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Dear Editor
On a visit to Folkestone one of my old favourite seaside’s towns in Kent, I was horrified to see how derelict the harbour and amusement beach area now look.

Even more upsetting to see is the terrible state of one of our last remaining stations that have served the beach area for 155 years!

There are of course no more boat trains to Calais, but the station is only just over 1 mile from the main junction to London Victoria, and the last scheduled train left in May 2001.

The English Version of the Orient Express also used it for a few years, although god knows what the passengers thought, when they saw the derelict up platform!

The station has a fairly large, (mostly unused) car park outside it.

Folkestone Central hasn’t got any parking, so a park and ride to London could easily be started up, from the Harbour station, if the fee for parking was made more reasonable.

The station is on the beach, so the amusements and Hotel Burstin are only across the road, much closer that Central station, and doesn’t need a car or Taxi to reach the beach area, or any parking costs, so less congestion or pollution!

Perhaps Kent County Council and the Hotel Burstin, could help Network Rail to promote the station for seaside specials to the hotel and beach amusements, and a park and ride to London Victoria station?

This would bring in more tourist revenue, to the area and Hotel Burstein.

It would also help Network Rail have some revenue, when they currently have none from this section of line.

The main running lines and bridge appear to be as strong as when they were built more that 155 years ago, but the station is fast falling into a un repairable eyesore, which won’t last more than a year or so.

The main signals are still working, as red lights show on both lines!

As a potential tourist the area looks terrible and uninviting, so people are unlikely to revisit the area.

At the moment a local Quarry firm are using the old down line, but the old up line is almost derelict, after the track was removed, and the wooden sleepers are now rotting away.

So please can something be done, before we loose another historic part of our heritage, that is surely better used a few times a day, than be left to rot, and put off the potential tourist trade?

Stevan Kinghorn