Southastern will introduce additional train services to its timetable with effect from 10 December, targeting improvements in the London area, on the Maidstone East line to Charing Cross and reinstating the two trains per hour high speed service between Faversham, the Medway Towns and St Pancras.
Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s Operations and Safety Director said:
“We’re committed to providing a better, more reliable, and sustainable railway, and we’re continuing to listen to your feedback about our services, as well as using journey data to assess travel patterns following the introduction of our December 2022 and May 2023 timetables.
“From 10 December, we’ll be providing more train services as well as making several other targeted improvements in London, the Medway Towns, North and East Kent. We’re asking our customers to check their timetable now on the Southeastern website or by using our online journey planner”.
The main changes include:
In the Metro area:
- More City Beam trains in service on weekdays and at weekends, providing a more modern, air-conditioned environment and specifically targeted to the busiest services, providing additional space where it’s most required
- Additional morning peak time trains in the Metro area
On Mainline services:
- An additional fast service in the morning peak period from Maidstone East to London Charing Cross
- An additional service in the morning peak period from Ashford International to London Cannon Street
On High Speed services:
Additional services to reinstate a half hourly service on weekdays between St Pancras and Faversham:
- From St Pancras to Faversham between 07:20 and 20:20
- From Faversham to St Pancras between 05.00 to 18.02
Southeastern wants customer journeys to be on new, newer or refurbished trains, which is why, from December, 28 out of the full fleet of thirty Class 707 ‘City Beam’ trains will be introduced and integrated into the Metro timetable.
These modern, air-conditioned trains provide a more comfortable travelling environment and will be specifically targeted to the busiest services, including at weekends, providing additional space where it’s most required.
Customers on Southeastern’s High Speed routes are beginning to see trains upgraded with their interior refurbishment, and on the Mainline routes all trains will have LED lighting and at seat power sockets by the end of the year.
Our December timetable supports our growing railway, but we recognise these changes will not address the feedback from all stakeholders. We’ll continue to monitor demand and listen to your feedback as we explore options for adding further services from June 2024, subject to demand and available funding, along with options to even out service intervals on some routes.
