Pressure is building on Southeastern after Bexley and Bromley’s London Assembly Member pushes the mayor for a quicker TfL takeover.

Gareth Bacon has prioritised the Southeastern takeover as the new Assembly Member for the two boroughs after a long string of poor performances.

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At the first Mayor’s Question Time since the GLA elections, Mr Bacon emphasised the urgency for the train franchise to be transferred to TfL as speedily and as smoothly as possible.

Mr Bacon said: “The service run by Southeastern Trains is truly awful, and despite promises to improve the reliability of routes in to London, has failed to deliver.

“I am asking the Mayor to step in and do all he can to get the government to speedily and smoothly hand over control to Transport for London, who may have a better chance of bringing the service up to an acceptable standard.

“I made a promise to my constituents to make this a priority, and this is the first of many representations I intend to make until the problem is addressed.”

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TfL takeover needs to be pushed ahead, urges Gareth Bacon

Southeastern Trains scored s 46% satisfaction rate in the Which survey of passengers published in February.

This was joint last along with Thameslink and Great Northern.

Mr Bacon explained that residents using the services in to London Bridge have had to suffer unacceptable delays and cancellations, making the commute to central London unbearable for those using the service.