A focus on customers is key to successfully managing major engineering works. That was the key message from David Statham, Southeastern’s Managing Director, as he told the Golden Whistles conference of the operator’s experience of the disruption caused by the Thameslink works at London Bridge.
Southeastern’s passengers have borne the brunt of the effect of the Thameslink Programme. While the initial works at London Bridge on the terminal platforms did not have a major effect on the operator, the three years since January 2015 have seen Southeastern’s service radically altered while the high level platforms at London Bridge have been progressively rebuilt. As an example of the disruption, Mr Statham recalled that in 2015 the two busiest single platforms in Europe (the former platforms 5 and 6 at London Bridge) had been closed. These changes have been punctuated by major blockades centred on Bank Holiday weekends, some of which have spilled out into the working week.
Mr Statham says the initial reaction to the changes and blockades around London Bridge was very negative, so the operator was faced with the challenge of trying to make them work for customers. He focused on the blockade between 26 August …
