Concerned commuters have hand-delivered a letter to the Department for Transport in London today as a campaign against proposed cuts to Maidstone's high speed trains draws towards a conclusion.

Our sister newspaper the Kent Messenger has fronted opposition to plans to scrap the popular 52-minute services from Maidstone West to St Pancras, in favour of an alternative route to Abbey Wood.

It is estimated the proposed changes will add at least another 20 minutes to passengers' journeys every morning and evening, and more than 2,200 people have signed a petition against the plans.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling insisted on a recent visit to the county there would be "no degredation of services" and that the proposed changes would benefit commuters by giving them more choice.

However, the DfT has been accused of lacking transparency in recent weeks after refusing to commit to attending a public meeting with passengers in the County Town, despite numerous requests and promises from previous rail ministers.

It has also refused an attempt to obtain copies of all correspondence within the department relating to the plans, as well as minutes of meetings where the proposals were discussed.

Bosses insisted the material related to formulation of government policy and so was exempt from release under the Freedom of Information Act - a decision that has since been appealed by the KM.

This morning, passengers and their families protested the plans at Maidstone West before travelling aboard a high speed train to St Pancras and continuing the journey to Westminster where a letter outlining concerns was delivered.

Transport campaigner James Willis is part of the group delivering the letter and said: "Maidstone commuters and businesses really have been massively let down with rail services.

"Instead of improvements, we face uncertainty and the potential loss of cherished high speed services.

"Hopefully this day of action will highlight to the government just how important this is to the County Town of Kent.

MP for Maidstone and The Weald Helen Grant has thrown her support behind the campaign and written to Mr Grayling asking him to confirm plans for the introduction of City Thameslink services from Maidstone East by 2019.

"We are entering a crucial phase in the battle to improve the train services to our County Town and I will be stepping up the pressure on the Government and our train operators to ensure that Maidstone gets the services it so needs and deserves", she said.

Click here to sign the petition.