The Rural Community Council For Kent and Medway
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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 will be no service operated during 2010. Check out the latest news 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
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
Bus Connections
Most bus services in the area are operated by either Arriva Buses or Chalkwell coaches. The table below lists the routes that provide connections at Swalerail stations and an indication of how near the bus stops are.
For details of each companies services, please click on the appropriate logo.
For more details of public transport throughout Kent click on the Kent County Council logo
| Station | Arriva | Chalkwell | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sittingbourne | 333,334,341,347,349, 351 | 322,326,327,343, 344,345,346,348, | Services 322,343,344,345,346,347 & 348 stop on the staton forecourt. Other services have stops in St Michaels Road between 100 and 200 mcaetres from the station. |
| Kemsley | No nearby bus services | ||
| Swale | 334,336,338,341 | 322 | Bus stops immediately outside station. |
| Queenborough | 360,362 | Bus stops on Main Road @ 50 metres from station. | |
| Sheerness on Sea | 334,341,360,361,362 | 364,367 | Bus stops on Bridge Road immediately outside station. |
For more information about SwaleRail, please contact Nigel Whitburn on 01303 813790.