I believe local residents should be able to communicate their needs and concerns directly to Government to get changes which improve their lives. This is why each year I hold a transport summit, where residents of our towns can hear from and speak directly to our rail providers, representatives from the Department for Transport, and their local MPs. I am clear that transport services to our towns are in need of work and whilst progress has been made, we still have a lot more to achieve. People from our towns must be aware that I will take their concerns from surgeries, meetings, and letters to the heart of Government and the organisations who can make their local services better.
Since 2010, we have seen the launch of better transport connections with the Javelin at Ashford International seeing journeys reach London in under 90 minutes, the launch of a new 4 car electric service between Ore and Brighton, and of course the introduction of an express service with fewer stops which many constituents refer to as the Amber Rudd Seaside Express! I’m pleased with these improvements, but the local rail services are simply not good or reliable enough for local residents. This is why I have been keeping pressure on the franchise holders to make improvements and ensure my residents do not continue to experience delays.
In 2020, we have more improvements on their way with a new designated services from Hastings and Ore to Gatwick Airport and Croydon. Looking to 2021 and beyond, we will see the continuation of improvements at Ashford International, speed enhancements on the Marshlink and new green technology coming online will boost tourism and business even further in Hastings. These improvements will go a long way towards speeding up journey times, as the Marshlink track which is currently in need of an overhaul. The prize remains to build on these improvements to get faster and more reliable services from Hastings to London via Rye.
I am delighted that this year marks my sixth summit, which is being held today (October 11) between 10:00 and 12 noon at East Sussex College Hastings. Representatives from East Sussex County Council, Highways England, Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway, Transport for the South East, Team East Sussex, Southeastern Railway and Stagecoach South East will talk to attendees about the progress which has been made to date, plans for the future and take questions. By setting up this forum for our residents to directly speak with these representatives, I hope that we will see further progress towards delivering better and more reliable rail services to our towns.