Britain's fastest commuter train arrives early on maiden journey

On track: Britain's fastest high-speed commuter service arrives ahead of schedule on maiden journey
12 April 2012

The UK's first commuter high-speed train service arrived a minute early today - reaching London from Ashford in Kent in just 36 minutes.

The journey, which normally takes around one hour 20 minutes, was made possible by operating a 140mph Japanese-built 'javelin' train on a section of the High Speed 1 - the Channel Tunnel rail link.

The Hitachi Class 395 train, run by the Southeastern Rail Company, left Ashford at 6.48am with around 150 passengers on board.

It made just the one stop Ebbsfleet in North Kent and finally came to a halt at St Pancras Station in London at 7.24am - one minute ahead of schedule.

Passengers emerging into the bright sunshine in London were impressed.

Commodity broker Mike Hussey from Ashford, said: "It's absolutely brilliant. It's the way travel should be."

Businessman Martin Brown, 52, also from Ashford, said: "It's a very good train. We should have had it years ago rather than travelling in cattle-class".

Southeastern commercial director Vince Lucas, who was on the first train, said: "It went very well."

Passengers today have to pay more than they would normally do on the normal-speed journeys with the London to Ebbsfleet single on the javelin trains rising from £9.10 to £12.20, and London-Ashford going up from £22.20 to £26.60.

Today is the start of a weekday only, limited "preview" service of the new trains ahead of the introduction of the full service on December 13.

At present the javelins are only running as far as Ashford but by the end of the year they will help reduce journey times to Kent towns from London considerably.

Canterbury will be reached in 59 minutes, Folkestone in 57 minutes and Ramsgate in 80 minutes.

In 2012, the javelin trains will whisk spectators from St Pancras to the Olympics site at Stratford, east London in just seven minutes.

The javelin trains are built by the same company which manufactures the Japanese bullet trains. The Class 395's have 338 seats and, with standing, can accommodate 508 passengers.

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