The Wealden Line Campaign has given a warm welcome to the first of the new Turbostar trains which entered service on the Uckfield line today (Monday). A number of local people turned out specially to ride on the new train, which left Uckfield for the first time at 2pm.

"This is a truly historic day for the line," said Campaign Director Brian Hart. "These are the first new trains it has had for over 40 years and if the political will is there, today just marks the start of its long-overdue revival."

"Within a few months South Central will have an entire fleet of these sleek new trains gliding up and down the line. They will completely transform the travelling experience and are bound to encourage those who have been driven away to other lines to come back to using the route."

"They will also open up new opportunities" he said. "We now need just seven miles of track from Uckfield to Lewes to open up a whole new service between London and the South Coast. The old 'thumpers' would never have been up to it, but everyone will see that these new Turbostars are more than capable. If East Sussex is to catch up and thrive then it has got to happen."

Mr Hart had little nostalgia for the old trains.

"While some trainspotters seem to find them amusing, the fact is not many of these people actually have to endure them on a regular daily basis. There is a general recognition that these old trains have bedevilled this line and dragged it down over the years. The whole lot should have gone to the scrapyard 20 years ago."

"One reason why this didn't happen was because too many people clung to the idea of electrification for the route; so no one was ready to buy new diesels. Unfortunately East Sussex County Council, which ought to have known better, was one of the worst offenders."

"Luckily South Central managers had the sense to see a dead-end route would never be electrified, so instead got on with ordering the Turbostars. If they hadn't grasped the nettle, goodness knows what would have happened. Next year, the oldest 'thumpers' will be 47 years old and they just couldn't have lasted much longer."

"But instead of facing a crisis, thanks to South Central, we'll now have trains as good as any in Britain," he added. "Nobody will laugh at the Uckfield line any more."

8 December 2003