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From the May 2004 timetable change, 4 of our new class 357 trains were
withdrawn from the c2c route and passed to the 'ONE' franchise operating out of
Liverpool Street. A further example was withdrawn with the September 2004
timetable change. These withdrawals resulted in severe overcrowding on Thurrock
services most of which have now been alleviated with the new
December timetable. However services via Basildon have seen a reduction in
the number of coaches on some services, whilst a number of Laindon services have
been withdrawn altogether! We are hopeful the trains will return to c2c
from the December 2005 timetable change, when c2c will be recasting the
whole timetable on the London Tilbury and Southend route, to take advantage of
the higher acceleration of these new trains.
Pauline Cridland of Thurrock
Rail Users' Group will on Thursday 24th February 2005 accompany local MPs
including Angela Smith and Bob Spink on a visit to the Head Office of the
Strategic Rail Authority to hand in the 1,000 plus complaints received by the
Yellow Advertiser newspapers in the South Essex Corridor. The campaign started
as a result of the withdrawal of 5 units by c2c to send to another train
operating company owned by their parent company National Express Group.
Complaints include serious overcrowding on some services due to reduced
accommodation and removal of services altogether.
The petition was
handed in on Thursday 24th, see news story here.
The SRA have now confirmed these trains will be returned to c2c by December
2005, we are now awaiting clarification from c2c as to how these unit will be
employed.
Updated
24/03/2005
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