a) Update on reintroduction of full timetable and off-peak services
Yvonne Leslie (GTR)
b) Update on Access for All bids - Selhurst, Coulsdon South, Reedham, Waddon, West Croydon and Norwood Junction Stations.
Yvonne Leslie (GTR) & Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)
c) Lack of through trains from stations north of Norwood Junction to Purley between 06.00 and 08.15
Yvonne Leslie (GTR)
d) ANPR in station car parks
Yvonne Leslie (GTR) – Coulsdon
e) Ticket Vending Machines – The ability to purchase tickets for a journey starting at a station other than the one the machine is located at; One day Bus and Tram tickets
Yvonne Leslie (GTR) & Michelle Wildish/Muhammed Mashud (TfL)
Minutes:
a) Update on reintroduction of full timetable and off-peak services
The Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) representative informed the Panel that the next timetable change was planned for May 2019 with some small changes and additional weekend services. The Chair queried whether the introduction would be smoother than the initial changes, and was told that they should be similar to the changes in December 2018, which had caused minimal disruption.
The Head of Transport informed the Panel that Overground services out of West Croydon had good performance until the initial timetable change, but this had since suffered. The Chair agreed and stated that timetable changes made elsewhere had knock on effects to Croydon services, and asked how much of this was due to timetable changes. The GTR representative stated that the changes should not affect other services negatively if they ran as intended, and should actually have a net positive effect. The TfL representative stated that they would bring an update on Overground performance to the next meeting.
Action Point: For TfL to bring an update on Overground performance to the next meeting.
b) Update on Access for All bids - Selhurst, Coulsdon South, Reedham, Waddon, West Croydon and Norwood Junction Stations.
The GTR representative informed the Panel that feedback on all Access for All bids would be available from the Department for Transport in April 2019. A bid for Selhurst had been approved in the previous tranche of funding and was being undertaken by Network Rail. The bid for Coulsdon South had been delayed, as plans had needed to be redrawn to avoid the destruction of a minicab office, and still needed to be ratified by the council planning department.
The Access Officer asked about a penalty fine which GTR had incurred in 2018. It had been specified that the penalty fine would be spent on passenger improvements. The Access Officer and Mobility Forum representative asked if this could be spent on a second entrance for Norbury station, and were told that this would be fed back. The GTR representative informed the Panel that the total fine had been £15m, but this was for the entire network, and would be allocated in conjunction with the Department for Transport.
The TfL representative informed the Panel that work had been done with the council and Network Rail on the Norwood Junction bid, to ensure it was viable with a strong case.
The TfL representative stated that the West Croydon bid had not been prioritised as it already had step free access, and others did not. The Chair questioned the legitimacy of the claim of step free access, stating that the ramp was often unattended, that going through the car park was dangerous, and agreed with the Mobility Forum representative that the signage was not clear. The TfL representative agreed on the need for additional signage, but stressed the need for council permission to add this outside of the station.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative agreed with the access problems to West Croydon, and asked about the possibility of passengers being able to stay on trains that went between platforms 1 and 4. The Access Officer agreed this could be a good idea, but may need permission from the rail regulator.
The Chair thanked TfL for their willingness to find a solution in relation to West Croydon, and stated Network Rail would need to be included in any discussions which involved the car park.
Action Point: For TfL and GTR to feedback the outcome of the Access for All bids at the next meeting.
c) Lack of through trains from stations north of Norwood Junction to Purley between 06.00 and 08.15
The GTR representative stated that the timetable was still being worked on and that there would still be some gaps in service, but that they would see what could be done in this case.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative informed the Panel that they believed there needed to be more interchanges on the same platform to allow better disabled access to East Croydon from stations north of Norwood Junction.
d) Automatic Numberplate Recognition in station car parks
The GTR representative informed the Panel that Automatic Numberplate Recognition had been installed at some car parks, and there had been some initial problems. There had been some instances of incorrect ticketing, with specific issues around tenancy in Coulsdon. A waiting limit of twenty minutes had been implemented to ease this, and network disruption was now being cross referenced to avoid ticketing those picking up from the station. The head of stations at GTR would be developing a solution to the tenancy issues.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative stated that they felt the implementation had been rushed, but did not disagree with it in principal.
e) Ticket Vending Machines – The ability to purchase tickets for a journey starting at a station other than the one the machine is located at; One day Bus and Tram tickets
The GTR representative told the Panel that a solution to being able to purchase tickets for a journey starting at a station other than the one the machine is located at had been worked on and tested; this had gone live in January 2019. A solution to one day bus and tram tickets was being worked on.
The East Surrey Transport Committee representative welcomed this, but requested it be better publicised.