Changes to Train Timetables in Kent

28 April 2010, 00:00

There are going to be some changes to train timetables in Kent.

Southeastern have told Heart that the changes are only minor and reflect the popularity of the service.

There was a major overhaul of timetables back in December and even more people are now using trains in the county.

Vince Lucas, service delivery director said, “In December we introduced a new timetable which saw every train time change and the introduction of high speed services. This saw an extra 200 services every day increasing capacity by 5%. The early indications are that it is proving a success with an additional 4,000 passengers using the train every morning. With any timetable change, especially one so fundamental, there will be adjustments needed which we have now addressed after a review and stakeholder feedback. We are in a position to make those changes on 23 May.”

Following the introduction of the new timetable in December an on-going review of the timetable has been conducted taking into account comments from passengers. The changes include:

• The length of some trains have been increased, where possible, to match passenger demand

• Retiming and additional stops on some services in response to stakeholder feedback to help school student journeys

• Minor changes, where possible, to connection times across the network to better integrate services

• No re-timings necessary for the autumn leaf fall period

Vince Lucas concluded, “Timetable changes, like the one we saw in December, take up to three years for all the positive benefits to be realised. The economic benefits for the South East are already beginning to be seen thanks to the introduction of High Speed services and from the increase in Metro and West Kent services.”

Click on the link (above) to get a breakdown of all the changes to see how they might affect your journey.