Kent Community Rail Partnership

Logo. Stylised outlines of heads and shoulders of a group of people coloured in orange above a train coloured blue. Community Rail Accreited Partnership 2024-25
A crowd of people eating cake at Sittingbourne station's 167th birthday celebrations.
A group of walkers descends the stairs of a railway footbridge.
A crowd of people on a station platform at the bottom of a footbridge. Some of the people are coming down the steps with bicycles. There is a cycle rail (also known as a wheeling ramp), a channel placed at the side of the steps to make it easier to move a bicycle up and down. A blue ribbon is being held across the entrance to the footbridge, it is being cut by Chris Fribbins, Chair of Kent Community Rail Partnership
Two people seated on a bench on a railway platform. One is wearing a thick cream coloured coat, hat and scarf. There is a walking stick beside them. The other is wearing blue jeans, blouse and a padded yellow coat. In front of them is a golden coloured guide dog wearing an "on duty" reflective harness. Everyone is smiling.
Cubs and cub leaders admiring their hard work planting new flowers into a wooden planter on the platform

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Events and Activities Gallery

Four walkers and three dogs around Percy the Pilgrims bench. Percy is a carved wooden figure of a monk, resting dozily with one hand supporting his head. The walkers are mimicking his pose. There are daffodils in blook to ne side.
A group of walkers pose for a picture outside Charing station
A group of walkers pose for a picture in front of a grey stone mausoleum with a pyramidal roof. The sky above is blue
Two people pose for a picture in a woodland clearing. There is an extensive view across a valley to the wooded hillside beyond.
A group of walkers descends the stairs of a railway footbridge.
A group of walkers on a very muddy path beside an orchard. Behind the orchard there are modern barn-like buildings. The sky above is grey and heavy with clouds.
A crowd of people on a station platform at the bottom of a footbridge. Some of the people are coming down the steps with bicycles. There is a cycle rail (also known as a wheeling ramp), a channel placed at the side of the steps to make it easier to move a bicycle up and down. A blue ribbon is being held across the entrance to the footbridge, it is being cut by Chris Fribbins, Chair of Kent Community Rail Partnership
Linda, Dominic, Vicky, a Southeastern team member and Jonathan at the celebration of Sittingbourne station's 167th birthday. There us a table with cake, bunting, ballons and displays of historic photographs
A crowd of people eating cake at Sittingbourne station's 167th birthday celebrations.
Cakes on the table at Sittingbourne stations 167th birthday celebrations. Small flags in the slices indicate they are suitable for vegans
A group of people in a department store smiling and waving to camera
People sitting in a train carriage waving to camera
People stood in front of a large decorated Christmas tree
Gary, Vicky and Therese at a Kent Community Rail Partnership promotional stall. The team are stood behind a table displaying leaflets, brochures and tote bags. The table is between two roller banners with images of project activities.
Vicky, Cub leaders, helpers and the Cubs stand on the platform behind a planter they have filled with flowers and bulbs
A group of children in hi-vis jackets on the platform at Faversham station. They are looking at a train.
Vicky, Therese and Pete outside Charing station with their bikes
A group of walkers posing for a picture under the canopy at Lenham station
Two people sat beside the carved wooden figure of Percy the Pilgrim. They are mimicking his pose.
A group of walkers cross a field of wheat stubble.
A group of people with bikes assembled on the forecourt of Sheerness-on-Sea station.
Gary and Dominic at the Kent CRP stall. The table is loaded with brochures, sticker sheets, tote bags and other promotional materials
A member of Southeastern staff, Gary and Dominic at a promotional stall. The stall is flanked by posters promoting the British Transport Police 61016 SMS service.
A group of walkers on a wide gravel path between freshly mown verges. There is a glimpse of a lake between trees and hedgerows in the background.
Students, tutors and Therese make their way through Ashford International station.
A crowd of people listening to Gary who is stood in front of some colourful murals at a subway entrance.
Dominic Noades receives the Mike Fitzgerald shield for Volunteer of the Year 2023/24 Kent Community Rail Partnership. The shield is awarded by Steve White, managing director of Southeastern. Pictured are Therese Hammond, Dominic Noades, Steve White, Gary Outram and Chris Fribbins
Two people seated on a bench on a railway platform. One is wearing a thick cream coloured coat, hat and scarf. There is a walking stick beside them. The other is wearing blue jeans, blouse and a padded yellow coat. In front of them is a golden coloured guide dog wearing an "on duty" reflective harness. Everyone is smiling.
The Mayor of Maidstone wearing his chain of office is stood by a Guide Dogs banner poster, speaking to the audience. Afternoon tea is set out on a table in front of the mayor and other guests
A group of people in the booking hall at Queenborough station. Behind them are the ticket office window and a new information panel outlining the story of Colonel Stephens and the Sheppey Light Railway
Strood Litterpick - Group
A selfie of Clare and our members taking the sea air on Sheerness Prom.
Four people tending a flowerbed on a station platform
Therese and Matt with a group of students and tutors outside the entrance to Ashford International station
A crowd of students study the departure boards
Inside the train cabin St Edwards TSTS 2021
Group Photo St Edwards TSTS 2021

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Kent Community Rail Partnership

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Kent Community Rail Partnership
At Kent CRP we are always looking for new volunteers to get involved with projects and activities along our three lines.There are lots of ways that you can support our work and we'd love to hear about your own ideas t#CommunityRaily#volunteeringeringkentcrp.org/get-involved/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Vicky, Gary and Therese wearing blue polo tops with Kent CRP logo.

Our Network

A rail style map of the three Kent Community Rail Partnership lines

Our Lines

Swale Rail is the Sittingbourne to Sheerness line which connects the Isle of Sheppey with the rest of Kent. Some direct services to London run on weekday mornings and evenings.

The Medway Valley Line runs alongside the beautiful river Medway connecting Tonbridge and Strood via Maidstone, the County Town of Kent.  Direct services to London operate from Maidstone West, Snodland and Strood on weekday mornings and evenings using Javelin High Speed trains.

The Kent Downs Line runs to the south of the Kent Downs Area National Landscape between Ashford and Otford via Maidstone, the County Town of Kent. Trains run from Ashford to the Kent coast and from Otford to London. Good connections are provided at Ashford to and from High Speed services to Ebbsfleet, Stratford International and St Pancras International. 

Train services on all three lines are operated by Southeastern.

We involve schools, colleges, and community groups in our activites, organising community events, and facilitating station adoptions. We are indebted to our supporters, partners and volunteers for their dedication to helping Community Rail to flourish along our lines.

For more information about Community Rail Partnerships in Kent contact our Line Officers.

 

Swale Rail Line: Vicky Wright, vicky.wright@sustrans.org.uk, 07717 470593

 

Medway Valley Line: Gary Outram, gary.outram@sustrans.org.uk, 07787 434258

 

Kent Downs Line: Therese Hammond, therese.hammond@sustrans.org.uk, 07917 131248.

Station Improvements

A bright yellow bird box in a tree
Cub scouts looking at their yellow birdboxes in the trees
A crowd of people on a station platform at the bottom of a footbridge. Some of the people are coming down the steps with bicycles. There is a cycle rail (also known as a wheeling ramp), a channel placed at the side of the steps to make it easier to move a bicycle up and down. A blue ribbon is being held across the entrance to the footbridge, it is being cut by Chris Fribbins, Chair of Kent Community Rail Partnership
A stainless steel dedication plaque on a wooden planter reads “This planter was designed and constructed by Sheppey College students and funded by the Kent Community Rail Partnership, Kent County Council, Southeastern and the Community Rail Network.” Organisation logos
A wooden planter full of colourful flowers on the platform of a station. Behind them a train waits to depart.
Linda, cub leaders and clubs preparing to add new flowers and plants to a planter on the platform/
Cubs and cub leaders admiring their hard work planting new flowers into a wooden planter on the platform
A brick built station building with shuttered windows. The outsides of the closed shutters are green, the insides of the open shutters are white. A white painted wooden canopy extendsabove the green entrance doors. There are tables and chairs outside with vases of yellow daffodils. Colourful bunting is strung between the windows and under the canopy.
Jonny and Mark stood on the platform beneath a "Charing" station sign. Behind them is a fence line between the platform and an overgrown area of trees and shrubs.
A wide strip of ground surrounded by walls and a chain-link fence. The site shows signs of recent vegetation clearance. There is a row of four ton bags containing soil that runs through the middle of the site
Matt and two tutors in the bright, well-lit booking office at Maidstone East station
Two people with a caddy of small colourful flowers in pots begin to plant a windowbox. Either side of the window are posters, one promoting the Southeastern app, the other Samaritans helpline
Charing Station Ashford College May 2024
A wooden planter full of shrubs on a station platform. An attached sign reads "Cuxton for Ranscombe Reserve".
A group of people standing by two rowing boats that are used as flowerbeds. In front are a variety of pieces of new gardening equipment being presented to the group.
A small rowing boat that has been transformed into a flower bed, with freshly planted flowers in bloom
A series of brightly decorated pots spells out "A-S-H-F-O-R-D". Each pot displays a willow sculpture spelling "W-E-L-C-O-M-E"
A brightly coloured pot depicting a fish swimming in water
A colourful mural featuring Mr Monopoly, An Octopus, drums, a swan, a gallows and diverse people
A colourful mural depicting flowers, the Trebor logo, the river Medway and town centre roads, a dinosaur and a bus.
Colourful mural panel featuring a dinosaur, bowling alley, hop farm, lizard, cannon, bridge, theatre curtains.
A colourful mural featuring peope walking, wheeling and cycling, and a train. There are a variety of sustainability themes.
Brightly coloured panels in a variety of designs celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
Richard Emmett (wearing red) and Gary Outram (wearing blue) smiling and shaking hands in fromt of the local history board in the waiting room.
Station Adoption
Planting in progress in the verge alongside a station platform.
Sunflower Mural snodland five acre wood 2022
Promoting Rail Travel
Community Artwork at Stations
Mural depicting greyhound racing
Mural depicting Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway
Community Artwork at Stations
A painted mural of two people walking along the seafront. The sky and sea are blue, a pebble beach with a green pathway ahead
A windsurfer on a yellow board with red and white sail skips abpve the waves beneath a blue sky.
A sunset view of boats moored in a harbour.
A small crowd of smiling people stood in front of a colourful mural.
Colourfu mural depicting places that can be visited from Strood station. A cathedral and Chatham Dockside
A colourful painted mural
Station Adoption
Replanting at Snodland Garden 2021
Snodland Station Garden 2019
Planting up at Sittingbourne Station Sheppey College
Wateringbury Station Grow19 2021

Our Funding

 

For 2025/26 funding for the Kent Community Rail Partnership and our project work is provided by

Southeastern Railway
Kent County Council
Medway Council
Swale Borough Council
Community Rail Network
Barming Parish Council
East Malling & Larkfield Parish Council
Halling Parish Council
Wrotham Parish Council
Yalding Parish Council

About Us

The Kent Community Rail Partnership is a member of Community Rail Network. Being part of the Community Rail Network family, provides us with up to date expert advice and additional funding to support our community projects. It also enables us to work closely with other Community Rail Partnerships to share best practice. For more information about the Community Rail Network, please visit their website.

The Kent Community Rail Partnership has been hosted by Sustrans since 2014.

Sustrans vision is a society where the way we travel creates healthier happier places for everyone.

Sustrans is a registered charity in England and Wales (number 326550) and Scotland (SC039263) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England No 1797726 at 2 Cathedral Square, Bristol, BS1 5DD.

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