A ROOT and branch review of Kent’s railway system is under way to make it one of the best franchises in the country inside three years.

But while passengers will welcome such a worthy aim, they will be less pleased at having to pay above-inflation fare increases every year for the next five years.

Charles Horton, the first managing director of Southeastern which took on the integrated Kent franchise last month, said there was nothing he could do about the RPI-plus 3 formula imposed by Government.

But he had to grow the business and that meant delivering a great service that more people would want to use.

He said: "We are going to review every aspect of this business. It will take up to three years to deliver the whole programme of improvements.

"I’m not here to settle for second best. I want this to be one of the best franchises in the country and the best commuter operator in the London and south east."

Much will depend on the introduction of Hitachi 140mph trains in December 2009. A trial service between Ashford and London will start in June 2007.

Mr Horton dismissed fears that the rest of the system would become a poor relation.

“Although the high-speed service is very important and significant, it’s not the only show in town. We’ve got to make sure we look after our passengers on the classic network.”

Passengers will pay a 30 per cent premium to use Hitachi services from Ashford, Ebbsfleet, Canterbury and Folkestone.

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