The Department for Transport (DfT) is under pressure to improve the reliability and journey times of rail services heading in and out of Dartford and surrounding areas.

With Southeastern’s contract expiring next year, the government has been running a public consultation to identify how best to improve the network.

Public events have been held across Kent, including one at Gravesend Civic Centre, and people had until last week to send in their thoughts.

Dartford council used its response to the consultation to tell the government there was an “insufficient understanding” of future growth in north Kent, with “serious issues with capacity” set to continue if rail services do not improve.

Cabinet member for transport Cllr Keith Kelly said there was a danger the rate of development here would quickly outstrip the number of commuters the town’s station was able to accommodate.

He said: “Dartford has got a lot of growth coming with jobs and homes, and it’s attractive for people moving into the area, but a significant amount of its working population goes into London.

“Commuters deserve a decent service. You should at least be able to get a seat for a 50-minute journey into London and if you can’t that seems to suggest there’s a problem with capacity.”

The consultation document makes note of Ebbsfleet Garden City and London Paramount, but Cllr Kelly said developments closer to the town centre, such as Lowfield Street, are not accounted for.

Plans are in place for developer Meyer Homes to build hundreds of homes to regenerate the dilapidated road, and Dartford council has been granted millions to spend on further work across the town centre.

Earlier this year the Messenger revealed the council’s plans for more than five years of extensive development thanks to government funding of £4.3 million plus £7.7 million from the Kent Thameside Strategic Transport Programme.

Market Street, Hythe Street, and Lowfield Street are among the sites identified as the biggest opportunities for change, and Station Quarter has been identified as a “gateway site”, with small food, drink and retail outlets, plus offices, to create an inviting entrance to the town.

Despite all that, the DfT has floated the idea of services on the north Kent line calling at fewer central London stations, which would combat the “operational complexity” that contributes to delays.

One suggestion mooted in the report is for north Kent line services to terminate at Cannon Street only, rather than stop at stations like Charing Cross, London Bridge, and Waterloo East.

Rather than reducing services, Dartford council wants to see greater options available to commuters at the town’s railway station, which enjoyed a £7 million upgrade in 2013, including full use of the Crossrail line under construction to Abbey Wood.

Cllr Kelly continued: “Simplifying the timetables and giving commuters less options with ultimate destinations in London means populations in Dartford and north Kent are not well served.

“Stations like Swanscombe and Stone Crossing are likely to see significant growth in their surrounding areas as well.

“In particular, access at Swanscombe is via quite a steep staircase with no disabled access.

“They might think that with London Paramount most people will come via Ebbsfleet International, but you might find that a lot of people, especially those employed there, might use Swanscombe.”

In addition to increasing capacity and maintaining services at stations in north Kent, Dartford council also wants to see cheaper fares, improved communication, safety, and toilets, greater provision for cyclists, and improved journey times.

The relative journey time from Dartford to London compared to distance is among the poorest on the metro network.

Travelling from Dartford to London takes 48 minutes to travel a distance of 15 miles, whereas from Sevenoaks it takes 34 minutes to travel 22 miles.

Cllr Kelly said if journey times were not improved, some commuters may begin to favour travelling to work by car, placing further traffic on Dartford’s already congested local road network.

The main point of contention when it comes to pricing is that commuters heading into London from Swanscombe are paying in excess of £500 more for their annual season tickets than those travelling from a station just three minutes down the line.

The cost of a yearly ticket to the capital from Swanscombe is £2,992, compared to £2,440 from Greenhithe, which is only 1.6 miles away.

Southeastern was forced to defend the prices following the launch of a “fair fares for Swanscombe” campaign by Dartford Labour’s Claire Pearce, with the discrepancy described as “unfair and unjustified”.

A Southeastern spokesman said: “Just as with other train operating companies, fares across our network are calculated using a number of factors.

“This means the price of a train ticket can vary from one station to another. In the case of season tickets, prices are regulated by the government and linked to the Retail Price Index.

“Today, passengers commuting into London from Swanscombe pay around 30p per mile.

However, Greenhithe is an example of a station on our network where passengers still benefit from a lower-than-average increase under previous Department for Transport regulation.”

Southeastern’s franchise expires in December 2018 and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and predecessor Boris Johnson have both said Transport for London (TfL) would be well placed to take over.

Last year Mr Khan said the Oyster card would be expanded if TfL took over, benefitting those who catch trains from Stone Crossing, Greenhithe, Swanscombe, Northfleet, and Gravesend.