For anyone visiting Maidstone for the first time Maidstone East station won't exactly fill them…read morewith joy about their visit. The station itself is fairly difficult to navigate if you're unfamiliar with the lay out and there isn't a considerable amount if shelter from the elements. There are easily accessible connecting transport links outside the station.

Ashford International is a major rail interchange in south east Kent, and since 1996, has also been…read moreserved by the London-Paris/Brussels Eurostar service. The station is used by 2.8 million passengers a year, with a further 400,000 changing between trains. History The station opened in December 1842 by the South Eastern Railway on its line from London to Dover via Redhill, which was completed through to Dover in 1844. A line through Canterbury to Ramsgate opened in 1846, and to Hastings via Rye in 1851. The current 'main line' via Maidstone was opened in 1884, initially to a separate station, by the London, Chatham and Dover railway; services were diverted into the present station in 1899. The station was connected into the line to the Channel Tunnel in 1996, and to the high-speed line to London St Pancras in 2007. The present station dates from a rebuilding to accommodate the beginning Eurostar services in 1996, and is entirely of modern design in steel and glass, with a large multi-storey car-park in a matching style. The station essentially comprises three island platforms: platforms 1 & 2 and 5 & 6 handle domestic traffic, with 3 & 4 handling Eurostar trains. Platforms 3 & 4 have separate, controlled access to meet immigration and customs requirements. Domestic Services The station has regular services to London Charing Cross and London Victoria, and to Dover Priory, Ramsgate, Canterbury West, Margate, and Brighton via Hastings and Eastbourne. Many services divide or attach carriages here. Since December 2009, the station has also had 140 mph (225kph) high-speed domestic services to London via Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International, taking 37 minutes to St Pancras International. International Services The initial service of 7 trains to Paris and 5 to Brussels was reduced on the opening of Ebbsfleet International in 2007. There are now three return services to Paris, one to Brussels and one to Disneyland Paris via Lille. Services Passenger facilities are surprisingly basic for so busy a station: the station has large car parks (charges apply) and covered storage for 148 cycles, and there are small cafe outlets on each of the domestic island platforms (1/2 and 5/6). There is also a small tourist information office. The station has level access throughout and a disabled toilet.

its a very busy station with poor facilities. We sometimes use this station when we stop off from…read morevisiting family in Folkestone at the Ashford Designer Outlet (http://www.qype.co.uk/place/68597-McArthur-Glen-Ashford--Ashford) - a few minutes walk away. Poor facilities for an International Station nowhere for coffee except the really grim and overpriced Pumpkin station cafes on two of the platforms and a couple of independent cafes on site. Disinterested staff and overpriced dull food and very average coffee. Nothing else around it so they have a captive market. Really not good enough for an International Station.

So, as I have mentioned, there are two railway stations in Canterbury, and you can't actually catch…read morea train from one to the other. This no doubt has something to do with there being two private railways coming here in the past. I also suspect that the high speed rail comes through here, I suspect - I didn't catch the train from here, I just wandered around to have a look at it.

After a lovely day in Kent with our friends John and Roz, we headed back to Charing Cross by…read morehopping on the Southeastern Railway Train from the Canterbury West Station. We appreciated that this was a lightly occupied and direct (albeit local) train was comfortable and with lots of room for our legs and baggage. The Station itself could be described as safe, a bit dated, and functional. I purchased our tickets from an agent who was friendly, helpful, and engaged. A waiting room was available, but we were happy to pace around the platform a bit, waiting for the train to arrive.

Well kept rural station that transports you back to the age of steam. With its little tea room and…read moretoy museum its well worth a visit.

This is one of the two main stations coming into Canterbury, and of course, the reason that there…read moreare two is because there were two different companies running into Canterbury, so of course you can't actually catch a train from one to the other. Anyway, it's not a bad station, and of course, it is not too far from the city centre, though since it is a pretty old city, it comes in on the edge.

Sadly I'm not sure what happened to the old station, but this one looks like it has been completely…read morerefurbished. In fact, it looks like it was upgraded for HS1, but then I realised that HS1 really doesn't go here. Well, it does, but splits off. Anyway, while it is pretty modern, the fact that it is next to the town centre is really helpful.

Rochester station serves the historic Kent cathedral town, but was actually opened rather late in…read moreUK railway history. Despite having a line through the town from 1858 when the East Kent Railway extended their route from Chatham across the Medway to join the South Eastern line to London, no station was provided for Rochester itself. Passengers were expected to alight either at Chatham or Strood, across the river. The present station was finally opened in 1892 bby the London, Chatham and Dover railway, with a station building in a simple domestic style in cream brick, built alongside the viaduct on which the platforms are located. Despite its attractive appearance, passenger facilities are limited to the ticket office, a waiting room and toilets on the main London-bound platform, and limited cycle storage facilities. The station has two long island platforms, although only the London side retains its attractive Victorian platforms awnings: eastbound passengers to Chatham and beyond make do with a simple hut. One upside is that are there are fine views across the former docks and the Medway river. There is a lift to provide wheelchair access to both platforms and a taxi company in the station building and a taxi rank in front. The station is just a few minutes' walk from the High Street. Services are provided by the Southeastern railway, with frequent trains to both London Bridge and Victoria station, and to Chatham and Dover going east. From late 2009 it will also be served by domestic services on the High Speed line to St Pancras.

Polegate station serves the town of the same name on the northern edge of the Eastbourne…read moreconurbation, and is served by trains on the West Coastway line. It handles around 0.9m passengers a year. The first station on the site opened in 1846 on the Lewes to St Leonards railway line. It became the junction for Eastbourne and for the line northwards to Hailsham in 1849, with the Hailsham line being extended northwards to Eridge on the Uckfield-Groombridge Junction line in 1880. In 1881, to avoid Eastbourne-Hailsham trains having to reverse, a new station was opened further east. The Hailsham line closed in 1968, and the short direct line to Hastings has also closed, necessitating the reversal of all eastbound trains at Eastbourne. In 1986, the 1881 station was closed (it is now a restaurant) and a replacement opened on the site of the original 1846 station, on Polegate High street, and this is the station in use today. It has two platforms, with the main buildings on the north, Eastbourne-bound line. Facilities include a car park, ticket office, waiting rooms or shelters, ticket machines, and cycle storage, but no toilets. There is step-free access both to the ticket office and via short steep ramps to each platform. Between the platforms, there is a footbridge: level access is via the High Street level crossing (allow 5 minutes). Services are provided by Southern; there are two trains an hour to each of Brighton and London Victoria, both via Lewes; and four eastbound to Eastbourne, two of which continue to Hastings and Ore, and one to Ashford.

Just your average train station. Nice long and wide platforms with two waiting rooms (which are…read moreheated!) Good barrier system, although I was sad when the old signal box was removed. Great direct links to London, Brighton, Eastbourne and many more. Staff are nice, there are three (I think) ticket buying machines and two kiosks inside the station. Information packs readily available, you can buy Railcards from here too. I like the welcoming feeling of this station, which also has a night gate for late exits when the barriers are off. I'd recommend this to families, commuters and just about anyone due to the wide platforms and nice service.