Rail Cuts leave Maidstone and West Malling with Cinderella rail services

8.00.00am GMT Sun 6th Dec 2009

Lib Dem County Councillor for Malling, Trudy Dean, has condemned the government's refusal to fund the continuation of rail services from West Malling / Kings Hill to Cannon Street / Charing Cross via London Bridge.

Trudy said:

"This decision will force even more residents onto the roads to London, and local businesses will suffer from a lack of fast connections to the city."

Trudy has fought alongside Malling District Rail Action Group in their efforts to persuade government to fund the £600,000 required to continue the services used by many residents of East and West Malling, Larkfield and Kings Hill. She organised a residents protest meeting in October which was addressed by Conservative MP Sir John Stanley and Labour MP Jonathan Shaw, both of whom supported the campaign.

Trudy Dean added:

"Many people locally work in the city, and some moved here because of assurances of good rail services to get them there. This decision leaves the Maidstone Malling area as very much the Cinderella Service of the rail network, compared to the Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells connections. Local businesses and house prices will suffer as a result. We shall be fighting on however, as we are convinced that these services are affordable."

But Trudy warned campaigners against an assumption that the Conservatives would win the next election. She cited the recent KCC "Transport Summit" at the House of Lords to which Norman Baker, Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet member for Transport was not invited until a few days before the event when she pointed out the omission.and a CPRE meeting at Wrotham School about Kent International Gateway, where only Conservative spokesmen were invited to address the meeting. Trudy said:

"KCC and other campaigners would do well to follow national press predictions of a hung parliament, and stop selling Kent residents short by holding conferences, rallies and briefings to which only Conservative speakers are invited."

KCC had offered to help fund the services but had not made known the amount of its offer.