High Speed Services
Operated by Southeastern
Southeastern operate the first domestic High Speed service in the UK. The train service has changed slightly since it was first launched back in December 2009. Trains now operate in a loop to serve more parts of Kent and provide more capacity.
As services leave London St Pancras International they use High Speed 1 (HS1) together with Eurostar services. Trains can travel up to 140mph - dramatically reducing journey times. Southeastern operate the following services on this line:
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Southeastern have x29 Class 395 High Speed (Javelin) trains. These trains are custom built for the line and feature great comfort for passengers. They are in 6 car formation - during peak times, two units are coupled together to form a 12 car train.
The High Speed service played a massive part in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Services were rebranded as the Javelin and operated every few minutes between London St Pancras and Stratford International (for the Olympic Park). Southeastern provided extra staff to assist passengers with travel quires and were happy to help those who had mobility issues or required assistance boarding or alighting. During this time, passenger numbers were very impressive - The busiest day recorded was Monday 6th August with 131,000 passengers using the service. A special service was operated during the Paralympic Games but not as frequent as the Olympia Games. |