'New era' for high-speed rail?

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The government claimed the launch of new Javelin trains between London and Kent is just the start of a new era of high-speed rail travel in the UK.

Operated by Southeastern, the service will run between Ashford International, Ebbsfleet International and London St Pancras, reaching speeds of up to 140mph (225km/h) on the new High Speed 1 (HS1) line. The total journey time will be reduced from 82 minutes to 37 minutes, with the Hitachi-built train taking 17 minutes to reach Ebbsfleet.

Speaking at the launch, transport minister Lord Adonis said: ‘We have seen the future and it works and we want to see a great deal more of high-speed rail in this country in the year ahead. Today is not only a great day for those towns that are going to now be connected on the high-speed line with the fastest and best-ever service they’ve had; it is also, I believe, a seminal moment for the development of high-speed rail in Britain.’

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