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    Maidstone East

    2.0 (1 review)

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    Recommended Reviews - Maidstone East

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    14 years ago

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    Rochester Railway Station - Platform

    Rochester Railway Station

    3.0(2 reviews)
    7.8 mi

    Sadly I'm not sure what happened to the old station, but this one looks like it has been completely…read morerefurbished. In fact, it looks like it was upgraded for HS1, but then I realised that HS1 really doesn't go here. Well, it does, but splits off. Anyway, while it is pretty modern, the fact that it is next to the town centre is really helpful.

    Rochester station serves the historic Kent cathedral town, but was actually opened rather late in…read moreUK railway history. Despite having a line through the town from 1858 when the East Kent Railway extended their route from Chatham across the Medway to join the South Eastern line to London, no station was provided for Rochester itself. Passengers were expected to alight either at Chatham or Strood, across the river. The present station was finally opened in 1892 bby the London, Chatham and Dover railway, with a station building in a simple domestic style in cream brick, built alongside the viaduct on which the platforms are located. Despite its attractive appearance, passenger facilities are limited to the ticket office, a waiting room and toilets on the main London-bound platform, and limited cycle storage facilities. The station has two long island platforms, although only the London side retains its attractive Victorian platforms awnings: eastbound passengers to Chatham and beyond make do with a simple hut. One upside is that are there are fine views across the former docks and the Medway river. There is a lift to provide wheelchair access to both platforms and a taxi company in the station building and a taxi rank in front. The station is just a few minutes' walk from the High Street. Services are provided by the Southeastern railway, with frequent trains to both London Bridge and Victoria station, and to Chatham and Dover going east. From late 2009 it will also be served by domestic services on the High Speed line to St Pancras.

    Photos
    Rochester Railway Station - Platform

    Platform

    Rochester Railway Station - Ticket Hall

    Ticket Hall

    Rochester Railway Station - Platform

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    Platform

    Polegate Station

    Polegate Station

    4.5(2 reviews)
    33.7 mi

    Polegate station serves the town of the same name on the northern edge of the Eastbourne…read moreconurbation, and is served by trains on the West Coastway line. It handles around 0.9m passengers a year. The first station on the site opened in 1846 on the Lewes to St Leonards railway line. It became the junction for Eastbourne and for the line northwards to Hailsham in 1849, with the Hailsham line being extended northwards to Eridge on the Uckfield-Groombridge Junction line in 1880. In 1881, to avoid Eastbourne-Hailsham trains having to reverse, a new station was opened further east. The Hailsham line closed in 1968, and the short direct line to Hastings has also closed, necessitating the reversal of all eastbound trains at Eastbourne. In 1986, the 1881 station was closed (it is now a restaurant) and a replacement opened on the site of the original 1846 station, on Polegate High street, and this is the station in use today. It has two platforms, with the main buildings on the north, Eastbourne-bound line. Facilities include a car park, ticket office, waiting rooms or shelters, ticket machines, and cycle storage, but no toilets. There is step-free access both to the ticket office and via short steep ramps to each platform. Between the platforms, there is a footbridge: level access is via the High Street level crossing (allow 5 minutes). Services are provided by Southern; there are two trains an hour to each of Brighton and London Victoria, both via Lewes; and four eastbound to Eastbourne, two of which continue to Hastings and Ore, and one to Ashford.

    Just your average train station. Nice long and wide platforms with two waiting rooms (which are…read moreheated!) Good barrier system, although I was sad when the old signal box was removed. Great direct links to London, Brighton, Eastbourne and many more. Staff are nice, there are three (I think) ticket buying machines and two kiosks inside the station. Information packs readily available, you can buy Railcards from here too. I like the welcoming feeling of this station, which also has a night gate for late exits when the barriers are off. I'd recommend this to families, commuters and just about anyone due to the wide platforms and nice service.

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    Polegate Station
    Polegate Station
    Polegate Station

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    Balcombe Railway Station - The main station noticeboard at London Road

    Balcombe Railway Station

    4.0(1 review)
    32.3 mi

    It's a surprise to find a station serving as a small village as Balcombe, especially on a main…read moreline. However, the lack of good roads to and from the village, and its proximity to London, ensures a healthy flow of commuter traffic, with Balcombe acting as a rail-head for several villages around - it is used by just over 100,000 passengers a year. It's an attractive small station, the east side nestling in a cutting, and surrounded on all sides by mature trees and shrubs, and is very popular at week-ends with walkers exploring the surrounding woodlands. The station opened on 12 July 1841 as an intermediate station on the then London and Brighton Railway, later amalgamated into the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The 1841 census shows that there were 550 railway labourers living in the village at the time - which must have been challenging for the locals! The station has been rationalised over the years, but retains a small building on the down (Brighton) platform, complete with Victorian canopy, ticket office and toilet. The office is only open at peak times (the toilet is also closed when the office is shut). If this is the case, you need to buy a 'permit to travel' from the machine and buy a ticket on board. The up platform (for London) has a small waiting shelter with step-free access from the car park, and there are car parking spaces and a cycle rack on this side of the station. A footbridge provides access between the platforms, and also provides the exit to London Road at the top of the cutting. Note that there is no step-free access to the Brighton platform. An oddity is the extension of the Brighton platform under the small tunnel at the south of the station: this is only used to board and alight from trains, and a sign warns not to enter the tunnel when a through (ie non-stopping) train is approaching which they do, at some speed. The service is fairly sparse: off-peak, Monday to Saturday there is one train an hour in each direction, on the First Capital Connect service from Bedford to Brighton via London Bridge. On Sundays, an hourly service is provided by Southern on the Brighton to London Victoria line. Additional services stop during rush hours in both directions. To the north of the station is Balcombe tunnel, 800 yards long, and to the south the famous Ouse viaduct, the first long railway viaduct in southern Britain. At 1,475 ft (450m) long, faced with Caen stone and with four Italianate pavilions at each end, it is regarded as one of the most attractive in the UK.

    Photos
    Balcombe Railway Station - A fast through train for Brighton rushes past platform 2.

    A fast through train for Brighton rushes past platform 2.

    Balcombe Railway Station - Main station building on platform 2 (for Brighton). It contains a ticket office, sheltered seating and toilet.

    Main station building on platform 2 (for Brighton). It contains a ticket office, sheltered seating and toilet.

    Balcombe Railway Station - A Bedford-bound train leaves platform 1.

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    A Bedford-bound train leaves platform 1.

    Kent and East Sussex Railway

    Kent and East Sussex Railway

    4.5(6 reviews)
    16.2 mi

    The Kent and East Sussex Railway is a preserved steam railway which makes for an excellent family…read moreday out. Formerly a classic rural branch line, it has an interesting history and runs through stunning scenery. History Plans to link the ancient inland port of Tenterden to the rest of the railway network were made throughout the 19th century, but it was not until 1900 that a line from Robertsbridge (on the Hastings main line) to Tenterden was opened, extended to Headcorn on the Ashford main line in 1905. The line was built under what was then new legislation as a cheaply engineered 'Light Railway', running along the beautiful Rother Valley past Bodiam Castle to reach Tenterden. The engineer was the famous Colonel Holman Fred Stephens, who built and/or managed some 16 light railways in rural parts of the UK. The line survived as an independent operation after the First World War which saw most of Britain's railway companies amalgamated into the 'Big Four', but struggled financially from the 1930s onwards. After nationalisation in 1948, traffic ebbed away even faster, and the line was closed to passengers in 1954, and the Headcorn to Tenterden section closed completely. The Tenterden to Robertsbridge section survived until 1961 for freight. Preservationists fought hard to secure this unique line, which reopened in stages from 1974, to its present length in 2000. The Route The line runs from its headquarters in the attractive market town of Tenterden down through the valley of the River Rother to Bodiam, just five minutes' walk from the famous castle. The line follows marshland for much of its length, and part of it is even below sea level! Tenterden has a car park, shop, cafeteria, carriage shed and a small museum. The next stop is Rolvenden, the original terminus in 1900 and home to the loco shed. The next stop, Wittersham Road, really is in the former marshlands, and the ditches alongside the railway were once part of a crayfish farm. The line now joins the Rother Valley proper, towards the station at Northiam. This too has a large car park. The line then continues, with fine views of Bodian castle, to the small country station of Bodiam. Plans are afoot to reopen the section to Robertsbridge, but this is a significant undertaking (with a river and three road crossings to reinstate). The work is being undertaken by the Rother Valley Railway (http://www.rvr.org.uk) . The railway has an eclectic array of rolling stock: in keeping with its rural background, all but one loco are tank engines, and there are diesel locos and railcars as well. One of the best features is the prevalence of pre-war passenger coaches, including rare pre World War One 4-wheeled main line stock, and some very comfortable former Southern railway coaches from the 1930s. The railway lays on a number of regular events, including popular 'Thomas the Tank Engine' days, gala days with extra locomotives in steam, and Pullman dining trains - a good excuse to dress up! Practicalities There are car parks at Tenterden and Northiam, but not at the other stations, and refreshment facilities, a shop and museum at Tenterden. For information about disabled access and facilities, (including car parking, toilets and trains) see their website. All in all, this makes for an excellent day out.

    This is a fantastic day out for the family. We drove here from East Sussex, lots of parking! We…read morecame for a Thomas Day which is when they have various steam engines dressed up as characters from the Thomas books. A show is put on for the children with the troublesome trucks, the fat controller and so on. Whilst we were there Christopher Awdley, the son of Rev.Awdley was signing his own books(he has carried on the family business, as it were) and his fathers. There is face painting and a bouncy castle included in the ticket price. You then have a short ride on a steam engine(thomas). There is a tent selling Thomas merchandise at low prices! The station also has a cafe(licensed) selling hot meals and snacks. The railway also does a range of other journeys for the enthusiast, fish and chip nights on a steam train etc. Good day out.

    Photos
    Kent and East Sussex Railway
    Kent and East Sussex Railway
    Kent and East Sussex Railway - Class 14 D9504

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    Class 14 D9504

    Maidstone East - trainstations - Updated May 2026

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