Southeastern’s newest railway station at Thanet Parkway opening tomorrow

A brand new station on the Southeastern rail network is set to open tomorrow (Monday 31st July).

Upon opening Thanet Parkway will welcome passengers and offer an hourly service to St Pancras. Costs have gone up a fair bit since plans were approved according to this local news site.

Last week I covered the frankly awful design of the station building, but let’s not get too hung up on that now and look at the positives.

We have a new station. That’s a good thing. It’s 70 minutes from St Pancras and located between Ramsgate and Minster.

It also has “seating” according to Southeastern. Contain yourself.

Why here? Well it’s near Manston airport. Whether that site becomes housing in future or sees more flights a new station nearby can’t be a bad thing. Of course it’d also be a good thing if buses serve it, but no such luck right now.

I’m trying to be positive so will ignore that it doesn’t serve existing homes to the south very well, but at least new housing being built to the north will be within walking range.

Ultimately the hope is it’s a decent success and then money can be found for bus links and improved walking and cycling links from the south.

Then again if it is a success, Southeastern may have to restore some previously cut High Speed 1 journeys and will Government agree to that? Given Whitehall, the Treasury and Department for Transport are in cut, cut, cut mode on railways it’s a long shot.

In addition, if it stimulates housing nearby that’s a positive.

The NIMBY’s may not agree, but new homes near a station is a lot better than building on greenery at the very edges of towns in developments which are entirely car dependent, which we see again and again across the country.

Anyway, the station opens Monday when you can expect the usual mix of politicians, Youtube Vloggers and the like giving their impressions. All aboard.