Fighting for Tandridge Commuters

I know that local residents are concerned about local rail services being reduced, particularly on the Caterham line, with the withdrawal of the London Victoria service and the reduction of the service from four trains an hour to two trains an hour in the latest timetable change.

In response to this, I raised a question at the last Full Council meeting of Tandridge District Council (16 December 2021) to Cllr Catherine Sayer, the Leader of Tandridge District Council asking if she will work alongside me to make representations on behalf of Tandridge residents to Govia Thameslink Railway.

Here's my question in full.

Residents are concerned about the reduction of service by Southern Rail on the Caterham Branch Line serving Caterham and Whyteleafe that took effect earlier this week, reducing the number of trains an hour from 4 to 2. While I'm hopeful this is only temporary during the pandemic, residents are also concerned about the removal by stealth of the direct Caterham to London Victoria services, which is requiring residents to change at East Croydon to get to Victoria. I share these concerns residents have. Will the Leader of the Council join us in expressing concern at these service reductions and take steps to address these concerns with Southern Rail?

Cllr Jackie Wren, Chairman of the Community Services Committee of the Council, answered the question on behalf of Cllr Sayer and said, "Myself and other Members have become very aware of the adverse impact of Southern Rail’s service reductions upon Tandridge commuters. This is a District wide issue and the Leader will make representations to Southern Rail to express the Council’s concerns on behalf of its residents. We will also seek the support of Claire Coutinho MP in submitting these representations and would encourage residents to write to Claire to demonstrate the depth of feeling within our communities."

Many residents will be feeling anxious about the reduction in service but I will continue to work to ensure that we get the best possible service from Southern and Thameslink in our area.