The R&A and Southeastern have announced that a high-speed, direct train service will transport passengers to and from The Open Championship at Royal St George’s. Departing from St Pancras International, the service will run from 14 – 17 July and will reduce regular journey times by one hour.
With Sandwich station only a 15-minute walk from the venue, spectators can get from central London to the course in just 95 minutes. There will be two direct, high-speed services per hour going to Sandwich during the morning from St Pancras International and two services an hour back, from lunchtime onwards. This will help transport many of the expected 180,000 spectators to the event throughout the four Championship days.
“Whenever The Open comes to Royal St George’s, we welcome a large number of enthusiastic spectators from London and the surrounding area,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A. “This new service brings The Open Championship closer to the capital than ever before, and we hope that it will encourage more people to enjoy a day at golf’s oldest Major.”
Vince Lucas, service delivery director for Southeastern Trains, said: “The Open is the biggest sporting event to take place in Kent, and is a great opportunity to show what the region has to offer. We are determined to help make this important event a success by offering this High Speed service, which is sure to be very popular for spectators travelling from London.”
There will also be a further hourly mainline service to Sandwich during the Championship, meaning that The Open will be served by four trains per hour. The high-speed services will travel via Canterbury or Dover.
Additional early-morning trains from St Pancras International will ensure that spectators can get to the course in time to watch the first groups tee-off. Supplementary trains on the mainline service, early in the morning, will run from Charing Cross and Victoria.
Tickets for these services and the full timetable are now available at www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/news/latest-news/high-speed-to-the-open/
A peak day return on high-speed services costs £38.20. An equivalent mainline service ticket will cost £32.90.
The Open www.Opengolf.com