Jill Whitehead, Tom Brake and others on the campaign trail!

They handed out leaflets at stations along the route urging passengers to come to a public meeting which was held on the following day (Thursday, 19th July) at SCOLA Sutton to hear about the proposals and make their views known.

Carshalton Central ward’s Cllr. Jill Whitehead, Chair of Sutton’s Environment and Neighbourhoods Committee, said: “This service is absolutely vital. Losing it would sever our only direct link to North London and would mean Sutton residents would need to take at least two trains to get to St Pancras.

“It is quite scandalous that, at a time when we should be improving public transport, there is a serious proposal to cut the link between North and South London.”

Campaigners have chosen to act now as the Department for Transport is currently consulting on the new seven-year Thameslink franchise which will run from September next year and incorporate the Southern franchise from 2015.

Ironically, the cross-London Loop Line service which runs through Sutton, Carshalton and Hackbridge stations, was recently reopened at nights and weekends after being split for three and a half years by engineering work.

But Cllr. Jill Whitehead added: “It is all very well reopening it now, but Sutton’s residents need the line to stay open for good.

“The new franchise will set service patterns for 2018 and beyond, so it is vital that we act now and do not become a Cinderella area for rail transport.”

Under current plans Thameslink Loop Line trains which link Sutton to St. Albans and Luton through central and north London will terminate at Blackfriars station from 2018.  More in a future posting!