Background

A brand new HS1 station offering journey times of 70 minutes to London has been built in Thanet. Thanet Parkway Station opened on the 31st July 2023, costing around £44m which was raised through council funding and various building, new stations and growth funds.

The station has two 250m platforms to accommodate 12-car trains, and sits on the high speed line through Ashford International. With plans for new housing to be built in the surrounding area, the new station will relieve pressure on the central Thanet train stations and car parking for them, also improving congestion.

The towns in Thanet often become highly busy with tourists, particularly in the summer, and car parks quickly become full. The new station, situated on the dual carriageway just outside of the main towns, has a large car park to accommodate 293 vehicles. This station is ideal for use as a ‘park and ride’ into the towns, with frequent trains running between Ramsgate, Margate, and Broadstairs.

The car park has various zones, including pick up and drop off points, and long-term and short-term parking areas. It also has electric charging points, cycle storage and bus stops which will be served by electric minibus shuttles to the nearby Discovery Park.

A new pedestrian and cycleway has also been built from the station to the village of Cliffsend, providing residents with a safe and convenient route to access the station.

To provide a safe and cohesive layout across the car park, a number of parking barriers and demarcation measures were required.

Height restriction barriers were installed at the car park entrances and a Warden swing barrier was installed at the new pedestrian and cycleway.