West Malling to Blackfriars

[Poley01]

Hi.

Could anyone please advise on the reliability of these services and if you can expect to get a seat from west Malling on the Blackfriars line

Many thanks

 

[Metal_gee_man]

There are no direct services beyond the 07.05 in peak, so the services to Bromley South are normally fairly regular and reliable, and there are 4 Thameslink trains per hour to Blackfriars and an additional fall back of travelling to from Bromley to Herne Hill and then catching a Thameslink to Blackfriars so actually 8 trains per hour.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

There are no direct services beyond the 07.05 in peak, so the services to Bromley South are normally fairly regular and reliable, and there are 4 Thameslink trains per hour to Blackfriars and an additional fall back of travelling to from Bromley to Herne Hill and then catching a Thameslink to Blackfriars so actually 8 trains per hour.

The services are usually alright. It’s Otford onwards who seem to ‘suffer’.

The reliability can be patchy, as any issues on Thameslink and the recovery plan forces southeastern to undertake unplanned diversions to/from Victoria. You need to check before you leave work if your train is running, and if you therefore need to buy a few extra minutes to go on to Victoria.

One alternative is to go to Sevenoaks by car for more reliability and services to Charing Cross and Cannon Street. I also question if the Thameslink service will ever reach Maidstone - it seems unlikely.

 

[Poley01]

The services are usually alright. It’s Otford onwards who seem to ‘suffer’.

The reliability can be patchy, as any issues on Thameslink and the recovery plan forces southeastern to undertake unplanned diversions to/from Victoria. You need to check before you leave work if your train is running, and if you therefore need to buy a few extra minutes to go on to Victoria.

One alternative is to go to Sevenoaks by car for more reliability and services to Charing Cross and Cannon Street. I also question if the Thameslink service will ever reach Maidstone - it seems unlikely.

Very helpful thanks for your reply

 

[Poley01]

The services are usually alright. It’s Otford onwards who seem to ‘suffer’.

The reliability can be patchy, as any issues on Thameslink and the recovery plan forces southeastern to undertake unplanned diversions to/from Victoria. You need to check before you leave work if your train is running, and if you therefore need to buy a few extra minutes to go on to Victoria.

One alternative is to go to Sevenoaks by car for more reliability and services to Charing Cross and Cannon Street. I also question if the Thameslink service will ever reach Maidstone - it seems unlikely.

very helpful thanks for replying