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The tiny Kent village now only 70 minutes from London by train

The new Thanet Parkway Station between Ramsgate and Minster takes passengers to London on the train in 70 minutes and has opened up leisure destinations across Kent. It opened last July, with 10 trains a day on weekdays to and from London Bridge, Charing Cross or Cannon Street, as KentLive reported at the time.[1][2][3]

The £40 million railway station opened at Cliffsend with its 250m platforms accommodating large 12-carriage trains, high-speed services to St Pancras International via Ashford[4] International, and 293 parking spaces. It's safe to say, it was a far cry from the village's humble station which closed more than 90 years ago.

In fact it could not really be called a station, it was a 'halt', being smaller than a station, with sparse if any facilities and often only a request stop. The halt and railway history was referred to in speeches and statements given on the opening of Thanet Parkway by the organisations involved.

Thanet Parkway was Kent's first new station in eight years. Southeastern’s managing director Steve White said: “We’re excited to begin services at Thanet Parkway, some 90 years after the people of Cliffsend last had their own railway station."

The new station was built just 100m from the former halt. It offers "excellent cycling access" to the village, with bike racks and secure bike storage facilities at the station, said Network Rail. It's also possible to walk to Cliffsend.

Ebbsfleet and Cliffsend Halt Railway station, nearly two miles west of Ramsgate, was opened in May 1908 by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway. It also served homes next to Pegwell Bay.

There was a level crossing where the road between Manston and Ramsgate crossed the line but a railway bridge over the road was later built. The station closed to passengers and goods on April 1, 1933.

Although Cliffsend has been without a station, the main railway line to London and the west passes through the village and there are stations at Minster and Ramsgate around two-and-a-half miles away in each direction.

As part of Thanet Parkway's construction, the automatic half barrier level crossing in Cliffsend was upgraded to a manually controlled barrier, with closed circuit television. Two barriers including additional lighting have been installed on both sides.

Less than half a mile away is the main attraction for visitors, a replica Viking Ship which arrived in 1949 having sailed from Denmark. It overlooks Pegwell Bay. It marks the brothers Hengist and Horsa, who are said to have invaded Britain in the 4th Century, although some scholars believe they were mythical characters.

The area is rich in archaeology and steeped in history: it has seen raids by Caesar, the arrival of the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons, and the mission of St Augustine. Excavations in surrounding sites have found a Mesolithic flint axe, Neolithic pits containing containing burned hazelnuts, and a small Bronze age settlement, showing the area has been occupied by humans for more than 10,000 years.

Platform 1 at Thanet Parkway Platform 1 at Thanet Parkway

The new connectivity brought by Thanet Parkway to Cliffsend, whose population in 2021 was 1,282 according to the Census, could see that figure rise. According to Rightmove[7], the average price of a home sold there during the past year was £374,667. The majority of sales in Cliffsend during the past year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £501,250.

Terraced properties sold for an average of £285,000, with semi-detached properties fetching £256,000. Overall, sold prices in Cliffsend over the past year were 16 per cent down on the previous year and 15 per cent down on the 2021 peak of £442,507.

Thanet-Parkway-station-forecourt From Thanet to London in 70 minutes now that the new station has opened

Destinations and the time it takes to get to them (from Thanet Parkway)

Thanet Parkway offers high-speed commuter links and direct connections to a wide range of leisure destinations. Below is a small selection of the travel times to popular destinations.

You can check all train times to and from Thanet Parkway on Southeastern's online journey planner[8].

  • 5 minutes to Ramsgate
  • 11 minutes to Broadstairs
  • 16 minutes to Margate
  • 15 minutes to Canterbury West
  • 31 minutes to Ashford International
  • 70 minutes to St Pancras International
Platform 1 of Thanet Parkway station Platform 1 at Thanet Parkway station

Supporting the local economy

The development at Thanet Parkway was driven by Kent County Council (KCC) as it wanted to improve transport connectivity for this part of east Kent and support the local economy. You can find out more on the KCC website[9].

Network Rail said the development was part of a wider programme to upgrade several level crossings between Ramsgate, Canterbury West and Ashford International. You can find out more details about the programme on the Network Rail website[10].

Find out more about things to do and activities in Kent with our free What’s On email HERE.[11]

References

  1. ^ Thanet (www.kentlive.news)
  2. ^ Kent (www.kentlive.news)
  3. ^ KentLive reported at the time. (www.kentlive.news)
  4. ^ Ashford (www.kentlive.news)
  5. ^ Kent’s abandoned railway station left frozen in time and what the future could hold (www.kentlive.news)
  6. ^ The picture-perfect Kent village with a petting zoo, vineyards and great pubs (www.kentlive.news)
  7. ^ Rightmove (www.rightmove.co.uk)
  8. ^ online journey planner (ticket.southeasternrailway.co.uk)
  9. ^ KCC website (www.kent.gov.uk)
  10. ^ Network Rail website (www.networkrail.co.uk)
  11. ^ HERE. (data.reachplc.com)

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