Rail Travel: Hastings and Rother rail campaign group wins a national award for its innovative solution

National campaign group Railfuture has awarded its '˜Best Campaign Award' to the Hastings and Rother Rail Users' Alliance (HRRUA) for its campaign whch led to more trains running.
Train at Bexhill Station. SUS-151013-123636001Train at Bexhill Station. SUS-151013-123636001
Train at Bexhill Station. SUS-151013-123636001

The group is comprised of six local rail user groups: Hastings (SHRIMP), Ore (OTG), Bexhill (BRAG), Normans Bay (NBRA), Rye and Winchelsea (MLAG/THWART)

SEE ALSO: man endangered life by throwing furniture on rail line.

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The Alliance negotiated with Govia Thameslink Railway an innovative timetable solution – ‘The Eastbourne Overlap’ – to the proposed split of the through Brighton-Ashford hourly two-car diesel service at Hastings in May.

The replacement four-car electric train from Brighton runs to Hastings as planned, but the two-car diesel from Ashford continues west of Hastings to Eastbourne (hence the ‘overlap’) thereby increasing the previous three trains per hour service between Eastbourne and Hastings, via Bexhill, to four trains.

This also enables stations west of Hastings to maintain their important direct connection to Eurostar and Southeastern High Speed services at Ashford.

See also: Man jailed for bringing a knife into the Conquest Hospital