Ashford International railway station

Ashford International railway station is a National Rail international and regional station in Ashford, Kent. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern main line. Domestic trains that call at Ashford are operated by Southeastern and Southern, and international services by Eurostar.

Ashford International
LocationAshford, Borough of Ashford
England
Coordinates51.1435°N 0.8750°E / 51.1435; 0.8750
Grid referenceTR011421
Managed bySoutheastern
Platforms6
Other information
Station codeAFK
ClassificationDfT category B
Key dates
1 December 1842Opened as "Ashford"
9 July 1923Renamed "Ashford (Kent)"
8 January 1996Commencement of Eurostar services
28 February 1996Rebuilt and renamed "Ashford International"
13 December 2009Commencement of High Speed 1 domestic services
Passengers
2015/16 3.765 million
 Interchange  0.815 million
2016/17 3.798 million
 Interchange  0.818 million
2017/18 3.901 million
 Interchange  0.818 million
2018/19 4.103 million
 Interchange  0.907 million
2019/20 4.021 million
 Interchange  0.876 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station opened in 1842 as Ashford by the South Eastern Railway (SER) as a temporary terminus of the line from London to Dover via Croydon. Connections to Folkestone, Canterbury and Hastings opened within ten years. It was renamed Ashford (Kent) in 1923. There have been two significant rebuilds; in the 1960s for the South Eastern main line electrification, and to accommodate international services in the 1990s. The station was renamed to Ashford International in 1996. International services were reduced following the completion of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the opening of Ebbsfleet International in 2007, but have since been partially restored. Domestic services along High Speed 1 to St Pancras have been running since 2009.

Location and services
The international terminal concourse

The station is to the southeast of the town centre at the convergence of several important lines. These are High Speed 1 from London St Pancras International to the Channel Tunnel, the South Eastern main line from London Charing Cross to Dover Priory, the Maidstone line from London Victoria via Maidstone East, the Ashford to Ramsgate line via Canterbury West and the Marshlink line to Hastings. It is 56 miles 12 chains (90.4 km) down the line from Charing Cross (via Chelsfield) and 59 miles 19 chains (95.3 km) from Victoria (via Herne Hill).[1] While all tracks are electrified with 750 V DC third rail, platforms 3 to 6 are also electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead lines.[2]

The station has six platforms. Eurostar trains use platforms 3 and 4, while domestic trains use the original platforms 1 and 2, and a new island platform (numbered 5 and 6) built by British Rail when the Channel Tunnel opened.[3] The Eurostar platforms have bilingual signs, in both French and English. The domestic terminal to the north of the tracks and the international terminal to the south are connected by a subway which has access to the platforms; access to the international trains on platforms 3 and 4 is only possible through an overbridge from the international terminal. The local bus stops and taxi ranks are at the entrance to the domestic terminal.[3]

There are ticket office windows in the domestic booking hall, as well as ticket vending machines.[4] There is a domestic ticket office window in the Eurostar station, staffed during morning peak only. The international ticket counter in the Eurostar station is only staffed for part of the day.[5] The international terminal is connected to a multi-storey car park by a footbridge, while other parking facilities are adjacent to the domestic entrance.[6]

History

South Eastern Railway
Ashford station in 1957

The station was built by the South Eastern Railway (SER) and planned during the initial Railway Mania as a stop between Croydon and Dover.[7] A special train from London Bridge ran on 28 November 1842, and the station formally opened on 1 December, along with the rest of the line from Redhill.[8] The journey from London to Ashford could now be made in three and a half hours.[9] A more direct route was ruled out by Parliament, who felt that more than one railway south of London was undesirable.[10]

The original station consisted of two platforms with two through lines, along with wooden buildings. The line ended at Ashford until the extension to Folkestone opened on 28 June 1843.[9] A connection to Canterbury West was authorised on 23 May 1844, and opened on 6 February 1846.[11][12] The Marshlink line connection to Hastings opened on 13 February 1851, after several false starts owing to problems with constructing the line and rivalry with other lines.[13][14] The station became known sometimes as Ashford Junction.[15]

The Ashford railway works was established in 1847, on a site to the east of the station and the River Stour.[16] The first locomotive, known as the "Coffee Pot" for its unusual vertical boiler, was designed there the following year and constructed in 1850. It remained in service until 1861.[17] The works led to the creation of Alfred Town, later known at New Town which is now an Ashford suburb.[18]

Another station, Ashford West, was opened by the rival London, Chatham & Dover Railway (LCDR) on 1 July 1884 for services via Maidstone East to London.[19] It was based to the southwest of the town centre, adjacent to the cattle market.[20] A link from the LCDR line to the SER station opened on 1 November 1891.[21]

South Eastern and Chatham Railway

On 1 January 1899, as part of the formation of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR), passenger services were diverted to the former SER station and Ashford West closed.[15] At the same time, the track was modified to give six separate approaches into the station, so that trains could pull up simultaneously.[22] The complete Ashford West station, including buildings and platforms, were converted into a works for cleaning cloths used in locomotive cleaning. Over a million were processed annually, with the reclaimed oil being re-used in the lubrication of points and point rodding.[23] The platform canopies survived to the 1930s,[24] while the station site was largely intact as of 1985,[25] with the main station building still standing in 1994.[26] The station buildings were demolished in 1999 for the construction of High Speed 1.[27][28]

In November 1904, the SECR agreed to a £47,000 rebuilding of the scheme in order to accommodate Maidstone traffic, which included removing a cattle dock so trains would not have to run on part of the South Eastern main line. The work was completed in 1907.[29]

Southern Railway

The station became part of the Southern Railway (SR) during the grouping of 1923.[30] It was renamed to Ashford (Kent) on 9 July to avoid confusion with Ashford (Middlesex) railway station.[15] Ashford became the main works depot in the south east after the SR reduced the works at Brighton to repairs-only in 1928.[31] Steam locomotive construction was discontinued in 1936, though repair work continued to take place.[30]

British Rail
The station in 1990, before being rebuilt later that decade

The station passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.[32] It was rebuilt in the early 1960s as part of the "Kent Coast Electrification – Stage 2" stage of the British Railways Modernisation Plan to accommodate electrification of most lines entering the station.[33] Electric services began to be used on the South Eastern main line on 12 June 1961, and on the Maidstone line on 9 October.[34] The two bay platforms were demolished and replaced by two island platforms. This required the demolition and rebuilding of the Station Road / Beaver Road bridge immediately to the west.[35] Ashford's four signal boxes were replaced by a single control centre on 29 April 1962.[36] The main station buildings on either side of the line were replaced between 1963 and 1966 by a footbridge including a booking hall, newsagent and catering facilities. The new scheme was the design of the Southern Region Architect, Nigel Wikeley.[37] Although most of the original station was demolished during this rebuild, two substantial platform canopies dating from the SECR era were retained, although the original wooden valences were covered by asbestos.[38] At the same time, the mechanical signalling system, consisting of five lever-operated boxes, was replaced with an all-electric system, coming into service on 29 April 1962.[39]

When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s by British Rail, the station was served by Network SouthEast until privatisation.[30][40] In 1984, the track layout at the station was simplified, restricting the Maidstone and Canterbury West connections to the north of the track layout, and the Marshlink line to the south. This allowed the speed limit through the station to be increased to 85 miles per hour (137 km/h).[41]

International station
Rebuilding the international station, 1994

The station was rebuilt as Ashford International to serve mainland Europe. Construction was planned to begin in 1991 but delayed owing to a lack of government approval.[42] It was planned as a partial park and ride side, catering for up to 2,000 vehicles, and as a means of regenerating the town.[43] Work started on the rebuilding in June 1994 and continued for 18 months.[44] The project was designed by the British Rail associated Architecture and Design Group, and was inspired by the Maison de Verre, Paris. Two new platforms were built to the north of station, with the original down island platform taken over by international services. The total cost of the work was £80 million.[45][46] The platforms reallocated for international services needed to be widened to 412 metres (1,352 ft) in order to accommodate the 392-metre (1,286 ft) British Rail Class 373 trains used by Eurostar.[47]

To segregate passengers from domestic and international services, a dedicated entrance from the ticket barrier to the platforms was built.[43] This included a separate departure lounge that could accommodate up to 800 passengers.[48] A multistorey car park was built, connecting to the international end of the station via a footbridge.[47]

The rebuilt station opened for international services on 8 January 1996 and was formally renamed Ashford International on 28 February.[48][49] When phase 1 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was completed in 2003, a dedicated fast line was built allowing through trains to bypass the station via tunnels and a 1.6km viaduct.[50][43]

In 2007, a new maintenance depot, operated by Hitachi, opened to the northeast of the station, alongside the Canterbury West branch.[51] A high-speed domestic service, operated by Southeastern to London St Pancras via Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International, began with a trial service in June 2009.[52] A test train running at up to 140 miles per hour (230 km/h) covered the distance between Ashford International and St Pancras in 29 minutes.[53] A full service began that December, which has allowed Ashford to become a commuter town for London.[54][55]

In September 2020, it was announced by Eurostar that due to the ongoing 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic, sales were down by 90% and thus both Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations would not see any Eurostar services until at least 2022.[56]

Southern

The Marshlink line from Ashford International to Ore is one of the few in the south east that has not yet been electrified, and is mostly single track beyond Appledore, which limits capacity. In May 2018, Southern announced the direct service from Ashford International to Brighton via Eastbourne would be discontinued. The company wanted to cancel the service for some time, as it would allow them to add additional capacity between Eastbourne and Hastings, but had repeatedly faced objections from councillors along the line, including at Lewes.[57][58]

Future

Because Ashford International connects High Speed 1 to the Marshlink line, it creates potential for a fast service from St Pancras to Hastings and Eastbourne. In November 2017, the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, proposed a modification of the track layout at Ashford International to accommodate such a service. The scheme was supported by Amber Rudd, a former Hastings MP.[59][60]

To connect the two lines, the junction at the west end of the station would need to be rebuilt, with 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead wires being installed along platform 2. This would relieve pressure from platforms 5 and 6, which currently handle all High Speed 1 domestic services. In 2018, a spokesman for Network Rail said remodelling the station could be complete by 2022.[61]

Services

Domestic
A high speed domestic train at Ashford International

There are three main routes from Ashford International to London. The twice-hourly High Speed 1 domestic service has been running since 13 December 2009, and provides the quickest service to Central London via St Pancras in 37 minutes, which is at least twice as fast as any other route. A 25% premium is added to High Speed tickets.[62][63] The other two routes to London are the South Eastern main line to Charing Cross and the Maidstone line to Victoria via Maidstone East.[64][65]

As of December 2019, the typical off peak service in trains per hour is:

Southeastern[66][67][68]

Southeastern services at Ashford International are operated using Class 375, 377 and 395 EMUs.

Southern[69]

Southern services at Ashford International are operated using Class 171 DMUs.

International
Eurostar services
h:mm
0:00
 London St Pancras
0:14
 Ebbsfleet International[note 1]
0:29
 Ashford International[note 1]
0:31
British portal
Channel Tunnel
UK
France
border
0:51
French portal
0:55
 Calais-Fréthun
1:22
 Lille-Europe
France
Belgium
border
2:01
 Brussels-South
Belgium
Netherlands
border
3:01
 Rotterdam Centraal
3:41
 Amsterdam Centraal
2:16
 Paris-Nord
2:40
 Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy
Seasonal and extended services
4:41
 Lyon-Part-Dieu
5:49
 Avignon TGV
6:27
 Marseille-Saint-Charles  
7:12
 Moûtiers
7:30
Aime-La Plagne
(set down only)
7:51
 Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Fastest timetabled journeys
from London St Pancras
A Eurostar train at Ashford International

International services started on 8 January 1996, with the first stop being the 06:19 service from Waterloo.[71][72] Before the completion of High Speed 1 in November 2007, twelve Eurostar trains a day called at Ashford, seven heading to Paris and five to Brussels. However, after the opening of Ebbsfleet International, this was reduced to three trains to/from Paris,[73][74] and a daily service to Disneyland Paris.[75] Eurostar defended the reduction, saying stopping at Ashford International added 8 minutes to journey times and required 25 people joining the train there to make it economically viable. A petition to reinstate services gathered 11,000 signatures.[76]

A single direct train in each direction to Brussels was reinstated in 2009, following campaigning from Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council. This was expanded the following year to allow direct services between Ashford, Lille and Brussels-South on weekends, making day trips to European cities from Ashford possible.[77] In May 2015, a service to Marseille via Lyon and Avignon began running up to five times a week.[78] Direct Eurostar services from St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal do not stop at Ashford, though a connection can be made by changing at Brussels.[79]

In 2018, it was announced that the international platforms would undergo a £10m refurbishment to make them compatible with Eurostar's Class 374 units, branded as Eurostar e320, as well as to allow other operators to use the station.[80] The first Eurostar e320 stopped at Ashford on 3 April, with the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, and MP for Ashford, Damian Green, on board.[81] No other e320s stopped at Ashford International because of a technical fault until January 2020.[82]

As of July 2020, the off-peak timetable is:[83]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Southeastern
Southeastern
Southeastern
Southeastern
Terminus
Southern
  International Services  
Eurostar
High Speed 1
Temporarily Suspended
Disused railways
Waterloo International   Eurostar
London to Paris/Brussels		   Calais-Fréthun
Pluckley   British Rail
Southern Region
South Eastern main line		   Smeeth
Hothfield   British Rail
Southern Region
Maidstone Line		   Terminus

Incidents

The first fatality on the South Eastern Railway occurred at Ashford in May 1843. A guard had stepped onto a running board to look for lost luggage, when the train suddenly started. He was decapitated when his head hit a sentry box.[9]

See also

Notes
  1. Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebbsfleet and Ashford will not be served by Eurostar trains until 2022.[70]

References

Citations

  1. Yonge, John (November 2008) [1994]. Jacobs, Gerald (ed.). Railway Track Diagrams 5: Southern & TfL (3rd ed.). Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. map 11B. ISBN 978-0-9549866-4-3.
  2. Glasspool, David. "Ashford International". Kent Rail. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  3. "National Rail Enquiries -". www.nationalrail.co.uk.
  4. "Station facilities for Ashford International". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. "Ashford International". Eurostar. Eurostar. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  6. Parking Review Report (PDF) (Report). Ashford Borough Council. December 2014. p. 31. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  7. Gray 1990, p. 11.
  8. Gray 1990, p. 18.
  9. Gray 1990, p. 19.
  10. Mitchell 1996, p. 5.
  11. Butt 1995, p. 53.
  12. McCarthy & McCarthy 2007, p. 53.
  13. Butt 1995, p. 113.
  14. Gray 1990, p. 211.
  15. Butt 1995, p. 20.
  16. Mitchell 1996, pp. 6,7.
  17. Mitchell 1996, pp. 10–11.
  18. Mitchell 1996, p. 12.
  19. Grant 2017, p. 352.
  20. Mitchell & Smith 1995a, Ashford West – Map.
  21. Gray 1990, p. 175.
  22. "Some South-Eastern Improvements". The Times. 6 April 1899. p. 5. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  23. Mitchell & Smith 1995a, Ashford West – Illustration 116.
  24. Mitchell & Smith 1995a, Ashford West – Illustration 112.
  25. Mitchell & Smith 1995a, Ashford West – Illustration 119.
  26. Mitchell & Smith 1995a, Ashford West – Illustration 114.
  27. Ashton, Ben. "The second abandoned Ashford railway station everyone has forgotten about". Kent Live. Local World. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  28. Robinson, Andy (4 July 2019). "Kent's forgotten railway lines and stations which have been long abandoned". kentlive.
  29. Gray 1998, p. 19.
  30. Mitchell 1996, p. 6.
  31. Wragg 2003, p. 82.
  32. Marshall & Kinder 1982, p. 455.
  33. Moody 1979, p. 140.
  34. Mitchell 1996, p. 54.
  35. Mitchell 1996, p. 56.
  36. Mitchell & Smith 1995b, Illustration 5.
  37. Lawrence 2018, p. 97.
  38. Glasspool, David. "Ashford". Kent Rail. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  39. Mitchell 1996, pp. 59,60.
  40. Barclay 2018, p. 75.
  41. Mitchell 1996, p. 60.
  42. "Trains will not fit prefab station". The Times. 5 October 1991. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  43. Blow 2012, p. 127.
  44. Mitchell 1996, p. 82.
  45. Penny 1996, p. 127.
  46. Dormer, Peter (14 July 1993). "Architecture: A station you'll want to come home to: The railway temples of old are returning in Modernist guise". The Independent. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  47. Mitchell 1996, p. 83.
  48. Brunhouse 2004, p. 52.
  49. "Eurostar Press Release, "Eurostar celebrates 10 years at Ashford International"". Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  50. "Ashford International". www.kentrail.org.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  51. "HITACHI UNVEILS 'BULLET TRAIN' AT NEW ASHFORD DEPOT : Hitachi-Rail.com". www.hitachi-rail.com. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  52. "Fast and surreal: Ashford to London on the high speed train". Kent Online. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  53. "Javelin train on 140mph test-run". BBC News. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  54. "Major investment by Network Rail and Kent County Council will mean shorter journeys between Ramsgate and London". Kent Online. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  55. "Ashford to St Pancras – London's most envied commuter route". London Evening Standard. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  56. Wright, Dan (3 September 2020). "Eurostar trains won't stop in Kent until 2022". Kent Online. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  57. "Plans to axe unpopular two-carriage Eastbourne train service". Eastbourne Herald. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  58. "Lewes 'losing out' under new rail timetable". Sussex Express. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  59. "Plan to introduce direct trains from Eastbourne to London St Pancras". Eastbourne Herald. 15 November 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  60. "Hastings and Rye MP, Amber Rudd meets with Minister to state case for high speed rail services". Hastings Observer. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  61. "Plan for high-speed trains from Ashford to Hastings". Kent Online. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  62. "Kent's High Speed connections". BBC News. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  63. "About Us". High Speed 1. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  64. "Fast and surreal: Ashford to London on the high speed train". Kent Live. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  65. "Timetable Book 3" (PDF). SouthEastern. May 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  66. "Timetable 1: London to Ashford, Dover and Ramsgate" (PDF). Southeastern, September 2020.
  67. "Timetable 3: London to Ashford and Canterbury via Maidstone East" (PDF). Southeastern, September 2020.
  68. "Timetable 8: St Pancras to Ashford (High Speed)" (PDF). Southeastern, September 2020.
  69. "Timetable 23: Ashford to Hastings and Eastbourne" (PDF). Southern, December 2019.
  70. "At the Stations". Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  71. "Eurostar train puts Kent on timetable". The Times. 9 January 1996. p. 6. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  72. "Rail Romance Revived". The Times. 9 January 1996. p. 17. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  73. "New Eurostar station causes anger in Ashford". The Independent. 27 October 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  74. "New station means Eurostar change". BBC News. 12 September 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  75. "Disneyland Paris". The Times. 4 January 1997. p. 5. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  76. "Victory for Eurostar campaigners". BBC News. 23 February 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  77. Rail Action Plan for Kent (PDF) (Report). Kent County Council. April 2011. p. 33. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  78. "Eurostar debuts London to Marseille high-speed rail link". France 24. 1 May 2015.
  79. "Ashford to Amsterdam by Train in 3hrs 50 minutes". Eurostar. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  80. "Ashford International modified for use by Eurostar e320 trainsets". Railway Gazette. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  81. "Ashford station's international future looks bright as first modern high-speed train calls en-route to Paris [and Brussels]". Kent Online. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  82. "New Eurostar Trains can finally stop in town". Kent Online. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  83. "Timetables Core Destinations" (PDF). Eurostar. Retrieved 31 July 2020.

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