Rail misery ahead for passengers

Engineers at work by the landslip in Stonegate which criippled train services ENGSUS00120140213081640

Trains on the Hastings to Charing Cross line will not be calling at the station for at least 18 months due to work at the station and passengers face major changes to timetables.

It will come as a blow to regular commuters who suffered months of disruption and bus journeys at the start of this year due to a landslip preventing trains from running.

Hastings Borough Council is calling for rail company Southeastern to do all it can to ease the woes of passengers.

Council leader Jeremy Birch said: “Huge numbers of passengers travel between Hastings and London Bridge, and they will face having to go through the station to Waterloo East, then retrace their journey on the Jubilee Line, or by bus. Although this will not cost any more, it will be massively inconvenient, adding to already long journey times.

“Passengers wanting to travel onwards via Thameslink services will be even more seriously affected, as Thameslink trains won’t be calling at London Bridge for three years.

“We are asking for more to be done for passengers travelling to places like Guy’s Hospital; this journey is very easy at the moment, but will become much more difficult, particularly for those with mobility problems, when London Bridge closes to Hastings line trains.

Michelle Ulyatt, Southeastern spokeswoman, said: “The station rebuild will help to increase capacity at London Bridge and improve performance and punctuality.”

For full details of the work visit www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/about-us/improvements/london-bridge-station.