| More trains to be added in two Southeastern timetable boosts, from 17 May 2026 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:18, 5th April 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
More trains to be added in two timetable boosts
The new timetable begins on 17 May, with some trains re-introduced as well as new services operating
Passengers travelling on Southeastern Railway will benefit from two major timetable boosts in 2026, the operator says.
Serving Kent, East Sussex and parts of Greater London, it said changes beginning on 17 May would see trains re-introduced to the timetable, including peak-hour services between London Blackfriars and Gillingham/Maidstone East.
Additional trains on weekdays would also be added between Maidstone East and London Charing Cross where there are gaps in the service, as well as additional services between Canterbury West and St Pancras on weekdays and Saturday mornings on the High Speed route.
A Southeastern spokesperson said this was the "first step in a bigger transformation". The improvements are intended to support the growing railway in the South East and provide customers with more choice and opportunity to travel, said the company.
In December, Southeastern will significantly expand its metro timetable, with trains running on a "turn up and go" basis.
Southeastern said that on all metro routes, excluding the Bromley North line, trains would run every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday. It added that a Maidstone East - London Charing Cross service would operate hourly on Sundays, as well as an increase in services on the Sheerness branch, providing two trains per hour all day, seven days per week.
Scott Brightwell, the safety, planning & performance director at Southeastern, said: "We continually listen to our customers and monitor travel patterns to adjust and improve our timetable every May and December. In previous timetable updates we have added more services, more capacity where it is needed and more consistent departure times too."
Passengers are advised to check timetables for the timings of extra services, as well as their normal trains, as some have been amended to support better performance.
The new timetable begins on 17 May, with some trains re-introduced as well as new services operating
Passengers travelling on Southeastern Railway will benefit from two major timetable boosts in 2026, the operator says.
Serving Kent, East Sussex and parts of Greater London, it said changes beginning on 17 May would see trains re-introduced to the timetable, including peak-hour services between London Blackfriars and Gillingham/Maidstone East.
Additional trains on weekdays would also be added between Maidstone East and London Charing Cross where there are gaps in the service, as well as additional services between Canterbury West and St Pancras on weekdays and Saturday mornings on the High Speed route.
A Southeastern spokesperson said this was the "first step in a bigger transformation". The improvements are intended to support the growing railway in the South East and provide customers with more choice and opportunity to travel, said the company.
In December, Southeastern will significantly expand its metro timetable, with trains running on a "turn up and go" basis.
Southeastern said that on all metro routes, excluding the Bromley North line, trains would run every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday. It added that a Maidstone East - London Charing Cross service would operate hourly on Sundays, as well as an increase in services on the Sheerness branch, providing two trains per hour all day, seven days per week.
Scott Brightwell, the safety, planning & performance director at Southeastern, said: "We continually listen to our customers and monitor travel patterns to adjust and improve our timetable every May and December. In previous timetable updates we have added more services, more capacity where it is needed and more consistent departure times too."
Passengers are advised to check timetables for the timings of extra services, as well as their normal trains, as some have been amended to support better performance.
