Bosses behind HS1, the high-speed rail link between the Channel Tunnel and London, says it is looking at adding additional services to its Kent routes.

It comes after Ashford MP Damian Green warned in January that more trains were needed to tackle the problem of over crowding at peak times.

The announcement comes after HS1 Ltd, which operates the railway, published research showing that existing domestic services to Kent and East Sussex generate economic output of £146m per year - the equivalent to 2,150 full-time jobs.

Passenger journeys have almost doubled to 15 million in the past decade.

This growth, says the firm, is forecast to continue at a rate of 11% every year.

To help meet this increased demand and ease crowding at peak times, "HS1 believes the industry has an opportunity to work together to facilitate the introduction of additional trains on the line to Kent".

Dyan Crowther, CEO of HS1 Ltd, said: “High speed train travel has had a transformative impact on Kent, driving up productivity, encouraging the construction of affordable homes and creating thousands of jobs.

“The phenomenal success of the line and its growth in passenger journeys means that we are now at a critical juncture.

"The cancellation of the South Eastern franchise competition provides a window of opportunity for the industry to work together to put the passenger at the heart of services for years to come, delivering additional rolling stock to meet increased demand and driving more economic growth for the region.”

It says the railway has brought 400,000 people within an hour’s commute of London, enabling 47,000 more young families to live within commuting distance of the capital and encouraging the construction of 15,000 affordable homes.

Domestic services also remove, it claims, 6,000 vehicles from the UK’s roads each year, providing significant environmental savings.

The research, which was produced by Steer on behalf of HS1, was published on the day that HS1 hosted a twinning ceremony between St Pancras International and the Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean stations, underscoring its commitment to launch services to new destinations including south west France, Frankfurt and Geneva.

The research also found that the international services generate direct economic benefits of £281m each year, with productivity gains equivalent to 2,500 full time employees.

Services on the line also bring in £2bn through increased tourist spending, supporting an estimated 3,600 full-time jobs in the tourism sector.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “HS1 is a true success story and we are fully committed to expanding international high-speed rail links between the UK and the rest of Europe as part of our work to be a truly Global Britain.

“This new partnership demonstrates the huge potential of high-speed rail to help the UK reach its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050.”

HS1 Ltd has the 30 year concession to own and operate High Speed 1, the UK’s first section of high speed rail, as well as the stations along the route: St Pancras International, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.

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