Strip Govia of the Thameslink Franchise immediately - A Guest Blog by Richard Logue

By Richard Logue,

Like many of you I am a regular daily commuter on the Thameslink line from Mill Hill Broadway to Central London. I share your frustration at the constantly cancelled trains, short formations and gross overcrowding that characterise our local train service. 

It wasn't always like this. If you look closely on the wall next to the station entrance you can see a faded British Rail era timetable poster. This timetable dates from the Bed-Pan days, before the Thameslink service was introduced in 1988. What is remarkable that even back then Mill Hill Broadway had Six trains an hour at peak times, four stopping and two fast. The fast trains were non-stop to St. Pancras and later to Kings Cross Thameslink. Compare and contrast with today's five trains at peak times and you begin to wonder what real benefits did rail privatisation actually bring to Mill Hill Commuters?

Mill Hill Broadway - unloved by Train operators

 The service began to change for the worse when First Capital Connect took over the previous Govia Thameslink franchise. We lost our fast trains to Kings Cross and to make matters worse, went down to four stopping trains per hour. Only at a later stage was the extra fast train to West Hampstead at peak times introduced. Now we are back at full circle again; Govia have reclaimed the Thameslink franchise but significantly have not made major changes to the Timetable they inherited from First. As a result, journeys on the Thameslink to Mill Hill Broadway are characterised by gross overcrowding and short formations. Coupled with a shortage of drivers qualified to drive the remaining Class 319 trains that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) provide for the Thameslink Metro service that stops at Mill Hill, there is a real sense that MIll Hill Broadway is more of a nuisance than an asset for Thameslink Management. 

How many times have you stood on a Monday morning at Mill Hill Broadway only to be told your trains are cancelled while fast trains from St Albans and Bedford whizz past on the fast lines? These trains could stop at Mill Hill. We have 12-car capable platforms that could accommodate the longer and newer trains that First Group and now GTR don't allow to stop at Mill Hill. Indeed I worked on the Thameslink Programme and took part in the decision to provide 12-car platforms at our station. What a pity these platforms are currently going to waste.

In my capacity as Chair of the Mill Hill Residents Association I have taken part in meetings with senior Thameslink management and asked them to consider stopping fast trains when there are delays to the existing service. I have asked them to provide an extra train at peak to eliminate the 20 minute gap that occurs at peak times by allowing the trains that are fast from West Hampstead to Elstree and vice versa. In both cases Thameslink have refused to budge, citing the tight timetabling needs of the line. 

It is obvious to me that Thameslink Management place far more value on their long distance commuters than the local London commuters. That is why we don't get the fast, modern trains that the St Albans and Bedford commuters get. Instead it's jam tomorrow and we will have to wait for the new Class 700 trains that are due to enter service in 2018. These trains will be running in 12 car formations as well as 8 cars, and they will have more room for standing compared to the old Class 319 trains. In addition we will get 8 trains an hour after 2018. Great, but what about in the meantime?

Two more years of misery isn't acceptable. It isn't acceptable to be constantly late for work and it certainly isn't acceptable to fob off commuters with the promise of a brighter day tomorrow. Not when Thameslink's performance ratings are among the worst of any of the Train Operating Companies and have been since they took over the line.

Mill Hill -Services worse than in the BR days

We need a better deal; I welcome the recent announcement that the Thameslink franchise is to be handed over to Transport for London (TFL) in 2021 when the franchise expires. However 2021 is a ridiculous time to wait for a better management team. Better to cancel the Thameslink franchise now and get TFL on board to start running the railway properly and in the interests of passengers. Some may wonder if this would affect the Thameslink Programme. Not a bit of it. The Thameslink Programme is being delivered by Network Rail and the DFT. Govia Thameslink may be the current Train Operating Company on the route, but they do not take part in the delivery of the project. 

If you believe as I do, that the Thameslink franchise should be taken away from Govia Thameslink and handed over immediately to TFL, please sign this petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/119480 

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Richard Logue is a Mill Hill Resident and chair of the Mill Hill Residents Association. He is also works in the railway industry. 

Guest Blog - Defend your local library by Richard Logue

By Richard Logue

Do you want to stop our library from being closed or reduced to a useless rump? Please come along to tonight's (Weds 14th January) meeting at the New Hartley Hall on Flower Lane from 7pm onwards. We need as many people to come as possible to show just how important this issue is to our community.

 

The writers Deborah Moggach and S.F. Said are our special guests, and we will have a panel Q&A session featuring Matthew Offord MP, Andrew Dismore AM, Councillor Sury Khatri and Theresa Musgrove aka Mrs. Angry. We will also be giving advice on how to respond to the council consultation on the future of our libraries. Please come along!

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Richard Logue is chair of the Mill Hill Residents Association. Guest blogs are always welcome at the Barnet Eye.

Guest Blog - Support our campaign to Save Mill Hill Library - By Richard Logue

By Richard Logue,

Barnet Council are planning to make severe cuts to our library service. They are currently consulting on three possible options:

Option 1 Massive reduction of size of library to 540 sq feet – approximately the size of a large sitting room. Possible relocation from the existing building to another site and our library building sold off.

Library hours extended but only staffed for 33% of the time.

Option 2 Our library would be closed

Option 3 Massive reduction of size of library to 540 sq feet – approximately the size of a large sitting room. Our library would be offered to our community to be run entirely by volunteers. Possible relocation to another site in Mill Hill and our library building sold off.

It’s the oldest trick in the book to give only poor options in the hope that the least bad is taken and that the discussion is immediately limited. If, like us, you feel that all three options are unacceptable and lack vision, please join us in

protesting and coming up with more constructive, imaginative ideas.

Regarding the consultation document, paper copies are available in the library. You can also complete it online at

http://engage.barnet.gov.uk/consultation-team/library-review/consult_view, but take care, the questions are worded so that it is possible to innocently give the council data that they can use to justify cuts. Here are our suggestions for the questions to watch out for:

Q6 We suggest you Don’t Answer!!

It asks you to rank which days of the week you want the library to be staffed. We advise that you don’t answer because the results could be used to justify reducing opening hours on particular days of the week.

Q7 We suggest you Don’t Answer!!

This question asks you to choose a time of day when you want libraries to be staffed. We believe that libraries should be accessible to all groups and open as long as possible. Different people use the library at different times – e.g. parents of school children may prefer mid-afternoon opening, students may prefer evenings and working people weekends. 

Unstaffed opening times will restrict the time children can use the library. It will also deter elderly and vulnerable people and people with disabilities from using the library. We advise that you don’t answer this question because the result could be used to justify reduced staffing and more unstaffed hours.

Q8 Tick ‘I would not feel confident at all’ and put your reasons in the comments box at Q10 Asks how you feel about an unstaffed library. We believe that libraries should be safe places for everyone. Barnet has not explained how an unstaffed

building would be either safe or secure.

Q9 We suggest you say ‘I would not feel confident at all’ An unstaffed library would offer neither the same level of  service nor be as safe as a staffed building.

Q23 Tick ‘Another option’ and explain in the Q24 comments box why you oppose all three options This is the key question which forces you to rank in order the council’s three options, which for Mill Hill are:

Option 1: Massive reduction of floor space to the approximate equivalent of the current computer room, possible relocation from the existing building, library hours extended but only staffed for 33% of the time.

Option 2: Our library would be closed

Option 3: Our library would be offered to our community to be run entirely by volunteers, but with a reduction of floor space to the approximate equivalent of a large sitting room, and possible relocation from the existing building.

We believe that all three options are bad ones, lacking imagination

and vision, and we oppose them all.

Q25 Say No!

This asks if you would be interested in volunteering. While volunteers can be a good thing if they’re trained and supported, they should not take the place of paid professional staff. Because there’s no comments box to express this

distinction we recommend saying ‘no’ to this question.

Q26 Say No!

This asks if you would be interested in running a community library. Expressing a willingness to do so gives Barnet an argument that a community can be denied a key service, available free of charge in other parts of the borough (paid for by your council tax), and asks us to run it ourselves, thus putting librarians out of a job. Running a community library is no easy thing.

We will be running a stall on the Broadway on Saturday morning, please come along and say hello, and sign our petition.

In addition we will be running a public meeting at Hartley Hall, Flower Lane on Wednesday 14^th January at 7pm. Please come along to support your library and to bring your own ideas on the future of our library. 

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Richard Logue is the Chair of the Mill Hill Residents Association