How many of us moved here being told that train times would improve from Margate to London. Anyone recall being told journey times would improve to just over an hour?
Well, in true Orwellian style, we're being told it gets betterm and you'll have to pay for it, but actually it gets worse.
You may have heard that South Eastern trains is bringing in a new timetable for the train service from Margate to Victoria and Charing Cross. From December.
In actual fact:
- There will be fewer trains running to London
- They will stop at more stations (adding 10 mins to the standard journey time).
- You will have to change at Faversham (and hope your train is not late AND your connection is waiting for you!).
OR
- You will have to travel to Ramsgate to catch the train to Kings Cross (paying a LOT more money for a train journey that’s 15 mins shorter … but requires you to travel from Margate to Ramsgate to catch it.)
This timetable is out for consultation. So we're going to consult too! If you see a person wrapped up against the best that Thanet's autumn weather can hit them with asking if you have 2 minutes to ansewer a questionnaire, do us all a favour and add your voice to the petition. If you are willing to help out with the campaign, please get in touch at snowball_drylands@yahoo.co.uk.
If "stopping at more stations" includes such places as Westgate then surely that's a good thing?
ReplyDeleteI shouldn't bite the hand that sometimes feeds, but what the hell.
ReplyDeleteClearly the "high speed" services which in most cases are no faster than the were probably in the seventies have to be made to look, fast, hence, one assumes rigging the time tables.
I work on the railways and notice that Network Rail staff consistently ignore their own rules and procedures when it suits so rigging timetables is minor in comparison.
Its almost certainly the case that the changes are being introduced for no other reason than to manipulate demand for the new very expensive services
You havn`t a hope. Integrated transport isn`t a word that works in Margate, or the rest of Thanet come to that! No proper planning towards infrastructure, just made up as we go along. How are people going to visit the completed Turnip centre? By boat?
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about blogs, but, having picked yours up, have you reported the feature in the latest Light Rail Review about a possible Thanet tramway system (with a link to KIA)? Sounds a good idea to me.
ReplyDeleteCan't quite see what the problem is.
ReplyDeleteYou do have to travel from margate to ramsgate but that is by train with at least one service an hour to St Pancras, which opens up the rest of england. The journey time is 1 hour 30 minutes which is 20 minutes faster than now. First reaction is positive but have I missed something?
yes you have,because when you get to ramsgate you have to get off the train and wait for another connection to get to london-adding on more time,and we were promised high speed rail to london from Margate!!...
ReplyDeleteFor years they have said MARGATE would get a fast train link to London offering a journey time of around 1 hour. We are still waiting.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who has the joy of travelling to London regulary its hell. It takes forever. Funny, Margate is almost the safe distance to London as Brighton is yet Brighton has trains that take 55 minutes and run all day.
Even the timetable from Ramsgate is some sort of joke with only a few trains a day actually offering a fast service.
If the council actually want regeration in Margate they need to put more pressure on MP's and the government to get a fast train link to Margate. This is crucial to regeneration.