Trains at Ebbsfleet International, HS1 | 4/9/18

This video is property of "Richard Chalklin"

2160p 4K HD!

Back at Ebbsfleet station for another visit with the camcorder. Only 1 skipper heading towards London and various heading out to France.

Ebbsfleet info:

Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, 10 miles (16 kilometres) outside the eastern boundary of Greater London, England. It is near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. The station is part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration, a project of national priority. It stands on the High Speed 1 rail line, around 400 metres (440 yards) south-west of Northfleet railway station and the Stonebridge Road area of Northfleet. The station lies off the A2 trunk road, about 5 mi (8 km) from its junction with the M25 motorway. During the London 2012 Olympics, it served as a primary park-and-rail service as it is very close to the M25 motorway, allowing easy access for over 10 million commuters.

Ebbsfleet International is owned by HS1 Ltd, which acquired a 30-year concession to own and operate the High Speed 1 railway and the stations St Pancras railway station, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.

Origin of the name:

The name Ebbsfleet is an artificial creation of seventeenth-century antiquaries, partly inspired by the name of Ebbsfleet in Thanet, 75 km (47 mi) to the east.

History:

The station opened to the public on 19 November 2007 for people travelling on South Eastern High Speed Trains, later than St Pancras International because the security equipment was transferred from Waterloo International. The station was formally opened to Eurostar and dedicated in a ceremony by Dame Kelly Holmes on 29 January 2008.

Naming:

"Ebbsfleet International Station" was the name originally proposed for the station, but "Dartford International Station" was later proposed at the urging of Eurostar, who felt that Dartford was a name with greater national recognition. Opposition to Eurostar’s ‘Dartford International’ proposal came from Gravesham Borough Council, whose administrative centre at Gravesend is just two miles (3.2 km) away (even though Ebbsfleet International is in the borough of Dartford and therefore outside Gravesham council's authority); Southfleet Parish Council; and Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council, both in the Borough of Dartford. The similarity of its name to that of Dartford railway station, 6 mi (10 km) away, was also of concern.

Services:

As of the Summer 2014 timetable, there are up to five Eurostar services to Paris on Mondays to Fridays, up to four on Saturdays and three on Sundays. Most of these services run non-stop from Ebbsfleet to Paris, though some also stop at Ashford en route. There are four trains to Brussels on Mondays to Fridays, three on Saturdays and two on Sundays. All Brussels services call at Lille and some also call at Calais. There is also a return service on most days to Marne-la-Vallée for the Disneyland Paris resort, which also calls at Ashford and Lille (in the France-bound direction only). It is not permitted to use Eurostar services for domestic journeys in the UK. Since the station's opening, Eurostar has withheld passenger usage statistics for international services, citing commercial confidentiality.

On 29 June 2009 Southeastern started a weekday preview service between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International, extending to Ashford International during peak hours. On 7 September the service was enhanced by a few services to Ramsgate via Canterbury West or Dover. A regular service began on 13 December 2009.

The typical off-peak service was:

4 trains per hour to St Pancras International, taking 17 minutes;

2 trains per hour to Faversham;

1 train per hour to Margate via Ashford International and Canterbury West;

1 train per hour to Dover Priory via Ashford International, Folkestone West and Folkestone Central.

Additional trains, in peak hours only, serve Maidstone West, Broadstairs via the Medway towns, and Sandwich.

Since 2 January 2015 the off peak service is:

4 trains per hour to St Pancras International, taking 17 minutes;

2 trains per hour to Faversham with 1 continuing to Ashford via Ramsgate and Dover;

1 train per hour to Margate via Ashford International and Canterbury West;

1 train per hour to Dover Priory via Ashford International, Folkestone Central continuing to Gravesend via Ramsgate and Faversham.

Layout:

On High Speed 1 there are avoiding lines in each direction and four platforms, two serving international Eurostar services and two the Southeastern Highspeed services. Southeastern services travelling between London and the North Kent Line use a junction to the north of the station and are served by another pair of platforms that curve away to the east.

Ticket barriers control access to all platforms.