Sundridge Park station used by as few as six at rush hour

Sundridge Park station sits just a 15 minute walk north of Bromley town centre.

Earlier this month, Southeastern Railway announced plans to close ticket offices at 40 of its stations in its south London network, including Sundridge Park.

The scheme is reportedly aimed to bring staff out of ticket offices to help assist customers in face-to-face interactions and help speed up the process of self-service technology.

A Southeastern spokesperson previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that out of the 40 stations at risk, 16 had sold an average of 10 or less tickets a day at their windows.

At the bottom of this list was Sundridge Park station, which reportedly sold no tickets at all from its ticket office window in May this year.

Tom Clark, 28, lives in Orpington but comes to Sundridge Park station twice a week to visit his dad in Grove Park.

The station is known for providing a commuter service to residents, as it only serves Bromley North station in one direction and Grove Park station in the other.

Mr Clark told the LDRS: “People go to and from Bromley and Grove Park in the mornings and evenings from work because it gets people from Grove Park straight into Bromley town centre within a minute. So it’s ideal for people.”

James Darvell, 33, owns the Larder café and butcher on Plaistow Lane. He said that passing trade from commuters using the station has decreased since Covid, and that he has noticed less people using the ticket office before and after their journeys in recent years.

Plaistow Lane (Image: Joe Coughlan)

He said local businesses may benefit if people were able to travel directly from the station into Central London, without the need to change trains at Bromley North or Grove Park.

Mr Darvell told the LDRS: “The rush hour’s about six people… But it’s a direct link into Grove Park and on towards Central London so [the area] does need it, it definitely needs the station to be there.”

Zoe Hamilton, 36, said she has lived near Plaistow Lane for nearly seven years. She said that her husband uses the station twice a week, while she prefers using the bus to get around.

Ms Hamilton told the LDRS: “I will be completely honest. I didn’t actually know there was a ticket office there… It doesn’t surprise me at all. Why would you need to use the ticket office? I have my card on my phone, or you’ve got Oyster.”

Constance Leech (Image: Joe Coughlan)

Constance Leech, 40, said she would be more likely to use Sundridge Park station if the services became more regular. She said while the ticket office can often be closed, the station can get busy when trains line up with those going into Central London from Grove Park.

Ms Leech told the LDRS: “I call it the choo choo train because it’s literally one stop. You’re not going to get that train to go into town, are you?”

She added: “It’s off at the weekends and if you miss your connection, it doesn’t align with the trains going into London and I think that’s the biggest thing. It would be great if you could just go straight from here all the way into London.”

Consultations on the proposed ticket office closures across the country were due to end this week, but were extended by another five weeks on July 26. Southeastern said in a statement that the company was committed to ensuring the consultation on the closures was accessible and that those responding could be as fully informed as possible.

Labour Councillors Alisa Igoe and Tony McPartlan, who represent the Plaistow ward for Bromley Council, told the LDRS that the Bromley Labour Group were strongly against the proposed ticket office closures. They said the Bromley North to Grove Park line has served the community well for many years and hope to see it continue.

They said in a joint statement: “From everything we have seen, the station is still well used during rush hour, especially as many local residents commute to central London. The rising number of commuters using our free car park, on an adjacent road, also shows that those travelling to work on Southeastern enjoy being able to use this station. However, residents have told us that the ticket office is often closed, when it should be open. This is one of the reasons why recorded usage is as low as it is. How can they record usage, if it is rarely open?”

The councillors added: “Ticket office closures disproportionately affect disabled and elderly passengers. The closures make train travel for disabled and elderly passengers harder and more stressful than it already is.”

Southeastern’s proposed changes would also add ‘travel centres’ to the 14 busiest stations in its network to provide ticketing solutions and travelling information for commuters. The company’s website also shows that Sundridge Park station is proposed to be staffed from 6.30am to 1.30pm on weekdays after the changes.

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David Wornham, Southeastern’s Passenger Services Director told the LDRS the company aimed to build a better, safer and more accessible railway.

He said: “To help those who need help or advice at stations, we want to bring staff who previously worked in ticket offices out into stations where they can directly provide customer support while also helping people with accessibility needs and keeping everyone safe. We’re proposing to re-staff 18 stations that are currently unstaffed due to vacancies – one of those stations is Sundridge Park.

“Many people now buy their tickets by using proven technology such as Pay as You Go, Oyster and e-tickets. Our vision is a world where customers do not have to queue at a ‘glass window’ to buy a paper ticket, can use a ticket vending machine to collect a ticket purchased online, or do not need to print their ticket to use it. With customers buying holidays, shopping, and banking on-line they can now also buy rail tickets on their phone at a time that suits them.

“While we don’t have plans to introduce direct trains to or from Central London on the Grove Park-Bromley North line, we’re constantly reviewing the numbers of customers using this service to inform future timetable changes.”

Southeastern’s consultation on the proposed ticket office closures is due to end on September 1. More information and a link to the consultation can be found on the company’s website.