by Business Editor Trevor Sturgess

High-speed domestic trains have injected new energy into Kent's quest for an economic uplift.

They are the beating heart of regeneration. To paraphrase a film title, "a railway runs through it".

High Speed One (HS1) is undeniably "changing Kent" now and will do so far into the future.

House prices around Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International are said to have edged up.

National newspapers have carried stories about the new Javelin trains transforming journey times between several Kent towns and London.

You can expect people from the London area to quit the Tube for a home in Kent and a seat on the speedy Hitachi Javelin. Commuting residents may move within Kent to be nearer HS1.

The launch of a full timetable of High Speed One just before Christmas, after months of successful previews, is one of the most significant economic developments in decades.

It ranks as one of the singular events that have had a positive impact on the Kent and Medway economy, alongside the Channel Tunnel, the M2 and M20, the unveiling of Bluewater 10 years ago, perhaps the Sheppey Bridge, Medway Tunnel and the Dartford Crossing.

One could argue that it is the most significant, especially as the county has been a relative railway back-marker since the 1800s.

While services to Bristol, York and Manchester, for example, became models of speed and efficiency, our services languished in the third division. It has taken as long to travel from Ramsgate to London as from London to York.

Firms such as Pfizer in east Kent have found it hard to recruit people with the right skills with potential applicants put off by the time distances from most other places outside the county.

The performance of the new trains has been good.

They were the only services to make it through the big freeze and carried commuters whose humbler services were cancelled.

Technically, Southeastern, the operator, says they have been excellent. Hitachi is hoping to sell more Javelins on the back of the smooth HS1 introduction.

Inward investment and tourism chiefs have been quick to cite the trains in promoting the county. They believe the lure of 140mph trains will attract organisations and create jobs.

Visit Kent is working with world-renowned agency M&C Saatchi to re-brand the county.

The trains may help to kick-start the stalled commercial development by Land Securities around Ebbsfleet International, although this will depend on improvements in the wider economy.

While some people have warned that the new trains could create "dormitory" Kent, with large numbers of commuters moving from London to take advantage of the new services, others have pointed out that Kent jobs are now closer for people living in the capital, accelerating "reverse commuting".

Many believe that lower house prices - but for how long? - will prove attractive.

But some warn that salary levels will have to rise in Kent to better compete with those offered in London, now more quickly accessible.

One thing is sure. Nobody should ever grumble again that Kent is on the wrong side of the tracks.