The company which operates the high-speed rail link through the county - HS1 Ltd - has a new name.

The firm, which is behind the rail link used by both Eurostar and Southeastern-operated domestic services in and out of the capital, will now be known as London St Pancras Highspeed.

The move comes as the newly named company looks to more than double current capacity for international rail services out of the London terminal.

But while Kent has long benefited from the faster link to the city, there remains no prospect of any Eurostar service operating out of the county’s two international stations at Ashford and Ebbsfleet.

Both last saw continental services stopping in 2020 before the pandemic suspended travel.

Eurostar - which pays the rebranded London St Pancras Highspeed to use its tracks - says it has no plans to re-start services until 2026 at the earliest.

This week, a number of MPs in the county met with the Minister for Rail, Lord Hendy, to apply pressure on the government to push for Eurostar to once again add Kent stops.

Currently, Kent travellers wanting to use Eurostar’s direct service to the continent have the ludicrous situation of having to travel to St Pancras only to then retrace their steps en route to France.

There is hope a rival firm - most notably Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin which is believed to be keen on starting a continental service by 2029 - could finally bring internally travellers back to the county.

Meanwhile, London St Pancras Highspeed says it is to “play a more active, consumer-facing role” in helping to drive the growth of high-speed travel - trumpeting its sustainable credential over short-haul flights.

It says it wants to expand capacity at St Pancras for international passengers from 1,800 an hour, currently, to almost 5,000.

It says new infrastructure, combined with “efficient border and security processes”, will allow for a quicker passenger journey and significantly reduced station arrival times.

Robert Sinclair, CEO of London St Pancras Highspeed, said: “This is not simply a change of brand or a new logo. Instead, it signifies an important shift and a desire to play a much more active and supportive role in driving the growth of sustainable travel by high-speed rail.

“Who we are and what we do as a business has not changed, but our ambition has. It’s evident that a modal shift is taking place for travel and our new brand reflects this.

“We believe that growth on our line will have a significant benefit for the UK, opening up more business and tourism opportunities, while bringing Europe closer with fast, city centre to city centre journeys.

“We have an incredible opportunity and an important responsibility to help maximise the take-up of sustainable rail travel. Together with our partners in the industry, all of us at London St Pancras Highspeed are excited about the journey ahead.”