by Phil Pitt

The biggest change to Kent's rail commuter timetable in 40 years has been unveiled this morning.

The new rota - which comes into effect on December 13 - will see high speed trains from the Kent coast, Canterbury and Ashford routinely scheduled for the first time.

There will be eight rush-hour high-speed trains running from Ashford to London St Pancras each weekday morning, the 05:13, 05:43, 06:13, 06:43, 07:12, 07:43, 08:11 and 08:43 - each taking around 36 minutes to destination.

"The new timetable is very important for Kent," says Charles Horton, managing director of rail firm Southeastern. "It will help provide more choice for passengers, mean the full introduction of high speed services and help us to continue to improve service levels."

But he warned not everyone would be happy with the new arrangements. "As with all timetables, some compromises have had to be made and not everyone will be satisfied."

In addition to the high-speed services, more trains have been put on in peak time in the west of Kent, with Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks getting extra services.

Overall it means Kent will get some 200 extra train services everyday, boosting capacity by five per cent.