Southeastern (train operating company)
SE Trains Limited,[1] trading as Southeastern, is a train operator, owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport,[2] that took over operating the South Eastern franchise in South East England from privately-owned London & South Eastern Railway (which also traded as Southeastern) on 17 October 2021.
![]() | |||
| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise(s) | South Eastern | ||
| Main region(s) | Greater London, Kent | ||
| Other region(s) | East Sussex | ||
| Fleet size | |||
| Stations called at | 180 | ||
| Stations operated | 164 | ||
| Parent company | DfT OLR Holdings | ||
| Reporting mark | SE | ||
| Dates of operation | 17 October 2021– | ||
| Predecessor | Southeastern (Govia) | ||
| Other | |||
| Website | www | ||
| |||

History
In September 2021, the Department for Transport announced it would be terminating the South Eastern franchise operated by Southeastern after revenue declaration discrepancies involving £25 million of public money were discovered. SE Trains, as an operator of last resort, took over the franchise on 17 October 2021.[3][4][5]
Overview
SE Trains serves the main London stations of Cannon Street, Charing Cross, London Bridge, St Pancras, Victoria and Waterloo East. The network has route mileage of 540 miles (870 km), with 180 stations.
Routes
SE Trains is continuing to operate the same time tables as its predecessor. The weekday off-peak service pattern, with frequencies in trains per hour (tph), is:[6]
| High Speed 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London St Pancras to Ramsgate via Faversham | 1 |
|
395 |
| London St Pancras to Dover Priory via Ashford International | 1 | ||
| London St Pancras to Margate via Canterbury West | 1 | ||
| Chatham Main Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Victoria to Ramsgate via Faversham | 1 |
| |
| London Victoria to Dover Priory via Faversham | 1 |
| |
| London Victoria to Gillingham | 1 |
| |
| Sittingbourne to Sheerness-on-Sea (branch line) | 1 | 375 | |
| Maidstone Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Victoria to Ramsgate via Maidstone East | 1 | ||
| London Victoria to Ashford International via Maidstone East | 1 |
| |
| South Eastern Main Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Charing Cross to Ramsgate via Tonbridge | 1 | 375 | |
| Peak Hours only: | |||
| London Charing Cross to Hastings | 1 |
|
375 |
| 1 |
| ||
| London Charing Cross to Tunbridge Wells | 2 | Peak Hours only:
|
|
| Medway Valley Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| Strood to Tonbridge | 1 |
|
375 |
| Metro - North Kent Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Cannon Street to London Cannon Street via Greenwich (clockwise) | 2 |
|
|
| London Charing Cross to Dartford via Blackheath and Abbey Wood | 2 |
| |
| Metro - Bexleyheath Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Charing Cross to Dartford via Bexleyheath | 2 | ||
| London Victoria to Dartford via Bexleyheath | 2 | Denmark Hill, Peckham Rye, Nunhead, Lewisham, Blackheath, Kidbrooke, Eltham, Falconwood, Welling, Bexleyheath, Barnehurst | |
| Metro - Sidcup Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Cannon Street to London Cannon Street via Sidcup (anticlockwise) | 2 |
|
|
| London Charing Cross to Gravesend via Sidcup | 2 |
| |
| Metro - South Eastern Main Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Cannon Street to Orpington via Grove Park | 2 | ||
| London Charing Cross to Sevenoaks via Grove Park | 2 |
| |
| Grove Park to Bromley North (branch line) | 3 | Sundridge Park | 465 |
| Metro - Hayes Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Cannon Street to Hayes | 2 | ||
| London Charing Cross to Hayes | 2 |
| |
| Metro - Chatham Main Line | |||
| Route | tph | Calling at | Stock |
| London Victoria to Orpington via Beckenham Junction | 2 |
|
|
Rolling stock
SE Trains is operating the same electric multiple units as its predecessor. The remainder of the 30 Class 707s will enter service as they are released by South Western Railway.[7] Some Class 465 and Class 466s while still on lease have moved to Worksop for store by Harry Needle Railroad Company.[8]
Current Fleet
| Family | Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Carriages | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||||
| Bombardier Electrostar | 375 | ![]() |
EMU | 100 | 160 | 10 | 3 | Main line routes | 1999–2005 |
| 102 | 4 | ||||||||
| 376 | ![]() |
75 | 120 | 36 | 5 | Metro routes | 2004–2005 | ||
| 377/1 | ![]() |
100 | 160 | 2 | 4 | Main line routes | 2003 | ||
| 377/5 | 23 | 2008-2009 | |||||||
| Hitachi AT300 | 395 Javelin | ![]() |
140 | 225 | 29 | 6 | High Speed 1 services | 2007–2009 | |
| Networker | 465 | ![]() |
75 | 120 | 147 | 4 | Main line and metro routes | 1991–1994 | |
| 466 | ![]() |
43 | 2 | ||||||
| Desiro City | 707 City Beam | ![]() |
100 | 161 | 14[9] | 5 | Metro routes | 2015–2018 | |
References
- "SE Trains Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- "Company information". www.southeasternrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- Southeastern stripped of franchise over undeclared funding BBC News 28 September 2021
- Government to take over Southeastern after serious breach of franchise The Guardian 28 September 2021
- British government takes over Southeastern franchise following franchise breach International Railway Journal 28 September 2021
- Timetables London & South Eastern Railway
- Autumn start set for Southeastern Class 707s The Railway Magazine issue 1445 August 2021 page 95
- Class 465 & 466 Networker units put into store Rail Express issue 303 August 2021 page 30
- New name for SWR Class 707s moving east Rail Express issue 306 November 2021 page 28
External links
Media related to Southeastern (train operating company) at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
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