All first-class tickets on mainline Southeastern trains are to be scrapped in December as part of a radical shake-up of its timetable to reflect a post-pandemic world.

The train operator says it has made significant changes to the services it operates across the county as it responds to a "seismic change" in the way we use the rails.

Among the changes will be the introduction of a sub-one hour service linking Maidstone East to Charing Cross and increased peak services on the Ashford line.

It insists the new timetable, to be ushered in on December 11, will accommodate 82% of the passenger numbers seen before the pandemic - with weekday peak travel currently at just 50-60% of 2019 levels.

It revealed that across its network just 28 people now held a first-class season ticket - with scrapping the premium tickets freeing up 60 seats on a 12-coach trains.

Meanwhile sales of regular weekly, monthly and annual season tickets over the last six months were down 68% on the six months prior to the pandemic.

Annual season ticket sales alone had plunged by 85%; reflecting the on-going switch to hybrid working.

As a result of the changes, it is ushering in a new 'standard hour’ timetable which, it says, "will mean a more consistent service throughout the day, with most trains leaving stations at broadly the same time each hour, with additional trains at peak times".

It insists a similar number of services will be operating but with adjustments to ease congestion and reduce knock-on delays.

There is good news for commuters in Maidstone.

Southeastern has confirmed a new all-day hourly service from Maidstone East to Charing Cross - calling at London Bridge and Waterloo East. Operating Monday to Saturday, it will also call at West Malling, Wrotham, Borough Green, Otford and Swanley then fast to the London terminals.

The current direct service to Blackfriars will be scrapped, Passengers needing that station will be able to change at London Bridge.

However, there will no longer be any direct services from the North Kent line to Charing Cross. In a bid to prevent congestion in and around the tracks at Lewisham, passengers will have to change at London Bridge.

On the Medway Valley line, there will be two services an hour between Paddock Wood and Strood, calling at all stations via Maidstone West. But most off-peak services from Strood will, from December 11, terminate at Paddock Wood. Services used by school children will not, however, be affected.

On the High Speed One service, the circular route - which would see trains start at St Pancras, go via Ashford to Dover and then up to Thanet and back along the North Kent Line via Medway - will cease.

Instead, there will be a direct service from St Pancras to Ramsgate via Dover or via Faversham and to Margate via Canterbury West.

Additional measures will see the rollout of barcode readers for e-tickets at stations which can be either on a smartphone or printed in a bid to reduce queuing at ticket offices.

Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant said: "After campaigning for years to see improvements for Maidstone’s rail commuters, I am pleased to see this Charing Cross service being introduced.

"It will make a difference for some travellers, but there is already a regular service from Maidstone East to Victoria which requires no change and takes just over an hour.

"What we really need is the reintroduction of the long-promised Thameslink service for commuters to get directly into the City of London and beyond.

"That remains a work in progress."

"My efforts will continue in trying to achieve that goal.”

If ticket buyers register their details when purchasing a ticket, they will also be emailed if their service was delayed in order for a 'one-click delay repay' option.

Southeastern operation and safety director, Scott Brightwell, explained: "The way we all travel has changed post-pandemic and many of our customers are now using our services differently and at varying times of the day.

“This new and improved timetable delivers a more consistent all-day service and means we’re providing trains, and space, where it’s needed most - which reflects the way people now travel.

“Our customers tell us that reliability and punctuality are their highest priorities. So, we’ve simplified routes to remove bottlenecks which will see more trains running on time, fewer cancellations, and a more reliable service.

“The simpler structure of the timetable, with most trains leaving stations at broadly the same time each hour, means we can more add more trains into the timetable as demand changes.

“As we continue to recover from the pandemic, our focus remains on providing the most convenient and reliable railway for everyone who uses it.”

Southeastern chiefs say the way we use rails continues to be in a state of flux and that the new timetable will give it the flexibility to adapt.

Currently, passenger numbers into London terminals are running at 56% of pre-Covid levels during the weekday peak; 77% weekday off-peak and at 90% at weekends.

Other changes will see all trains on the Hayes line terminate at Charing Cross; all Woolwich line services terminating at Cannon Street; and customers of the Hayes line wanting Cannon Street, and Greenwich customers wanting Charing Cross, will need to change at London Bridge.

The changes cap a turbulent period for the train operator.

Previously operated by Govia - a joint venture between the Go-Ahead Group and France-headquartered Keolis - it, like all other rail operators, was hit hard by the pandemic and resulting lockdowns and travel restrictions.

No sooner had that eased, it was stripped of the franchise by then Transport Minister Grant Shapps last September due to its failure to pay back millions of pounds of taxpayer funding.

The franchise became the latest to be taken over by the Government which saw the Operator of Last Resort - the DfT subsidiary which has taken over failing franchises from the private sector - step in.

More recently, it has seen industrial action disrupt services - with the latest walk-outs by train drivers and transport staff bringing all services across the network to a halt this coming Saturday.