sentences:  On 1 July 1884 SER's rival in Kent London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR) opened its second main line via Maidstone to its own terminus in Ashford.On 1 January 1899 SER and LCDR merged to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR) and soon after the LCDR Maidstone terminus was closed and a connection established from the SER station to the LCDR line.The LCDR's works at Battersea were closed in 1911 with work shifting to Ashford.