A KENT city is in line for two high speed peak-time trains an hour to London that will slash journey times to an hour.

Canterbury's railway service is set to be transformed by the introduction of Hitachi 140mph trains in December 2009.

Canterbury West is expected to get two high-speed trains an hour in both directions during the morning and evening peaks, and one an hour in each direction off-peak.

But passengers will pay a 30 per cent premium for shaving 40 minutes – down from 102 minutes to 60.5 – off their journey time.

Charles Horton, first managing director of Southeastern, the new train operator for Kent, insists the elite network will not create a two-tier system.

The high-speed network will contribute only five per cent of revenue in the early months of the service. Most revenue would still come from what he calls the "classic" network.

"We are looking to drive improvements not only in the high-speed service but also make sure that the existing network is closely integrated," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we look after our customers on the classic network."

He said the new service would make a huge difference to Canterbury. "It’s a very exciting and demanding thing to be part of," he added.

The first four Hitachi trains are due for delivery between May and August next year for testing. The rest will arrive in 2009.