Tag Archives: train

Train Disruptions: December 2022 and January 2023

Due to various industrial action, there will be reduced train services from Tuesday 13th December 2022 until Sunday 8th January 2023. During this time significant disruption is expected across the rail network. Trains will be busier and likely to be finish earlier and there will be no services operating in some places. If you are travelling, please ensure you plan your journey prior to travelling and check the train times.

For further information, please visit the Southeastern Railway service disruptions webpage and the National Rail industrial actions service disruptions page.

We have received the following image from our contact at Southeastern regarding Southeastern trains. Please be aware there are also some engineering works in various areas during this time.

Travel Disruptions: October 2022

There are some disruptions to Southeastern train and Arriva bus services planned for October which may affect your travel to Canterbury and Medway Campuses, details of which are provided below.

If you are travelling during this time, we advise that you plan your journey prior to travelling and check our Campus Travel updates page.

Trains:

Southeastern have announced that there will be strike action taking place on the rail network on: Saturday 1 October, Wednesday 5 October, and Saturday 8 October. For full details please visit the Southeastern strike action webpage.

Train Strike Days:

Saturday 1 October and Wednesday 5 October: No Southeastern train services will be operating. Please do not attempt to travel by train on this day.  For alternative transport options visit Traveline.

Saturday 8 October: A limited service will be operating and some routes will be closed. Southeastern have advised to only travel if absolutely necessary and if you are travelling to expect severe disruption and plan your journey ahead of travelling.

Days following the train strikes:

Sunday 2 October: Some trains will not run before 07:00.

Thursday 6 October: Southeastern expect a normal service to operate.

Sunday 9 October:  Services will operate later in the morning, with no trains running before 07.00.

Arriva Buses – Medway: 

Arriva bus company have announced that there will be further industrial action taking place across Northfleet, Gillingham, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells on the 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th of October.

Update (11/10/2022): Arriva have announced another 13 days of industrial action taking place on the 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th October, as well as, the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th of November.

Please visit the Arriva Kent industrial action webpage for full details on the Arriva bus disruptions during this time.

Roadworks: 

M20 closure between junction 10A and 11: This closure will be in place from 21:00 on Friday 7th October until 06:00 on Monday 10th October. There will be a diversion route in place using the A20, A261, A259 and A2070 to go London bound and the same roads in reverse order to go coast bound.

 3 way road works on the junction of University Road/St Thomas Hill: At peak times there may be some delays and we encourage you to plan your journey prior to travelling.

St Stephens Road Closure, Canterbury: This closure will be in place from 22:00 on Thursday 20th October until 06:00 on Monday 24th October.

Travel Information for Monday 19th September 2022

Following the announcement of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday 19 September 2022, which will also be a bank holiday, some travel providers have amended their services. Therefore, if you are travelling on the 19 September 2022 we advise that you plan your journey prior to travelling and check our Campus Travel updates page.

Travel Provider Service Updates – 19 September:

Stagecoach Bus – Canterbury:

On Monday, Stagecoach will be operating on the normal term-time Sunday bus timetables. This means the Uni1 service between the Canterbury campus and city centre will operate every half hour, supplemented with Triangle bus services every 20 minutes to and from Keynes bus stop. We highly recommend that you download the Stagecoach Bus App, where you can view real time tracking of buses.

Arriva Bus – Medway: 

On Monday, Arriva will be operating on the normal term-time Sunday bus timetables. Further information can be found on Arriva’s website.

National Express: 

National Express have stated that on Monday there will be major road closures in central London and London Victoria Coach Station will be out of use. However, if you are still planning on booking a ticket to or from London and travelling via Wembley Stadium, you will need to select Victoria Coach Station in our journey planner. Please see National Express service updates page for further details.

Train: 

South Eastern rail are encouraging people to plan their journey if travelling on Monday as they expect busier services. There are likely to be changes to normal routes in and around stations in order to manage queuing and demand. The Elizabeth line will run a special service with 12 trains per hour and London underground will run as usual. All planned engineering works from Wednesday 14 to Monday 19 September have been cancelled.

Eurostar:

All UK rail strikes have been cancelled, as such the Eurostar have been able to reinstate cancelled trains for the 15, 16 and 17 September. Eurostar will be operating on a full timetable with a few alterations. Further details can be found at Eurostar service updates page.

International: 

The Transport Team are not aware of any changes affecting  ferries, flights or airports on Monday.

Roadworks: 

Please be aware there are 3 way road works on the junction of University Road/St Thomas Hill. At peak times there may be some delays and we encourage you to plan your journey prior to travelling.

COVID-19 Update (30/11/21): The UK rules have changed

Following the updated Government guidance in response to the new Covid-19 variant, there are some changes to the rules in the UK.

From Today (Tuesday 30 November 2021): 

  • Face coverings are a legal requirement in shops and on all UK public transport. You must wear a face covering throughout your journey, unless you have medical exemptions. This is the law.
  • On campus, face coverings will be expected in all teaching spaces and communal areas. In shared offices and other spaces, face coverings should also be worn where social distancing cannot be maintained, unless you have medical exemptions.
  • International Travel – you must follow the rules for international travel. You should not travel to countries or territories on the red list.
  • If you are planning to travel to England, you should follow the guidance on entering the UK and find out which list the country you are travelling from is on and what you need to do.
  • If you are travelling to the UK from abroad, you will need to take a PCR test, regardless of whether you have symptoms.

University of Kent Links: 

  • COVID-19 Travel Page – regularly updated with COVID-19 travel information.
  • Coronavirus Page – University of Kent Coronavirus page has useful links and detailed information on the University’s response.

Useful Transport Links:

The following links explain what the travel providers are doing to keep their services COVID-friendly and what is expected from passengers during this time to ensure that you can travel in confidence.

Government Guidance Links:

face covering image

Planning your commute

It is important to plan your journey, especially at the moment to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here are some tips from the University’s Transport Team.

  • Plan all your journeys before leaving your house.
  • Make sure you bring a face covering (unless you are exempt) and hand sanitiser with you. The Government has also provided a useful checklist that includes questions to ask yourself and what
  • to take with you before leaving home.
  • Be prepared for travel disruptions. For example, due to lower capacity, the bus you were expecting to catch may be full and you may need to wait for longer than anticipated.
  • Ensure your vehicle/bicycle is serviced regularly.
  • Social distance and follow the travel providers’ rules.
  • Ensure you know what payment methods travel providers require.
  • Be familiar with and follow the Government travel guidance.
  • Avoid travel during busy times, if possible.
  • Keep up to date with the latest advice from your travel service provider. See the list below for up to date guidance on public transport.
  • Remember to be kind and support each other – there are health reasons that mean not everyone is able to wear a face covering or may need to use a particular route that others are not able to use.

If you are travelling via public transport, it is important to ensure that you are familiar with what is required to travel with the service provider. For example, you are required to wear a face covering (if you can) when travelling on public transport or Campus Shuttle service. Some travel services may request card payment only and/or bookings only.

The travel providers have published some guides to explain their journey planning, social distancing and how to pay for travel:

For more information, please visit the COVID-19 travel webpage and the coronavirus information webpages.