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London and South East

Area

The regional branch covers London and most of the Home Counties:
Bedfordshire (now Luton, Bedford, and Central Bedfordshire unitary authorities), south Essex (including Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock unitary authorities), Hertfordshire, Kent (including Medway unitary authority), Surrey, East and West Sussex (other than south-west Sussex, which is overseen by Wessex branch) City of Brighton & Hove unitary authority, and Greater London.
Because of its size, the regional branch also has several local, largely county-based, divisions.

Local Divisions

Just click on the green links, here and below, for further information including details of Division meetings open to all:-
  • Eastern - south Essex and north-east & east London
  • Kent - including south-east London
  • London Metro - TfL zonal area plus Mayor's 'rail boundary'.
  • Herts and Beds - Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire
  • Surrey - including south-west London
  • Sussex and Coastway - East Sussex, Brighton & Hove, West Sussex, and South Downs National Park

Branch news

Click above to view or download our quarterly branch newsletter railse since July 2010 - most recent issue December 2018.
Also, our NEW monthly branch e-newsletter inter-railse - see no.5 November 2018. Email roger.blake at railfuture.org.uk to subscribe.
See too details of our local Branch Twitter feed.

Current campaigns

Our primary campaigns are for:
  • Uckfield - Lewes re-instate missing link to 'Bridge the gap' for through services via Lewes between Brighton and Sussex coast towns and the Weald and London.
  • Marshlink improved services, including quicker connections at Ashford International station with HS1 services, connection with HS1 at Ashford International initially for cross-platform connections with London-bound HS1 services, and route upgrade including line-speed increases, Rye passing loop extended to create dynamic loop, and then through high-speed services between St. Pancras International and Rye, Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea, and Eastbourne.
  • A new Thameslink 2 metro route between East Croydon, Docklands and North London via tunnel between East Croydon and Addiscombe, the Hayes branch, and tunnel between Lewisham, Canary Wharf and Stratford, connecting to the West Anglia, Great Eastern, and North London lines.
Click current campaigns for other campaigns in our branch area.

Click Rail investment planning for information on Network Rail, the ORR and the DfT planning and funding a bigger better railway.

Current consultations

~ Network Rail: Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme. Closes Monday 17 December.
~ TfL: Sutton Link. Closes Sunday 6 January.
~ Gatwick Airport: Draft Master Plan. Closes Thursday 10 January 2019.
~ City of London Corporation: draft Transport Strategy. See background. Closes Sunday 13 January 2019.
~ ORR: Implementing infrastructure cost charges for open access operators. Closes Monday 14 January 2019.
~ ORR: draft Guidance on the Economic Equilibrium Test (for open access operators). Closes Monday 14 January 2019.
~ ORR: Improving Assisted Travel:- changes to guidance for train and station operators on Disabled People’s Protection Policy. Closes Friday 18 January 2018.
~ DfT: Rail Review. Closes Friday 18 January 2018.
~ ORR: Approach to assessing the quality of Network Rail’s stakeholder engagement in CP6. Closes Friday 25 January 2019.
~ ORR: Holding Network Rail to account policy. Closes Friday 25 January 2019.
~ City of London Corporation: draft City Plan 2036. Closes Thursday 28 February 2019.
~ ORR: Market Review into rail compensation claims companies. No specific closing date.
Comments, responding to the consultation questions asked, to Branch Vice-Chairman roger.blake at railfuture.org.uk
View or download our responses to recent and previous consultations in Consultation responses.

Events and Rail dates

Railfuture and other regional and national events, including conferences, and key campaign dates.

The 2019 AGM will be held on Saturday 27th April 2019. Our venue will be Wesley's Chapel, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU. It's a short walk south from Old Street station, and is also well-served by bus routes.
Click to view or download the Minutes of the 2018 AGM.

Nominations for Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and up to six other members of the branch committee closed; nomination forms, returnable by Saturday 19th January 2019 as instructed on the form, viewable here and downloadable here (420kb).

Branch Standing Orders can be viewed here, or downloaded here (626Kb).

The 2018 AGM was held on Saturday 28 April 2018. The open morning meeting had a Light Rail theme and included speakers on a Lower Thames Crossing KenEx Thames Transit (view the presentation here), on Cambridge Connect, and from UK Tram (view the presentation here). Now view or download the Agenda, and all reports for 2017 including the Minutes of the 2017 AGM.

The 2017 AGM was held on Saturday 29 April. View or download (908Kb) the Agenda, and all reports for 2016 including the Minutes of the 2016 AGM.
It was preceded by an open meeting for members and guests, with guest speakers from Heathrow Southern Railway (view the presentation here) and Windsor Link Railway (view the presentation here), and a presentation from Network Rail on Western Rail Access to Heathrow.
Venue: University of Westminster's Cavendish campus, 115 New Cavendish Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6UW.

The 2016 Branch AGM was held in central London on 23 April 2016, again at the University of London's International Hall, Lansdowne Terrace, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1AS, a short walk from Russell Square station.
In anticipation of elections on 5 May for a new Mayor of London, and for seats on the Greater London Assembly, we published a Rail Manifesto for London.

The 2015 AGM was held on 25 April at the University of London's International Hall, Lansdowne Terrace, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1AS.
Our morning session featured the Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies and due to report on its recommendations later in summer 2015, and the three short-listed options for expanding capacity at either Heathrow (two options) or Gatwick. Our guest speakers were:
Simon Earles, Head of Surface Access Strategy for Heathrow Airport,
Steven Costello, Director for Heathrow Hub Ltd, and
Hugh Sumner, Senior Transport Advisor for Gatwick Airport.

The 2014 AGM was held on 26 April 2014. It was preceded by an open morning meeting on the themes of the value of heritage lines to their localities and developing links between heritage lines and the classic network. Speakers were Railfuture member Chris Austin OBE Secretary to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail which in July 2013 published a report 'the Value of Heritage Railways', and Graham Baldwin General Manager of Kent & East Sussex Railway celebrating their 40th anniversary. The Annual General Meeting followed after lunch.

The 2013 AGM was held on 20 April 2013. The morning branch members' meeting heard speakers David Blackall, Deputy Director, Thameslink Programme, DfT; Andrew Hutton, Lead Development Manager, London Bridge station, Network Rail; Councillor Mark Gettleson, Southwark Council. The Annual General Meeting followed after lunch.

L and SE rail user groups

includes the following 22 groups affiliated to Railfuture, with benefits including access to Railfuture's Fighting Fund.


All other known rail user groups in our regional branch area can be viewed here.

Community Rail Partnerships and Station Adoption Groups

in and around the London and South East region including:
under the auspices of the national Association of Community Rail Partnerships ACoRP - 'engaging communities in their railways' - with support from the Department for Transport and Network Rail (previous website) and now (current website).

Heritage Railways

in and around the London and South East region, including those with mainline interchange:
See also Preserved lines as public transport

Train Operating Company liaison - Railfuture representatives

London & South East operators:
Long-distance operators serving London and the South East:

Passenger representative groups

Branch Contacts

Neighbouring branches

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