Ashford to retain high-speed rail connection

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Funding has been secured to install ETCS signalling at Ashford International, securing the station’s high-speed rail link.

The European Commission (EC) has agreed to provide half of the £4 million required to upgrade the signalling around the station, ensuring that Eurostar’s new e320 trains, which will begin operating cross-border services in December, can continue to stop at the station.

The project will also make sure that Ashford is served by any future operators.

In October 2014, Eurostar ordered seven more e320 units, taking the new fleet to 17. The ETCS-enabled e320 will also allow direct services to Germany and the Netherlands from the UK for the first time.

Nicola Shaw, chief executive of HS1, said: “This is very good news for Ashford International and the whole of Kent, and I welcome the fact that the town will continue to benefit from excellent high-speed rail services to the continent.”

The EC will put in €2.7 million from its Connecting Europe Facility’, which has received submissions from more than 700 projects around Europe all hoping to attract financial support.

The South East LEP will match the EC through the government’s Local Growth Fund.

1 COMMENT

  1. The new Eurostar E320 Class 374’s are very good trains plus Eurostar could operate to new destinations in Europe such as Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Warsaw, Budapest, Zurich, Oslo, Stockholm & other destinations as Eurostar have got Class 373’s & Class 374’s.

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