Here is the letter that Jim Rippon wrote.

The level of overcrowding on services from Finsbury Park to Moorgate is unacceptable

Services between Finsbury Park and Moorgate are unacceptably overcrowded on every occasion I have used them during morning peak periods.

I pay a significant amount for an annual season ticket from St Neots to Moorgate, but am unable with my season ticket to make use of the alternative services available from London Underground to complete my simple point-to-point journey without adding a travelcard supplement which is disproportionately expensive for such a short tube trip twice a day.

As a solution I propose two options:

* Allow me to purchase a ticket between my home station and moorgate (rather than London Terminals) which would include direct tube travel at a reasonable rate (appropriately discounted for an annual ticket for example).
* Permit travel between other London Terminal stations and Moorgate during times when these services are overcrowded as a matter of course.

The state of the overcrowding on these trains is a clear health and safety risk, and I feel you are duty bound to take action to improve this situation.

Regards,

J Rippon

Thank you for your response.

Could you please confirm that I have understood your message correctly - my season ticket is already valid on LU services from London Kings Cross to Moorgate (on the Circle/Hammersmith & City/Metropolitan/Northern lines)? And if this is the case, should it work in LU barriers at Kings Cross St Pancras Underground station?

Thanks,

J Rippon

-----Original Message-----

FREEPOST RRBR-REEJ-KTKY
Customer Relations
First Capital Connect
PO Box 443
Plymouth
PL4 6WP
Tel: 0845 0264700
Fax: 0845 6769904
Website: www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk

Ref: 6724842

Dear J Rippon

Thank you for your email regarding your journeys between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. I am sorry you have experienced crowding on your train when travelling in the morning peak period. As a Season ticket holder who travels most days, I appreciate how annoying this must be for you and I do apologise for any discomfort caused.

We know that many of our trains are heavily used and that overcrowding is one of the biggest issues that not only ourselves, but also many train operators face. Addressing this has been one of our key focuses since the beginning of our franchise. In May 2009 we implemented the findings of the Cambridge and Peterborough Capacity Study in the 'Seats for You' timetable. This saw the introduction of five additional trains to the fleet, and a full recast of the timetable to optimise capacity and infrastructure investment. This delivered additional capacity to the route with an overall 15% increase in the number of peak seats.

Since then, the next stage of capacity improvements to the Great Northern route has been delivered, with more peak services and longer trains.

Key improvements included:

· Four extra morning services into Moorgate from Gordon Hill or Welwyn Garden City
· The lengthening of a number of existing Great Northern inner services serving both routes
· In the future, more long-distance trains will increase to 12-cars following the completion of infrastructure works to increase platform lengths at Royston, Letchworth, Arlesey, Biggleswade, Sandy and Finsbury Park

Our rolling stock has recently undergone major refresh programme that have provided many benefits in terms of passenger comfort and reliability. We have strict maintenance and cleaning regimes in place so that the trains are pleasant, presentable and most importantly, safe.

I note your suggestion regarding the purchase of a ticket between your home station and Moorgate rather than London Terminals. As you are aware a ticket from St Neots to London Terminals is valid to Moorgate and subject to tickets being valid between the appropriate stations, or for the zones shown, National Rail singles, returns and Season Tickets are valid on the LU /DLR services as shown below:

National Rail tickets which include validity between Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington are also valid on LU / DLR services between Finsbury Park and Highbury & Islington (Victoria Line).

National Rail tickets which include validity Between Finsbury Park and London Terminals are also valid on LU / DLR servicesbetween Finsbury Park and Kings Cross / St Pancras Und, but intermediately at Highbury & Islington only (Victoria Line / Piccadilly Line). Also Between Kings Cross / St Pancras Und and Moorgate (via Circle, Metropolitan, Hammersmith & City and Northern Lines, but intermediately at Old Street only.

If you do require further informaton about the validity of the ticket you hold, please speak to our colleagues at the station who will be happy to advise.

Thank you for contacting us with your views and for the chance to explain.

Yours sincerely

Tina Holland
Customer Relations Advisor

Avoid the queue go to FAQ. Lots of answers to everyday questions can be found on our website www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk/FAQ

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Registered office: 50 Eastbourne Terrace, Paddington, London, W2 6LG.

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Having received conflicting information from National Rail Enquiries and First Capital Connect, I can confirm that my season ticket does permit travel on underground services between London Kings Cross (KGX) and Moorgate (MOG) as part of my commute.

I cannot comment on the state of overcrowding on trains inbound to Moorgate station via Finsbury Park as I no longer make use of this route, but my particular situation has improved no end.