The journey may take just 37 minutes but commuters travelling on new high-speed trains from Ashford to London could pay a heavy price for the privilege.

The daily fare for using the 140mph Javelin train at peak times could be a massive £67, if the proposal to hike fares by about 35 per cent is implemented by train operator Southeastern next December.

That would be the equivalent of paying nearly £2 a minute to travel and is £10 higher than the lowest return fare currently available on Eurostar to travel to Paris.

The increase could also see the costs of a yearly season ticket rise to as much as £5,358 – that is £1,389 more than now.

The prospect of Ashford travellers facing huge fare increases has already triggered concerns.

Ashford MP Damian Green said it would be too much for commuters already struggling with above-inflation train fare rises due to take effect from January.

“Southeastern has gone for the biggest increase possible. I must admit my eyebrows raised because in the current climate, people are trying to save money.

“Trying to squeeze every last penny out of commuters seems to me to be an interesting business practice. It seems to me a high-risk strategy.”

The fares could prove prohibitive, he added.

“Clearly, the high-speed link is not just important for commuters but is hugely important for Ashford and the rest of east Kent so it is important that this works.

“I hope that if Southeastern finds that the trains are not filling up, it will have the flexibility to reduce fares quite quickly.”

It would be unacceptable if the company sought to reduce its other stopping services to and from London to push travellers on to the new line, he said.

A spokesman for Southeastern said no final decisions had been made about the fare structure.

“There is provision for us in the franchise to charge a premium for that part of the journey on High Speed 1 for up to 35 per cent,” he said. “It is unlikely that fares will be finalised until later next year.”

For more on this story, see this week's Kentish Express, on sale Wednesday