A weekday Hastings express will call at Tunbridge Wells from 14 December, and semi-fast trains go half-hourly all day. What changes, and what is not yet known.

A new weekday express between Hastings and London Charing Cross will stop at Tunbridge Wells from Monday 14 December. It is part of Southeastern’s December timetable change, which also brings back half-hourly semi-fast trains between Tunbridge Wells and Charing Cross through the day on weekdays and Saturdays.

Southeastern announced both on 8 September. (Southeastern Media Centre, 8 September 2026)

The express train

The morning train leaves Hastings at 08:05 and reaches Charing Cross at 09:33. It calls at:

  • St Leonards Warrior Square
  • Battle
  • Tunbridge Wells
  • London Bridge
  • Waterloo East

A return train leaves Charing Cross at 16:11 and gets to Hastings at 17:42. Southeastern says the morning train will have four coaches, with 2 plus 2 seating and tables.

The new Hastings express from 14 December 2026 A route line for the new weekday express. The morning train leaves Hastings at 08:05, calls at St Leonards Warrior Square, Battle, Tunbridge Wells, London Bridge and Waterloo East, and arrives at Charing Cross at 09:33. The return leaves Charing Cross at 16:11 and arrives at Hastings at 17:42. Southeastern has not yet published the Tunbridge Wells calling times. The new weekday express, from Monday 14 December Calling points and end-to-end times. Source: Southeastern Media Centre, 8 September 2026. Hastings St Leonards Warrior Square Battle Tunbridge Wells times not yet published London Bridge Waterloo East Charing Cross MORNING, TO LONDON Hastings 08:05 to Charing Cross 09:33 EVENING, FROM LONDON Charing Cross 16:11 to Hastings 17:42 Graphic by T Wells Today
Where the express stops. Southeastern has given end-to-end times only.

Where the “14 minutes quicker” comes from

Southeastern’s headline figure is measured from Hastings, not from Tunbridge Wells. Its release gives a fastest time of 1 hour 18 minutes from Hastings to London Bridge, and 1 hour 28 minutes to Charing Cross. It says that is around 14 minutes quicker than today’s fastest peak service.

For Tunbridge Wells passengers the gain is not yet clear. Southeastern has not published the time the express calls at Tunbridge Wells, or its journey time from here. Its release says journey planners will show the December services from Sunday 20 September.

The comparison matters because Tunbridge Wells already has fast trains. The quickest current service to Charing Cross takes 52 minutes, and most take 53 to 58, as set out on our Tunbridge Wells trains to London page.

Scott Brightwell, Southeastern’s safety, planning and performance director, said the express “will shave 14 mins off the journey into London in the morning”. He said the evening return “will save a similar amount of time against the average of evening peak services”.

Southeastern calls it a trial. Mr Brightwell said the company is “looking forward to trialling these new services to assess their demand and benefit to customers”. Helena Dollimore, the MP for Hastings, Rye and the villages, called it a pilot and said “if we want it to stay, we all must use it to show the demand”.

The change that affects more people here

The bigger change for Tunbridge Wells may be the all-day service. Southeastern says the December timetable brings:

  • half-hourly semi-fast trains between Charing Cross and Tunbridge Wells through off-peak periods on weekdays, and across Saturdays
  • more frequent journeys to Orpington, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge on the same trains
  • additional late-evening journeys to and from Hastings

Southeastern describes the half-hourly semi-fast pattern as a “return”. Mr Brightwell said the package means “more trains to Tunbridge Wells”.

For Paddock Wood, there is one extra evening peak train. A 16:58 from Cannon Street to Ashford via Tonbridge and Headcorn is being added, and Southeastern says it will add capacity at the busiest time of day. The release does not list its calling points, so check the journey planner before relying on a Paddock Wood stop.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes until Monday 14 December. Your current timetable stands until then.
  • Look up the express from 20 September. That is when Southeastern says journey planners will carry the December trains, including the Tunbridge Wells time.
  • Do not assume a 14-minute saving from here. That figure is from Hastings. Compare the express with the train you use now once its Tunbridge Wells time is out.
  • The express is on trial. Both Southeastern and the Hastings MP say its future depends on how many people use it.
  • Off-peak and Saturday travellers gain most. Half-hourly semi-fast trains to London all day are the change most people in the borough will notice.
  • Engineering work comes first. No trains run between Tonbridge and Wadhurst from 24 October to 1 November. Our roadworks and travel page has the dates.

Sources: Southeastern Media Centre, “Express service to cut Hastings to London journey times from December”, published 8 September 2026 and read 15 September 2026, for the express times, calling points, train length, the 14-minute figure, the 20 September journey planner date, the wider December changes and all quotes; T Wells Today, Tunbridge Wells trains to London, for the current 52-minute fastest journey.