High-speed train chiefs planning extra services

Bosses considering expansion amid overcrowding worries

Bosses behind HS1, the highspeed rail link between Ashford and St Pancras, say they are looking at adding additional services to their Kent routes.

It comes after Ashford MP Damian Green warned in January that more trains were needed to tackle the problem of overcrowding at peak times.

HS1 Ltd, which operates the railway, has now published research showing that existing domestic services to Kent and East Sussex generate economic output of £146m per year - the equivalent to 2,150 full-time jobs.

Passenger journeys have almost doubled to 15 million in the past decade.

This growth, says the firm, is forecast to continue at a rate of 11% every year.

To help meet this increased demand and ease crowding at peak times, HS1 believes the industry has an opportunity to “work together to facilitate the introduction of additional trains on the line to Kent”.

Dyan Crowther, CEO of HS1 Ltd, said: “High speed train travel has had a transformative impact on Kent, driving up productivity, encouraging the construction of affordable homes and creating thousands of jobs.

“The phenomenal success of the line and its growth in passenger journeys means that we are now at a critical juncture.

“The cancellation of the Southeastern franchise competition provides a window of opportunity for the industry to work together to put the passenger at the heart of services for years to come, delivering additional rolling stock to meet increased demand and driving more economic growth for the region.”

It says the railway has brought 400,000 people within an hour’s commute of London, enabling 47,000 more young families to live within commuting distance of the capital and encouraging the construction of 15,000 affordable homes.

Domestic services also remove, it claims, 6,000 vehicles from the roads each year, providing significant environmental savings.

The research, which was produced by Steer on behalf of HS1, was published on the day that HS1 hosted a twinning ceremony between St Pancras International and the Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean stations, underscoring its commitment to launch services to new destinations including south west France, Frankfurt and Geneva.

The research also found that the international services generate direct economic benefits of £281m each year, with productivity gains equivalent to 2,500 full time employees.

Services on the line also bring in £2bn through increased tourist spending, supporting an estimated 3,600 full-time jobs in the tourism sector.

■ What do you think? Write to Kentish Express, Unit 4, Park Mall shopping centre, Ashford, TN24 8RY or email kentishexpress@thekmgroup.co.uk

‘High speed train travel has had a transformative impact on Kent...’

Ashford MP Damian Green raised concerns about overcrowding on the high-speed rail line earlier this year

HS1 chief executive Dyan Crowther says more trains should run on the line