|
|
Javelin Train Routes On HS1
To get from A to B via any of the stations covered by the 109km Javelin train service, you'll want to have a good understanding of the routes covered and access to an up to date route map. If you already have a good understanding of the routes and just want to check out timings, visit the Javelin timetable page.
On this page we'll cover the routes at high level for now, check back again in future for more detail around each of the stations and how to get from any of them to any other.
Latest Javelin Routes & Route News
From St Pancras, the High-speed trains use HS1 and stop at Stratford International and Ebbsfleet International on the way to Ashford in Kent. Essentially the internationally-focused high speed section of the Javelin HS1 route looks like this, starting from the London end....
• St Pancras International • Stratford International • Ebbsfleet International • Ashford
Commuters going from London to towns such as Gravesend, Chatham, Gillingham, Faversham, Dartford, and Rochester will see their trains leaving the high speed Javelin line at Ebbsfleet and continuing their journeys via the North Kent and Chatham Main Lines.
Similarly for the Dover and Margate destinations, commuters leave the fast section of the Javelin line at Ashford International, with the route continuing on conventional tracks via Folkestone West to Dover and then onwards towards Deal, Sandwich, and Ramsgate.
The full list of stations covered on Javelin routes include Ashford International, Birchington-on-Sea, Broadstairs, Canterbury West, Chatham, Deal, Dover Priory, Ebbsfleet International, Faversham, Folkestone Central, Folkestone West, Gillingham (Kent), Gravesend, Hastings, Herne Bay, Maidstone West, Margate, Martin Mill, Rainham (Kent), Ramsgate, Rochester, Rye, Sandwich, Sittingbourne, Snodland, St Pancras International, Stratford International, Strood, Walmer, and Whitstable.
For full details of the latest services and to keep up to date on any route changes, be sure to check out Southeastern Rail's Javelin timetable.
Arrival and departure times for every station covered by HS1 high speed services are listed on Book 8 which can be downloaded as a PDF, which is valid until May 2017.
One look at the Kent HS1 route map will tell you it's made up of a complex number of interconnected stations which serve to link central London and its suburbs to the south east with Kentish coastal and inland destinations, plus parts of Sussex and eventually the Channel Tunnel.
The main Kent section of the route is known as the Tonbridge Main Line, which links London Charing Cross and Cannon Street to towns in East Kent and from there to Sussex. The line forks out to Hastings and Tunbridge Wells and onwards to Ashford International, where it branches again leading to Ramsgate via either Canterbury West or Dover Priory. There is a direct connection with the Channel Tunnel.
Another important line in Kent is the Chatham Main Line, which connects South London and Northern Kent towns with the main London stations. The key route on the Chatham Main Line takes passengers from London Victoria to coastal towns such as Margate and others such as Faversham and Sittingbourne.
The third key Kent route is the Maidstone East Line. This interconnects with the Tonbridge Main Line at Ashford, serving Maidstone and Swanley.
Lastly we'll mention the Canterbury East branch which sees trains running from Faversham to Dover.
In addition to these there are a number of suburban lines including the Dartford routes, Hayes branch, Sheerness branch, Medway Valley, and Marshlink Line.
All routes carry a mixture of HS1, suburban, and freight traffic.
Further extensions for the HS1 routes to other towns in the Southeast are under analysis, with a potential service proposed to Bexhill and Hastings to run on an extension from Ashford. This would cut travel time from Bexhill to London to 78 minutes from the current 112 minute, and Hastings to London from 100 to 68.
Provided the much-discussed HS2 development goes ahead, there will be opportunities for interchanges between that route and HS1 plus further fast connections upwards into Scotland. High Speed 2 of course is the proposed line that will run from London to northern UK cities such as Manchester and Leeds via Birmingham, and the UK government have already expressed an interest in ensuring there are links between the two .
Ultimately we could see an entire south to north High Speed route that runs from the southern UK coastal towns through to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and also takes in stops at locations such as Heathrow and Stansted airports. Before that is achieved though - and it's a long way in the future anyway - there would need to be some considerable changes made to track layouts in the London area.
• St Pancras International • Stratford International • Ebbsfleet International • Ashford
Commuters going from London to towns such as Gravesend, Chatham, Gillingham, Faversham, Dartford, and Rochester will see their trains leaving the high speed Javelin line at Ebbsfleet and continuing their journeys via the North Kent and Chatham Main Lines.
Similarly for the Dover and Margate destinations, commuters leave the fast section of the Javelin line at Ashford International, with the route continuing on conventional tracks via Folkestone West to Dover and then onwards towards Deal, Sandwich, and Ramsgate.
The full list of stations covered on Javelin routes include Ashford International, Birchington-on-Sea, Broadstairs, Canterbury West, Chatham, Deal, Dover Priory, Ebbsfleet International, Faversham, Folkestone Central, Folkestone West, Gillingham (Kent), Gravesend, Hastings, Herne Bay, Maidstone West, Margate, Martin Mill, Rainham (Kent), Ramsgate, Rochester, Rye, Sandwich, Sittingbourne, Snodland, St Pancras International, Stratford International, Strood, Walmer, and Whitstable.
For full details of the latest services and to keep up to date on any route changes, be sure to check out Southeastern Rail's Javelin timetable.
Arrival and departure times for every station covered by HS1 high speed services are listed on Book 8 which can be downloaded as a PDF, which is valid until May 2017.
Kent & Sussex Routes Explained
One look at the Kent HS1 route map will tell you it's made up of a complex number of interconnected stations which serve to link central London and its suburbs to the south east with Kentish coastal and inland destinations, plus parts of Sussex and eventually the Channel Tunnel.
The main Kent section of the route is known as the Tonbridge Main Line, which links London Charing Cross and Cannon Street to towns in East Kent and from there to Sussex. The line forks out to Hastings and Tunbridge Wells and onwards to Ashford International, where it branches again leading to Ramsgate via either Canterbury West or Dover Priory. There is a direct connection with the Channel Tunnel.
Another important line in Kent is the Chatham Main Line, which connects South London and Northern Kent towns with the main London stations. The key route on the Chatham Main Line takes passengers from London Victoria to coastal towns such as Margate and others such as Faversham and Sittingbourne.
The third key Kent route is the Maidstone East Line. This interconnects with the Tonbridge Main Line at Ashford, serving Maidstone and Swanley.
Lastly we'll mention the Canterbury East branch which sees trains running from Faversham to Dover.
In addition to these there are a number of suburban lines including the Dartford routes, Hayes branch, Sheerness branch, Medway Valley, and Marshlink Line.
All routes carry a mixture of HS1, suburban, and freight traffic.
New Routes
Further extensions for the HS1 routes to other towns in the Southeast are under analysis, with a potential service proposed to Bexhill and Hastings to run on an extension from Ashford. This would cut travel time from Bexhill to London to 78 minutes from the current 112 minute, and Hastings to London from 100 to 68.
Provided the much-discussed HS2 development goes ahead, there will be opportunities for interchanges between that route and HS1 plus further fast connections upwards into Scotland. High Speed 2 of course is the proposed line that will run from London to northern UK cities such as Manchester and Leeds via Birmingham, and the UK government have already expressed an interest in ensuring there are links between the two .
Ultimately we could see an entire south to north High Speed route that runs from the southern UK coastal towns through to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and also takes in stops at locations such as Heathrow and Stansted airports. Before that is achieved though - and it's a long way in the future anyway - there would need to be some considerable changes made to track layouts in the London area.