Rail passengers will have to wait until the new year for any update on plans for a new link between Kent and London.

A proposed Thameslink service between Maidstone East and the heart of the City was due to begin in January 2018, but has been postponed four times, with no signal of when it can be expected to finally arrive.

Kent County Council (KCC) has called on transport chiefs to ensure the planned route goes ahead to increase connectivity between the County Town and the capital.

Speaking at a virtual public meeting this evening, rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris appeared reluctant to promise the imminent introduction of the long-awaited service.

"People in Maidstone and surrounding areas were promised a train service and it hasn't turned up yet," he said.

"What I hope to have in January next year is a meeting to get to the bottom of the various issues that have caused stumbling blocks. We are committed to resolving these issues and providing a service.

"You have had plenty of promises from plenty of rail ministers, and I just don't want to promise things I cannot deliver. I think I'll be in a position to give some more concrete assurances at the beginning of the new year."

Watch: Further delay to rail service between Maidstone and London

In its Kent Rail Strategy 2021, KCC has acknowledged the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a huge drop in rail passenger numbers, but the local authority says future population growth in the next decade means investment in capacity is essential.

It describes rail travel as "central to economic recovery" and vital if any rebound is to also be "compatible with reduced congestion and carbon emissions".

Answering questions during the short online meeting, Mr Heaton-Harris said he expected some services through Maidstone East to run onwards to Ashford International.

The meeting, which was attended by commuter groups and other rail users, was arranged by Conservative MPs Laura Trott and Tom Tugendhat whose constituencies would benefit from increased connections to the centre of London.

Ms Trott asked the minister if the new service looked like being introduced "within a year, within two years, would it be within ten years?"

Unable to give a specific timescale, he asked for patience until January when more cast-iron assurances could be offered.

Following the meeting James Willis, a transport campaigner and chairman of the Medway Valley Community Rail Partnership, expressed his frustration that the minister could not yet provide any concrete guarantees.

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