Communities came together on Friday, 13 February, to celebrate 175 years of the Marshlink Line, running between Hastings and Ashford International.

Rail enthusiasts, station volunteers and civic leaders marked the milestone with a special on-board gathering aboard a Southern Marshlink service travelling between the two towns.

The mayors of Hastings, Rye and Ashford were among those on board, while the deputy mayor of Winchelsea greeted the train from the platform as it passed along the historic route.

The event took place exactly 175 years after the first train ran from Ashford to Hastings via Rye on 13 February 1851. Organised by the Marshlink Community Rail Partnership, the celebration honoured a line that has served generations — and survived significant threats.

The route was earmarked for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report, but strong opposition from local campaigners and concerns over an impractical replacement bus service helped secure its future.

Today, the line is thriving. Latest figures from the Office of Rail and Road show a 7.8% rise in station usage between April 2024 and March 2025 compared with the previous year. Overall passenger numbers have rebounded to 93.4% of pre-Covid levels across all nine stations.

“The Marshlink line continues this amazing piece of utility for the whole community. It’s the glue that holds the coast together and allows people to move backwards and forwards relatively quickly and at convenient times.”

Cllr Andy Stuart, Mayor of Rye.

“In terms of the liveability of a place, its connectivity is vital both for our residents and also for our visitor economy and this part of the country. 1066 Country relies on its visitor economy so it’s terrific that we are championing links to essentially the rest of the country.”

Sarah Broadbent, chair of 1066 Country.