A new approach to carrying out vital maintenance inspections of railway infrastructure across Kent is to be expanded this year in a drive to improve efficiency and performance.
Delivered by South Eastern Railway, which brings the publicly owned train operator, Southeastern and infrastructure provider, Network Rail Kent Route, under a single leadership team, the programme strikes a balance between the times of lower passenger demand and essential maintenance.
This new programme follows on from two trials on the Medway Valley and Maidstone East lines last year. Both these trials proved to be very successful in terms of inspection quality, efficiency and cost savings.
The first timetable changes will be introduced on Monday 7th July and run until Friday 11th July.
In recent years many maintenance surveys have been carried out overnight when trains are not running. However, due to integrated planning between the train operator and infrastructure teams, more inspections have now been scheduled to take place in the off-peak periods when the longer service gaps give workers more access to the railway in daylight hours.
Carrying out inspections of the track and railway structures during the day has a number of benefits, including:
- Visual inspections are more accurate in natural light.
- Daytime activity frees up night shifts for complex maintenance tasks that can only be performed when trains are not running.
- The cost savings from reducing overnight work can be reinvested into further improvements across the network.
- Helps to deliver long-term reliability gains for customers.
Scott Brightwell, South Eastern Railway’s Safety, Planning and Performance Director, said:
“Carrying out more inspections during the day has been made possible by the South Eastern Railway’s joint decision making and shared emphasis on doing the right thing for our people, our customers, and the taxpayer.
“We know it is more efficient to do maintenance inspections in daylight rather than in the early hours of the morning. This increased schedule over the coming months strikes the right balance between the needs of our passengers and the infrastructure maintenance that is required to keep trains running.
“I want to thank our customers for bearing with us while we carry out this essential work to deliver better journeys. A small number of changes have been made to our timetable in the quieter, off-peak periods, so please plan ahead and check before you travel.”
The timetable changes have been put in place across four routes on six separate weeks over the next six months.
Maidstone East – Ashford International
- The 08:25 London Victoria to Ashford International service will be diverted after Otford and call at Tonbridge, Paddock Wood, Marden, Staplehurst, Headcorn, Pluckley then Ashford International (Arrives at 09:54).
- The 08:28 London Charing Cross service to Maidstone East will call additionally at Kemsing, East Malling and Barming.
Dates
- 7–11 July 2025
- 18–22 August 2025
- 29 September – 3 October 2025
- 10 – 14 November 2025
- 22 - 26 December 2025
Sheerness - Sittingbourne
Off-peak frequency of one train per hour from 09.25 to 15.25
- The 14.53 Sittingbourne to Sheerness service will not run.
- The 15.17 Sheerness to Sittingbourne service will not run.
Dates
- 28 July – 1 August 2025
- 8 – 12 September 2025
- 20 – 24 October 2025
- 1 – 5 December 2025
- 12 – 16 January 2026
Strood – Paddock Wood
Off-peak frequency reduced from two trains per hour to one train per hour from 09:10 - 15:00
Dates
- 14 – 18 July 2025
- 25 –29 August 2025
- 6 – 10 October 2025
- 17 – 21 November 2025
- 29 December – 2 January 2026
Tonbridge – Ashford
Off-peak frequency reduced from two trains per hour to one train per hour from 09:40-15:00
Dates
- 4 – 8 August 2025
- 15 – 19 September 2025
- 19 – 23 January 2026
The South Eastern Railway is committed to improving performance while being cost-effective, and the outcomes from this programme will be closely monitored.
Online journey planners have been updated, and more detailed information is being added to the Southeastern website.
