Barking to Gospel Oak closure

Barking to Gospel Oak railway

THIS AFFECTS RAIL PASSENGERS FROM SOUTH EAST ESSEX TO NORTH WEST LONDON

SO MUCH FOR THE FARES FREEZE!

 

As vital commuter route closes for 8 months

of continuous engineering work,

many rail passengers face paying more in fares

 

Rail user group urges passengers to keep track of their travel costs

 

 

London Overground’s Barking – Gospel Oak Line is a vital orbital rail service running wholly outside zone 1 between east and north London used by around 10,000 commuters every working day, some from as far afield as Benfleet in Essex and Willesden in west London. On the Barking – Gospel Oak service, they travel in packed 2-carriage diesel trains, often unable to board the first train to arrive at the platform. Network Rail will close half of the line on 4^th June with the remainder following on 24^th September¹. The whole line will not reopen until February 2017 and weekend services will not be restored until June 2017.

Glenn Wallis said, “We are grateful to Deputy Chair of the London Assembly, Jennette Arnold AM OBE, for agreeing to ask new London Mayor Sadiq Khan how these extra charges on TfL passengers are compatible with his promise to freeze TfL fares for four years?”

 “We URGENTLY ask that all necessary political and other pressure be brought to bear on TfL to ensure that no existing passengers - regardless of their type of ticket - have to pay any more than they pay now. This must include use of alternative National Rail lines and stations and any normal service buses in the area of the line.”

Said Glenn Wallis, “BGORUG strongly recommends that all Barking – Gospel Oak passengers keep a careful record of any increase in cost over and above what they normally pay to use the train service with a view to claiming the difference back from TfL.”