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Monday 8 Sep 2025

First-of-a-kind agreement between the South Eastern Railway and East Kent Railway will work towards re-introduction of freight trains

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Kent

A new agreement will allow for redundant railway materials and equipment from the mainline network to be donated from the South Eastern Railway to the East Kent Railway, marking the first agreement of its kind in Kent as the railway prepares to mark its 200th anniversary.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the South Eastern Railway (SER) and the East Kent Railway (EKR), a heritage line, sharing redundant railway assets from the mainline railway, facilities and volunteer time – and working towards re-establishing freight trains on the EKR for the first time since 1987.

At a short ceremony at Shepherds Well station on Friday 5 September, the South Eastern Railway confirmed its intention to donate railway materials including rails and sleepers, as well as other items no longer needed for the mainline railway to help the East Kent Railway maintain its own infrastructure and develop its services.

In return, the East Kent Railway will provide the South Eastern Railway with the use of its facilities, which are already used from time to time when spaces are needed off the mainline network, such as for training.

The signing marks the first such agreement in Kent between the publicly-owned South Eastern Railway, in which track and train come have come together as the Government moves towards Great British Railways, and a volunteer-led heritage railway – the East Kent Railway.

Under the agreement, both organisations will also work together to explore opportunities for the re-establishment of commercial freight traffic over the East Kent Railway, helping to deliver ‘modal shift’ in the East Kent area to address Government rail freight growth targets.   

With local support, the agreement will aim to secure third-party funding to reconnect the East Kent Railway to the national network for the first time since 1987, using the South Eastern Railway’s own engineering expertise to make it a reality.

David Davidson, chief operating officer for the South Eastern Railway, said: “Wherever we can, we will work with heritage railways across our network to forge a new partnership so that materials that would otherwise be recycled elsewhere to be re-used can find a new purpose.

“In turn, the East Kent Railway also has some excellent facilities which, because they are separate from the mainline network, provide the perfect opportunity for our colleagues to contribute to the local community.

“Working together through this memorandum of understanding provides a clear framework and we are excited about the possibilities it brings, not only to the South Eastern and East Kent Railways, but to wider society and the potential to support economic growth in East Kent. And, what better time to do it than in 2025, the bicentenary of the railway.”

Matthew Plews, general manager of the East Kent Railway Trust, said: "The East Kent Railway is delighted to enter into this Memorandum of Understanding with our friends at the South Eastern Railway. There is a great deal of scope for cooperation between the national rail network and heritage railways. This agreement provides a framework for a deeper collaboration which will benefit us both, both in the short term and into the future."

The two organisations will also explore marketing opportunities at Southeastern stations and on its website, as well as the potential adoption of Shepherds Well station, which links the mainline with the East Kent Railway.