Transport

One specification of the current Southern Franchise is that London Area Stations are to be staffed from the first to the last train. Riddlesdown Station was classified by Southern as part of the East Grinstead Line for this purpose. Now that it is recognised as a London Area Station, staff will be on site whenever trains are running.

RIDDLESDOWN/LONDON TRAIN TIMES (SOUTHERN RAILWAY) Effective from 19/5/13

NOTE – MORE TRAINS ON SUNDAYS

To East Croydon (EC), & London Victoria, (London Bridge (LB)): Weekdays: 06.15(LB), 06.43(LB), 07.06, 07.18(LB), 07.35, 07.48(LB), 08.06, 08.18(LB), 08.37, 08.46(LB), 09.06, then 36 and 06 mins past hour until 23.06 (Plus LB train at 18.46, EC only trains 19.16 & 19.46).

Saturdays (To Victoria only): 07.06, 07.36 and then 06 and 36 mins past hour until 23.06.

Sundays (To Victoria only) 08.49, 09.41, and then 11 and 41 mins past hour until 20.41, 21.41, 22.41, 23.38. To London Bridge - No direct services Saturdays & Sundays.

From London Victoria to Riddlesdown: Weekdays: 05.52, 06.24, 07.32, 08.53, 09.23 and then 53 and 23 mins past hour until 23.24 & 23.49.

Saturdays: 06.23, 06.53 and then 23 and 53 mins past hour until 23.24 & 23.49.

Sundays: 07.47, 08.53, 09.23, 09.53, 10.23, 10.53 and then 23 & 53 mins past hour until 20.36, 20.53, 21.53, 22.36.

From London Bridge to Riddlesdown:

Weekdays: 07.03, 07.19, 07.55, 07.58, 08.25, 17.15, 17.44, 18.16 & 18.47.

Saturdays & Sundays: No direct Services.

From East Croydon to Riddlesdown: Weekdays: 06.10, 06.41, 07.17 (to Uckfield), 07.34, 07.52, 08.09, 08.16 (to Uckfield), 08.41, 09.11, 09.40, 10.10 then 40 and 10 mins past hour until 17.30, 17.41, 17.58, 18.11, 18.31, 18.41, 19.01, 19.11, 19.40, 20.10, 20.40, 21.10, 21.40, 22.10, 22.40, 23.10, 23.41, 00.12.

Saturdays: 06.40, 07.10 then 40 & 10 mins past hour until 23.41 & 00.12.

Sundays: 08.09, 09.10, 09.40, & then 10 & 40 mins past hour until 20.10, 20.57, 21.10, 22.10, 22.57.

Above Information is taken from Southern timetable. Effective from 19 May 2013.

FOR FULL TIMETABLE FOLLOW THIS LINK

The current Riddlesdown (Southern) train timetable
(Scroll down the list presented and click on the East Grinstead and Oxted to Croydon and London link.(No 18)
Then download the PDF file indicated.)

To check for Engineering Works on Southern

Southern Customer Services: Tel: 08451 272920

www.southernrailway.com/

National Rail Enquiries: Tel: 08457 484950,

www.nationalrail.co.uk

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON OYSTER CARDS

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON FARES AND TICKETS IN LONDON

LOCAL BUS ROUTE AND TIMES

Local Bus Route and Frequency

Bus 412 (Arriva)

The 412 starts/ends at West Croydon Bus Station and travels along Wellesley Rd, Katharine Str, High Str, South End, Selsdon Rd, Upper Selsdon Rd, Addington Rd (stop for Selsdon), Rectory Park, Mitchley Ave, Downs Court Rd, Godstone Rd, & ends/starts at Brighton Rd, Purley Hospital.

Frequency Weekdays & Saturdays: Early; 20 mins, Peak; 15 mins, Daytime; 15 mins, Evenings; 20 mins, Late Evenings; 30 mins. Frequency Sundays; 30 mins.

Full Timetable for 412, follow this link to Tfl website and insert 412 in Bus timetable - route number Link

Enquiries: TfL http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2605.aspx Phone: 0845 300 7000

Arriva London Tel 0845 300 7000 (0800-2000 Monday to Friday)

Website: www.arrivalondon.com/

Tfl - All Buses In & Around Purley - Link

(Sources: Trains: Southern Trains; Buses: Transport for London (TfL). Timetables change, so, if in doubt, check with the operators. The RRA can not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the above information.)

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The London Freedom Pass

This Pass is supplied by the London Councils (all the London Boroughs and City of London) to residents of London.

There are two types of Freedom Pass.

1. The Disabled Pass is available to anybody with a qualifying disability (see website for full list) who lives in a London Borough and is part of the National disability scheme.

2. The Pensioners Freedom Pass is available to residents of a London Borough who have reached the state pension age (until 2010 the qualifying age was 60). At present it is 61 but will rise to 62 in 2013 (see web site for details of eligibility).

Validity London :

These passes can be used on all TfL services, Underground, Overground, Docklands Light Rail, Tram and all London buses including 405 to Redhill and 166 to Banstead and Epsom 24 hrs per day.
The pass can also be used on National Rail services in the London Zones from 9.30am until 4.30am Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.
In addition you can obtain a discount on River services and the cable car.

Outside London :

The pass can be used on any scheduled buses in England, but not in Wales or Scotland. However, it is only valid at the times specified by the local authority e.g. in Surrey it cannot be used before 9.30 and after 23.00 (if you have an appointment at East Surrey Hospital before 9.30am you can use the 405 to Redhill, but will have to pay on the 100 or 400 bus)

More information http://londoncouncils.gov.uk/services/freedompass/default.htm

New 60+ Concessionary Travel Scheme:

The Mayor Boris Johnson has announced that he will introduce a new 60+ Concessionary Travel Scheme using a variation of the Oystercard from 1st November 2012 for those people over 60 years of age who no longer qualify for a Freedom Pass. The pass will have the same validity as a Freedom Pass except that it will not be valid buses outside London except for London routes such as 166 and 405. www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/metro/25005.aspx

Transport Report - taken from The Recorder, April 2013 by John Rapp

A railway for leisure

At Riddlesdown Station we are looked after by Akil, Isaac, and Paul who provide an open ticket office from the first to the last train. Their good work, making travel from and to Riddlesdown Station more attractive, gave people more confidence to use the improved Saturday service from December 2011 with the previous four carriages twice an hour improved, giving a minority of trains still at four coaches, with most at six coaches and some in each direction at ten coaches, and far more pleasant journeys to and from Victoria.

More people are using the train for leisure, and not just the trains provided by Southern.

To the south of us is the Bluebell Railway (which lent its former Chesham Railway coaches for the 150 Years from the opening of the London Underground celebrations that took place in January). The Bluebell Railway has been an important leisure destination in Sussex for many years and its trains will serve East Grinstead from 23 March 2013. Reaching the Bluebell Railway by train is attractive and, subject to final clearance from Network Rail, our Sunday Service is (planned by Southern) to be improved from one an hour to two an hour between 09:41 and 20:41 northbound and between 09:47 to 22:47 southbound.

I have no information regarding the number of coaches on each train, but aware that Southern train crews have been heard to say that each hourly train should be eight coaches, I am looking forward to being pleasantly surprised on 19th May 2013, when the timetable changes.

We have been mentioning, to Southern the station being unattractive due to the quantity of litter behind the fences so I am pleased to report on clearance of bottles and cans.

There is at the moment a tremendous amount of railway infrastructure work taking place at many locations, with the Coombe Road (Croydon) Bridge Works, from 7 January 2013 for twenty weeks, randomly impacting on the 412 Bus Service as other drivers seek to compensate for the partial closure of the bridge. This is being monitored.

Transport Report - taken from The Recorder, April 2012 by John Rapp

Since my last report there have been many improvements to the infrastructure of the bus and train services we enjoy. Essentially there have been no changes to frequencies – just many improvements to make our travel experiences better.

Buses The changes to the bus stops have been completed. The bus stops needed to deal with the change from a one to a two door access point - we now get on at the front and get off in the middle on the 412 route. The stop in Selsdon Road was highlighted to London Buses as it was on the street corner at the front of the bus. Passengers found themselves alighting in the middle of the road and therefore exposed to the traffic when the bus moved off. Having dealt with that problem, London Buses have attended to all the other stops, and we no longer find ourselves alighting or perhaps falling over onto a slippery grass verge. While not all bus stops are equipped with next bus announcement boards, they now all have a unique reference number on a plate mounted on the stop, so that mobile telephones can be used to ask when the next bus is expected to arrive. I have also been told that in March or April some of our older (and therefore less reliable buses) are to be replaced by newer buses.

Trains. There have been a number of background changes for our benefit which include: installation of conductor rail heating systems, the Riddlesdown Station ticket office staffed when trains are running (more staff time to clear snow and ice from the ramps from street to platform level), longer trains (which has been gratefully welcomed by our commuting residents), the announcement of an order being placed for 26 new five-coach trains (expected to be in service in December 2013), and Southern becoming more passenger and resident friendly. In this Olympic year patience will be needed, as London’s transport system is tested. My hope is that a lot of the extra capacity being provided will continue to be available after the Olympics.

Please support our good bus and train services by using them, and commenting (perhaps as a Committee Member) to the service providers. There is still pressure on further improvements which include the former Cinderella line between West Croydon and Wimbledon, which has become part of the successful Tramlink System (that last year ordered six new trams for delivery this year); the car park at Upper Warlingham Station – that is expected to be increased in size next year; and since the introduction of new diesel stock to Uckfield, a passenger journeys made increase from around 110,000 in 2004 to around 335,000 in the year to 31 March 2009. Only time will tell whether Sunday services will increase to half hourly (one from East Grinstead; one from Uckfield) on Sundays or if the line to Uckfield is electrified.

An Important update from John Rapp (RRA Transport Member - 1 October 2011) about train and bus services in Riddlesdown

There have been many reports in the media concerning the Report written by Sir Roy McNulty, new trams for Croydon, and the problems that snow and ice cause. The Committee of the Riddlesdown Residents' Association feel that some comments on what is to be provided locally before the Olympics will be appreciated.

The McNulty Report talks about savings being achieved by the 2018/2019 Tax Year. He has looked at what the UK Rail System does and what it should be doing in the future. One jargon phrase associated with change is "efficiency savings."

This introduces the concept that for any business the costs of providing products can be more closely related to what is being provided with some product lines, and associated base costs (staff, premises, and services bought in) being curtailed and some product lines being expanded so that as more product is sold each unit cost is reduced, and that increased attractiveness produces more sales.

The Beeching Report resulted in many miles of rail route being lost and an increase in car usage. Circumstances are different now, with many projects completed, more with funding allocated, and an infectious public enthusiasm for more (a wish for work to start after 2018 to extend the Croydon Tram System to Sutton).

Background and comments about the future are both useful, but what are the immediate benefits?

We are benefiting from the understanding is that as more people use public transport, that is convenient and not over-loaded the seeds will be sown for future use to become natural. I am thinking about suitable services being provided - we understand that the 412 bus route will continue (formal confirmation awaited) to serve Purley Hospital, the Whitgift Centre, and West Croydon Bus Station (continuing to provide links to onward services) - and the expansion of step free access provision. Major work is to take place at Victoria Underground Station to provide a new Northern Ticket Hall - with lifts to platforms.

Attracting more leisure passengers can be supported by better commuter services, and we have heard that from the 11 December 2011 Timetable changes certain Monday to Friday peak trains will be longer.

BLUEBELL RAILWAY

From 23 March 2013, the privately owned and voluntarily run Bluebell Railway will be connected to the national rail system at East Grinstead, meaning that Riddlesdown residents can get on a train from Riddlesdown Station and travel from Riddlesdown to East Grinstead and then transfer onto the Bluebell Railway.

Further information and update reports: Link to Bluebell Railway

Bus routes 312, 412 and X26

Please click here for information from Transport for London on these routes.

(This will bring up a PDF file for which you need Adobe PDF Reader.)

UPDATE 26/9/11 - John Rapp (RRA Transport Committee Member) reports, “As a result of the petition presented to the Mayor on 20 July ‘11, the Mayor has confirmed to Steve O’Connell (Assembly Member) by letter on 23 Sept, that the proposed merger of the 312 and 412 bus routes will now not take place.”

412 Bus Route to serve Purley Hospital

The Association is delighted to report that after a lot of encouragement, confirmation has been received from Transport for London that from Saturday, 16 October 2010, 412 buses will continue beyond the current termination stop beside the Tesco Store to Purley Stop E (which is the Purley Hospital Stop). On the way back the current stand, in Brighton Road, will continue to be used, with buses going forward to Stop G, by the shops in Brighton Road, to pick up their first passengers.

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Transport Report - taken from The Recorder, October 2011 by John Rapp

This October I have lots of news to share with you.

We are living in progressive and uncertain times with news still awaited on the proposed (to which many have objected) changes to the 312 and 412 bus routes. The hope is that the 312 route will continue to run between South Croydon and Norwood Junction, and we will still be able to go to Purley Hospital and West Croydon Bus Station (with easy access to the Whitgift Centre) using the 412 service.

I do know that when work is completed (2016/2018) on the Thameslink Project (Blackfriars Station rebuilding is due to finish this year with passenger-impacting work starting at London Bridge Station after the Olympics) there will be around 24 trains an hour each way between Blackfriars and St Pancras International stations. The station that is mentioned less is Farringdon. When both Thameslink and Crossrail are running Farringdon will be the busiest station in the Country with 140 approaching trains each hour. What does this mean for us?

When London Bridge work starts station capacity will be reduced, by the need to take platforms out of use, during the rebuilding work. This, coupled with the re-activation of the East London Line which, extended to Crystal Palace and West Croydon, has reduced train paths between Norwood Junction and London Bridge. The solution is to lengthen the trains that can run into London Bridge from this December. Our commuters will have noticed longer platforms at Sanderstead. Upper Warlingham, Oxted and East Grinstead are receiving the same treatment – and I have received indications that all will be ready for December. The longer trains will still stop at Riddlesdown with Selective Door Opening (SDO) used to allow safe boarding and alighting.

There is a determination to keep trains running in adverse conditions with conductor rail heating systems installed at all East Grinstead line stations before this winter. The speed with which the water main-burst landslide problems were overcome earlier this year is an indication of Network Rail‟s determination to provide the needed infrastructure for good train running.

While no one has confirmed specific morning services that are to be twelve coaches, my belief is that we are looking at 06:45, 07:18, 07:48, and 08:18 all to London Bridge.

Please keep using public transport and share your feelings to make services better. In this context no one has mentioned giving us more than our current hourly Sunday service.

IS RIDDLESDOWN STATION TO LOSE IT’S STAFFING COVER ?

Updated 16 September 2011

One in four railway ticket offices in England and Wales could close under recommendations in a Government-commissioned report, a transport union has warned.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said a "hit list" of 675 stations could be left unstaffed. The report, drawn up by Sir Roy McNulty, recommends the replacement of ticket offices with machines.

A Department for Transport spokesman said it was considering the report. "Any of his proposed changes to rail fares or ticketing will be examined as part of a Government review," he added.

TSSA officials said they only discovered the recommendation to scrap hundreds of ticket offices when they read the full report on how to achieve savings in the railway industry, which runs to hundreds of pages.

The TSSA said those on the list were all listed as "category E" stations (which Riddlesdown is), serving fewer than 250,000 passengers a year and where ticket offices open for less than 10 hours a day, usually in the morning and evening peak hours. The other local stations affected are Kenley, Coulsdon Town Centre (Smitham), Reedham and Woodmansterne. Ticket machines are available at these stations.

The Government is expected to respond fully next month (October 2011) to the report, which maintained that the railway industry could make savings of £1bn a year.

Our Transport Committee Member, John Rapp reports, following the East Surrey Transport Committee meeting on 14 September 2011:

“the McNulty Report is a report for Government consideration, and that Southern Railway is committed to keeping its ticket offices open as required by its Franchise. There is also the fact that such reports take some time to work through the system and suggestions are never guaranteed to become reality.

As you know Riddlesdown is staffed from the first to the last train by Akil , Paul and Isaac, who do not just sell tickets but also spend time caring for what is National Property used by Southern with Network Rail Support to provide services.”