A new partnership between Network Rail and regional transport body Transport for the South East aims to encourage people out of their cars as part of a long-term plan to improve rail services, boost capacity and cut carbon emissions.
The memorandum signed by the two organisation sets out a range of common goals that they will work together to achieve. These include better cross-regional train services, schemes to increase network capacity and new journey opportunities, shifting freight from road to rail, wider use of multi-mode smart ticketing and an end to diesel trains on the South East’s railways.
Transport for the South East is the sub-national transport body for our region, bringing together local authorities, business groups and more to speak with one voice on our transport investment priorities. Its thirty-year transport strategy, published this summer, sets out how investment in transport can more than double the South East’s economy, boosting jobs and opportunity, improving quality of life and cutting carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050 at the latest.
Priorities covered by the agreement with Network Rail include exploring options for better cross-regional services including new links between Gatwick Airport and destinations in Kent, improved journeys times along the south coast between Brighton and Southampton and the extension of high speed services from Ashford to the East Sussex coast.
I think we can all think of another better name than “Transport for the South East”…
SouthEastern Transport would be closer and more distinguishable from the Network South East area,
And get Chris Green to run it?
😁