.gif)
Southeastern (train operating company)
Encyclopedia
London & South Eastern Railway Limited, trading as Southeastern is a train operating company in south-east England
. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee
for the new Integrated Kent Franchise (IKF), replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains
on the former South East Franchise. It serves the commuter routes to south-east London, most of Kent
, and parts of East Sussex
.
, Victoria, Blackfriars
, Cannon Street
, London Bridge
, Waterloo East
and recently St Pancras
. The Southeastern network has a route mileage of 540, with 179 stations. About 70% of its services run to and from London.
It is owned by Govia
, a joint venture between Go-Ahead Group
and Keolis
, which also operates the neighbouring Southern
franchise, which overlaps with Southeastern in some areas. The company's formal name, under which it mounted its bid for the franchise, is London and South Eastern Railway (LSER).
The managing director is Charles Horton, formerly MD of sister company Southern.
of British Rail
, the franchise
to run trains in this area has been held by three different companies. The first company to win the South-Eastern Franchise, on 14 October 1996, was Connex, which operated it under the name Connex South Eastern
. Connex gained a reputation for unreliable services, but it was for "poor financial management" that its franchise was cut short by the Strategic Rail Authority
(SRA) on 9 November 2003. Train services were then taken over by South Eastern Trains
, a wholly owned subsidiary of the SRA/Department for Transport
created for the purpose, until bidding for a new franchise was due. This would see the existing South-Eastern franchise combined with the new high-speed services to be operated on High Speed 1 (formerly known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link) to form a new Integrated Kent Franchise (IKF).
The opening of the second phase of High Speed 1 in November 2007 made available train paths on the traditional network previously used by Eurostar
, allowing Southeastern to increase certain services in December 2007. In December 2008, as part of the franchise agreement, responsibility for the Redhill to Tonbridge Line
was handed over to Southern
. Southeastern high-speed services began full service on 14 December 2009.
In March 2009 the bay platforms at London Blackfriars closed for reconstruction as part of the Thameslink Programme
. Southeastern services previously terminating at Blackfriars, mostly from via the Catford loop
, were extended to Kentish Town, St Albans, Luton or Bedford. As a result of this change, Southeastern now operates these services jointly with First Capital Connect
using 20 dual-voltage Class 319
sets (which remain in FCC livery) as well as newly built Class 377
Electrostars.
Southeastern has three distinct sub-brands: Highspeed (grey), Mainline (green) or Metro (pink) and coloured its network map accordingly.
leave the high-speed line at Ebbsfleet and continue via the North Kent line
and Chatham Main Line
. Trains for Dover Priory
and Margate
leave the high-speed line at Ashford International. A limited peak hour service now also operates between St Pancras and Maidstone West via Ebbsfleet and Strood.
When bidding for the franchise, Southeastern made a point of advertising part-owner SNCF
's experience operating integrated high-speed train services on the French TGV
network. A fleet of 29 six-coach Shinkansen
-derived high-speed 'A-trains' were built in Japan by Hitachi
for this route. Known as Class 395
, this was Hitachi's first train sale in Britain. The colour scheme for the high-speed trains is dark blue. The services are marketed as Southeastern Highspeed and some of the trains are named after British personalities associated with speed.
At the same time there was the largest change to the timetable in the area in 40 years. With the fast trains now travelling over High Speed 1, the Charing Cross to Ashford stopping service was extended to Dover, Canterbury and Ramsgate.
To use the train service over the High Speed 1 section of line generally requires payment of a surcharge.
Southeastern is the key operator for Kent
, and also serves East Sussex
. 'Mainline' services connect central London with Dover
, Folkestone
, Hastings
, Royal Tunbridge Wells
, Ramsgate
, Chatham, Maidstone
and Canterbury
. The backbone fleet on these services is the Electrostar, although the /9 is also used.
In December 2009 Southeastern saw 'Highspeed' trains stopping at 'Mainline' stations, and some longer timings on 'Mainline' services as trains called at more stations. Services to Tonbridge were maintained at six trains per hour off-peak, two per hour going forward to Ashford and beyond, two per hour to Hastings, and two per hour terminating at Tunbridge Wells. With high-speed services reaching Faversham, the half-hourly Victoria to Faversham stopping service was replaced with an hourly service to Gillingham and additional stops on the "fast" services to London Victoria. On the Maidstone East Line, services from London Cannon Street
to via and from London Victoria to Maidstone East and to via Ashford were replaced by a half-hourly Victoria to Ashford service. The Strood to Paddock Wood
service was extended to .
, London Bridge
, London Charing Cross
, London Cannon Street
, London Victoria and . 'Metro' trains serve Greenwich
, , Lewisham
, , , , , , , and , and also run a joint service with First Capital Connect
Thameslink
route with a service from Sevenoaks via to Kentish Town
or further north. Trains change company operation at London Blackfriars. Southeastern runs Electrostar, & Networkers for 'Metro' services, although a Class 375
Electrostar is used on occasion.
On New Year's Eve, some Metro services operate all through the night.
, calling at , Farringdon, City Thameslink and [1] to:
Other services include;
In addition to the above, there are peak-only routes, including:
Notes
shuttle service announced as part of the successful London 2012 Olympic bid
. It is an integral part of the plan to improve public transport in London in readiness for the 2012 Summer Olympics
, an area of the bid that was initially regarded as being poor by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC).
The service will run for the duration of the games, between St Pancras International station
and Ebbsfleet International station
, via Stratford International station
, which is within the planned Olympic Park
. The British Olympic Association
applied to register Javelin as a UK trademark on 19 July 2005 and this was granted on 2 June 2006. The service is to be operated by Southeastern on High Speed 1 using the fleet of Class 395
trains, and because of this the class is sometimes referred to as the Javelin.
At St Pancras there will be interchange with the Underground
and with trains to/from the Midlands
, Scotland, and the North of England
. For track capacity reasons, Eurostar
trains, which have never called at Stratford, will continue not to do so during the games, so spectators arriving from the Continent will change at Ebbsfleet. It is expected that over 80% of Olympic spectators will travel to and from the venues by rail. Services to the Olympic Park
are planned to offer a total capacity of 240,000 travellers per hour, some 25,000 of which will use the Javelin service.
During the Olympics a service of eight trains an hour is planned between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, calling at Stratford, replacing the highspeed service. Two of these would be extended to Ashford and one to Faversham. Between 11pm and 1am the service between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet would be increased to twelve per hour.
in 2018, it is planned that the current off-peak services from Sevenoaks via will be joined by trains from Orpington together with trains from Maidstone East and Paddock Wood via London Bridge. Thameslink services to Dartford, once mooted, are not now thought feasible because of timetabling constraints. Peak-hour trains are planned from Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood via London Bridge together with trains from Maidstone East, Sevenoaks and Orpington via the Catford Loop.
In late 2010 Southeastern increased the price of certain season ticket prices by an average of 7.8%.
In late 2010 the company faced a barrage of criticism for its performance during extreme weather conditions in the south-east of England. Many commuters have indicated that they would like to see Charles Horton MD removed from his post and that the franchise be taken from Southeastern, and there are also allegations that Southeastern deliberately runs reduced services to skew their official performance figures.
s.
dual-voltage units shared with First Capital Connect
(FCC) to operate most services via London Blackfriars as part of the Thameslink programme
. Southeastern operates the service south of Blackfriars, FCC taking over their operation north thereof. This restored services that initially operated when the Thameslink route was opened in the late 1980s. Southeastern will also share some of the 23 new dual-voltage Class 377
units bound for the Thameslink route.
, has allowed Southeastern to withdraw its small fleet of Class 508 EMUs and replace them with Networker stock cascaded from other services.
|-
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. On 1 April 2006 it became the franchisee
Rail franchising in Great Britain
Rail franchising in Great Britain was created by the Railways Act 1993. Passenger services are franchised, for a limited period, to train operating companies...
for the new Integrated Kent Franchise (IKF), replacing the publicly owned South Eastern Trains
South Eastern Trains
South Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006....
on the former South East Franchise. It serves the commuter routes to south-east London, most of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and parts of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
.
Overview
Southeastern serves the main London stations of Charing CrossCharing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
, Victoria, Blackfriars
Blackfriars station
Blackfriars station, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. Its platforms will eventually span the River Thames a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. The current entrance is located on the...
, Cannon Street
Cannon Street station
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
, London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
, Waterloo East
Waterloo East railway station
Waterloo East station, also known as London Waterloo East, is a railway station in central London on the line from through London Bridge to Kent. It is managed by Southeastern and is in Travelcard Zone 1...
and recently St Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
. The Southeastern network has a route mileage of 540, with 179 stations. About 70% of its services run to and from London.
It is owned by Govia
Govia
Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. A joint venture between Go-Ahead and Keolis SA it is a key operator of commuter services in London, the South East and on the West Coast Main Line...
, a joint venture between Go-Ahead Group
Go-Ahead Group
The Go-Ahead Group plc is a rail and bus operating company that was created following the privatisation of the UK's train and bus industries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-Early history:...
and Keolis
Keolis
Keolis is the largest private sector French transport group. It runs passenger railways, tramways, bus networks, funiculars, trolley buses, and airport services. The company, based in Paris, is majority owned by SNCF, the French state rail operator. AXA Private Equity and Caisse de dépôt et...
, which also operates the neighbouring Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
franchise, which overlaps with Southeastern in some areas. The company's formal name, under which it mounted its bid for the franchise, is London and South Eastern Railway (LSER).
The managing director is Charles Horton, formerly MD of sister company Southern.
History of the franchise
Since the privatisationPrivatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was set in motion when the Conservative government enacted, on 19 January 1993, the British Coal and British Rail Act 1993 . This enabled the relevant Secretary of State to issue directions to the relevant Board...
of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
, the franchise
Government-granted monopoly
In economics, a government-granted monopoly is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of...
to run trains in this area has been held by three different companies. The first company to win the South-Eastern Franchise, on 14 October 1996, was Connex, which operated it under the name Connex South Eastern
Connex South Eastern
Connex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group and operated between 14 October 1996 and 9 November 2003. The company operated passenger services in South London and Kent...
. Connex gained a reputation for unreliable services, but it was for "poor financial management" that its franchise was cut short by the Strategic Rail Authority
Strategic Rail Authority
In existence from 2001 to 2006, the Strategic Rail Authority was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry....
(SRA) on 9 November 2003. Train services were then taken over by South Eastern Trains
South Eastern Trains
South Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006....
, a wholly owned subsidiary of the SRA/Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
created for the purpose, until bidding for a new franchise was due. This would see the existing South-Eastern franchise combined with the new high-speed services to be operated on High Speed 1 (formerly known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link) to form a new Integrated Kent Franchise (IKF).
The opening of the second phase of High Speed 1 in November 2007 made available train paths on the traditional network previously used by Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, allowing Southeastern to increase certain services in December 2007. In December 2008, as part of the franchise agreement, responsibility for the Redhill to Tonbridge Line
Redhill to Tonbridge Line
The Redhill to Tonbridge Line is a railway line running from Redhill, Surrey to Tonbridge, Kent in southeast England. It branches off the Brighton Main Line at Redhill station and, after 20 miles, joins the South Eastern Main Line at Tonbridge station....
was handed over to Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
. Southeastern high-speed services began full service on 14 December 2009.
In March 2009 the bay platforms at London Blackfriars closed for reconstruction as part of the Thameslink Programme
Thameslink Programme
The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, is a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London without requiring passengers to change...
. Southeastern services previously terminating at Blackfriars, mostly from via the Catford loop
Catford Loop Line
The Catford Loop Line is a railway line in southeast London. It carries a suburban stopping service from central London to Sevenoaks, and is also a relief route for the Chatham Main Line which conveys passenger trains from London Victoria to the Kent coast...
, were extended to Kentish Town, St Albans, Luton or Bedford. As a result of this change, Southeastern now operates these services jointly with First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
using 20 dual-voltage Class 319
British Rail Class 319
The British Rail Class 319 dual-voltage electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation these services have been operated by Thameslink and...
sets (which remain in FCC livery) as well as newly built Class 377
British Rail Class 377
The Class 377 Electrostar is an electric multiple unit type built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 2001 to present. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 357, 375, 376, 378, and 379, is the most numerous type of EMU built in the post-privatisation period of...
Electrostars.
Southeastern Brands
The London and South Eastern Railway operates under the principal "Southeastern" or "Southeastern Railways" brands. Although it continued to use the logo and livery of its predecessor for its first year of operations, a new company logo was adopted early in 2007; stations and some trains have been repainted in the new corporate colour scheme. The company is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "South Eastern Trains (SET)" due to the similarity in name with the previous operator.Southeastern has three distinct sub-brands: Highspeed (grey), Mainline (green) or Metro (pink) and coloured its network map accordingly.
Highspeed
Southeastern introduced a full timetable of domestic high-speed services branded Southeastern Highspeed over High Speed 1 between and on 13 December 2009, although public preview services had been running since 29 June 2009. High-speed trains use High Speed 1 calling at Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International. Trains from London to the Medway towns and FavershamFaversham railway station
Faversham railway station is on the Chatham Main Line in north Kent, and serves the town of Faversham, 52 miles from London Victoria and 49 miles from London St. Pancras International. Train services are provided by Southeastern. Typical journey times for fastest services to Victoria is 70...
leave the high-speed line at Ebbsfleet and continue via the North Kent line
North Kent Line
The North Kent Line is a railway line which connects central and south east London with Dartford and Medway.-Construction:The North Kent Line was the means by which the South Eastern Railway were able to connect its system to London at London Bridge...
and Chatham Main Line
Chatham Main Line
The Chatham Main Line is a British railway line that runs from either London Victoria to Dover Priory / Ramsgate or London St Pancras to Faversham, with both services travelling via Medway...
. Trains for Dover Priory
Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
and Margate
Margate railway station
Margate railway station serves the town of Margate in Thanet in Kent, England. Train services are provided by Southeastern.Trains from the station generally run to London Victoria via , or to via Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International...
leave the high-speed line at Ashford International. A limited peak hour service now also operates between St Pancras and Maidstone West via Ebbsfleet and Strood.
When bidding for the franchise, Southeastern made a point of advertising part-owner SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
's experience operating integrated high-speed train services on the French TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
network. A fleet of 29 six-coach Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
-derived high-speed 'A-trains' were built in Japan by Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
for this route. Known as Class 395
British Rail Class 395
British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services...
, this was Hitachi's first train sale in Britain. The colour scheme for the high-speed trains is dark blue. The services are marketed as Southeastern Highspeed and some of the trains are named after British personalities associated with speed.
At the same time there was the largest change to the timetable in the area in 40 years. With the fast trains now travelling over High Speed 1, the Charing Cross to Ashford stopping service was extended to Dover, Canterbury and Ramsgate.
To use the train service over the High Speed 1 section of line generally requires payment of a surcharge.
Mainline
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and also serves East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. 'Mainline' services connect central London with Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, Ramsgate
Ramsgate
Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...
, Chatham, Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
and Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
. The backbone fleet on these services is the Electrostar, although the /9 is also used.
In December 2009 Southeastern saw 'Highspeed' trains stopping at 'Mainline' stations, and some longer timings on 'Mainline' services as trains called at more stations. Services to Tonbridge were maintained at six trains per hour off-peak, two per hour going forward to Ashford and beyond, two per hour to Hastings, and two per hour terminating at Tunbridge Wells. With high-speed services reaching Faversham, the half-hourly Victoria to Faversham stopping service was replaced with an hourly service to Gillingham and additional stops on the "fast" services to London Victoria. On the Maidstone East Line, services from London Cannon Street
Cannon Street station
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
to via and from London Victoria to Maidstone East and to via Ashford were replaced by a half-hourly Victoria to Ashford service. The Strood to Paddock Wood
Medway Valley Line
The Medway Valley Line is the name given to the railway line linking and the Medway Towns with and onward to , and London St Pancras International...
service was extended to .
Metro
Southeastern serves south-east and south London, its central stations being London BlackfriarsBlackfriars station
Blackfriars station, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. Its platforms will eventually span the River Thames a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. The current entrance is located on the...
, London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
, London Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station
Charing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
, London Cannon Street
Cannon Street station
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
, London Victoria and . 'Metro' trains serve Greenwich
Greenwich station
Greenwich railway station is about 400 m southwest of the town centre of Greenwich, London, England. It is an interchange between National Rail trains between central London and Dartford , and the Docklands Light Railway between Lewisham to the south and the Docklands area and the City of London...
, , Lewisham
Lewisham station
Lewisham station is a National Rail and Docklands Light Railway station in Lewisham, south east London. It is on the south-east London commuter rail network operated by Southeastern. The Docklands Light Railway station opened in 1999 on a southward extension from Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs...
, , , , , , , and , and also run a joint service with First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
route with a service from Sevenoaks via to Kentish Town
Kentish Town station
Kentish Town station is a London Underground and National Rail station in Kentish Town in the London Borough of Camden. It is at the junction of Kentish Town Road and Leighton Road...
or further north. Trains change company operation at London Blackfriars. Southeastern runs Electrostar, & Networkers for 'Metro' services, although a Class 375
British Rail Class 375
The British Rail Class 375 Electrostar electric multiple unit train was built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 1999 to 2005...
Electrostar is used on occasion.
On New Year's Eve, some Metro services operate all through the night.
Current routes
Current weekday off-peak services. Originating from central London, these services are:, calling at , Farringdon, City Thameslink and [1] to:
-
- SevenoaksSevenoaks railway stationSevenoaks railway station serves the town of Sevenoaks in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.Trains from the station run northbound to London Bridge, Cannon Street , Waterloo East and London Charing Cross via Orpington, to London Blackfriars via Swanley and Catford, and southbound to...
stopping service via CatfordCatford Loop LineThe Catford Loop Line is a railway line in southeast London. It carries a suburban stopping service from central London to Sevenoaks, and is also a relief route for the Chatham Main Line which conveys passenger trains from London Victoria to the Kent coast...
and SwanleySwanley railway stationSwanley railway station is on the Chatham Main Line, and serves the town of Swanley in north Kent, England. Train services are provided by Southeastern. Swanley Station is 17.4 miles from London Victoria....
– 2tph
- Sevenoaks
- Cannon StreetCannon Street stationCannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
to:- Loop service via to , then return via and – 2tph
- Loop service via Greenwich and Woolwich Arsenal to then return via Sidcup – 2tph
- Slade Green via Greenwich and Woolwich Arsenal – 2tph
- via Greenwich and Woolwich Arsenal – 2tph
- via – 2tph
- via – 2tph
- via – 2tph
- Charing CrossCharing Cross railway stationCharing Cross railway station, also known as London Charing Cross, is a central London railway terminus in the City of Westminster, England. It is one of 18 stations managed by Network Rail, and trains serving it are operated by Southeastern...
to:- Dartford via Bexleyheath – 2tph
- Hayes bypassing Lewisham – 2tph
- via Sidcup – 2tph
- GillinghamGillingham (Kent) railway stationGillingham railway station in the town of Gillingham , north Kent, is on the Chatham Main Line between and Rainham stations. Train services are provided by Southeastern....
via Lewisham and Woolwich Arsenal – 2tph - via Grove ParkGrove Park railway stationGrove Park railway station is a railway station in London, England. It is located on Baring Road within Travelcard Zone 4, and serves the areas of Grove Park and Downham in the London borough of Lewisham. The station was opened in 1871. Currently there are five platforms...
– 2tph - via – 2tph
- Tunbridge Wells via Orpington – 2tph
- Dover PrioryDover Priory railway stationDover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
and , dividing at – 1tph - via Canterbury West and Dover Priory dividing at Ashford International – 1tph
- to:
- via and – 2tph
- Dover PrioryDover Priory railway stationDover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
via Ebbsfleet and Ashford – 1tph - via Ebbsfleet, Ashford and Canterbury West – 1tph
- Victoria to:
- Orpington via – 4tph
- Dartford via Bexleyheath – 2tph
- Ramsgate and Dover Priory via Bromley South, dividing at Faversham – 2tph
- GillinghamGillingham (Kent) railway stationGillingham railway station in the town of Gillingham , north Kent, is on the Chatham Main Line between and Rainham stations. Train services are provided by Southeastern....
via Bromley South – 1tph - Ashford via – 2tph
Other services include;
- Grove Park to Bromley North shuttle – 2tph
- Sittingbourne to SheernessSheerness LineThe Sheerness Line connects Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent with Sittingbourne on the mainland, and with the Chatham Main Line for trains to London and elsewhere in Kent. It opened on 19 July 1860....
– 2tph - Tonbridge to Strood via Maidstone WestMedway Valley LineThe Medway Valley Line is the name given to the railway line linking and the Medway Towns with and onward to , and London St Pancras International...
– 1tph - Maidstone West to StroodMedway Valley LineThe Medway Valley Line is the name given to the railway line linking and the Medway Towns with and onward to , and London St Pancras International...
– 1tph
In addition to the above, there are peak-only routes, including:
- London St Pancras to Broadstairs via Chatham
- London St Pancras to Maidstone WestMaidstone West railway stationMaidstone West railway station is one of three railway stations which serve the Town Centre of Maidstone, the County Town of Kent.It lies approximately halfway along the Medway Valley Line from Paddock Wood; from Strood) and train services are provided by Southeastern.- History :Due largely to...
via Gravesend - Cannon Street to Broadstairs /Ramsgate via Chatham
- Bedford to Ashford[1]
Notes
- Worked north of Blackfriars by First Capital ConnectFirst Capital ConnectFirst Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
. Weekend trains terminate at Victoria instead.
Olympic Javelin Shuttle
The Olympic Javelin or Javelin is a planned high-speed trainHigh-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
shuttle service announced as part of the successful London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 was the successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, to be held in London with most events taking place in Stratford, Newham. The British Olympic Association had been working on the bid since 1997...
. It is an integral part of the plan to improve public transport in London in readiness for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, an area of the bid that was initially regarded as being poor by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC).
The service will run for the duration of the games, between St Pancras International station
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
and Ebbsfleet International station
Ebbsfleet International railway station
Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, 10 miles outside the eastern boundary of Greater London, England. It is near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. Ebbsfleet International...
, via Stratford International station
Stratford International station
Stratford International station is a main line railway and Docklands Light Railway station located in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham in northeast London, United Kingdom...
, which is within the planned Olympic Park
Olympic Park, London
The Olympic Park in London is a new sporting complex currently under construction, adjacent to the Stratford City development in Stratford, Bow, Leyton & Homerton in East London for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics....
. The British Olympic Association
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association is the national Olympic committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1905 in the House of Commons, and at that time consisted of seven national governing body members from the following sports: fencing, life-saving, cycling, skating, rowing,...
applied to register Javelin as a UK trademark on 19 July 2005 and this was granted on 2 June 2006. The service is to be operated by Southeastern on High Speed 1 using the fleet of Class 395
British Rail Class 395
British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services...
trains, and because of this the class is sometimes referred to as the Javelin.
At St Pancras there will be interchange with the Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
and with trains to/from the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
, Scotland, and the North of England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
. For track capacity reasons, Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
trains, which have never called at Stratford, will continue not to do so during the games, so spectators arriving from the Continent will change at Ebbsfleet. It is expected that over 80% of Olympic spectators will travel to and from the venues by rail. Services to the Olympic Park
Olympic Park, London
The Olympic Park in London is a new sporting complex currently under construction, adjacent to the Stratford City development in Stratford, Bow, Leyton & Homerton in East London for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics....
are planned to offer a total capacity of 240,000 travellers per hour, some 25,000 of which will use the Javelin service.
During the Olympics a service of eight trains an hour is planned between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, calling at Stratford, replacing the highspeed service. Two of these would be extended to Ashford and one to Faversham. Between 11pm and 1am the service between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet would be increased to twelve per hour.
Thameslink Programme
By the conclusion of the Thameslink ProgrammeThameslink Programme
The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, is a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London without requiring passengers to change...
in 2018, it is planned that the current off-peak services from Sevenoaks via will be joined by trains from Orpington together with trains from Maidstone East and Paddock Wood via London Bridge. Thameslink services to Dartford, once mooted, are not now thought feasible because of timetabling constraints. Peak-hour trains are planned from Tunbridge Wells and Paddock Wood via London Bridge together with trains from Maidstone East, Sevenoaks and Orpington via the Catford Loop.
Ticketing
Oyster Pay-As-You-Go is now available from all Zone 1–6 stations served by the company, apart from journeys on High Speed 1 between St Pancras International and Stratford International.In late 2010 Southeastern increased the price of certain season ticket prices by an average of 7.8%.
Performance
Figures released by the ORR rate punctuality at 90.5% (PPM) over the fourth quarter of financial year 2010/11, and 88.9% moving annual average (MAA) for the 12 months up to 31 March 2011.In late 2010 the company faced a barrage of criticism for its performance during extreme weather conditions in the south-east of England. Many commuters have indicated that they would like to see Charles Horton MD removed from his post and that the franchise be taken from Southeastern, and there are also allegations that Southeastern deliberately runs reduced services to skew their official performance figures.
Rolling stock
Southeastern operates a fleet of about 322 trains, all of which are electrical multiple unitMultiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
s.
Current fleet
Southeastern has, from the 22 March 2009 timetable change, started to operate Class 319British Rail Class 319
The British Rail Class 319 dual-voltage electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches in 1987–88 and 1990. The trains were introduced for new north-south cross-London services from Bedford to Brighton, and since privatisation these services have been operated by Thameslink and...
dual-voltage units shared with First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
(FCC) to operate most services via London Blackfriars as part of the Thameslink programme
Thameslink Programme
The Thameslink Programme, originally Thameslink 2000, is a £6 billion project in south-east England to upgrade and expand the Thameslink rail network to provide new and longer trains between a wider range of stations to the north and to the south of London without requiring passengers to change...
. Southeastern operates the service south of Blackfriars, FCC taking over their operation north thereof. This restored services that initially operated when the Thameslink route was opened in the late 1980s. Southeastern will also share some of the 23 new dual-voltage Class 377
British Rail Class 377
The Class 377 Electrostar is an electric multiple unit type built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 2001 to present. The Electrostar family, which also includes Classes 357, 375, 376, 378, and 379, is the most numerous type of EMU built in the post-privatisation period of...
units bound for the Thameslink route.
| Class | Image | Top speed | Number | Cars per set | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| Class 375 Electrostar British Rail Class 375 The British Rail Class 375 Electrostar electric multiple unit train was built by Bombardier Transportation at their Derby Works, from 1999 to 2005... |
100 | 160 | 147 | 3/4 | Mainline and limited Metro routes. | 1999–2005 | |
| Class 376 Suburban Electrostar British Rail Class 376 The Class 376 Suburban Electrostar is a model of electric multiple-unit passenger train manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. It is part of the Electrostar family, which are the most common EMUs introduced since the privatisation of British Rail... |
75 | 120 | 36 | 5 | Metro routes | 2004–2005 | |
| Class 395 Javelin British Rail Class 395 British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast. The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services... |
 |
140 | 225 | 29 | 6 | High Speed 1 services | 2007–2009 |
| Class 465 Networker British Rail Class 465 The British Rail Class 465 Networker electric multiple units were built by GEC Alsthom and BREL between 1991 and 1993, and by ABB Rail between 1993 and 1994. They were brought into service from 1991 onwards. They are mostly used on suburban routes serving the South East of England, now operated by... |
75 | 120 | 147 | 4 | Metro and limited Mainline routes. | 1991–1994 | |
| Class 466 Networker British Rail Class 466 The Class 466 750 V DC third rail electric multiple unit is a suburban EMU, which operates with Class 465 EMUs in southeast London and Kent on the Southeastern network... |
75 | 120 | 43 | 2 | Metro and limited mainline routes+ metro/mainline branches | 1993–1994 | |
Past fleet
The arrangement with First Capital Connect for the services via Thameslink, coupled with the transfer of some routes to SouthernSouthern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
, has allowed Southeastern to withdraw its small fleet of Class 508 EMUs and replace them with Networker stock cascaded from other services.
| Class | Image | Top speed | Number | Cars per set | Routes operated | Built | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | |||||||
| Class 508/2 British Rail Class 508 The British Rail Class 508 electric multiple units were built by BREL at York works in 1979-80. They were the fourth variety of BR's then-standard 1972 design for suburban EMUs, eventually encompassing 755 vehicles and five classes... |
 |
75 | 120 | 12 | 3 | Rural routes (mainly branches) | 1979–1980 | Withdrawn 2008 |
Diagrams
See also
- South Eastern TrainsSouth Eastern TrainsSouth Eastern Trains was a British train operating company, in public ownership, that provided train services in south east London and South East England from 9 November 2003 to 31 March 2006....
- Connex South EasternConnex South EasternConnex South Eastern was a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It was owned by the Connex Group and operated between 14 October 1996 and 9 November 2003. The company operated passenger services in South London and Kent...
- Network SouthEastNetwork SouthEastNetwork SouthEast was one of three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982. NSE principally operated commuter trains in the London area and inter-urban services in densely populated South East England, although the network reached as far west as Exeter...
- Southern Region of British RailwaysSouthern Region of British RailwaysThe Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
- Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (Great Britain)The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
- South Eastern and Chatham RailwaySouth Eastern and Chatham RailwayThe South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
- South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway (UK)The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
- London, Chatham and Dover RailwayLondon, Chatham and Dover RailwayThe London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
- Commuter rail in the United KingdomCommuter rail in the United KingdomUrban rail, commuter rail, regional rail, or suburban rail, plays a key role in the public transport system of many of the United Kingdom's major cities. Urban rail is defined as a rail service between a central business district and suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a...
External links
- Southeastern official web site
- alwaystouchout.com on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (includes information about the high speed services)
|-