Maidstone East railway station

Maidstone East railway station is one of three stations in the central area of Maidstone, Kent, England, but currently the only one with a regular direct service to London. The station is on the Maidstone East Line, 39 miles 76 chains from London Victoria, and is served by trains operated by Southeastern.

Maidstone East was opened as Maidstone by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 1 June 1874 as the terminus of the line from Otford. On 1 July 1884, the line was extended eastwards to Ashford West. In 1899, following the merger of the LCDR with the South Eastern Railway which operated the Medway Valley line, the station was given its current name to distinguish it from the SER's identically named station which was renamed Maidstone West. Following the grouping of mainline rail companies into regional railways in 1923, the Southern Railway undertook electrification as far as Maidstone East in 1939. Electrification to Ashford was carried out in 1961.

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