What people think of new Kent railway station days after opening

The new Thanet^[1] Parkway railway station opened to passengers on Monday (July 31). It is the county's first railway station to be built in eight years.

As a result, passengers are now able to travel from Thanet Parkway to London in 70 minutes^[2], Network Rail says. The station, which is located between Ramsgate and Minster, will aim to improve connections between East Kent and the capital by providing access to mainline and highspeed train services.

Meanwhile, it provides connections to Canterbury in 17 minutes, Margate in 15 minutes, Ashford International in 32 minutes and Broadstairs in 10 minutes. It is also hoped the new station will benefit the local economy by making the area more attractive to businesses.

From Thanet to London in 70 minutes now that the new station has opened (Image: Network Rail)

The project has been jointly funded by the Government’s Department for Transport (DfT); South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP); the Government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Thanet District Council; East Kent Spatial Development Company; and Kent County Council. The level crossings at Sevenscore and Cliffsend have also been upgraded.

Thanet District Council leader Rick Everitt said the new station would add to the district's existing stations and provide new opportunities for residents who did not have easy access to them. He added: "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.”

As well as rail connections for London and across Kent, the new station provides the future potential for an integrated transport hub. Moreover, a new road gives access to the station from the A299 Hengist Way, with parking for 293 vehicles, including 16 for Blue Badge holders, as well as a number of electric vehicle charging points.

There are also drop-off and pick-up zones, along with a station bus stop. This is served by an electric minibus that can take passengers from the station to Discovery Park in six minutes.

Now that the new station has been open for a few days, we thought we'd pop along to ask people what they thought about it. Kevin Barker, 36, was pleased with the station, but said some improvements could be made.

He said: “It’s good, but the lengths of the platforms are not enough and could be wider.” He also said the lift was not visible enough for people.

He added: “How much the station will get used, I don’t know, especially with more people working from home as a result of COVID. But, overall, it’s a good station.

"I think it’ll help Ramsgate station as there is no parking there and it’ll take the pressure off.” Benjamin Erkur also thinks the new station is a good thing for all.

The 27-year-old, who works in computing and cyber security, said it was "brilliant". He was particularly pleased with the amount of parking at the station.

Benjamin did, however, say he had been a little tepid on the idea of a new Thanet train station. “I didn’t quite understand the purpose,” he said.

However, he has since come round. Not only does he see it as a way to connect people, Benjamin said he also saw it as a cheaper alternative to the Park and Ride scheme in Canterbury.

Not everyone at the station was as impressed though. Ex-railwayman David Roper, 73, said: “I’m not impressed at all, considering the amount of money it’s cost. It looks cheap and nasty. It's functional, without any facilities."

It is estimated that the budget of the station ballooned from the estimated cost of £11 million in 2015 to a final cost of more than £44m. The station is also without a ticket office.

But Southeastern says the station has a range of facilities such as ticket vending machines, CCTV, hearing loops and passenger help points. Meanwhile, there are staff toilets, but currently none for customers.

As well as having concerns over the lack of toilets for customers, David said he thought there should have been a canopy at the new station "for when it’s drizzly and when trains are delayed”.

He also questioned the utility of having an unmanned train station and how that affects the facilities that can be available. This is because the site will not be routinely manned by staff after the station has 'bedded in'.

David said: “Can you put toilets in an unmanned station? Society, being how it is, they’d be destroyed."

Network Rail’s Kent route director David Davidson said the opening of the new station was "fantastic." He added: "The opening of this station is testament to the collaborative working relationship between our partners and Thanet Parkway will play a central role in helping boost the local economy and support tourism by providing connections to a wide range of leisure destinations."

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References

1. ^{^} Thanet (www.kentlive.news)
2. ^{^} now able to travel from Thanet Parkway to London in 70 minutes (www.kentlive.news)
3. ^{^} The Kent Wilko stores at risk of closure with homeware chain on brink of collapse (www.kentlive.news)
4. ^{^} HERE. (data.reachplc.com)