Thanet Parkway station opened today (Monday 31 July), the first new station in Kent for eight years.

The first train arrived on time at Thanet Parkway at 04:58 this morning, and was scheduled to arrive at London St. Pancras at 06:25. High-speed train services will run regularly to London St Pancras, and there will also be peak-time services to Charing Cross and Cannon  Street.

Thanet Parkway station is located between Ramsgate and Minster. Its two platforms are each 250 metres long, and can accommodate twelve-car trains, which travel to St Pancras International via Ashford International in seventy minutes.

Mainline services will also run to destinations across Kent and Medway, including leisure destinations such as Canterbury (17 mins), Margate (16 mins), Ashford International (32 mins) and Broadstairs (11 mins).

Operator Southeastern hopes that the station will improve connections between East Kent, London and the southeast region, and expects the station to be used by one hundred thousand passengers over the next year.

As a parkway station, it has a large car park, and for a limited time, passengers will be allowed to park there without change. The car park has spaces for 293 vehicles, including sixteen spaces for Blue Badge holders, as well as several charging points for electric vehicles.

Southeastern believes that Thanet Parkway provides the potential for an integrated transport hub in the future.

A new road gives access to the station from the A299 Hengist Way. There are pick-up and drop-off zones, and a station bus stop served by an electric minibus running a six-minute shuttle service to Discovery Park.

Bicycle racks and storage facilities are available, and there is cycling and pedestrian access to Cliffsend village.

The station is fully accessible, from car park to platform. It offers facilities including:

• lifts and stairs to access platforms
• tactile paving and wayfinding tactiles
• CCTV
• help points to provide remote assistance
• ticket vending machines
• a defibrillator
• waiting shelters and seating
• hearing loops.

For the next six weeks, Thanet Parkway station will be staffed on weekdays between 08:00 and 16:00. However, staffing may well be cut after that, as Southeastern admits that the staffing for the next six weeks is to help passengers get used to using the station. The operator promises to keep staffing levels under review thereafter. When the station is not staffed, passengers will have to use help points, and staff will travel to the station to give assistance if necessary.

The station features acoustic barriers, which absorb noise to protect the privacy of the station’s neighbours. Its landscaping includes new trees, shrubs, flowering grass and ivy plants. which enhance the surrounding environment and provide net gain in biodiversity.

Cliffsend and Sevenscore level crossings have been upgraded. The automatic half barriers at Cliffsend are being replaced with full barriers with CCTV controlled from East Kent Signalling Centre in Gillingham.

The Department for Transport (DfT), South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Thanet District Council and Kent County Council have jointly the station and level crossing works.

Further work in Network Rail’s Thanet Corridor Enhancements Programme includes upgrades to Dibleys, Ships Meadow and Grove Ferry crossings to permit line speed increases between Ashford, Canterbury West and Ramsgate.

Fare discounts available from the station include:

• 50% discount on to all Advance fares for children aged 5 to 15
• 50% off adult Standard class Advance fares with 16-17 Saver Railcard
• one third off Standard class Advance fares with any National Railcard
• one third off First Class Advance fares with a 16-25, 26-30, Senior, Two Together, HM Forces, Veterans or Disabled Persons Railcard.

Steve White, Southeastern’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome another – fully accessible – station to our network offering sustainable travel options for customers: each customer who parks at this new station and takes our all-electric railway to London will reduce their CO2 emissions by approximately 11 kilos compared to driving. Additionally, the station offers charging points for electric vehicles as well as ample parking for cycles, supporting aspirations for active travel.

“Return fares on our HighSpeed services start from under £40 and on our mainline services from under £30. With some railcards you can get a discount of up to 50% on the cost of your ticket including advanced fares.

“Our friendly on-board colleagues will support everyone using this station and e-tickets and ticket machines will be available to allow customers to purchase their tickets before travelling.

“We are also thinking about the future and the potential Thanet Parkway has to drive economic development, by serving new and planned housing developments in the area. We are proud to have partnered with Kent County Council and Network Rail in delivering this project.

David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent Route Director, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Thanet Parkway station has today opened its doors to customers.

“This station has been a long time in the making and I’m excited to see the benefits it will bring to the local and wider Kent economy through improved rail connections to the capital and some of east Kent’s leisure destinations.

“We are committed to encouraging as many people as possible to ditch the car and use the train as their preferred method of travelling and this new station will help play a key part in attracting more people to use the railway.”

David Brazier, Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “I am really pleased that from Monday 31st July we are beginning to see the first people using the new Thanet Parkway railway station.

“This is an excellent example of how organisations can work together make it quicker and easier for people in local communities to get to and from London, reaching the capital in 70 minutes, serving thousands of trips a year.

“In working with Network Rail, Southeastern and Thanet District Council on this joint mission I hope we have been able to take the early steps to unlock the true potential of this part of east Kent, boosting the county as a great place to live, work and visit.”

Vince Lucas, Director of South East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The opening of Thanet Parkway is great opportunity for Kent and the Southeast.

“As well as providing faster direct connectivity to central London and the Coast, the station’s location can drive economic development, including for users of the growing science and business community at Discovery Park, Sandwich.”

Councillor Rick Everitt, Leader of Thanet District Council, said: “Thanet Parkway will add to our existing stations and provide new opportunities for residents who do not currently have easy access to them. People who live nearer to the new station will now have an alternative to driving into Ramsgate and having to park in busy residential roads. It will improve our rail options without increasing previous journey times.

“The new station represents a substantial investment in the district’s future by regional and national funding bodies and it is important that we take advantage of such opportunities when they arise.”