Kent trains reduced for maintenance trial
Network Rail and Southeastern are conducting a new trial
Network Rail and Southeastern are joining forces to conduct a new trial to carry out essential track maintenance and critical safety inspections during the day.
It means trains will be reduced in Kent starting from today (1st July) - services on the Medway Valley line between Strood and Tonbridge/Paddock Wood via Maidstone will operate once an hour during the off-peak schedule.
Services usually run every half an hour.
The train operator said peak time services are not affected.
In a statement Southeastern said: "After careful evaluation, we've selected two routes in Kent for this daylight maintenance trial.
"These routes were chosen to strike the right balance between ensuring we gather valuable insights on the benefits of the trials while minimising the impact to Southeastern customers.
"The hourly service will be able to accommodate all the customers that usually travel during this less busy part of the day.
"Most maintenance takes place late at night after trains have stopped running, but work and visual inspections take longer in the dark.
"Moving some of this work to daylight hours will be safer, help improve efficiency and support the reliability of customer journeys."
The changes will only take place on a weekday for 15 days, until 19 July.
But another trial will take place on the route between Ashford International and Maidstone East from 22 July for 15 days.