London and South East
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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.
Click Rail investment planning for information on Network Rail, the ORR and the DfT planning and funding a bigger better railway.
~ Second non-statutory consultation by East West Rail Company. Closing 9 June 2021.
~ Possible move of Great Northern 'Inner' Services to TfL - An open letter from Railfuture on Passenger & Taxpayer needs (September 2020): Display or Download.
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.
There was a regional branch meeting on Saturday 17 April 2021 on the theme Re-growing our railway. We were joined by guest speakers Linda McCord from Transport Focus, Alex Hellier and Mike Smith from Network Rail, and Steve White from GTR. It was held online from 11.00, and concluded with the brief formalities of an AGM. See our advance background briefing here, and the formal AGM agenda and reports here.
Annual nominations for Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and up to six other members to be elected to the branch committee for 2021 closed in February; there was no ballot.
Branch Standing Orders can be viewed here, or downloaded here (626Kb).
The 2020 AGM was NOT held on Saturday 25th April 2020 as planned. Our venue, as in 2019, would have been Wesley's Chapel, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU, a short walk south from Old Street station, and is also well-served by bus routes.
The 2019 AGM was held after lunch on Saturday 27th April 2019. View or download the Agenda, and all reports for 2018 including Minutes of the 2018 AGM, separately viewable or downloadable. It was preceded by an open morning session on rail access to London's airports, with guest speakers Steve Costello from Heathrow Southern Railway (view presentation) and Transport for London's Aviation Strategy Lead Shamal Ratnayaka (view presentation).
All other known rail user groups in our regional branch area can be viewed here (August 2020).
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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 here to view our Manifesto for Rail for the 2021 London Mayoral and Assembly Elections on 6 May. We think (1) Focus on delivery; (2) Be flexible; (3) Make best use if what we have got; and (4) Plan for the future.
- Click here to view our latest quarterly branch newsletter railse issue no.151 March 2021.
- Click here to view our latest monthly branch e-newsletter inter-railse issue no.34 April 2021.
- Click here to view or download any of our quarterly branch newsletters railse since July 2010, and our monthly branch e-newsletters inter-railse since July 2018.
- Email roger.blake at railfuture.org.uk to subscribe to the monthly inter-railse.
- See too details of our local Branch Twitter feed.
- See also the quick-reference dashboards of all branch quarterly newsletters since July 2010, and all monthly e-newsletters since July 2018.
Current campaigns
Our primary campaigns are for:- Uckfield - Lewes reinstating a rail link to Bridge the gap between Uckfield and Lewes and enable residents of the Weald to travel to reach jobs and education in Brighton & Hove to support economic growth and spread prosperity in the county, create an additional route between London and the South Coast to help relieve the Brighton Main Line, and pave the way for Thameslink 2. Development of a new garden community in the area served by the line would both meet the need for new homes to satisfy Brighton's growing employment market, and justify reinstating the railway between Uckfield and Lewes to serve it.
- 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, and comprehensive route upgrade for two all-day/every-day services (an hourly all-stations stopping service and an hourly 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 Rail investment planning for information on Network Rail, the ORR and the DfT planning and funding a bigger better railway.
Current consultations
~ Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's consultation on the pre-submission Local Plan. Closing 4 June 2021.~ Second non-statutory consultation by East West Rail Company. Closing 9 June 2021.
~ Possible move of Great Northern 'Inner' Services to TfL - An open letter from Railfuture on Passenger & Taxpayer needs (September 2020): Display or Download.
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.
Whats on
Railfuture and other local, regional and national events, including conferences, and some key rail dates.There was a regional branch meeting on Saturday 17 April 2021 on the theme Re-growing our railway. We were joined by guest speakers Linda McCord from Transport Focus, Alex Hellier and Mike Smith from Network Rail, and Steve White from GTR. It was held online from 11.00, and concluded with the brief formalities of an AGM. See our advance background briefing here, and the formal AGM agenda and reports here.
Annual nominations for Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and up to six other members to be elected to the branch committee for 2021 closed in February; there was no ballot.
Branch Standing Orders can be viewed here, or downloaded here (626Kb).
The 2020 AGM was NOT held on Saturday 25th April 2020 as planned. Our venue, as in 2019, would have been Wesley's Chapel, 49 City Road, London, EC1Y 1AU, a short walk south from Old Street station, and is also well-served by bus routes.
The 2019 AGM was held after lunch on Saturday 27th April 2019. View or download the Agenda, and all reports for 2018 including Minutes of the 2018 AGM, separately viewable or downloadable. It was preceded by an open morning session on rail access to London's airports, with guest speakers Steve Costello from Heathrow Southern Railway (view presentation) and Transport for London's Aviation Strategy Lead Shamal Ratnayaka (view presentation).
L and SE rail user groups
includes the following 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 (August 2020).
Community Rail Partnerships and Station Adoption Groups
in and around the London and South East region including:- Abbey Line CRP - 2nd prize in 2017 Community Rail Awards
- Beds & Herts CRP - NEW! Inaugural meeting held January 2019, official launch in June 2019.
- Darent Valley CRP - NEW! Launched 1st September 2019.
- Essex & South Suffolk CRP - three lines in our regional branch area. A 3rd prize in 2019 Community Rail Awards.
- Hounslow and Richmond CRP on Twitter
- Kent CRP - Two 3rd prizes in 2019 Community Rail Awards.
- Marston Vale CRP
- New River Line CRP (also on Twitter)
- Southeast Communities Rail Partnership - now eight lines in our regional branch area. A 2nd and a 3rd prize in 2019 Community Rail Awards.
- Surrey Hills to South Downs CRP
- West Anglia CRP - 1st prize in 2017 Community Rail Awards - view press release.
Heritage Railways
in and around the London and South East region, including those with mainline interchange:- Bluebell Railway into East Grinstead since March 2013
- Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway at Princes Risborough from 15 August 2018
- East Kent Railway at Shepherdswell
- Epping Ongar Railway at Epping
- Rother Valley Railway at Robertsbridge with link under construction to join Kent & East Sussex Railway at Bodiam
- Lavender Line on a future reopened mainline between Uckfield and Lewes!
- Mid-Hants Railway The Watercress Line at Alton
- Spa Valley Railway at Eridge since March 2011
Train Operating Company liaison - Railfuture representatives
London & South East operators:- Chiltern Railways
- c2c
- Docklands Light Railway
- Gatwick Express (see GTR)
- Govia Thameslink Railway
- Great Northern (see GTR)
- Great Western Railway
- Greater Anglia
- Heathrow Connect (see TfL Rail)
- Heathrow Express (see GWR)
- London Northwestern Railway (see WMT)
- London Overground
- London Trams
- London Underground
- Southern (see GTR)
- Southeastern
- South Western Railway
- Thameslink (see GTR)
- TfL Rail
- West Midlands Trains
Passenger representative groups
- London TravelWatch 'the voice of London's transport users' whose geographical remit extends beyond the GLA boundary - see map of LTW area
- Transport Focus 'putting passengers first'
Other regional and sub-national authorities
- England's Economic Heartland
- Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) eg South East, Coast to Capital
- Transport for London (TfL)
- Transport for the South East (TfSE) - see three presentations from each of three Transport Forum stakeholder Working Groups in 2019 on draft Transport Strategy 2050: January introduction to TfSE, January workshop, January summary notes; May workshop, May Future of Mobility, May summary notes; July workshop, July Thematic studies, July summary notes.
Branch contacts
- Branch Vice-Chairman: roger.blake at railfuture.org.uk
- Branch Liaison Director: chris.page at railfuture.org.uk
- Branch newsletters - quarterly railse and monthly inter-railse - editorial group: londonandsoutheast at railfuture.org.uk
Neighbouring branches
- East Anglia (and older website at East Anglia)
- East Midlands
- Thames Valley
- Wessex
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