Connectivity
Better Connected
Ashford’s central
location and excellent rail, road, air and sea links provides
business with fast, easy access to over 360 million consumers
across Europe. Eurostar is a short walk from the town centre and
within a 20 minute drive of the Eurotunnel terminal and The Port of
Dover, the world's busiest roll-on, roll-off ferry terminal. With a
phased multi-million pound investment in transport infrastructure
and the introduction of a new high speed rail link in 2009,
connections are set to get even better.
Rail
Domestic services on High Speed 1 (HS1) rail link to
London in just 37 minutes from 2009, cutting travel
time in half. Now, the Eurostar passenger service to
Paris takes just two hours, while Lille is 57 minutes away.
Freight and passenger traffic passes through the Eurotunnel departure
point at nearby Folkestone, taking just 35 minutes to Calais. In
addition, Ashford has excellent direct rail links to the rest of
Kent and Sussex (Folkestone, Dover, Canterbury, Maidstone,
Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Hastings and Brighton) and London.
Rail Travel Times Starting From Ashford
| Station |
Time |
Station |
Time |
| Folkestone |
14 mins |
Dover |
26 mins |
| Sittingbourne |
69 mins |
Canterbury |
16 mins |
| Maidstone |
21 mins |
Tonbridge |
21 mins |
| Sevenoaks |
45 mins |
Hastings |
41 mins |
| Brighton |
110 mins |
|
|
Also you can view a table of comparative train times to London from
within Kent and across the UK when High Speed 1 is introduced in
2009.
Road
Road links connect Ashford with most European cities within
a day. Two major motorways, the M20 and nearby M2, provide easy
access to continental Europe and beyond through the Channel Tunnel
and via The Port of Dover. With significant improvements to
Junction 10 of the M20 completed, the town will benefit from faster
access to UK and overseas markets.
Air
Ashford offers ready access to London’s two main airports -
Heathrow (around 90 minutes)
and Gatwick (just over an hour).
London Ashford Airport (Lydd)
and Kent
International Airport (Manston) are both improving their
excellent facilities by investing in phased multi-million pound
redevelopment programmes.
The Port of Dover is within easy
reach of Ashford – some 30 minutes. The world's busiest
roll-on, roll-off ferry terminal, Dover handles up to 2.3 million
freight vehicles per year. The Port is set to expand further with a
commitment from Dover Harbour Board to invest £200 million as part
of their long-term development plan for the area.
Telecommunications
Ashford is working with developers and telecommunications
operators to establish a fibre optic network in the town. New
developments will embrace the latest technology. Ashford will be a
place where Broadband access can benefit and support both
business and residents alike.