Earlier this month at a forum held at Cooden Beach near Bexhill, the Rail Minister and MP for Bexhill and Battle Huw Merriman MP joined representatives from Southern and local community leaders to discuss how they can work together so that the improvements to May’s rail services can be used to their full advantage to support the area’s economy.

This year’s improved summer timetable came about through Southern working closely with rail user groups and other community representatives from the south coast east from Brighton and up to Ashford.

The result of the collaboration was more journey options, better-spaced schedules, better-timed connections for commuters and leisure travellers, and new Sunday services.

The forum was held at The Relais Hotel at Cooden Beach, and among those attending were Kevin Boorman, Marketing and Major Projects Manager for Hastings Borough Council and Chair of the Southeastern Community Rail Partnership’s Marshlink Line Group; Yolanda Laybourne, Chair of Hastings & Rother Rail Users Alliance and Bexhill Rail Action Group, Patrick Verwer, Chief Executive Officer of Govia Thameslink Railway; Councillor Doug Oliver, Leader of Rother District Council; and Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP,

Huw Merriman said: “Rail plays a crucial role in supporting local economies, and the productive and collaborative discussions for maximizing the new and improved rail timetable along the coast were highly encouraging.
“I am committed to ensuring these efforts deliver a more reliable railway for passengers and the wider community.”

Patrick Verwer, Chief Executive Officer of Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said: “We very much value the views and advice of our community representatives and the work they do in partnership with us. These are challenging times financially for the railway, with far fewer people commuting five days a week as a result of the pandemic. Yet there is still much we can do to make the most of the new timetable and promote local areas, by working with the people who live, work and travel here.”

Yolanda Laybourne, Chair of Hastings & Rother Rail Users Alliance, said: “It’s important that the voices of service users are heard. Whilst we may always wish for more, I’m pleased that we’ve been able to obtain timetable improvements already through working in partnership with Southern with a mutual understanding of what can be realistically achieved.”

Doug Oliver, Leader of Rother District Council, said: “I was pleased that GTR/Southern’s stakeholder meeting adopted the same collaborative approach that Rother District Council has taken to discussing and tackling the key issues and opportunities for our community. Through pooling our expertise and resources, we can deliver the priorities of our communities today and tomorrow.”