Investment of £306m to 'help keep trains on time'

An investment of £306m will be made into the railway in Kent, East Sussex and parts of south London, Southeastern and Network Rail have said.

The companies said the investment would help renew and enhance infrastructure during 2025.

They added it would "help to keep trains on time" and minimise delays, as well as improving passenger experience on Southeastern services.

Southeastern is obtaining 13 new units to replace older trains on the routes between London-Maidstone East and London-Tunbridge Wells, and a £27m refresh of High Speed trains, including installing phone chargers and new seats, would be completed in 2025, it said.

As well as improvements on the tracks, investments are being made to modernise and clean stations, and also make some more accessible for all passengers.

Two new lifts at Herne Bay station are due to open in spring 2025 and automatic doors are being added to waiting rooms at Hastings and St Leonards stations as part of Southeastern's "ongoing commitment to making stations as accessible as possible".

Southeastern added that a long-term aim is to have a positive impact on the biodiversity across its network.

As well as already having some station gardens, it is aiming for a net gain in biodiversity across the network by 2035.

This will begin at 10 sites close to important habitats for wildlife, including Headcorn, Tonbridge, Ramsgate and Gillingham.

In October 2021, Southeastern was taken over by the government after previous franchise holder Govia failed to declare more than £25m of taxpayer funding.

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