Ashford International Station will now see more high speed services from Europe, after the completion of a £10m project that has included an upgrade to the track, adaptation of Ashford’s international platforms and state-of the-art signalling equipment. The improvement to what is known as the Ashford spur means that the track now meets international standards and can accommodate the first of Eurostar’s new Siemens e320 class trains, as well as other train companies from Europe.
The project is expected to provide significant economic and social benefits to the area, and has been delivered by Network Rail and backed by Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council, with funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund.
Geoff Miles, the Vice Chair of South East Local Enterprise Partnership and Chair of the Kent & Medway Economic Board, said: “The foresight to invest in futureproofing vital transport infrastructure is at the heart of every strong economy. The Ashford signalling project maintains Kent’s international connections and as we move toward Brexit, it is going to be projects like this that secure our economic future.”
More details at Global Railway Review and Kent Online