Better Transport

Ramsgate probably has the best rail connections in Thanet, with regular services to London’s Victoria and Charing Cross stations, via both Faversham and Ashford International. Over 650,000 passenger journeys per year are made from the station. The station is, however, over a mile from the town centre, and onward travel to the town, port and outlying areas is mainly by bus or taxi. The Ramsgate Interchange project aimed to provide Ramsgate and Thanet with a transport interchange that is safer, easier to use and more attractive for all users, linking the station more effectively with the local community.

The problems
The project was designed to address these problems at the station:

• A large forecourt which was a poorly used resource
• Conflicting traffic movements, creating safety hazards for pedestrians going to and from the station
• Randomly sited bus stops, with little or no information, deterring people from using existing bus services
• Poor taxi facilities with poor queuing arrangements
• Haphazard and only partially marked-out car parking and short-wait areas
• Limited access and parking for cycles
• Poor local and bus information, particularly about onward travel to the town, seaside or port

The solution. Kent County Council, in partnership with the Thanet District Authority, Network Rail and South Eastern Trains, agreed on a complete redesign of the station forecourt which would also allow for growth in bus/rail interchange. The improvements included:

• Relocating two existing bus stops from the station approach to the station forecourt, with a new paved area, heritage-approved bus shelters, and an electronic information kiosk
• A pedestrian route across the forecourt (complemented by a zebra crossing on the adjacent highway, provided by Kent County Council)
• A section of new cycle route across the forecourt
• Resurfacing and remarking the car park, with drop-off and short-stay areas

A complementary countywide programme installed cycle parking at the station, through a partnership between county and district councils and South Eastern Trains. The Kent Local Transport Plan also provided a cycle route linking the local community to the station.

The funding
The Ramsgate Interchange project recognised that a scheme which reduces social exclusion, encourages tourism and protects built heritage will have more funding opportunities than a mere car park enhancement scheme. The project was able to argue for funding on the basis of being in a priority area for economic regeneration; the potential to develop tourism; the station building’s listed status and the general condition of the existing facilities.

When this project was initially developed, the Strategic Rail Authority’s Rail Passenger Partnership fund (RPP) was ideal for small schemes not deemed commercially viable in the short term. Because matched funding improved the chances of RPP funding, a partnership was formed to identify as many project outputs as possible:

• Network Rail – interested in the condition of the facility
• Connex/South Eastern Trains – the station operator
• Stagecoach East Kent and Eastonways – the local bus operators
• Kent County Council – keen on better bus/rail integration to promote social inclusion in a deprived area
• Thanet District Council – aware of the station’s potential for tourism, key to the future economic vitality of the town
• The Railway Heritage Trust – eager to enhance the setting of the Grade 2 listed building
• Network Rail had plans to resurface the station forecourt area, and made its ‘resurfacing’ money available for matching against other funds. A series of ‘internal’ funding applications were made within the local authorities. These, in addition to a Rail Heritage funding application, enabled an RPP application to be submitted. In this way, a funding package of about £220,000 was assembled.

Lessons learnt
RPP funding was undoubtedly a key element of the overall package, but the subsequent demise of RPP should not overshadow the future development of small-scale schemes. Important aspects of the Ramsgate project can be transferred: good communication, early identification of Network Rail investment plans and sensitivity to partners’ aspirations.

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