by Jo Sword

The full high-speed rail service got under way today which was good news for some travellers but bad news for many in west Kent.

In June the preview service from Ashford to London St Pancras was launched, with services to Dover and Ramsgate following in September.

The Javelin trains speed through the Kent countryside at 140mph, dramatically cutting journey times to the capital.

But the official launch of the service marked a new timetable and with it, cuts to services from Maidstone East and West Malling to Cannon Street.

KM Group reporter Luke Hollands travelled with Dame Kelly Holmes and Lord Adonis from Rochester to London St Pancras in 36 minutes today.

He said: "It was an exciting experience when we all boarded the train. It is a real carnival atmosphere and everyone is thrilled that such a great service has come to our county."

Jon Hay-Campbell from Southeastern Trains said: "We have been very pleased with how the preview services have been going and we have seen a steady growth over the weeks and months since we introduced it back in June.

"The services have seen passenger numbers rise up to almost 23,000 journeys every week."

However, all this comes at a price - with passengers being asked to pay more and standard services in west Kent being cut.

Mr Hay-Campbell added: "There are those such as those from Maidstone East and West Malling where they will see a reduction and we are going to continue to monitor the service from January.

"Once it has come into effect properly and we will look to see how we can improve it."

• What do you think? Leave your comments below.