Bandwaggons and Cattle-waggons*

It's good to see that the long-haul work on improving Forest Hill Station being done by Len Duvall - and by local councillors for the old Horniman and Forest Hill wards over many years - is getting some recognition - in the Sydenham Society's newsletter and in the Mercury (30-Aug, page 8) this week.

I know I've been battering away at Network Rail and all their predecessors since at least 10 years ago, on issues like non-stepped access to the Southbound platform, and the state of the pedestrian subway under the railway. I've recently been discussing plans for some simple-but-effective improvements that could be made to the subway, with members of the Sydenham Society and the Forest Hill Society.

Also good to see (on the same letters page) that the new LibDem councillors in the new Forest Hill ward (which used to be Horniman ward) have also noticed that Forest Hill Station is an important part of keeping Forest Hill town centre alive-and-well. I welcome the extra pressure that they may be able to put on to get more improvements. I fear they'll probably try to pretend that nothing happened before they came along; and try to take the credit for what does get achieved by Labour councillors, Labour MP Jim Dowd, Len (the Labour GLA Member) and the Labour Mayors (Ken and Steve); but that's to be expected of them and I'm sure most people (who've lived in Forest Hill and Perry Vale a bit longer than some of their councillors) won't be fooled by it.

Their concern for the "much-deserving Perry Vale side" of the station is very touching - but I think we're managing as well as anyone could, thanks! I hope they understand that this sort of regeneration is often a long and never-ending battle, and we'll see if they have the stamina for it. But never fear, the "prefab-like shabby...dilapidated disaster" on the Forest Hill side won't be neglected by me, either, because it's what most Perry Vale residents (including me) have to look at and use when we go to work by train.

[* "Cattle-waggons" is not at all fair (merely for the sake of a slightly witty title) on Southern, who have now got rid of all the 'slam-door' passenger coaches and have some very nice new rolling stock for a lot of commuter journeys. My only current beef with them is their non-acceptance of Oyster Pay-as-You-Go - which I'm also doggedly working at.]