Press Releases for 2004

MORE RURAL RAIL CUTS

25th November 2004

Secretary of State for Transport, Alastair Darling, is planning another attack upon rural rail services. In addition to planned cuts for many village services in Kent, Sittingbourne-Sheerness and Paddock Wood-Strood rail services are at risk(1). However, the Community Rail Development Strategy does offer some hope of community rail partnerships to help retain some services(2). Dr Hazel Dawe comments:

"It appears that having High Speed Rail Services in Kent will come at the price of services to small communities in the County. As the Rail Passengers Committee said in its annual report: 'The benefits for a few of the high-speed services are plain, but the cost for a larger number of passengers is too high.(3)

"Rapid expansion of population in Kent means a lot more traffic if we do not have first class rail and bus services throughout Kent and Medway (4). The Government's enthusiasm for urbanising Kent has to be accompanied by a determined effort to secure integrated transport throughout Kent. At present, we do not even have a resolution of the issue of bicycles on the new trains. The Green Party urges people to write to their MPs to demand extra resources for public transport in Kent, and to ask them to fight to keep rail services for Kent's smaller communities." ENDS c216 words

FURTHER INFORMATION: Dr Hazel Dawe, Campaigns Officer, Kent Green Party, on 01233 645167 or 07747 036192. Contact address as above. More releases: see www.kentgreenparty.org.uk

Notes:

1. Alastair Darling's plans for Rural Rail cuts are at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pns/displaypn.cgi?pn_id=2004_0141
2. Railfuture (the Railway Development Society) has made a response to the plans: http://www.railfuture.org.uk/tiki-read_article.php?articleld=913
3. Rail Passengers Committee, Southern England: Annual report 2003-2004. See report at: http://www.railpassengers.org.uk/Southern p.12
4. As predicted in a recent Institute for Public Policy Report.

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