Southeastern awards £400,000 to new community rail schemes across Kent and East Sussex

Five new community rail schemes will be funded on the Southeastern network as part of its recent Direct Award contract, announced by the Department for Transport in March.

The £400,000 funding pot has been made available over two years, to help roll out community rail activity to more areas across Kent and East Sussex.

The Sussex Community Rail Partnership has been awarded funding to expand its activity to current and new community rail lines.

The partnership covers all stations on the Hastings to Tonbridge line, including St Leonards Warrior Square, West St Leonards, Crowhurst, Battle, Robertsbridge, Etchingham, Stonegate, Wadhurst, Frant, Tunbridge Wells and High Brooms.

It aims to achieve enhanced services through community activity at stations, improving usage, accessibility, the environment and safety.

Tim Barkley, chairman of the Sussex Community Rail Partnership, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the Hastings line to our portfolio.

“We already have a group on the Marshlink line, between Hastings and Ashford, and look forward to working with Southeastern and communities along the route to connect them to their local railway line.

“It has been difficult during the past few months, but we are keen to promote public transport again, which in the long run we know is better for all of us.”

Chris Vinson, senior external communications manager at Southeastern, said: “Community Rail Partnerships enrich the communities along the railway lines they adopt, helping to support tourism in the areas they serve, sprucing up stations with gardens and helping vulnerable groups volunteer and make a contribution to the local community.

“We’re delighted that this funding will now ensure that the benefits of community rail go even further across our network.”

Jools Townsend, chief executive, Community Rail Network, said: “Community rail is all about helping communities to get the most from their local railways and stations, advising railway partners on putting local needs at the forefront, and bringing people together.

“This work is so important right now – to help communities recover and ‘build back better’ from Covid-19, and to ensure everyone can get around sustainably. We’re excited to see this investment in community rail from Southeastern, and looking forward to working with them and communities across their network.”

Funding was awarded to current and prospective community rail partnerships after Southeastern ran a bidding process open to all organisations which wanted to run community projects at their local stations.

Proposed schemes were asked to promote sustainable travel, bring together local communities and promote social wellbeing and economic development.

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