Southeastern, KentÕs major train operator, is set to transform its services in December 2009 when the company starts using High Speed 1. The service, which runs from London St Pancras International to the coast, will link the capital via the brand new Ebbsfleet International and the established Ashford International station, cutting journey times across the county dramatically. www.southeasternrailway.co.uk Eurostar operates services from St Pancras International, linking passengers to the continent in 1 hour 51 mins (Brussels) and 2 hours 15 mins (Paris). Up to 20 trains per hour run to Paris and the company broke passenger number records in 2008 by transporting over nine million people to the continent following the opening of the new HS1 high-speed line. www.eurostar.co.uk High Speed 1, the UKÕs first high-speed rail line, already accommodates Eurostar services and will in December 2009 include KentÕs domestic rail services. www.highspeed1.com St Pancras International, together with KingÕs Cross, is EuropeÕs largest passenger interchange. The station is also the terminus for KentÕs highspeed rail connections. Stratford International is due to open in December 2009. The station is a platform for creating Stratford City - the largest single mixeduse urban regeneration project in Europe, and was instrumental in London winning the bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Shuttle services operating on HS1 between St Pancras International and the Olympic Village in Stratford will transport passengers in just seven minutes. Ebbsfleet International opened to Eurostar trains in 2007 and will be an important hub for KentÕs high-speed domestic services later this year. Situated near Dartford, Ebbsfleet International is just 17 minutes away from St Pancras International, and is bringing north Kent into the commuter belt. The station is at the centre of the Kent Thameside regeneration of the Ebbsfleet Valley where some nine million sq ft of land is being redeveloped. www.ebbsfleetinternational.co.uk Ashford International offers direct trains to Paris and Brussels on the Eurostar and is a central hub on the Southeastern RailwayÕs network of Kent services. www.ashford-international.co.uk Arriva are operators of the new Fastrack bus service for the Kent Thameside regeneration area. Two routes are already running with plans for a full network by 2020.www.go-fastrack.co.uk Chatham Dock occupies one of three basins in the former naval dockyard and handles in excess of one million tonnes of cargo a year. www.medwayports.com/ chatham The Dartford Crossing takes over 150,000 vehicles south from Thurrock in Essex every day. The Dartford Tunnel runs northbound. www.dartfordrivercrossing.co.uk Arriva Kent & Sussex Ltd and Stagecoach East Kent run bus services across Kent. Visit www.arriva.co.uk and www.stagecoachbus.com Kent County Council provides maps of all the countyÕs main towns to download at: www.kent.gov.uk/ publications/transport-and-streets/ public-transport-maps.htm Train Journey Times in Kent Ashford Ð St Pancras 37 mins (from Dec 2009) Ebbsfleet Ð St Pancras 17 mins Ashford Ð Paris 1 hr 52 mins Ashford Ð Brussels 1hr 29 mins Ebbsfleet Ð Paris 2hrs 5 mins Ebbsfleet Ð Brussels 1hr 41mins