SwaleRail

The branch line from Sittingbourne to Sheerness-on-Sea is an unusual community rail line in that it provides a basic half-hourly service to passengers, but also has a significant quantity of freight traffic.

Sittingbourne and Kemsley are both famous for the paper production and while the mill at Sittingbourne has recently closed, that at Kemsley continues to flourish.

Close to Sittingbourne station is the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, a preserved 2ft 6" steam railway that used to connect the mills at the two communities to Ridham Dock on the Swale Estuary. There has only been a limited service operating from Kemsley Down during 2010 and 2011, but the line will be fully reopened for the 2012 season.  Sittingbourne Viaducr Station will reopen on Friday April 6th. Check out the latest news and the 2012 timetable by visiting the S&KL website at www.sklr.net.

The line passes through a mix of residential, industrial and salt marsh landscapes before reaching the historic town of Queenborough, once site of a royal castle and ferry services to Holland. The line terminates at Sheerness-on-Sea, once a naval dockyard and now home to a busy commercial port. Sheerness has also been a favourite destination for holidaymakers from London who could easily reach the Isle of Sheppey by train. Click here for the current timetable.

Local Attractions

Local Events

Newsletters

Local Attractions

Sittingbourne - Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway and Saxon Shore Way.

Swale Halt - Saxon Shore Way and Elmley Marshes Nature Reserve.

Queenborough - Guildhall Museum and Town trail. You can download a description of a walk around historic Queenborough by clicking here.

Sheerness-on-Sea - Bluetown Heritage Centre.

                                                

For more information on where to go and what to see in Swale, go to the Swale Tourism website.

Local Events

And don’t forget – with Group Travel, 3 or 4 people travelling together go for the price of two! (Terms and Conditions apply)

150 Years of Sheppey Rail

A series of events commemorating the opening of the railway from Sittingbourne to Queenborough and Sheerness in July 1860.

You can download the commemorative booklet by clicking on the image of the front cover (below).

If you are arranging an event accessible from Swalerail, let us know and we can feature it on our site.

SwaleRail Newsletters

Download copies of our newsletters as "pdf" files by clicking on the dates.

• Winter 2010/11 - Welcome to Queenborough, Sheerness mural, Sheppey Rail 150.
• December 2005 - Kemsley CCTV; New Faces; Possible use for Queenborough Station building.
• April 2005 - Integrated Kent Franchise; Achievements so far.
• August 2004 - Sheerness Gateway; Hanging baskets.
• June 2004 - First newsletter; Introduction.

For more information about SwaleRail, please contact Nigel Whitburn on 01303 813790.