by Rachel Hovenden

rhovenden@thekmgroup.co.uk

Rail passengers with season tickets could save themselves hundreds of pounds simply by moving the start of their journey one stop up the line.

For example, the cost of a yearly ticket on the Kent Coast Line to London from Swanscombe – which has a part-time ticket office and trains to London once every half hour off-peak – will set you back by £2,652, or £3,276 for a ticket with access to zones one to six on the underground.

But if you bought a ticket from Greenhithe, the next station up the line and just a three minute train journey away, you’d be £488 better off as a ticket costs just £2,164, or £2,788 with underground access.

There, the ticket office is open seven days a week and has four trains an hour to London off-peak.

For commuters getting on at the next stop – Stone Crossing – the saving isn’t so great; they pay just £20 less (£2,144; £2768 with tube) than people in Greenhithe for their tickets.

Stone Crossing commuters also pay just £20 more than commuters at the next stop in Dartford (£2,124; £2,748 with tube) – a four minute train journey away.

On the same line, people in Gravesend pay £288 more a year for their season tickets (£2,960; £3,584 with tube) than those at the next London-bound stop, Northfleet (£2,672; £3,296 with tube), who pay just £20 more than people living in the next station, Swanscombe.

On the North Kent Line, commuters travelling to London from either Sole Street or the next stop, Meopham (£3,068; £3,692 with tube), pay the same but that’s £300 more than commuters at the next station, Longfield (£2,768; £3,392 with tube), which is just four minutes closer to the capital.

The difference in price between Longfield and Farningham Road (£2,676; £3,300 with tube) is £92.

But there is a big hike from Farningham Road compared to those next up the line in Swanley (£2,256; £2,880 with tube), with a £420 price difference in tickets. The train journey from Farningham Road to Swanley takes five minutes.

Cllr Bryan Read, Swanscombe representative on the Swanscombe and Greenhithe Residents’ Association, said: “I would like to see a fair deal for the people in Swanscombe. Why should they see a larger increase just for the short distance between Greenhithe and Swanscombe? It makes me wonder if Swanscombe’s closeness to Ebbsfleet has something to do with it.”

Gareth Johnson, MP for Dartford (Con), was shocked at the price differences.

He said: “I hope all of these facts will be taken into account by the Department for Transport as the franchise is currently up for consultation.”

“There is a large discrepancy in the value that local commuters are receiving.
“There is a danger some stations will become underused as people use the station which is better value for money.”

Gravesham MP, Adam Holloway (Con), said: “It further underlines the incredibly bad value that people in the local area get per mile into London.
“It’s shocking. I will send off another email to Southeastern about this.”

Gravesham council leader John Burden (Lab) said: “It is a real concern. People getting on at Gravesend or Meopham shouldn’t have to pay more at a significant premium.”