First High speed Trains To Leave Sandwich and Deal
Rail passengers in Sandwich and Deal can now enjoy a faster commute to London, after the first high speed train set off to the capital earlier this morning.
The service left Sandwich at 5.50am, calling at Deal six minutes later and arriving at St Pancras International at 7.18am - less than 90 minutes after leaving the Kent coast.
Further trains left Sandwich at 6.18am and 6.50am, with two return services scheduled to leave London at 5.40pm and 6.40pm.
Ian Killbery and Tom Rowland from Trains4deal, who spent months campaigning to bring high speed trains to the town, were among those set to board the first service.
They were due to be joined by the MP for Dover and Deal, Charlie Elphicke, and the Mayor of Deal, Cllr Jim Cronk.
Mr Killbery said: "This is an historic moment for the town, signalling hope for regeneration with much faster links to and from London, especially if we get the service to develop and expand.
"We'll keep up the pressure for daytime services that will be of more benefit to local tourism and off-peak travellers."
Source: Kentonline.co.uk
