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Maidstone East Line: Standards

Asked by Tom TugendhatConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 19 March 2026UIN 120388

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to increase capacity on the Maidstone East line.

Answered by Keir Mather

Southeastern (SET) have plans to improve services, increase capacity and reduce crowding to/from Maidstone East from May 2026. These include the reintroduction of Mainline services to London Blackfriars at peak times from Maidstone East; additional services between Charing Cross and Maidstone East on weekdays; and more off-peak services between London Victoria and Ashford International via Maidstone East.

SET are also exploring further options for the December 2026 timetable.

SET are always exploring the possibility of providing extra capacity where needed. This is not always feasible due to a variety of reasons, including platform lengths, rolling stock availability and funding considerations.

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