Trains4deal welcomes more last-minute changes for Southeastern's December timetable for PEAK TIME EVENINGS that benefit Deal and Sandwich rail-users:
(1) NEW 1724 from Cannon Street, arr. Deal 1933, Sandwich 1939
This gives a better (but not brilliant) connection at Dover for the 1740 high-speed from St Pancras, reducing your wait at Dover from 46 mins to 25!
It also fills a one hour gap in the Dover - Ramsgate service.
We'll still only have one direct train from Cannon St - see (3) below.
(2) NEW 1821 from Charing Cross, arr. Deal 2019, Sandwich 2025.
By not calling at Marden or Pluckley, this new service will hold the current speed record for the Charing Cross line - London to Deal in 1 hour 58 mins! (shows it can be done!)
(3) 1808 from Cannon St will run via Canterbury instead, but you could catch it , change at London Bridge (or maybe Ashford) onto the new 1821 from Charing Cross, and still get back home at the same time.
These evening changes are additional to the morning peak time changes announced previously. Full details at http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk
WINTER EMERGENCY TIMETABLE
Last winter's snow severely disrupted services on our line.
It was particularly frustrating when snow elsewhere in Kent stopped the Charing Cross trains getting through while the high-speed trains managed to keep running (even on the third rail track).
Trains4deal welcomes Southeastern's plan to run separate services, Charing Cross - Ashford and Ashford - Ramsgate when there's a winter emergency.
We'll press for priority to link our stations with the high-speed services at either Dover or Ramsgate in the vent of serious snoe - so our area isn't left completely stranded.
HAVE YOU ANY COMMENTS?
Trains4deal will be at the Southeastern Stakeholders Forum on 29 November - please send in any issues you want us to raise with Southeastern managers.
OUR CAMPAIGN FOR DIRECT HIGH SPEED TRAINS
Deal County Councillor JULIE ROOK reports that discussions re. a trial of direct high-speed services during the Open Golf next July are "looking good".
KCC is looking at doing an independent survey of passenger satisfaction, an issue raised at the Kent Rail Summit:
The full Kent Rail Summit debate is on-line, together with the presentations from KCC and Southeastern. All are available by clicking the underlined words.
I applaude Trains4Deal's campaign but its just not enough - I commute to London and the only option is Highspeed the focus should be on getting them to stop at Deal rather than pass through with no passengers while I am still sitting at Dover.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is often affected by the 1 hour gap between 18:00 and 19:00 from Ashford to Deal this is good news, no more having to dash out the door at work to catch the 18:00 often leaving stuff undone.
ReplyDeleteGood news. (at last)
Do what I did and move to Ashford, Southeastern have relegated Deal to the non league towns of Kent!
ReplyDelete