Kent County Council has put in a very thorough response to the Department for Transport (DfT)'s consultation on the new South Eastern rail franchise, which closes today. The new franchise to run services in the County will come into effect in December next year.
The response is very wide-ranging, covering some matters that are very remote from Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley, such as a Thanet Parkway Station, but also some that are very close to home. Overall, KCC emphasises the need for enhanced services, including more space on trains, to meet the needs of the County's rapidly rising population. There is support for a DfT proposal for stock to be transferred from Thameslink (which is itself taking on new stock) to the South Eastern services to enhance capacity.
Otford Station is among those picked out as requiring enhanced connectivity, in particular to Sevenoaks and to Maidstone East. Otford is also highlighted as one of the stations in need of enhanced parking capacity.
KCC has also worked with and promotes the proposals from the Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association, for Sevenoaks to have a special status (similar to that of Watford junction) in relation to the London zonal fares, integrated with them but set by the Train Operating Company rather than by Transport for London. It also urges consideration of including the Darent Valley stations between Sevenoaks and Swanley in the scheme.
You can find a press release summarising KCC's response here, and the full document here.
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