THE county council has accused rail chiefs of failing to address commuter miseries in their 10-year plan.

Kent County Council leader Sandy Bruce-Lockhart said the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) had made significant omissions in its strategy, notably the concerns of Kent commuters.

He immediately fired off a letter to Richard Bowker, chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, asking for an urgent meeting to discuss the issues.

Mr Bruce-Lockhart claimed that Kent’s rail services were amongst the very worst in the country.

“It takes longer to get from London to Thanet in East Kent than it does to get from London to York, the rolling stock is well over 30 years old and services are highly unreliable,” he said.

“This has a detrimental effect on road congestion, on quality of life and on the Kent economy. It is not clear in your plan how these core rail services issues are to be rectified.”

Disgruntled commuters gave the multi-billion pound rescue package equally short shrift.

Roy Coppins, a spokesman for North Kent commuters, said the plan was worth only one cheer. He has commuted from Herne Bay to London for 35 years. He said it appeared that Kent had been forgotten in the plan.

He claimed Mr Bowker did not have experience of Kent’s problems. He said: “I’m sure he’s a highly intelligent chap but you want people heavily involved who sample it day in day out. They know what needs doing.

“I don’t see anything in that report that addresses our concerns. I think there are marvellous opportunities now the money is there but I’m not convinced it’s going to be spent in the right areas to improve our lot.”

He welcomed proposed station improvements but that was about the only thing to cheer.

The plan did nothing to revive pride among rail staff, there were no incentives to reward staff for improvements.

Mr Coppins deplored the continued separation of rail operating companies and track providers. It encouraged a blame culture and “scoring points of each other.”

He wanted regions re-introduced with operators like Connex responsible for both trains and track.

Other commuters welcomed the planned investments but claimed they were being fobbed off with recylced money that should have gone into the network years ago.

John Grubb, a member of the North Kent Rail Users’ Group, said: “This is good to hear, but this is nothing but recycled money. We’ve been waiting since the 1980s for improvements.

“The problems are not going to go away unless we see some of the money put to good use.

“We are campaigning for more rolling stock, toilets that work, and better public information systems.”

Connex South Eastern will take a slice of the money, providing more carriages to reduce overcrowding and extending platforms to take longer trains, notably in Gillingham.

The SRA’s plan listed a series of “quick-win” measures to restore confidence such as improving stations, waiting rooms and toilets.

The estimated 100,000 commuters who travel daily from Kent to London will have to wait at least three more years for significant improvements.

However, if it can sort out computer problems with new rolling stock abandoned in Ashford sidings, Connex plans to phase out ageing slam-door carriages over the next couple of years.

Stephen Byers, the Transport Secretary, admitted that Britain did not have a railway system “fit for the 21st century” but blamed “years of under-investment and the failed privatisation that was Railtrack.”