The county’s shopping list includes a service on the Isle of Grain and a new layout at Ashford for Bexhill bi-modes, reports JAMES ABBOTT
Kent County Council’s annual Rail Summit, put off from the spring due to purdah for the European elections, took place this year on 15 October. But the delay has not led to a fresh resolution for the county’s rail services, as the South Eastern franchise has been extended with a direct award to 1 April 2020 (p9, September issue), and it is still not clear what will replace that direct award. Meanwhile, Stephen Gasche, Kent’s Principal Transport Planner – Rail, hopes to publish a rail action plan document in time for next year’s summit in October 2020.
So this October’s meeting was heavy on sympathy for Southeastern MD David Statham, who has done a credible job in keeping up staff motivation while the future of the franchise has been mired in uncertainty. But major improvements in Kent services are held up pending some resolution of this issue.
However, Mike Smith, Head of Strategic Planning for the South East with Network Rail, was able to outline some directions in which the county’s rail system is heading. He confirmed Modern Railways
