Following our long fought campaign, I am delighted that contactless ticketing is now up and running for passengers traveling to London from either Sevenoaks, Bat & Ball, Otford, Shoreham, Eynsford, and Dunton Green stations.
As I travelled to Westminster on Monday it was great to tap in with my bank card to board the train, rather than having to buy a ticket – and I know from my emails how many of you have benefited from this more flexible and convenient way to travel. No more fumbling for tickets or worrying about missing the best fare—just a simple tap in and out, and you are on your way.
While this is a huge step forward, I know that there are still limitations to be addressed, including linking contactless payments currently with discount railcards. I will continue to press for these gaps to be resolved so that even more passengers can benefit from this system.
I also continue to work closely with Southeastern to ensure it improves our service reliability. I have received (and experienced!) multiple reports of issues such as Charing Cross-bound trains unexpectedly terminating at London Bridge, as well as delays and overcrowding on fast-line services through Otford and Swanley.
I am making the case for Southeastern to urgently address these problems, and I will continue to push for improvements.
When it works well, Sevenoaks have a brilliant train service, but it needs to be reliable and at the moment it isn’t acceptable.
If you have any experiences—positive or negative—to share about contactless or rail services more generally, please do get in touch at [email protected]. Your input is invaluable in helping me advocate for better services for our community.
