A new high speed express commuter services between London St Pancras, Ashford and the Kent coast, is set to be introduced in December 2009. The announcement was made by the private operator South Eastern Rail.
Called the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, this line is the first major new railway to be built in the UK in over a century. It will provide a 109km (68 mile) high-speed link between St Pancras in London and the Channel Tunnel in Kent.
The new fleet of 29 Hitachi Class 395 trains will be able to accelerate rapidly to 140mph, slashing the current journey times from Kent into London St Pancras. For example, London to Ashford will be reduced from 83 minutes to 36.5 minutes. The trains are currently in the design stage, but the first four models will arrive for testing this year. The remainder will be delivered in 2009.
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A new timetable introduced in 2009 will bring a new era in train travel for London, Kent and East Sussex. Commuters will travel at high-speed on the fast new trains straight into the Docklands and central London and leisure passengers will see the distance between the Garden of England and London significantly reduce.
Two new stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford have been built and £87 million invested in new depot facilities at Ramsgate and Ashford to facilitate the maintenance of the Hitachi trains.
David Miller, Programme Director in charge of introducing the high-speed services says: ´We´re very excited about the introduction of the new high-speed domestic rail services over the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and hope that passengers will reap the benefits of these faster services into the heart of the capital.´
Fonte: South Eastern (UK)
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