Charlton station garden gets boost from fund set up after Thameslink failures

Darryl Chamberlain
Charlton station
Charlton station will have £30,000 spent on it

Charlton station’s community garden will benefit from money from a fund set up after Thameslink made a poor start to its rail services through the new London Bridge station three years ago.

The messed-up introduction of new cross-London trains saw services cancelled and Charlton left with a less frequent service for months after Thameslink began using the line.

Thameslink took over what used to be the Charing Cross to Gillingham service in May 2018, converting it to a Luton to Rainham service.

In 2019 the company was told to set up a £15 million Passenger Benefit Fund to improve stations and facilities Initially, Charlton and other Greenwich line stations were left out of the fund, but were included after lobbying from local MP Matt Pennycook. Even then, the fund’s existence was poorly publicised and had to be reopened after a government minister stepped in.

Yesterday, it emerged that the £30,000 allocated to Charlton will be spent on the community garden, a new waiting shelter on platform 2 and waiting shelter improvements on platform 1. Work should be completed by September.

The news was broken on social media by Pennycook, who said: “I’m pleased we’ve secured £220k for a range of improvements across six stations.” Other work to be carried out locally includes landscaping at Westcombe Park and passenger information systems at Maze Hill. Woolwich Dockyard is not served by Thameslink trains so is not included in the fund.

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