New railway station in Kent opens to public

Passengers are able to travel from Thanet Parkway to London in 70 minutes, Network Rail says

Kent's first new railway station in eight years has opened to the public.

Passengers are able to travel from Thanet Parkway to London in 70 minutes, Network Rail says.

Located between Ramsgate and Minster, the station will aim to improve connectivity between East Kent and the capital by providing access to mainline and highspeed train services.

Network Rail’s Kent route director David Davidson said it will improve education and job prospects.

It also provides connections to Canterbury in 17 minutes, Margate in 15 minutes, Ashford International in 32 minutes and Broadstairs in 10 minutes.

“This station has been a long time in the making and I’m excited to see the benefits it will bring to the local and wider Kent economy,” Mr Davidson said.

“We are committed to encouraging as many people as possible to ditch the car and use the train as their preferred method of travelling and this new station will help play a key part in attracting more people to use the railway.”

The station has two 250-metre (820 ft) platforms

As an introductory offer, customers can park for free at the station for a limited time.

Thanet District Council leader Rick Everitt said residents who live nearer to the station now have an alternative to driving into Ramsgate.

“It will improve our rail options without increasing previous journey times,” he said.

David Brazier, Kent County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, added: “I hope we have been able to take the early steps to unlock the true potential of this part of east Kent, boosting the county as a great place to live, work and visit.”