Rail travellers from Sandwich and Deal will be getting the new High Speed Rail Service following a Kent County Council rail 'summit 'meeting.

The new High Speed Rail Service aims to boost business confidence and bring new employment opportunities to the area at the same time as Pfizer exits its Sandwich site with the loss of over 2,400 jobs.

At Wednesday's Kent Rail Summit at County Hall, Leader of Kent County Council and Chairman of the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force Paul Carter announced KCC's support for the new peak service for rail travellers from Sandwich and Deal which will slash the journey time to London to approximately 90 minutes.

It will provide 3 High Speed trains to London in the morning leaving Sandwich at 0551, 0617 and 0647 and calling at Deal 5 minutes later. Trains will return from St Pancras at 1740 and 1840.

The new service will build on the High Speed connections to be provided by Southeastern for the Open Golf Championship in Sandwich, in July, and was a specific recommendation of the recent report to Ministers by the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force.

The cost of the new service will be approximately £151,000, but costs will reduce the more that the services are used.

KCC Leader Paul Carter and Chairman of the Sandwich Economic Development Task Force said: "KCC has pump-primed the service and it is now up to local businesses and residents to "use or lose it".

“As service use grows the potential to extend it to provide a full timetable throughout the day will be a real possibility which will boost local business prospects still further."

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2011©