1, 2014 and February 23, 2018, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

Southeastern, the franchise holder for the line which serves Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, provides 12,802 services a week.

This means, on average, 128 services on the network will miss a station every week.

Southeastern had the third highest number of stations missed of all the UK networks compared.

Only South Western Railway [with 11 services per 1,000 not stopping] and Govia Thameslink Railway [with 14] fared worse.

A Southeastern spokesman said: ‘Sometimes during disruption, it is necessary for us to run trains fast.

‘This means they will not stop at certain stations, to make sure that we can get those trains to their destinations more quickly and to ensure the train departs on its next journey on time.

‘We understand that this can be frustrating for passengers at certain stations, but we always do our utmost to communicate these changes to passengers and provide alternative routing advice.’

Southern, the franchise holder for the Tonbridge to Redhill line, is owed by Govia Thameslink Railway.

Heathrow Express, which provides a shuttle service between the airport and London Paddington, was the only provider found to have not missed a station.

John Reynolds, Chairman of pressure group Tonbridge Line Commuters, said: ‘It is something that we deplore.

‘It is almost always the smaller stations that are missed and some of these may not have a frequent service.

‘This can mean that a passenger for that station may have a long wait. It has only happened once to me, but I remember the following train was very crowded.

‘They say the stations are missed because the train is running late and they need to make up time. It would be better if there were no delays at all.

‘The figures did not surprise me and I think it is something Southeastern should be concerned about.

‘I could only think it could be justified in extreme circumstances.’

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