Network Rail has begun work to widen the high-speed platforms at Ashford International to ensure international services will continue to operate through the station in the future.
The international platforms at Ashford International are having to be widened to accommodate Eurostar’s new generation of trains.
Network Rail said it was already installing new signalling equipment which is required for the new Eurostar fleet, and any future international operators, to serve the station.
The first Class 374 Eurostar e320 is due to call at Ashford in April.
Network Rail’s senior commercial scheme sponsor, Mark Ellerby, said: “When Ashford International was rebuilt in the 1990s, the platforms used by international trains were not built to full European standards, because the Eurostars of that era ran on normal GB tracks.
“The work we are doing with new signalling equipment and the platforms will future-proof the town’s station and preserve its status as part of Europe’s high-speed network – one of only four stations in the country to have that honour.
“High-speed rail and links to Europe have given Ashford a huge boost over the past 21 years and we are pleased to be working with Eurostar and local authorities to keep that going.”
