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Kent Rail Summit

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TheJRB

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Just a note for those interested that the Kent Rail Summit is being streamed live over on the Kent County Council website, here right now. Five minutes in.
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A few interesting things so far. Tunbridge Wells commuting has decreased but tourism traffic has increased since the 4 tph off peak form Charing Cross. They want to remove some stops on the mainline Chatham Main Line services with Meopham and Longfield going from 3 tph to 2 tph and also alter the service pattern on some HS1 services, as well as introducing an extra Canterbury West 55 minute service to St Pancras in the December 2012 timetable. Apparently proposed December 2012 timetable details will be available tomorrow on Southeastern's website.
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Also to note: 88 minutes Sandwich to St Pancras journey times with extra HS1 services from Sandwich in the morning as well as the extension of the 23:12 St Pancras to Dover Priory service to Deal and Sandwich.
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Finished now. Impressive journey time reductions quoted between Ramsgate and Ashford on the HS1 services. Also they basically said that there is no chance of a Maidstone Parkway station being added on HS1 as it would cost about £50 million.

At the end, Eurostar services from Ashford were mentioned and it was said that an improved service between Ashford and Calais was being looked in to and that all current services from Ashford to the continent are being effectively secured.
 
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Clip

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Glad they are thinking of removing meopham and longfield - theres no need on the dover/ramsgate services for them to be there just makes it feel so much longer then it already does.

What were the reduced times quoted as on the Ramsgate to AShford HS1 services? Is this why so much work has been done in thanet of the last few months/years/decades :lol:
 

craigwilson

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also alter the service pattern on some HS1 services, as well as introducing an extra Canterbury West 55 minute service to St Pancras in the December 2012 timetable.

Interesting, I wonder if this is peak only or a regular service? Would they be running less 395's from Margate? How is this likely to be done?
 

Clip

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Interesting, I wonder if this is peak only or a regular service? Would they be running less 395's from Margate? How is this likely to be done?

Probably the same way they keep a ttrain in the siding just as you approach C/West from the margate direction for charing cross. Or is it cannon st? cant remember. Though I dont think that siding is long enough for a 395 but I doubt they would cut the one train an hour from Margate.
 

craigwilson

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Probably the same way they keep a ttrain in the siding just as you approach C/West from the margate direction for charing cross. Or is it cannon st? cant remember. Though I dont think that siding is long enough for a 395 but I doubt they would cut the one train an hour from Margate.

No, I doubt they would cut that either. It's more of a "what sevice are they moving those trains from (or shortening) to form that service" type of question.

I also doubt that siding is long enough for a 395 - it does strike me as only really long enough for a 4-car.
 

TheJRB

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What were the reduced times quoted as on the Ramsgate to AShford HS1 services? Is this why so much work has been done in thanet of the last few months/years/decades :lol:

Don't quote me on this (and I do the think the figure sounds low), but I think they said 60 or 65 minutes Ramsgate to St Pancras. I'll have to double check on the video once it's available.
 

Clip

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No, I doubt they would cut that either. It's more of a "what sevice are they moving those trains from (or shortening) to form that service" type of question.

I also doubt that siding is long enough for a 395 - it does strike me as only really long enough for a 4-car.

I dont think they have to cut any or shorten any either. They appear to have a surplus of units that are not always used every day(can someone confirm) so im sure that its a case of after the Olympics they are utilising their fleet a lot better.


Don't quote me on this (and I do the think the figure sounds low), but I think they said 60 or 65 minutes Ramsgate to St Pancras. I'll have to double check on the video once it's available.

That would be excellent news add on the 10 to margate and its still a saving
 

Kentish Paul

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Hi Clip,

There always seem to be a few 395s in the sidings at Ashford, and the peak 12 car sets split into 2 on return from London in the morning. This could mean that the extra services will be off peak only when more sets are available.
 

swt_passenger

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Also they basically said that there is no chance of a Maidstone Parkway station being added on HS1 as it would cost about £50 million.

Wasn't such a station proposed originally, but the local authorities at the time successfully campaigned against it?
 

55003

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Was any mention made of rail services from Kent to Gatwick? The current service is excrable.
 

Clip

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Hi Clip,

There always seem to be a few 395s in the sidings at Ashford, and the peak 12 car sets split into 2 on return from London in the morning. This could mean that the extra services will be off peak only when more sets are available.

Yeah I always see them there when I pass hence why the service could be introduced when the Olympics is over.

A Maidstone parkway station would just slow things down IMO and there is no need for one.Ebsfleet was a daft enough idea.
 

Kentish Paul

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Agreed, Ebbsfleet International always seems a bit of a of a 1 horse town when we stop on route to/from Ashford. 1 or 2 people looking a bit lost. Interesting that the peak am/pm sevices from/to Ashford do not stop. Well it is a HIGH SPEED line. Only in the UK do they ask for/demand a station every 10 miles on a HIGH SPEED line.
 

Bungle73

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Ebbsfleet is handy for people changing from the north Kent line to the Ashford line, or Eurostar, or Eurosar connections in general.

I see a few people get on north Kent service there going to St Pancras, and getting off going the other way.

Any word on the north Kent services?
 
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Clip

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I must admit that both car parks at Ebbsfleet are always packed when I pass them so it is useful but you do wonder why the hell they bothered. Thats another 5 mins off the journey from ashford surely
 

MarkyMarkD

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Was any mention made of rail services from Kent to Gatwick? The current service is excrable.
Yes, it was mentioned. And I agree - it is pathetic having to go into Victoria and out again, when it would be perfectly feasible to travel via Tonbridge and Redhill (and, indeed, is, but I'd rather not have to change trains multiple times carrying luggage and child!). A through service from Strood is about what I'd expect and I believe that is what used to exist.
 

TheJRB

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The full 1 hour 32 minute summit is available to watch here now along with the slides that were presented.
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Was any mention made of rail services from Kent to Gatwick? The current service is excrable.

At about 58 minutes in Stephen Gasche mentioned that they want a service starting at Ashford serving east Kent, Tonbridge serving west Kent, possibly Edenbridge, reversing at Redhill making use of the new platform due at the beginning of CP5. Apparently talks are already underway for it to be a part of the new Southern franchise or Southeastern franchise.
 

MarkyMarkD

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That's what I spent 1 hr 32 minutes doing earlier this evening!

I thought it was a fairly sensible discussion, apart from the odd "nutter" standing up saying that everything was disgusting/disgraceful or some similar word.

As for Meopham/Longfield, there needs to be some proportionality. Stations with annual passenger figures in the 300-500,000 range (so roughly 7-10,000 per week or under 2,000 per working day) shouldn't really expect 3 stopping trains per hour when doing so makes the service slower for millions of passenger journeys from larger stations.
 

TheJRB

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What were the reduced times quoted as on the Ramsgate to AShford HS1 services? Is this why so much work has been done in thanet of the last few months/years/decades :lol:

Watching it back again it was Ramsgate to Stratford International that was quoted as being around an hour. The line speed improvements will cost £5 million from the regional growth fund and apparently the whole scheme will be worth around £11 million. Network Rail will be bidding for the improvements at the beginning of the next control period.
 

Bungle73

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I saw they want to cut out Ebbsfleet as a stop on the evening Broadstairs via Faversham trains. I'm not sure what the point is since it makes sod all difference to the journey time.
 
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