Thanet Parkway station will receive £12M from the Government’s new £900M ‘Getting Building Fund’ towards the £35M cost of the new station to link the area up to the High Speed 1 rail line. It is one of 34 projects backed by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, which will receive £85M from the fund to support the creation of jobs and economic opportunities across the region.

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale said: “Thanet Parkway Station is a key piece of the jigsaw that will open up east Kent to investment and employment and will also facilitate the re-opening and success of Manston airport.”

Speaking to TP Weekly News, he added: “The Parkway station will be on the edge of the airfield; there is no reason light freight shouldn’t be carried from there.” He added that the station will also help to strengthen high speed rail services for passengers across Thanet.

RiverOak Strategic Partners – which last month was granted permission for Manston to become an air freight hub and passenger airfield one again – welcomed the funding for the rail station.

Its director Tony Freudmann said: “Having the right supporting public transport infrastructure around Manston will be key to its success. It’s also yet another positive indication of the Government’s overarching determination to support Thanet and east Kent’s economic recovery from Covid-19.”

Kent County Council’s cabinet member for economic development Mike Whiting said that Thanet Parkway will make east Kent more accessible for companies and employees, bringing journey times to London down to just over an hour.

The council also points out that a study by Wessex Economics into the wider economic benefits of the new station found that over the first 30 years of opening it will accelerate the delivery of up to 3200 homes and create up to 800 jobs.

(Image: Kent County Council)