Losing high-speed link will kill town, warn commuters
Hundreds of rail commuters have voiced their concerns over controversial proposals to scrap Maidstone West’s high speed train services to the capital.
The popular route transports passengers between the County Town and London St Pancras in just 52 minutes.
After the Kent Messenger launched a campaign to protect it, more than 1,200 people have signed a petition urging the government to retain the service.
We handed out hundreds of leaflets at the station earlier this week to help raise awareness.
Concerned passengers – some as young as five-year-old Alice Verbeeren – told us of the impact the proposed cuts would have on their daily lives.
Anthea Margerum lives in Florence Road and works in the capital as a para-legal.
She said: “We’ve fought long enough for this train and it’s so convenient. It means we’re in London within an hour, so it would have an impact on us.
“It just means I don’t have to use a car so it’s less pollution on the road and it works out cheaper for me to do it this way than to go to another railway station, go into Victoria, Charing Cross or Cannon Street or anywhere because I’d be using my car, parking, having to use the tube and everything.”
Simon Casey, who lives in Blue Bell Hill and works for an advertising agency, said: “It’ll be annoying – another Maidstone train that’s been lost.
“People are just going to move out of Maidstone and the town won’t attract people who work in London. They’re going to Ebbsfleet and places like that instead.”
Joe O’Neill, of Florence Road, said: “There’s only three trains a day either way. I’d have thought they could do at least six.
“They could really beef this station up and do a lot more with it. The services out of here are tragic.”
The row came in a Department for Transport document where bidders in the next rail franchise were given the option of running services to Abbey Wood instead of high speed trains to St Pancras.
To sign the petition, visit tinyurl.com/KMhighspeed