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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 - most recent issue no.142 December 2018 - and also our NEW monthly branch e-newsletter inter-railse - see no.8 February 2019. Email roger.blake at railfuture.org.uk to subscribe.
See the LSE dashboard for all quarterly branch newsletters since July 2010.
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 East Sussex coast towns and the Weald and London.
  • Marshlink improved services, with quicker connections at Ashford International station with HS1 services (secured since May and December 2018 timetable changes), new track connection with HS1 at Ashford International (initially for potential cross-platform connections with London-bound HS1 services), and comprehensive route upgrade for two hourly all-day/every-day services (an all-stations stopping service and a limited-stop service) including line-speed increases, Rye passing loop extended to create dynamic loop, and then through high-speed services between London St. Pancras International and Rye, Hastings, St. Leonards-on-Sea, 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 and Great Eastern main 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

~ Hertfordshire County Council: A414 Corridor Strategy. Closes Saturday 23 February.
~ City of London Corporation: draft City Plan 2036. Closes Thursday 28 February.
~ East West Rail Company: non-statutory consultation on five options for Central Section route between Bedford and Cambridge. Closes Monday 11 March.
~ South Downs National Park Authority: Main Modifications to Local Plan. Closes Thursday 28 March 2019.
~ DfT: Extending Pay-As-You-Go ticketing. Closes Wednesday 1 May.
~ DfT: 'Call for evidence' on Light Rail - how to better use and implement light rail and other rapid transit solutions in cities and towns. Closes Sunday 19 May 2019.
~ DfT: 'Call for evidence' to Williams Rail Review. Closes Friday 31 May.
~ ORR: Market Review into rail compensation claims companies. Published 20 November 2018 but 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.

What's on

Railfuture and other local, regional and national events, including conferences, and some key rail dates.

Photo by www.prickettandellis.com/whats-story-alexandra-palace-railway-station/
Come and meet us at our stand at the London Festival of Railway Modelling on 23/24 March. The original station at Alexandra Palace. Photo by Prickett and Ellis - click the link for the story of its conversion to community use and historic photos.

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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