Media centre

Thursday 21 Nov 2013

Record investment in Kent and Sussex routes as Network Rail publishes its half-year results

Region & Route:

| Southern

Figures released today show record levels of investment have been made in Kent and Sussex as part of the ongoing work to provide a better railway in Britain.

More than £440m - almost £2.5m a day - was invested by Network Rail between 1 April and 31 October 2013 in Kent and Sussex to transform stations, improve safety and increase the reliability of the infrastructure.

The investment has delivered a range of improvements for passengers including longer platforms; better access with new lifts at stations; improved information systems with stations; footbridges at level crossings to improve safety; and track and power upgrades to provide better, more reliable journeys.

Network Rail’s half-year results show a total of £2.74bn was invested in the railway across Britain – an increase of 33% on the same period last year and 53% higher than four years ago.

Dave Ward, route managing director for London and the south east, said: "The railway across Kent and Sussex continues to experience growth and we are responding to that demand through the biggest sustained investment programme since Victorian times.

“We are squeezing all we can out of the existing network and continue to invest record amounts to deliver a better railway for passengers. We are also driving down the cost of running the railway to help make it more efficient and affordable in the years ahead. We will continue to invest in and improve the network so we can provide passengers with the best possible level of service.”

Over the past six months improvements made across the Kent route include:

• £150m spent as part of the redevelopment of London Bridge station and the Thameslink Programme
• £90m spent on track, signalling and other renewals across the route
• £60m invested in infrastructure enhancements including £35m on upgrades to power supplies
• Planning permission granted and preparation work started for a new £25m station in Rochester*
• £4.3m of Access for All improvements unveiled at Denmark Hill station*
• Work started on the £19m regeneration of Gravesend station*
• £7m of investment unveiled at Dartford station*
• Long term vegetation management plan implemented to help reduce the impact of leaf fall on the railway

Over the past six months improvements made across the Sussex route include:

• The completion of the regeneration of Brighton station, a £5m project funded by Department for Transport and Network Rail
• The completion of the £22m Three Bridges route operating centre
• A new £2.7m footbridge and improvements at Fishbourne level crossing near Chichester
• £20m invested at East Croydon station for a new footbridge and concourse improvements
• £4m Access for All improvements at Thornton Heath station
• Significant preparation works ahead of improvements in the route to be completed over Christmas 2013 including: £53m improvements at Gatwick Airport station including platform extensions; £20m resignalling project at Victoria station; £9m junction replacement at Stoats Nest to improve reliability *
• £1.7m Access for All improvements at Hassocks station

Across Kent and Sussex routes £107.9m has been spent lengthening platforms at 59 stations to provide additional capacity for passengers travelling in and out of London. The work is part of Network Rail’s commitment to help increase capacity and provide more space for passengers on some of the busiest routes in the country. Much of this work has taken place within the last six months as part of investment in capacity improvements across London and the south east.*

In Kent, £63.3m has been invested to lengthen platforms at 39 stations. In Sussex, £44.6m has been invested to lengthen platforms at 20 stations.

Work continues on the Thameslink Programme and both routes will benefit from the £6.6bn investment which will transform rail travel across London and the south east. From 2018, up to 24 trains an hour will run through central London to and from destinations on the Kent and Sussex routes, linking with places north of London including Cambridge, Peterborough, Bedford and Luton Airport.