c2c consultation update

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c2c consultation update

Jon Cruddas MP and his Havering Coordinator, Fay Hough, met with representatives of c2c on Monday, March 13th to discuss the public consultation Jon has started in regards to issues raised by constituents across Dagenham and Rainham. We received affirmative information that aims to address the concerns many have with overcrowding, the station's new timetables, and the need for more carriages at peak times.

In regards to the AM peak, the number of Rainham passengers has indeed increased by +20%, with over 317 more passengers boarding at Rainham today than in autumn of 2015- thus explaining the strong demand for change from Rainham citizens over the last 18 months. As a response to this demand, c2c representatives have informed us of the following improvements:

  • The new January 2017 timetables have added +340 peak seats at Rainham
  • The busiest 4-carriage service (08.07) has now doubled to 8-carriages

As a result of these improvements, more passengers are now getting seats, however the number of Rainham passengers is continuing to rise, with an increase of 130 passengers in just six months alone. It is important to acknowledge that despite this growth, Rainham services are still less crowded than other parts of c2c routes, with the government's crowding measure (PIXC) for Rainham at 1.7%, while the London-wide average is at 5.8%.

While there are also concerns with services during the PM peak, it is important to note that the PM services are less busy and growth figures are much less pronounced than those of the AM peak. Regardless, the number of Rainham passengers is up +11%, leading to 160 more Rainham passengers traveling during the PM peak since 2015. In response to this increase, the following developments have been made:

  • There are now 12 PM peak services operating to Rainham, as opposed to the 10 services that rain prior to the December 2015 timetable change
  • As of January 2017, two of the busy trains have doubled to 8-carriages (18.07 and 18.22 services from Fenchurch Street)

In order to tackle growth on a broader scale beyond that of the AM and PM peaks, the c2c has begun significant enhancements to the number of carriages available to passengers. As of last year, 17 trains (68 carriages) have been redesigned into the metro layout, which allows more room for passengers to board, following the examples of the London Overground and the London Crossrail. More recently, 24 new carriages have been introduced in the last few months, with even more trains scheduled to arrive in three waves, as seen below:

  • 36 more carriages by 2019- resulting in a net gain of 12 carriages
  • 16 more carriages by the end of 2022
  • 16 more carriages by the end of 2024

While the above improvements are helpful, the public consultation will continue throughout the month of April, and a follow-up meeting with c2c and Trenitalia will occur in May to finalize solutions to the problem of overcrowding along the Rainham route.