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Kent route

Kent is one of the busiest and most congested routes in the country, carrying over 2,600 trains every weekday.

The railway in Kent and South East London is vital to the economic prosperity of the region, serving many markets and communities including commuters in and out of London and linking major towns and cities such as Canterbury, Ashford and Dover.

The route also serves channel routes to Europe and has the UK’s first domestic high-speed service, with high volumes of freight traffic, while also transporting large numbers of leisure travellers to the Kent coast and other tourist destinations.

We’re investing a record £1.25 billion throughout CP6 – our five-year funding period which runs until 2024 – to replace old equipment with new, more reliable technology to improve journeys for passengers as part of our South East Upgrade Plan.

Main railway lines

  • South Eastern Mainline from London Charing Cross to Dover Priory via Tonbridge and Ashford.
  • Chatham Mainline from London Victoria to Dover Priory and Ramsgate via Chatham.
  • Network Rail High Speed Ltd. maintains and operates High Speed 1 from St Pancras International to Folkestone.

Safety

We work closely with local communities to promote safety by the railway. Find out more on our community safety page.

Projects in Kent

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