Passengers travelling between Hastings and London are set to benefit from significantly faster journeys from December 2026, as Southeastern introduces a new weekday Hastings Express service that will cut travel times to London Bridge by up to 14 minutes.
The new service forms part of a wider package of timetable enhancements across Kent, East Sussex and south-east London, designed to improve connectivity, increase capacity and provide more frequent services across the network.
Operating on weekdays, the new express train will depart Hastings at 08:05, calling at St Leonards Warrior Square, Battle and Tunbridge Wells before running directly to London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross. The train will arrive at Charing Cross at 09:33.
Designed with commuters in mind, the service will be formed of four coaches featuring 2+2 seating and tables, allowing passengers to work comfortably during their journey.
A corresponding evening return service will depart Charing Cross at 16:11 and arrive in Hastings at 17:42, offering similar journey time savings during the evening peak.
The introduction of the service has been welcomed by local MP Helena Dollimore, who has campaigned for faster rail links for Hastings and the surrounding area.
Helena Dollimore MP, Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Hastings, Rye and the villages said:
“Brilliant news for our area: a new fast train to London is coming in December 2026.
"Securing a faster train service for our town has been one of my top priorities as our local MP. When we are almost the same distance from London as Brighton, why should our train take twice as long? This new service is great news for commuters and for our local shops, hotels, pubs, and restaurants that rely on tourists coming down to visit us.
"This new fast train will be a pilot service. If we want it to stay, we all must use it to show the demand.
“I will keep pushing for better transport services in our area, including reopening Ashford International to cross-channel trains, pushing for action on missed connections on the Marshlink, and upgrading the track connecting Ashford, Rye, Hastings, Eastbourne and Brighton.”
Southeastern says the new service is part of its continuing efforts to improve journey times and provide services that better reflect passenger demand.
Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s Safety, Planning and Performance Director said:
"We know how important fast and frequent services are to our customers and are constantly looking at how we can deliver better services that meet the needs of the communities we serve. This new Hastings Express service will shave 14 mins off the journey into London in the morning. An additional return service in the evening, will save a similar amount of time against the average of evening peak services.
“We are a growing railway and looking forward to trialling these new services to assess their demand and benefit to customers.
"It's also part of a much bigger package of improvements in December. We're providing more trains to Tunbridge Wells, Ashford and Maidstone East, creating a more frequent Metro network across south-east London and delivering improvements on other routes across Kent and East Sussex."
The improvements have also been welcomed by the Government.
The Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said:
"This new express service will make a real difference for passengers travelling between Hastings and London, cutting journey times and giving people more time back in their day.
" A better-connected railway will support growth, jobs and homes across the South East. This is exactly the kind of change public ownership of our railways is delivering, putting passenger experience first and real improvements to services.”
Wider Timetable Improvements Across the Network
The Hastings Express is just one element of a broader timetable enhancement programme being introduced in December.
Passengers on the Hastings line will also benefit from the return of half-hourly semi-fast services between Tunbridge Wells and Charing Cross throughout weekdays and Saturdays, alongside additional late-evening services to and from Hastings.
Meanwhile, customers on the Maidstone East route will see more frequent services, extra direct trains to Charing Cross and, for the first time, an hourly Sunday service to Charing Cross. Combined with existing Victoria services, this will provide approximately two trains per hour to London.
On the Isle of Sheppey, stations including Sheerness-on-Sea, Queenborough and Kemsley will benefit from a train every 30 minutes throughout the day, seven days a week, delivering the most frequent timetable on the branch in three decades.
Key December Timetable Changes
- Half-hourly semi-fast services between Charing Cross and Tunbridge Wells during weekday off-peak periods and Saturdays.
- Restoration of half-hourly Victoria to Ashford services via Maidstone East throughout the day.
- Additional 16:58 Cannon Street to Ashford evening peak service via Tonbridge and Headcorn.
- Two trains per hour, seven days a week, on the Sheerness branch.
- More connected Metro services across south-east London, with most routes operating at least four trains per hour during daytime periods.
- More frequent Bexleyheath line services, including up to six trains per hour and all-day half-hourly direct trains to Charing Cross.
The December changes build on enhancements introduced earlier in the year, including additional peak-time capacity on Highspeed routes serving Canterbury West and Thanet.
Looking further ahead, Southeastern has also submitted a business case to the Department for Transport for a new Metro train fleet, supporting longer-term ambitions to enhance capacity, improve accessibility and modernise services across the network.
Image and Video Credits: South Eastern Railway
