In message
, at
03:54:07 on Mon, 1 Jun 2009, Mizter T remarked:
So, they'll only be offering peak time trains from Ashford during this
preview service, but there'll be an all day half-hourly service from
Ebbsfleet.

Perhaps they are expecting people to use Ebbsfleet as a P&R for London.
I'd certainly give that try if I lived nearby on the M25. Ashford is a
run-down provincial town (sorry, but that's the reality), and I can't
see why people would want to travel from there to London and back on a
premium service outside commuter hours.

A few other things I noted - "all first class ticket holders are able
to travel on the high speed service for no extra cost". Also, AIUI the
class 395 trains are classless.

Maybe the First Class premium is higher than the HS1 premium (Ashford's
FDR is more than twice the price of a SDR). The trip is short enough
that they couldn't serve a decent breakfast. Speaking of which, does
anyone know what catering they *are* providing on these trains?
--
Roland Perry