Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to increase the number of train carriages from the Medway towns to London in (a) morning rush hour and (b) overall.

Since the introduction of Thameslink services in Kent in May 2018, Rainham has seen an increase in services and capacity to London during the morning peak and throughout the day. Gillingham has seen a small reduction in Southeastern services to Victoria and Cannon Street, however has gained Thameslink services.

The Class 700 trains used by Thameslink have more capacity compared to the previous Southeastern trains. They are modern, state of the art trains, with real time passenger information and air conditioning.

Both stations now have direct services to London Bridge and through the Thameslink core, to Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon. For many passengers, this removes the need to interchange onto the London Underground to complete their journey.