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The current phase of the public consultation about Govia's proposals for changes to rail timetables from 2018 finishes at 5pm on Thursday 8th December.

Under the proposals, offpeak services between Palmers Green and Moorgate will be doubled.  However, at some other stations along the line the increase will be smaller and offpeak frequencies may even be reduced.

The proposed Monday to Saturday offpeak services would be six trains an hour, made up of:

• Two trains an hour from Stevenage to Moorgate.  The same frequency as currently, but these trains would become semi-fast, not serving Crews Hill, Grange Park, Bowes Park, Hornsey or Harringay.
• Four trains an hour all stations Hertford North to Moorgate.

The morning and afternoon peak services would have a more complex pattern.  There would be five more up trains in the morning and two more down trains in the evening peak.

At the less busy stations nearby (Bowes Park and Grange Park) offpeak services would be increased from three to four an hour.  However, fewer trains would stop in the peak - one less from Moorgate in the evening,  but six less to Moorgate in the morning peak (effectively, the peak services would be the same as offpeak - four trains an hour).

The plans for reduced peak services have not gone down well with many users of these two stations and petitions are being organised.  However, passengers need to take into account that it is not possible to run so many trains along the line without some not stopping at all stations.  And, a not unimportant point, the fact that there are more (and in some cases longer) trains running in total means that the trains that do stop at Bowes Park and Grange Park might actually be less crowded.

Whatever the outcome of this consultation,  however, there is one thing that we can  be fairly confident of:  Govia will not be able to run all trains as advertised as they still won't have enough drivers.  Tellingly, they have even cancelled the Meet the Managers event at St Pancras that was timetabled for next Thursday (so maybe they don't have enough managers either).