Hugh defends rail services

HUGH ROBERTSON MEETS MINISTER OVER RAIL CUTS TO HOLLINGBOURNE AND HARRIETSHAM LINES

Hugh Robertson, the MP for Mid Kent, met the Minister Derek Twigg as part of a joint delegation of Kent MPs and representatives from Maidstone Borough Council to discuss the proposed cuts to rail services to Hollingbourne, Harrietsham and Lenham. The cuts were announced as part of The Strategic Rail Authority’s review into the Integrated Kent Franchise.

The original proposal cut all daytime services to the three village stations. However, after a long campaign of lobbying and public meetings an hourly service has now been restored to the plans – although this still represents a cut from the current two trains an hour service.

During the meeting, Hugh Robertson argued for the retention of the existing service levels on two grounds:

1. Hollingbourne, Harrietsham and Lenham have all suffered considerably from the effects of the M20 and CTRL on the promise of better transport links. It would thus be totally wrong to cut their existing service levels.

2. The usage figures on which the cuts were based are wrong. As an example, huge numbers of schoolchildren, possibly up to 5000 use the line to get to and from school but they do not always appear in the figures.

Hugh said: “This was an extremely valuable opportunity to put our case directly to the Minister. He has promised to write back with answers to the points I put so I will await his answers with interest.”