2018 will be a big year for Kent’s railways. Not only is a new South Eastern franchise set to start in December next year, but 2018 will also be the year in which Kent is plugged into the two London mega-projects. Under the Thameslink plans, due to come in next May, are two trains per hour (tph) Maidstone East to Cambridge and 2tph Rainham to Luton, while the longstanding Sevenoaks via Bat & Ball to Blackfriars service will be extended to Welwyn Garden City in the peaks. And in December, the Elizabeth Line is due to reach its south-eastern terminus at Abbey Wood, where there will be interchange with the North Kent line.
A wide range of new journey opportunities will open up, which over time will influence many choices over work and home locations. A train every five minutes in the peak from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf and central London is expected to have a dramatic effect in North Kent, with a positive impact on pockets of deprivation such as the Thamesmead estate between Abbey Wood station and the river. In the hope of sprinkling the Elizabeth Line stardust a little wider, Kent County Council is joining forces with other local authorities in the Crossrail Gravesend working group to push for a …
