Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to help reduce overcrowding on peak time services on the Maidstone East line.

Southeastern (SET) have plans to improve services, increase capacity and reduce crowding to/from Maidstone East from May 2026. These include the reintroduction of Mainline services to London Blackfriars at peak times from Maidstone East; additional services between Charing Cross and Maidstone East on weekdays; and more off-peak services between London Victoria and Ashford International via Maidstone East.

SET are also exploring further options for the December 2026 timetable.

SET are always exploring the possibility of providing extra capacity where needed. This is not always feasible due to a variety of reasons, including platform lengths, rolling stock availability and funding considerations.