Money which was set to fund a small rail station outside Ashford could now pay for buses or trams instead.

Ashford Borough Council is set to abandon plans for a rail halt - a small unmanned station - at Kingsnorth after failing to persuade Network Rail and the train operator.

Yet the idea is set to be dropped as there "is no prospect of a Kingsnorth rail halt being delivered in the foreseeable future" as the rail authorities claim it would become a "Park & Ride" service.

The rail halt would have been a small stop on the Ashford-Hasting route funded through a section 106 agreement with the developers of the 353-home project at Bridgefields.

Chair Cllr Paul Bartlett (Con) told the joint transportation board last night how the local plan would be amended so the funds will contribute towards other public transport.

Sitting to his right, vice chair Cllr Bernard Heyes (Con) suggested a tram route may be a "viable" alternative.

He said: "Why haven't we thought about using a tram link on that part of the track?

"You go to major cities like Liverpool and Manchester, trams come off the road and use part of the old rail network.

"So if you have a tram stop it would be much cheaper and then go onto the Hastings line and use it to go into the station.

"I've always been surprised by that idea not being brought up because it would be a lot cheaper and probably more viable."