Chris Heaton-Harris MP, the Trains Minister, will come to Maidstone for a round table meeting with commuters, local businesses and local authority representatives to discuss the continued delay to the City Thameslink service from Maidstone East.
The Minister agreed to attend the meeting in response to a letter sent by Helen Grant, Member of Parliament for Maidstone and The Weald. Helen will host the meeting in her constituency office at Maidstone East Station in the coming weeks. The meeting will provide an opportunity both for local stakeholders to make clear to the Minister how vital the introduction of the service is to the Town and for a plan to be formulated to hasten its implementation.
The proposed Thameslink Service from Maidstone East will be a game changer for the County Town. It will provide passengers with two trains per hour all day from Maidstone via the City of London and on to Cambridge. It is supported by commuters, business leaders and local authorities alike and is widely expected to act as a catalyst for investment in the town.
Helen Grant said, ‘It is totally unacceptable that people of Maidstone have again been let down by a further delay to the City Thameslink Service. We all know how vital this service is to our town; attracting business investment and improving options for commuters.
I know the Minister is committed to doing everything he can to facilitate its swift introduction and I very much look forward to welcoming him to Maidstone in the coming weeks. I am sure he will leave our meeting in absolutely no doubt about the importance of this service to our community and with a plan for its smooth implementation.’